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Jazz Movies: Best Films about Jazz

2008-11-04T06:48:00.000-08:00

Everybody knows that the The Jazz Singer was the first ever sound film in history. In the almost eighty years that have passed since then, many jazz singers, jazz musicians and jazz orchestras appeared and or were the theme of many films. Here you can read about three of the top movies on jazz for jazz fans and fans of good cinema.

Bird 1988

Bird was the nickname of the great jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. Bird is also the title of the biopic that was directed by Clint Eastwood on Bird who has been struggling for wide recognition of his music as well as fighting with his self destructive tendencies until his death in the early age of 34. However, the movie avoids depicting the cliche of the rise and fall of the drug addict musician. Mainly thanks to Eastwood whose love of jazz is evident in every scene of the 160 minutes feature. Talented Forest Whitaker plays an excellent leading role of Bird.

Charlie Parker fans do not need this recommendation, but they would probably appreciate the fact that the film soundtrack features original recording by Bird. Those who have seen documentaries about Parker would enjoy the great preparation work Whitaker has done for the role. Fans of Clint Eastwood tougher filmography would not be disappointed either, since Bird is definitely one of the best, if not the finest, movies directed by Eastwood.

Round Midnight 1986

The character of Dale Turner, whose relationship with a young French fan sets the plot of Bertrand Tavernier film of 1986, was inspired by several jazz legends such as Lester Young, Bud Powell and more. The great jazz saxophonist Dexter Gordon donated his personal experiences and acquaintances with the jazz world to create the role of the troubled jazz saxophonist who leaves his homeland and moves to Paris in a search of admiration. In Paris, Turner meets Francis Borler a local fan who becomes his caretaker who successfully helps him in his struggle with alcoholism, drug abuse, depression and trouble making.

Regardless to your taste in music, Round Midnight is an optimistic film that celebrates the love of people and the power of music. Unless your heart is made of stone, you cannot watch the scene in which Borler observes Turner from the other side of the road as he orders orange juice in a cafe without shedding a tear. Jazz fans would be happy to know that Herbie Hancock is responsible for the Academy Award winning music score.

Mo Better Blues 1990

A talented trumpeter who cannot make the right decisions in both his professional and personal life is in the center of Spike Lees 1990 film. Denzel Washington plays the role of the fictional New York trumpeter Bleek Gilliam who tangles with two girlfriends, Joie Lee and Cynda Williams, a competitive saxophonist, Wesley Snipes, who aims to take over the quartet he heads, and a manager, Spike Lee, with gambling problems.

As the son of the appreciated Jazz bass player, Bill Lee, Spike Lee was born and raised into the world of jazz. However, Mo Better Blues focuses mainly on Bleak personal issues. If you are expecting unusual insights, you might be disappointed but it still quality entertainment with excellent acting and good music. Bill Lee took care of the music score that includes music by Miles Davis, Branford Marsalis, Abbey Lincoln and other contemporary jazz musicians.

Bottom line, you do not have to be a fan of jazz to enjoy a good movie as much as you do not have to be an android to appreciate a good sci fi film. Whether you are a jazz fan or you fall asleep each time you hear the sound of an alt sax, the three movies recommended above are worth watching.

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Documentary Film Making

2008-10-18T01:48:00.000-07:00

Documentary films, as the name implies, are films produced with the intention of being an audio-visual documentation of a concept or event.

A documentary film is intended to be much more like a piece of journalism than a piece of entertainment or expressive art.

There is typically a voice-over narrative going on throughout a documentary film with the narrator describing what's being seen in a businesslike way without any dramatic reading.

Documentary films are often made to more deeply explore a current events or history subject that has remained shrouded in mystery, been controversial, or in the opinion of the film maker misunderstood or underexposed.

Documentaries have also been made simply to record an event of personal interest to the film maker.

Biographies, sports and music events, a compilation film of collected footage from government sources, and so on and so forth all may be subjects for a documentary film.

Documentary film makers are typically the writers, directors, and producers. Often they may act as cameramen as well.

Documentary films are most often made for TV but in more recent times there have been more of them made as direct-to-video, made-for-video, straight-to-video, or straight-to-DVD formats in which they were never first played on TV or in the theaters but were simply distributed for home-viewing.

Some major motion pictures when released in DVD format also come with bonus DVDs that act as documentary films of the making of the movie.

Documentaries also often feature re-enactments of events that could not or were not originally documented on film such as historical events from the year 1776.

There have also been "mockumentaries" made, in which a piece of comedy fiction is made but is done up in the same dry and straightforward format of an actual documentary. "This Is Spinal Tap" and "The Gods Must Be Crazy" are two of the most successful mockumentaries ever made.

To put together a quality documentary film, the filmmaker first begins by doing research, even if he knows the subject matter well already.

The Main point of a documentary film is to relay facts and information from all angles.

Quality documentaries usually include interviews at some point. This is a technique for lending authoritativeness to the film's producer by getting people to speak from first-hand knowledge about the subject matter or an aspect of it.

A documentary film also has to be well organized in an interesting and logical format.

Unlike with many fictional movie stories, a documentary should never deliberately confuse, mislead, or leave something mysterious.

Multiple perspectives or opinions can be highly effective at giving a documentary film depth.

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Batman Series - An All Time Favorite

2008-09-19T03:39:00.000-07:00

There are many movies and TV shows that we can be addicted to, especially when we are a fanatic of a certain character. One of the most outstanding movie series today is "Batman". It was adapted from a fictional comic book, premiered in 1960's and until now it's still majority's all time favorite. Batman is where fantasies do come true and also reflects about people and things around us. There are a number of episodes that people loves to watch over an over again without getting tired.

Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne, a usual industrialist. Bruce' family is into real state business called Wayne Enterprise before Gotham City is being attacked by villains. Often times, people seen him as irresponsible, superficial playboy and gets what he wants because of his family's wealth fortune.When he was a boy, Bruce Wayne got a trauma when the physician Dr. Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha was being murdered in front oh his very eyes.He was deeply horrified. That's the main reason why he fight crimes in Gotham City as Batman.

