I have read the other reviews across the web, I have heard all the internet cry out in almost a unified voice : “The X-Files (2) : I Want To Believe movie stinks”. I suppose they would be correct if one compared it to the previous film made during the TV series run, the well handled Fight The Future which not only dealt with the alien conspiracy, but expanded the scope of the series, with a bigger budget, slimy aliens, explosions, attacks from swarms of mutant killer bees and making an escape on icy snowdrifts. Mulder and Scully are back again on more ice and snow- several years after the TV series closed down. There are no government conspiracies nor infectious oil slicks in this new film. What we get instead is a character study, a film which is more character driven than plot driven. Apparently, today’s audiences are such a fickle bunch that as days go by I become more and more out of touch with the rest of society… (more…)

Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Movie Marketing, Oscar Watch

First The Dark Knight gets all but ignored at the Golden Globes, and now this! Members of critics' groups and other organizations have been getting copies of the new Dark Knight DVD as Warner Bros. hopes to boost its Oscar and end-of-the-year top-10-list chances. But members of the Writers Guild of America have noted that their copies have been altered: The words "A Christopher Nolan Film" on the front and back of the case have been blacked out with a marker.

Defamer has the scoop on it, having noticed it on their own copy and then hearing it mentioned by someone else, too. Kyle Buchanan writes: "We called Warner Bros. to find out [what was going on], and a helpful publicist sighed. 'You must be WGA,' she said. 'It's because the guild won't accept a possessory credit for a director.'"

See, the WGA doesn't like it when movies say "A film by Christopher Nolan" or "A Christopher Nolan film." The WGA figures those credits make it sound like the director made the film all by himself, thus detracting from the invaluable work done by others -- like, say, for example, the writers. The WGA prefers a simple "Directed by Christopher Nolan." So apparently, when a DVD is being sent to WGA members, someone at Warner Bros. has to black out the offensive credit, lest the recipients be offended and ... what? Refuse to consider the film out of spite?

It's not clear from Defamer's report whether the WGA asked Warner Bros. to do this or whether Warner Bros. did it preemptively to avoid complaints. Either way, it seems to me that no matter what your position is on the "possessory credit" issue (and I tend to sympathize with the writers), this was a silly thing to do. I know the battle between writers and directors has been raging for decades, though; here's an interesting old Hollywood Reporter article about it, for further reading.

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The Golden Globe film nominations are in, and they resolve... nothing. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is apparently quite happy to toss bouquets to any movies with a European place name in its title: Both "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "In Bruges" were nominated in the Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy category. "In Bruges" got two Best Actor nominations (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson), while "Vicky Cristina Barcelona got nods for actor (Javier Bardem), actress (Rebecca Hall), and supporting actress (Penelope Cruz). The place-name theory does not extend to Australia or "Australia," which got bupkes. (You can read the full list of film nominations below; for the TV awards, visit the award site or see what my colleagues have to say on the Viewer Discretion blog.)

How do we know this is the Golden Globes and not the Oscars? Because Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr got supporting actor nominations for their scurrilously funny turns in "Tropic Thunder," while James Franco is over in the Best Actor, Musical or Comedy category for his charmingly hapless stoner in "Pineapple Express." Meanwhile, Meryl Streep has staked claims in both Best Actress categories, for Drama ("Doubt") and Musical or Comedy ("Mamma Mia!"). Yes, "Mamma Mia!" is up for Best Picture, Musical or Comedy, and may represent the worst movie ever nominated in the category. (Did I say it wasn't enjoyable? Not at all.) Kate Winslet is up for a deuce as well: Best Actress (Drama) for "Revolutionary Road" and Best Supporting Actress for "The Reader".

Other surprises and omissions? "The Dark Knight" picked up one measly nomination, for Heath Ledger's performance. "WALL-E" got stuck at the Best Animated Feature kids' table with "Bolt" and "Kung Fu Panda". "Rachel Getting Married" squeaked in with only a Best Actress nod for Anne Hathaway. Clint Eastwood wasn't nominated for Best Director and neither of his movies, "Changeling" and "Gran Torino" made it into the big horserace. Angelina Jolie picked up a Best Actress (Drama) nod for the former and Eastwood himself got two music nominations for the latter, though, even if his singing of the theme from "Gran Torino" gives Pierce Brosnan in "Mamma Mia!" (mercifully un-nominated) a run for his atonal money.