Dressed as a bat, Batman wanted to have a frightening persona in order to protect his true identity and aid him in crime fighting.The suit colors are traditionally blue and gray.And shared a bat motif into his crime fighting equipments namely his bat mobile,bat-computer, bat-scanner, bat-radar, bat-cuffs, bat-drinking water dispenser, bat-camera with polarized bat-filter, bat-shark repellent bat-spray, bat-rope, and the bat cave which is the Batman's secret headquarter.Obviously first named "bats" for his war on crimes.

What makes him different from other superheroes is that he does not possess any special power like the flying skills of superman. What he uses is his intellectual ability, strong physical power notably martial arts, acrobatics,escape tactics,torture techniques, intimidating aura and detective skills to solve crimes and protect Gotham city against villains and prime suspects.But still being human, Batman's attraction to Cat woman is present.Sidekick Robin comes along the way.Batman's most daring foe is the Joker. A clown-figure criminal. And all the story versions of Batman is history and recognized around the world and became a pop culture until now.

Watching Batman movies and TV Series can tickle your mind and imagination especially with those heart pumping scenes. No wonder, kids and adults enjoy this blockbuster hit every time its on the boob tube.

Today via online shopping, Batman movie and TV DVD series collections is just a click away. There are websites who offers quality of CD collections on reasonable prices. Now, you can watch Batman series anytime.

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Pocahontas - An American Legend Comes To Life

2008-09-19T01:05:00.000-07:00

In 1995, Walt Disney Pictures released the first Disney movie where, as the tagline states, "an American legend comes to life." Pocahontas, the first Disney film based on an actual historic figure, was the 33rd animated film ever released by Disney Studios and marked the climax for the Disney Renaissance which had begun in 1989 with The Little Mermaid. This film was one of the few Disney films to ever portray an interracial romance (between Pocahontas and John Smith).

The hopes for the production were very high. Jeffery Katzenberg, the then-studio head, considered it a prestige project capable of vying for a Best Picture nomination in the same vein as Beauty and the Beast. Indeed, Katzenberg felt Pocahontas would out-gross the tremendous returns The Lion King enjoyed. Unfortunately, the adult themes of the film undermined its appeal to children and though it failed to meet expectations, Pocahontas did earn approximately $142 million domestically and $348 million worldwide.

Pocahontas enjoyed the largest premiere in film history, premiering at Central Park in New York City. Though the publicity certainly did sell revenues, the film was criticized for a number of historic and ethnic inaccuracies. Some critics felt the characterization of Pocahontas was too "fashionably exotic," while other critics condemned the historical accuracy. In reality, Pocahontas was prepubescent when John Smith encountered the Powhatan tribe. She was kidnapped by the English, converted to Christianity, married to both a Powhatan warrior, Kocoum, and then to the English tobacconist John Rolfe. Furthermore, most historians refute the notion of a romantic relationship between Pocahontas and Smith.

By contrast, the film was celebrated for its distinct animation style. The sparse color palette and, by Disney standards, unusual use of a mother spirit motif set Pocahontas apart from typical Disney fare. The score of the film, composed by Alan Menken, was likewise well-received - so much so that it earned the Academy Award for Best Original Score. The theme song, "Colors of the Wind," also written by Menken, with Vanessa Williams on vocals, won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Song.

Though Pocahontas was a commercial disappointment, it would prove to be more successful than its successor The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Indeed Hunchback would mark the end of the Disney Renaissance, during which the studio raked in nearly $1 billion. The studio would release a sequel, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, in 1998, direct-to-video.

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Herald of Galactus: Silver Surfer

2008-09-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Silver Surfer, A fictional character in a comic magazine published by Marvel Comics and later on, became a TV Series. Silver Surfer first appeared in Fantastic Four's TV Series entitled "Galactus Trilogy" (1966).

The story began when Norrin Radd from the planet Zenn-La, made a deal to Galactus to become his herald in exchange of Zenn-La's safety and away from Galactus massive destruction. Galactus granted his wish and Radd became his servant. Known as the Silver Surfer, he possessed great power with a silver flying surf board to which he can travel more than a speed of light in search for new planets.

Galactus eat planet's energy to regain his internal strength. Until Silver Surfer founded planet Earth. As the Surfer came face-to-face-battle with the Fantastic Four, he rediscover his true identity. He saved planet Earth and by betraying Galactus, he was punished in return.

The Fantastic Four Movie(2005) launched and released its sequel: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer last year, 2007. Both directed by Tim Story.

Major Characters:

Mister Fantastic-

Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four, Scientist and Husband of Susan(The Invisible Woman). Portrayed by Ian Gruffud. He has the power to be Elastic. He can change every part of his body in different shapes and sizes.

Invisible Woman-

Susan "Sue" Storm Richards,wife of Reed Richards(Mr. Fantastic) but Doctor Dooms love interest. Portayed by Jessica Alba. The light and the soul of Fantastic Four. Just as what her name say. She has the ability to be Invisible and with invisible power energy, that serves as her armor for the defense.

The Thing-

Ben Grimm, Alicia Master's love bee. Portrayed by Michael Chiklis. Literally big but also with a big sense of humor. Power of Super blasting strength is what he got. His rocky appearance and his famous words "It's clobberin' time!" that became his trademark.

Human Torch-

Johnny Storm, the playboy jelly of the group and brother of Sue(The Invisible Woman). Portrayed by Chris Evans. With his popular words "Flame On!" before indulging his body on fire. He also has the ability to fly.

The Silver Surfer-

Compromised as Herald of Galactus in exchange of his planet's safety and away from Galactus destruction. Formerly known as Norrin Radd and was portrayed by Doug Jones and voice of The Silver Surfer, Laurence Fishburne. All his powers are coming from the silver surfboard.Without it, he is weak.

Doctor Doom-

Victor Von Doom, a very intelligent scientist but absolute protagonist of the Fantastic Four. Portrayed by Julian McMahon. Wearing a mask to hide his true identity from the world. And try to steal the power of The Silver Surfer. The power to generate massive bolts of electric energy.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer got a PG-13 Rating. Yeah, not bad. In which according to Tim Story, they didn't change the story nor cut any scenes just to get the rating. But of course, it is understood for the viewers to guide/supervise their children while watching because of the mild violence and inappropriate scenes for younger children.

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Sleeping Beauty - A Classic You Should Revisit

2008-09-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Beauty was the sixteenth film in Walt Disney's canon, following Lady and The Tramp and preceding One Hundred and One Dalmatians. It was the last feature to be based upon a fairy tale, written by Charles Perrault. Indeed, Disney Studios would not return to a fairy tale again until the 1989 release of The Little Mermaid. Moreover, this was the last feature to use hand-inked cells.

The film was supervised by Walt Disney himself, though he delegated the direction of the feature to his trusted animators Les Clark, Eric Larson, and Wolfgang Reitherman. The three animators, as well as six other colleagues, were known jointly as "The Nine Old Men." The Nine Old Men were the key animators who had worked with Walt beginning with Snow White and ending with The Rescuers. The film's score was performed by the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, based on the 1890 Sleeping Beauty ballet composed by Pytor Tchaikovsky.

Production of Sleeping Beauty stretched nearly the entire decade of the 1950s. According to Wikipedia, the story was rewritten through 1951, the actor's voices were recorded in 1952, the actual animation spanned from 1953 to 1958, and the stereophonic score was recorded in 1957. Walt Disney wanted the style of the film to mimic medieval art. This marked a decided break from the characteristically rounded and fluid animation style Disney had become famous for. Since the feature would be screened via the Super Technirama 70 format, Disney was keen on making Sleeping Beauty as complex and detailed as possible. The Super Technirama 70 format was a method that optically enlarged 35mm film stock to a 70mm print. The Black Cauldron is the only other Disney film to have been presented Super Technirama 70.

Disney charged Eyvind Earle, a background painter and artist, with the production design of the film. Earle was given a great deal of freedom to push the boundaries. His lavish backgrounds often took seven to ten days to paint, whereas an average background painting took only one day to prepare. Earle's artistic latitude was not popular among the animators as they had previously enjoyed a great deal of participation with regards to their respective characters and background settings. Disney's belief in Earle was directly related to his winning an Academy Award for a Disney released short in 1953 entitled Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom.

Following its release, Sleeping Beauty only earned half of its $6 million budget. This deficit nearly bankrupted the Disney studio. The film was initially criticized for its pacing and alleged shallow character development. Many believed the radical new look alienated a number of Disney fans. It has since come to be considered a classic, most notably for its lush backgrounds, widescreen format, and stirring soundtrack.

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Watch Full New Movies Online Free - How To Tips

2008-09-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

You may not have noticed but statistics are showing that more people now watch full new movies online free. As you read on, you will find out how you too can join this group of people and not only that, do so quickly, conveniently and cheaply.

To the Americans, watching movies is a favorite pastime. An average American watches close to 4 hours of TV entertainment including movies every single day. So it goes to tell how much time and money Americans are willing to spare to watch a movie. However, what if you simply do not have the time to do that or want to do so in the comfort of your home only.

It would be impossible in the past but not now. Today, you can watch full new movies online free from home. Yes, there is no need to leave your doorsteps at all!

How is this possible? All you need to do is use your computer, get a broadband connection and get a membership to movie membership sites. From there, you can download and stream any online movie quickly.

After paying a very small one-time membership fee, you will then have access to thousands of movies that you can watch anytime and even anywhere. One major advantage of this kind of service is that it provides you to watch the movies and delete them or add them to your collection.

What's more, it will not only allow you to watch full new movies online free and burn the movies you want onto a CD; it will also allow you to record music and burn games as well.

When you choose a site, do check out if their downloading is fast and easy. Some sites are either too slow or have no clear tutorials and manuals to teach you how to download your desired movies. Customers simply hate being left stranded not knowing what to do. So pick one with user-friendly guides to take you around.

When using such services, always go for the reputable ones to watch movies online. A good and reputable site will provide 24/7 support to ensure that you get quality service as and when you need them. Also, make sure that they provide protection for your PC when you download. Such a site will give you the assurance when you watch full new movies online free that it is completely safe.

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The Appeal of Classic Adult Films

2008-06-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

In the sixties and seventies, there were places known as grindhouses, today we call them movie theaters. The films that were played in these theaters during the sixties and seventies were always dominated by explicit sexual activity, violence, bizarre or perverse plot points, and any other type of taboo content. The appeal of classic adult films has been around for decades, but it is making a quick buzz once again. In fact, many of these grindhouses were explicitly pornographic, including hardcore and softcore porn. Hardcore pornography is a form of adult films that only depict very explicit sexual acts. This phrase was developed because they needed some way to distinguish this type of film from softcore pornography, which showed nudity in a very sexually arousing way, but never actually showed any type of sexual activity. In the world today, it is hard to imagine a time when people had to leave the privacy of their homes if they wanted to view pornography or any other type of taboo entertainment.

The world we live in today allows people to hide their love of pornographic films which is reality, is sad that some people feel they need to do that. The world will always have conservative groups of people that will make the free spirits feel as though they need to conceal certain parts of their personality because they are wrong, but this is not right. The love of classic adult films is healthy and it allows people to be comfortable with their sexuality, which is also a very good thing. The fact that classic adult films have come back into popularity means that more and more people are revisiting the time that is known as the Golden Age of porn.

It is hard to believe that when these classic adult films were made, they were released in theaters and that the filmmakers and pornographers relied heavily on the artwork of a poster to attract viewers. We live in an age that relies heavily on the internet and streaming videos. Now if we want to purchase an adult film, we can watch a ninety second trailer to give us the chance to see if it is really worth buying. In the sixties and seventies, this was not an option and people had to buy a ticket in advance to see even a clip of a pornographic film. So, the appeal of classic adult films is different for everyone, but those who saw them the first time around are really enjoying being able to view them in the comfort of their own homes now.