Elsewhere, the HFPA is clearly drinking the year-end Kool-Aid, with such certified Oscar white elephants as "Revolutionary Road," "The Reader," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and "Frost/Nixon" coming in for multiple nominations. (In my opinion, they're all problematic at best and snoozeworthy at worst.) Pretty much the entire cast of "Doubt" was nominated (Streep in a lead category, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis for supporting). And Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson -- pretty much the entire cast of "Last Chance Harvey" -- were both nominated, and the only reason I can figure for that is that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association likes their previous movies a lot. "Slumdog Millionaire," meanwhile continued its march to Oscar with a Best Motion Picture (Drama) nomination and nods for director Danny Boyle, writer Simon Beaufoy, and composer A.R. Rahman.

Don't try to make sense of any of this -- there is none. Just watch the big show on January 11th and marvel at the self-congratulatory glitz.

Best Motion Picture - Drama:
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama:
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Revolutionary Road"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama:
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
Kristen Scott Thomas, "I've Loved You So Long"
Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road"

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy:
"Burn After Reading"
"Happy-Go-Lucky"
"In Bruges"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy:
Javier Bardem "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Colin Farrell, "In Bruges"
James Franco, "Pineapple Express"
Brendan Gleeson, "In Bruges"
Dustin Hoffman, "Last Chance Harvey"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy:
Rebecca Hall, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Frances McDormand, "Burn After Reading"
Meryl Streep, "Mamma Mia!"
Emma Thompson, "Last Chance Harvey"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:
Tom Cruise, "Tropic Thunder"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Ralph Fiennes, "The Duchess"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:
Amy Adams, "Doubt"
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

Best Animated Feature:
"Bolt"
"Kung Fu Panda"
"WALL-E"

Best Foreign Language Film:
"The Baader Meinhof Complex" (Germany)
"Everlasting Moments" (Sweden/Denmark)
"Gomorrah" (Italy)
"I've Loved You So Long" (France)
"Waltz with Bashir" (Israel)

Best Director - Motion Picture:
Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Sam Mendes, "Revolutionary Road"

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture:
Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire"
David Hare, "The Reader"
Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon"
Eric Roth, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt"

Best Original Score - Motion Picture:
Alexandre Desplat, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Clint Eastwood, "Changeling"
James Newton Howard, "Defiance"
A.R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Hans Zimmer, "Frost/Nixon"

Best Original Song - Motion Picture:
"Down to Earth" from "WALL-E"
"Gran Torino" from "Gran Torino"
"I Thought I Lost You" from "Bolt"
"Once in a Lifetime" from "Cadillac Records"
"The Wrestler" from "The Wrestler"
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Yesterday the Los Angeles Film Critics Association weighed in on 2008, naming "WALL-E" the best picture of the year and "The Dark Knight" the runner-up. Today the other coast had its say, as the New York Film Critics Circle lauded "Milk" and gave Sean Penn and Josh Brolin best actor and supporting actor awards respectively. New York also showed a lot of love to "Happy-Go-Lucky," giving star Sally Hawkins a best actress award and naming Mike Leigh best director. (The LA critics also awarded Hawkins best actress and gave a screenplay nod to Leigh -- somewhat strange given the improvisatory nature of his projects.)

"Man on Wire" won best documentary from both groups and is looking like the odds-on favorite in the non-fiction field. It's worth noting, though, that with three major critics' groups having had their say, there are three best picture awards out there: "Milk," "WALL-E," and "Slumdog Millionaire" (National Board of Review). And "Milk" is the only one that could be called a classic Oscar-bait release. Interesting. (Also interesting, if not just plain silly, is that with "WALL-E" getting best picture, the LA critics decided to give "Waltz with Bashir" the best animation prize.)

The LA Times' Patrick Goldstein gives some behind-the-scenes flavor to the Los Angeles voting; "Slumdog," predictably, split the critics down the middle. But Goldstein pooh-poohs "WALL-E"'s chances at an eventual best picture Oscar nomination, and I think he's dead wrong. The New York Post's Lou Lumenick blogged the NY voting, noting that Leigh beat out "Slumdog"'s Danny Boyle by one point on the fourth ballot. Verily, it's going to be a weird year at the Oscar podium.