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How You Can Find a Movie Lover Gift in 10 Minutes

2008-06-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

There's a certain breed amongst us that salivates at the thought of seeing a movie. Watching flicks from the treasured classics to the newest crop of screen entertainment is their cherished pastime. Know at least one guy or gal who fits this description?

Well, there's a way to cater exactly to their passion when it's gift-giving time. There's also a strategy to accomplish this challenge in as little as 10 minutes. What's the secret of meeting both of these daunting challenges? What's a win-win situation for all concerned?

Glad you asked! There's a proven remedy available to anyone who wishes to get the deed done in the most time-efficient way. The answer is buying Movie Gift Baskets online. This strategy will guarantee that the recipient will be able to get the movie that he or she desires in addition to a bevy of delectable treats. It will also save you a whole lot of time that you could use for other matters in your life.

So what do Movie Gift Baskets contain that are so special? First off, they can have within a $10 or $15 Blockbuster gift card. That means that the precise movie desired can be obtained by the one that you wish to make happy. Imagine the look in their eyes while being captured by the action thriller, comedy, "chick flick", or whatever type of film makes them come alive.

What else makes Movie Gift Baskets an exceptional choice? This gift idea also can be packed with treats such as popcorn, cookies, Cracker Jacks, peanuts, and candy - plus even a bottle of soda pop! Nothing is better than munching on these delightful goodies while being captivated by a good flick - Especially for those that are Hollywood fanatics that you know of!

OK, so far so good. You now know that there is a way to provide custom entertainment for anybody within their own comfy home. There's also a known way to include yummy snacks with the Blockbuster gift to complement the movie theatre feeling. And everything is packaged in a movie-themed container that will add to the splendor of it all. But the big question is - How do you get one into the hands of the beneficiary?

Piece of cake, my friends. Just use technology, as in the internet, to complete the mission for you. Go to your favorite search engine of Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc and type in keywords or keyword phrases that fit the product desired. Examples could be "Movie Gift Baskets", "Movie Lover Gift Baskets" and so on.

Review the choices that are given on the search engines and pick the one that is within your price range. Next you would fill out the shipping, billing and safe credit card info. Finally, you have the option to type in a personal message to the recipient. This could raise the gift experience to a whole new level if you put your mind to it. Might be the perfect opportunity to creatively express some of your keen wit!

The whole shebang could easily take a mere 10 minutes - or less! You can now forget about the hassles of mall shopping and wasted time and gas money.

So, you now are armed and ready to get the job done in the most effective and efficient way. Go forth now and win yourself an Oscar in the eyes of someone else by the giving of a Movie Gift Basket today!

Brian is the owner of Gift Basket Paradise and offers an awesome gift idea for anyone who enjoys watching movies and munching on delectable snacks at the same time. He invites you to visit his Movie Gift Baskets webpage at www.agiftbasketparadise.com/movie_gift_baskets.html for some very entertaining ideas!

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Looking for Film Buyers? 5 steps to secure distribution for your indie film

2008-02-25T19:29:00.001-08:00

So, you have an indie film and you want to find distribution.

Never have so many options for distribution been available; never has it been so confusing to decide what is right for you and your film. The industry is experiencing a transitional moment; everyone knows online downloads are the future, but nobody knows exactly how it will play out. As well, distribution has gone online too, offering a plethora of choices for the indie filmmaker and producer. What to do, what to do.

This article is the first of a 5-part series that looks at all of the avenues open to you as a filmmaker and distributor. We'll offer some tips on how to find your film a home.

Regardless of your film's ultimate destination, your goal is to find a license buyer for your film. Who are film buyers? We're talking about broadcast TV (cable, satellite, and terrestrial), home DVD companies, VOD service providers, and mobile content providers.

Let's start this series by examining the psychology of this rare and overworked professional. Here are five things you should know about Film Buyers and 5 tips for putting the best face of your film forward.

1. Film Buyers want a 'story'. This little bit of terminology here might create some confusion. We're not talking about the plot of your film or the subject matter of your documentary, but a story that will sell the film--on paper. You should be doing everything in your power to create that story. To do this, you have to distance yourself from the film you know and love and ask yourself: What will sell this film to somebody who does not know and love it the way I do? The answer to this question is the 'story' you will use to sell your film.

The most obviously valuable raw material for a sales story is...star power. Film stars often fail to attract their audience, but nothing makes film buyers feel more peaceful than the presence of some known names in the mix. If you are bereft of any bona fide name power, do not fear, you have other options. Festival play and any press generated are also incredibly important. You should be knocking yourself out to find some kind of festival and press exposure for your film. Even if it's not a top festival or a top publication, festival and press play will take your film from having no story at all to having a first chapter. Hype is over-hyped, but your film is going to look more valuable to buyers if it has a story. If you can say, "This film already had some exposure. This film has been reviewed. This film has played at a festival. This film has a response. This film has an online presence. This film has the beginnings of an audience or a niche audience," then you have a story buyers will want to cuddle up with.

If you are looking for ideas you should check out the industry trades. Look at how distributors market their films, and figure out how to do this on a small scale. You want your story to be a comfortable and familiar one. "But my film is original, beautiful, heart-breaking, unique...and my marketing must be the same," you say. This brings us to the next point...

2. Film Buyers think in dollars, not passion. When selling your film, don't rely on your own enthusiasm and passion to make the sale. Again, channel your enthusiasm into a narrative the film buyer can understand, a narrative about how and why this film is going to attract people to it. Has this genre of film had any recent notable successes? Does your film intersect with any issues or topics that are garnering attention? Save your passion for your filmmaking, and focus your remaining energy into crafting a professional marketing campaign and learning the highly efficient language of film buyers.

3. Film buyers are overextended, have short attention spans, and don't want to waste time. Film buyers are professionals. Hook them fast with a comprehensive one sheet (or sell sheet). The circumstances in which you are pitching your film are going to vary, but one thing that everybody will need at some point is a one sheet as part of their promotional package. Here is the crucial thing: your sheet should be short and to the point. This sheet is a cliff notes to the strongest features of your film. Do you have a few positive reviews? Great, use them in the press kit, but on the one sheet just use the best line from each one. Do you have some seasoned talent? Stick their names on the one sheet with 1 or 2 of their best-known films, but save full biographies for later. Any film can create a ton of paperwork, but nobody is going to go through it all. Don't bury the selling features of your film and assume buyers will get to it. With that in mind, don't assume a buyer will watch a screener. Most buyers accumulate hundreds and hundreds of screeners every year and many of these remain unwatched. Save your screeners for buyer's who show interest, or even for buyers who you have a good feeling about.

4. Film Buyers want to work in their comfort zone. To save your time and your buyer's time, you should always do research beforehand, especially if you are making the first move. Are you targeting a buyer that makes sense for your film? Why do you think so? What else had this buyer/company done that makes you think the company is right for your film. Again, these points can be, if not part of your one sheet, an introduction to the story of your film. You will look professional and on the ball, you will stand out if it seems like you have done the research and are personally addressing a buyer's specific skills, past successes and proven strengths.

5. Film Buyers are freaked out. By and large film buyers are a worried bunch, cowering in the ruins of the decimated music industry and wondering if their business is going to disappear out from under their feet. Film and music are different animals, and the future of film in the era of online exhibition is still not completely foretold, but the mood is certainly wary. The film industry is in transition and everyone is handling it in their own way, some better than others. You'll see conservative streaks, but also canny entrepreneurs looking to exploit the changing terrain. Overall, though, most buyers want to minimize advance spending. This practice, in itself is not suspicious, but for your own protection do your homework and make sure you are dealing with a reputable company and a company that is in a stable financial position.

Copyright (c) 2008 Daniel Lafleche

Daniel Lafleche is the COO of IPEX TV, the leading multiplatform B2B Film and Video online marketplace. Daniel has over 25 years experience in film distribution, combining film and video licensing with internet media. IPEX TV specializes in helping indie producers and film and video distributors take advantage of the web and reach out to international film license buyers. You can learn more at www.ipextv.tv

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Today's Filmmakers Use DVD On Demand Authoring Technology

2008-01-25T13:56:00.001-08:00

Future filmmakers need to know that it is very difficult to get a film out to a potential audience. There's one exception: a new trend called DVD on demand production. And, today, consumers are asking for more content on DVDs, making on demand technology ideal.

Filmmakers often participate in exciting film festivals which are social and educational events dedicated to the film industry. There are creative film festivals in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska that focus on cinematic interests and also attract a diverse array of films.

But there are also companies dedicated to helping filmmakers find their own audiences. They provide acquisition, marketing and distribution services to filmmakers, distributors, and film festivals. For example, one company has more than 2 million audience members sharing their opinions. They have created the world's largest focus group for independent films.

They provide filmmakers with the tools they need to figure out who their fans are, communicate with them effectively, build buzz for screenings and sell DVDs. Distributor partnerships provide filmmakers access to audiences and economic opportunities worldwide.

However, by and large, these kinds of companies rely on on demand technology for DVD fulfillment packaging. For example, if there's need for 100 films to be duplicated and shipped, thanks to on demand technology, the job can be turned around fast.

All of this helps us fulfill what is known as a self serve distribution platform which offers better economics to filmmakers than anything else in the industry. Now filmmakers are able to pocket much more of their profits than with film distribution.

Filmmakers do not need to lay out cash in advance to duplicate and produce DVDs. On the other hand, if the film takes off and is selling like crazy, and is proven, it may be time to transition over to cd duplication and packaging, and warehousing of thousands of DVDs.

"We wanted to change things and make it much easier for great films, regardless of their initial commercial potential, to get a chance to develop and grow an audience," said Joe Boutros, a product manager at B-side Entertainment.

With over thousands of independent films in competition worldwide, some of the key festivals include the Anchorage International Film Festival, Anchorage, Alaska; Big Sky Documentary film festival in Big Sky, Montana; the Forest Film Festival in Portland, Oregon; the Sun Valley Spiritual Film Festival in Sun Valley Idaho; or in Wyoming, there's the Jackson Hole Film Festival.

Kristin Gabriel is the marketing communications director for Acutrack, Inc. The company enables customers to create, publish and deliver custom content for DVD and CD distribution worldwide. Acutrack's proprietary On to produce and ship custom packaged CDs or DVDs one at a time. Ideal for customers who are selling downloadable content and are not sure how many units to produce, On Demand takes care of inventory, packaging and fulfillment.

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The Cheetah Girls: Ticketnest

2007-11-22T01:24:00.000-08:00

Another smashing hit by Walt Disney. A beautiful, innocent story of young teen passionate, wanton spirits who want to excel in music industry. These teen divas are full of energy and thrill like swift felines pouncing in the jungle and they are ready to overcome any difficulty in the way of their success. The story of the film is originally taken from a series of 12 adult books written by Deborah Gregory by the same name as The Cheetah Girls.

The series of books features a story about a girl singing group who want to be discovered someone in the music industry and become famous overnight. They have big and sweet dreams in their young dreamy eyes about their future. And then fortunately they are discovered by a record producer when they were rehearsing for a school talent competition. The film is adapted and made few changes in the original story but the basic story is not being modified to keep the original flavor of the story in place.

The popularity of The Cheetah Girls film was the base of a hot pop band The Cheetah Girls that included three of the four lead actresses only excluding Raven-Symone. The band is also named the Cheetah Girls. Three members of the musical group are Adrienne, Kiely and Sabrina. Adrienne and Kiely are originally from 3LW whereas Sabrina was an actress; they all decided to continue the band. And that proved a very fruitful decision they produced several hit tracks and are rated as one of the most wanted pop bands of today.

After the band was formed just in two years it gained the biggest fan-franchise in the history of Disney (http://www.ticketnest.com) and in addition the band earned a multi-platinum soundtrack and a very high rated DVD release on charts. Wow! Arent you want to be a part of this fun, I am sure you want to see it once. The cheetah Girls debut their first song on DisneyMania 3, as a trio, covering the song I Wont Say (I'm In Love). This followed by their next recorded song that was for the Chicken Little soundtrack, "Shake A Tail Feather".