Just to muddy the waters, the Golden Globes nominations come in tomorrow morning; the Boston Society of Film Critics votes on Sunday.

The details:

Los Angeles Film Critics Association:

Best picture: "WALL-E" (Runner-up: "The Dark Knight")
Best director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire" (Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight?)
Best actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky" (Runner-up: Melissa Leo, ?Frozen River?)
Best actor: Sean Penn, ?Milk? (Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, ?The Wrestler?)
Best screenplay: Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky" (Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York")
Best supporting actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Elegy" (Runner-up: Viola Davis, "Doubt")
Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight" (Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, "Happy-Go-Lucky")
Best foreign language film: "Still Life? directed by Jia Zhangke (Runner-up: "The Class" directed by Laurent Cantet)
Best documentary: "Man on Wire" directed by James Marsh (Runner-up: "Waltz with Bashir" directed by Ari Folman)
Best production design: Mark Friedberg, "Synecdoche, New York" (Runner-up: Nathan Crowley, "The Dark Knight")
Best animation: ?Waltz with Bashir"
Best music/score: A.R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire" (Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button")
Best cinematography: Yu Lik Wai, "Still Life" (Runner-up: Anthony Dod Mantle, "Slumdog Millionaire")
New Generation Award: Steve McQueen, ?Hunger?
Career Achievement Award: John Calley (previously announced)
Douglas E. Edwards Independent/Experimental Film/Video Award: James Benning, ?RR? and ?Casting a Glance?

The New York Film Critics Circle:
Best Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"
Best Actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Best Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, "Milk"
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Best Director: Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Best Screenplay: Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Cinematographer: Anthony Dod Mantle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Best Animated Film: "WALL-E"
Best First Film: Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Best Foreign Film: "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
Best Documentary: "Man on Wire"

Filed under: Action, Music & Musicals, Awards, Warner Brothers, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek

Good news! The Dark Knight is in the running for Best Soundtrack again. You might remember William Goss' story last month that reported it had been disqualified due to it having "too many composers."

According to the Patrick Goldstein on The Big Picture, the Academy reversed the decision last Friday. It's a surprising move, because mere days ago Bruce Davis, executive director of the Academy, was still defending the decision. arguing that the music branch "sees this as an award, like cinematography or directing, where you want to award a single creator. This isn't like visual effects. Except for extraordinary circumstances, it's an award that should go to one person."

Well, you may want to, but that doesn't always mean you should. Shouldn't we honor collaborative effort? Isn't that where the whole "There's no I in team!" phrase comes from? Nothing about a film is created in a vacuum.

While it the decision has yet to be officially confirmed, it will certainly be a pretty nice victory for Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, since they were also disqualified in 2005 for Batman Begins. While it's a small step for The Dark Knight, let's hope it's a greater one for film in general. The Academy often gets so hung up on their rules and regulations that they forget the point of their existence is to recognize cinematic achievement.

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Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels

Here's the short answer: Um, like, Robert Pattinson is still in it, right?

By now a majority of the universe is well aware that Catherine Hardwicke will not be returning as director on the next two Twilight films, New Moon and Eclipse, which may or may not be shot back-to-back so that Summit Entertainment hits it core audience before they grow up and have better things to do. Today, as Twilight has crossed the $150 million mark in worldwide box office grosses, folks wondered why Summit gave Hardwicke the boot, whether she was being difficult in demanding a little more time than, I dunno, a week to develop and plan out the next two sequels, or if there were other, more sensational reasons behind her exit. Needless to say, everyone (and their sexy vampire boyfriend) in our gossip-obsessed society wants to know what happened, and whether fans will drive a stake through Summit's wallet should they hire a male director to continue the franchise.

But does it really matter who directs the Twilight sequel? I mean, for something in the neighborhood of a twelve-dollar budget, Twilight hit the freakin' jackpot at the box office. Heck, New Moon could be all hand shadows and the flick would still pull in, like, 20 times more than Punisher: War Zone. Since Summit wants to introduce the Saw style of filmmaking to the series and churn out New Moon in one year (they're targeting a release date of late 2009, early 2010), chances are the film will feel rushed and rough around the edges no matter who's at the helm.

So here's our question: Does it matter who directs the Twilight sequel(s)? Does it need to be a female in order to retain the audience, or does gender not matter? Sound off below ...