And fortunately enough by the end of the year of 2005 the band was able to release their first beautiful album named as, Cheetah-licious Christmas. It was a Christmas album and it went as high as it ranked #74 on the billboard 200. The Cheetah Girls were requested to perform their single "Cheetah-licious Christmas (song)", at the ABC 2005 Disney Christmas Parade, and the 2005 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Cheetah Girls fan list include girls form 5-15 years of age and also their mothers. They are very good on stage. I happen to witness one of their shows and God knows they have a lot more experience than their age. It was some performance. Just like felines they filled the stage with their presence the tracks were mind blowing with beautiful and almost flawless dance moves. These girls are able to plague the audience with their thrill and the energy they exhibit is irresistibly contagious. They are very aware of their impact on audience and kept on doing continuous effort to improve their tracks and dance move along with a lot of variety. Their best songs include "I don't wanna be like Cinderella... I'd rather rescue myself" and also "Shake Your Tail-Feather" well this one is my favorite too.

The energy these cats show on stage is unimaginable and so exciting. And the best part is that it is fun and safe family music all the members can enjoy. In such a short time they are escalating to the heights of popularity. And still they have a long way to go. This now a cult pop-band is destined to be a constant hit for ages.

For more information about Cheetah Girls visit: http://www.ticketnest.com/concert-tickets/The-Cheetah-Girls/index.php

Sara grew up in Kansas and after moving to Carlsbad, CA, relates to Dorothy of the "Wizard of Oz" fame. No surprise that she loves theater including "Wicked". Sara is a staff writer for Ticket Nest ( www.ticketnest.com ) and enjoys writing about her travel, theater and concert experiences. She can be reached at sara@ticketnest.com

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Most Popular Websites for Sharing Funny Videos and Video Clips

2007-11-21T19:20:00.000-08:00

Some of the most popular websites today have integrated both video content and visitor contribution capability. Since the popularity of video clip websites like YouTube and other popular sites like MySpace, there is a new generation of homemade videos websites evolving. So many new sites today are combining the popular features of these two websites into one and allowing everyone their 15 minutes of fame.

People love to watch funny stuff and there will never be shortage of free video clips. With most people surfing the web these days instead of watching television, the internet is the perfect place to keep us amused at silly and unique video websites.

When Google purchased YouTube for over $1.5 billion dollars, they obviously see the power of free funny videos sites and the website traffic they can generate. Also really funny stuff sites are a great place to pick up your spirits and keep people laughing at free funny video clips. With Google putting their money on the line, you know really funny video sites are sure to be the future of entertainment on the internet.

With the popularity of so many funny priceless video clip website and the acquisition of YouTube by Google, there are some problems that could face many of these stupid video web sites. Many copyrighted videos from popular TV shows like "The Daily Show" or "South Park", are now being purged from the new YouTube since Comedy Central is starting make some noise. This is a little strange since Comedy Central has used these free funny video clips sites in the past to help reach their audiences.

There's no doubt that the Internet will play a big role in the way funny priceless video clips and movies are released in the future. George Lucas of Start Wars fame envisions these new age video sites and media sites to be the way many new movies could be released in the future. For the millions of dollars it costs to produce a movie today, for a fraction of the cost they can release very high quality productions for millions of online viewers. This is certainly going to be the wave of the future not only for free funny video clips sites but for movie production companies as well.

I personally love spending some time looking at funny priceless video clips online and anything that makes me laugh, is a nice way to end my day. After a long day at work, it's nice to relax with my laptop and watch some really funny stuff at night. There are also so many home made videos sites available today, so there seems to be a never ending pool of home made videos.

So if you're looking for a good laugh viewing some free videos, then you'll have no shortage of funny video clips sites to choose from. There are plenty to choose from these days and as they continue to grow in popularity, and they will, you'll have plenty of funny videos to keep you occupied for hours at a time.

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Direct TV Best In the Business

2007-11-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

Among all the television viewing options available, Direct TV rules. It is a leading one in the market today and it also provides a variety of channels. This makes it the fastest growing in the TV industry.

Direct TV took its birth on the 17th of December in the year 1993. It was them only who were the first to offer DBS system, which was basically the direct broadcasting satellite system. This they did in the United States. They also were the first to utilize the minidisk, an extra compact and an 18inch satellite, which is much better than the bigger dishes available as they are easy to install. Their ground-breaking efforts paid off and people all over the US and also in the rural areas could have one of the best quality television viewing options. This was the first time. Such a thing had never happened before.

After going a long way in giving quality stuffs to the customers, Direct TV is doing its best to get the best for its customers and hold on to its reputation. They come out with the best deal possible. Homes profit a lot from their video recorders and receivers as it provides the best cutting edge.

Direct TV rules the list as it provides a wide variety of channels, almost 225 of them and the viewers could choose the channels of their choice. The satellite dish helps in getting an access to the local channels. Moreover the viewers are also at an advantage of selecting 55 Pay Per View events each day. Direct TV provides a variety of channels to choose from. It could be sports, movies or music. All kinds of entertainment are well provided.

Apart from local channels, the Direct satellite provides an array of international channels. To hit upon one, the satellite provides up to 50 Spanish channels and also some Hindu, Vietnamese and Mandarin. Direct TV provides the best entertainment with international shows.

If the search is for a high definition television, then Direct HDTV is the place to hit for. It provides an endless number of HD channels, which also includes channels like ESPN and HD Net Movies. Every week, you get to see more than 100 sporting events. Along with this there are the ABC, NBC and FOX channels with about nine more HD networks.

Direct TV has got its hands spread all over. Along with the TV programs, it also provides XM satellite radio. Their receivers and digital video recorders are the best and the service that the company provides is appreciable and unquestionable. They provide a 24-hour help line service, which gives the customers no chance for any complaint.

US Direct tops the list of Authorized Direct TV Dealers. They give you one of the best deals and you could only get them online. As for now, it's the DirecTV Receiver that is on offer. Since the offer is not an extended one, rush to the stores immediately. Direct TV really is the best in the business.

Jordan Williams is the owner of eWebTVWorld.com, giving you the inside scoop on todays hottest TV shows. You can get insider news, reviews, and more.

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Science Fiction Movie Reviews

2007-11-21T07:24:00.000-08:00

Nothing beats a Friday night at home, snuggled up on a coach with a bowl of popcorn watching Science Fiction Movies. Stop at your local video store and find a science fiction movie sure to get you thinking about what could have been or what might be. Here are some of the best all time science fiction movies.

The Matrix

In this complex story that aspires to mythology, a computer hacker searches for the truth behind the mysterious force known as the Matrix. He finds his answer with a group of strangers led by the charismatic Morpheus. What they encounter in confronting that truth makes for a lightning-paced, eye-popping thrill ride of a movie that cleverly combines sociopolitical commentary with cutting-edge special effects.

Star Wars Episode 1

In this Star Wars prequel, Qui-Gon Jinn and a young Obi-Wan Kenobi must protect the Queen of Naboo from the evil clutches of Darth Sidious and Senator Palpatine. Along the way, they meet Anakin Skywalker, who shows the beginnings of a great gift.

ET

Heartwarming story of the special bond 10-year-old Elliot forges with an alien he names E.T. The adventures they share as Elliot tries to hide his new friend, as E.T. tries to get back to his planet.

Cocoon

A group of shut-ins at a rest home get a new lease on life when they're offered the gift of eternal youth by visiting aliens. A charter boat captain who helps fellow seniors make the choice between perennial youth or old age.

Lord of the Rings; Fellowship of the Ring

From the idyllic shire of the Hobbits to the smoking chasms of Mordor, Lord of the Rings is full of action. Frodo Baggins embarks on his epic quest for the one true ring.

Men in Black

This sci-fi comedy features J and K, agents in a top secret, above-the-government agency monitoring alien activity on Earth. Before rookie agent J even breaks in his stylish black suit, the team is called to save a galaxy from a bad-tempered alien "bug" and save Earth from total annihilation.

Harry Potter

Harry has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard -- with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, he uncovers the truth about his parents' deaths ... and about the villain who's to blame.

Beetlejuice

Thanks to an untimely demise, a young couple ends up as poltergeists in their New England farmhouse, where they fail to meet the challenge of scaring away the insufferable new owners. In desperation, the undead newlyweds turn to an expert frightmeister named Beetlejuice -- who has a diabolical agenda behind his scheme to help them.

The Crow

Young rock guitarist Eric Draven and his fianc?are brutally killed by a ruthless gang of criminals. Exactly one year after his death, Eric returns -- watched over by a hypnotic crow -- to seek revenge.

Mists of Avalon

King Arthur's Camelot with a feminist slant. Avalon high priestess Viviane and sisters Morgaine and Morgause battle for control of the kingdom. Viviane manipulates her own sister into marrying a king in order to produce an amenable heir, but deceit, magic and human fallibility threaten to destroy both the plan and Avalon itself.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

When Roy Neary encounters a UFO, he's left with a sunburned face, a skeptical family and a shaken psyche. Soon, Roy begins seeking out others who've had similar "visions." Among those he finds are Jillian , a woman who's lost her son to the aliens, and Claude, a researcher preparing for Earth's first contact with extraterrestrials.

Poltergeist

Life is very pleasant for the close-knit Freeling family until a host of otherworldy forces invades their peaceful suburban home. Before long, their house is transformed into a swirling supernatural sideshow -- all centered around their angelic young daughter, Carol Anne.

Andromeda Strain

When a satellite crashes in New Mexico, the Air Force sends two men to retrieve it. To their horror, they discover that the probe carries an alien virus that's already killed all but two of the residents of the town where it landed. Now, scientists must isolate the virus and stop it from spreading.

12 Monkeys

In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time by scientists to 1996 to discover the origin of a virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population. When Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital, where he meets a psychiatrist and the son of a famous virus expert.

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Babysitters in the Movies

2007-11-21T01:24:00.001-08:00

Why are there so many movies about babysitters and nannies? It's because their privileged, immediate access to people's homes, lives and children creates endless storylines. Here are ten movies featuring babysitters - is your favorite among them?

1. The Baby-Sitters Club

This 1995 film was based on the bestselling 'Babysitters Club' books by Ann Martin - the adventures of seven friends who start a babysitting business.

The film featured an early appearance by actress Rachael Leigh Cook. The babysitters start a summer camp for all of their kids but their plans go awry. In surmounting the obstacles, the babysitters learn how amazing true friendship is.

This is a perennial movie that all ages will love.

2. Adventures in Babysitting

This 1987 comedy starred Elisabeth Shue. It was directed by Chris Columbus, prior to his blockbusting 'Home Alone'. Shue plays a babysitter who ends up taking her charges on a night-time romp in the city. The many adventures include being forced to sing in a blues bar - where they perform a hilarious song entitled 'Babysitting Blues'.

The film was re-titled A Night On The Town for release in Europe. It's an endearing comedy which has stood the test of time.

3. Mary Poppins

A huge favorite with all ages - Mary Poppins was made by Disney in 1964. It starred Julie Andrews as the nanny who is practically perfect in every way. She was ably supported by Dick Van Dyke (famed for his toe-curling, yet loveable cockney accent), David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns and Hermione Baddeley.

The film pioneered the combined use of real people, animation, musical and fantasy as well as some good special effects. Who can forget Uncle Albert (Ed Wyn) bouncing around the ceiling, laughing?

Mary Poppins won five Oscars, including Best Actress for Julie Andrews, Best Song and Best Visual Effects. It was released on DVD in 2000. A truly loved family film.

4. Mrs Doubtfire

Chris Columbus directed this 1994 huge hit comedy, starring Robin Williams, Sally Field and Pierce Brosnan. Williams plays a loving but unreliable father. This leads to an estrangement from his wife and in order to be back with his family, Williams' character becomes Mrs Doubtfire - the dream nanny that his ex-wife needs.