Oh, and in other news: Here comes the Twilight conventions ...

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Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy

There's really no one quite like Bettie Page. Less than a decade of work made her an indelible icon. But unlike Marilyn Monroe or James Dean, who lived in the public spotlight, Page became a mainstream icon through exotic fetish photography. Her decade of posing spawned a movement that thrives to this day in film, merchandise, and wide-spread spirit. Now Variety reports that the 85-year-old Page is critically ill.

Page was hospitalized three weeks ago for pneumonia, and just as she regained her health and was about to be released, she suffered a heart attack that has her in a coma in intensive care (the coma hasn't been officially confirmed, but it was not denied).

I hope she can pull through this. It's a rare person who can not only overcome terrible hardships, but also find a way to reconcile their current and past selves. Not every born-again Christian would autograph sexy pictures of themselves and say: "After all, when God created Adam and Eve, they were stark naked. And in the Garden of Eden, God was probably naked as a jaybird too!" Our thoughts are with you, Betty.

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Filed under: RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek

UPDATE: In a press release tonight, both Summit Entertainment and Catherine Hardwicke jointly announced that Hardwicke will NOT be directing New Moon. She says, "I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct NEW MOON. Directing TWILIGHT has been one of the great experiences of my life, and I am grateful to the fans for their passionate support of the film. I wish everyone at Summit the best with the sequel-- it is a great story."

Twilight set a record for the best opening weekend ever achieved by a female-directed movie, but that director, Catherine Hardwicke, won't be able to enjoy it for long. Nikki Finke, at Deadline Hollywood Daily, is claiming inside knowledge that Hardwicke is definitely not being re-hired for the sequel, and that an official announcement from Summit Entertainment is imminent.

Rumors about Summit replacing Hardwicke have been swirling ever since the sequel was officially greenlighted after that $70 million opening weekend. Finke quotes anonymous insiders as saying it was the film's cinematographer and editor who saved Twilight after Hardwicke's mishandling of it; indeed, some people wondered all along if Hardwicke -- whose prior experience was with small, intimate dramas, not vampire movies -- was the right choice.

If it's true that Hardwicke is out -- and Finke claims absolute certainty that it is -- then Summit will have to be careful how it handles replacing her. Getting a man to take her place might send the message that Summit thinks a woman can't adequately direct an action movie, and it would be a setback to an industry where there's already a ridiculous lack of feminine input. As Erik Davis reminded us a couple weeks ago, only 6% of the 250 top-grossing films of 2007 were directed by women. (More stats here.)

Continue reading Has Catherine Hardwicke Been Booted from the 'Twilight' Sequel?

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Two of the odd things about the After Dark Horrorfest 8 Films To Die For project is that while it may be a stamp of approval to help low budget horror and suspense films find more notice when it hits DVD, most of those films aren’t great, and then there’s always one or two that get lost in the shuffle and deserve a better fate altogether. The other oddity is that all of the 8 films roster, in a slightly edited for content form, wind up on the Sci-Fi channel within six to seven months of that DVD release. That sounds bad, but sometimes it can be for the good. Take the case of The Deaths Of Ian Stone, which has some extra boost due being one of the last credits for the late Stan Winston, who co-produced. Because of the After Dark Horrorfest format, it’s all too easy to have a few films such as Stone and the previous Horrfest year’s Gravedancers to slip under the radar. (more…)

... has died. Yes, Martha "Sunny" von Bülow, the American aristocrat who spent the last four presidential administrations in a coma, succumbed. Von Bülow, you might recall, was memorably played to a fare-thee-well by Glenn Close in Barbet Schroeder's 1990 black comedy, "Reversal of Fortune."

Even in hospitalized repose, Close was funny. In her alcoholic stupors, she managed gauze-thin humanity. It was a delicious piece of acting. Close shamelessly overdid everything -- even closing her eyes -- but she seemed to have a modicum of sympathy for this woman. Sunny, after all, was married to Claus von Bülow, the baron who was put on trial for trying to kill her in 1980. The movie was based on Alan Dershowitz's book and focused on the legal dissection of the case. Jeremy Irons won an Oscar for playing Claus. Close, who's only in about a third of the film but serves as its otherwordly narrator, deserved something. Even when she's not on screen, she's in the movie's air.