Williams is on top form and there are some hilarious scenes - notably when he is being transformed into Doubtfire by his make-up artist brother, played by Harvey Fierstein. However, the film also has a poignant depth in the scenes where he is missing his children. Well worth seeing - Robin Williams steals the show!

5. Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead (rated 15)

This was made in 1991 and starred Christina Applegate. Sue Ellen (Applegate) thinks she is going to be in charge of her siblings when her mother goes away for two months. That is until a tyrannical babysitter arrives...

Worth seeing for the appearance of a young David Duchovny as a slimy clerk.

6. Halloween

This is only for under 17's if accompanied by an adult - and for good reason. It is still one of the most frightening films ever made. Director John Carpenter's use of scary music (written by him) darkness and creepy camera movements masterfully build the horror.

Jamie Lee Curtis is a teenage baby sitter trying to survive a knife-wielding maniac on the loose on a terrifying Halloween night.

Halloween was made on a low budget and was such a box office sensation that many sequels were made - none as good as the 1978 original. It's a must-see movie but be warned...you'll want to sleep with the lights on!

7. Daddy Day Care

This 2003 comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Anjelica Huston is great fun. Murphy and a friend are an unemployed pair who open a day-care center. Huston is their competitor, trying to shut them down. Great scenes with hyperactive kids!

8. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle

A 1992 film and another one where you'll need an adult with you if you're under 17. Rebecca De Mornay stars as an extremely disturbed au pair. The horrid fascination is in watching such an attractive, kind girl gradually revealing terrifying malevolence. Made in 1992, the film also features Julianne Moore.

9. Nanny McPhee

Emma Thompson is wonderful as the nanny with hairy warts, a scary unibrow and a mesmerizing buck tooth. She follows 17 nannies, already despatched by the children of a recent widower, played by Colin Firth. Unless the children are tamed, he stands to lose his lifeline inheritance from his aunt (Angela Lansbury). Celia Imrie is the bride set up for him but he loves the maid (Kelly Macdonald). Nanny McPhee and the kids plan to make things work out...

10. Don't Bother To Knock

Made in 1953, this starred Marilyn Monroe, Anne Bancroft and Richard Widmark.

In her first starring role in a drama - Monroe plays a babysitter whose initially shy behaviour becomes more bizarre as the night goes on. The film becomes darker as the suspense grows - hence the Parent Guidance rating. Not one of her more famous films but worth it to see a wonderful performance - proving that Marilyn really could act.

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Independent Film: How To Find Your Audience

2007-11-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

The history of independent film making paints a clear picture that the entrepreneur and the independent film maker were consistently left out in the cold. Those struggling in that world today, especially such as have studied that history know that system was closed to them from the very start and that the masterminds of the system set it up that way. Even those who get a foot in the door find glass ceilings on every level. That all began to change in the last decade however. Today, we, as independents, must be aware that we are responsible for changing things and that the tools available to us now leave no room for excuses. The web can be our home and opportunities here are without end and limited only by imagination.

In 1908, master inventor Thomas Edison teamed with Kodak founder Charles Eastman and other media giants of the era to form the Motion Picture Patents Company. The idea here was to prevent anyone else from making and distributing movies without paying hefty fees to them. This is not unlike trying to get a game made on the Sony Playstation today. Independents couldn't even buy film from Kodak. This setup led to a few large studios controlling the production, distribution and even exhibition of motion pictures, a system which has never been successfully challenged.

How different are things today? Only very recently have things in the independent film making world and the world of animation really opened up. To this very day you cannot go out and buy a Panavision camera and own the means of production. Before widespread use of computer technology, and affordable software like Adobe's Flash or E-Frontier's Anime Studio, how much did it cost to even think about making your own animation? It wasn't enough to know how to draw anime, you needed expensive equipment just to realize it on paper, to say nothing of shooting it to film.

Today you can make your own anime or independent film, with a Dolby digital 5.1 soundtrack and master it DVD or ready it for output to film all from your desktop. Of course, even after getting to that point, in order to get it seen, people have to know it exists. That's still one aspect of the puzzle the major studios have a handle on. Or do they?

In the old days, studios produced big films and those films were taken to the people via distributors who handled all the promotion and marketing and took the lion's share of the profits. This hasn't really changed. In fact, it's gotten worse, as many of these distributors have merged with the studios. Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Disney and many others have their own distribution and if you want to get in, you have to pay to play. Even an animation powerhouse like Pixar needed Disney to get their movies seen. Studio Ghibli, and the acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, thought the same thing. We know from the recent Pixar/Disney clashes before the merger, that Disney ended up owning all of Pixar's characters and creations and took the largest percentage of the profits. This is the price of entry into their world. Yet so many independent film makers still want to walk right in it.

If you truly want to get your independent film seen, or make your own anime and have total creative control, consider finding your audience the same way you make your movie; On the desktop. YouTube phenomenon LonelyGirl15 shows that finding a large audience entirely in the wired is not only feasible but potentially profitable. It's almost 2007. Are we going to let a system set up in 1908 keep us from realizing dreams?

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Poker Movies: Top 5 Films about Poker

2007-11-20T13:23:00.001-08:00

Since the golden age of the Western, poker playing has always been a popular theme in Hollywood. Although many of the Hollywood films that feature poker are not very good and some of them even display poker in a ridiculous manner, watching poker action on the big screen is great fun, especially if you play poker yourself.

Here are the best poker movies that were ever produced in Hollywood. Some of the movies are actually excellent movies regardless to their display of the poker game, while in others the poker games is the feature that makes them worth watching. However, if you are a poker fan, add these movies to your musts list.

The Sting directed by George Roy Hill in 1973

The Sting is less about poker and more about the art of card sharking but it will provide you two hours of sophisticated fun. The 1973 Academy award winner features young Paul Newman as the greatest con artist of them all who mentors young Robert Redford in the art of trickestry. David S. Warn screenplay is based on true con games stories.

The Cincinnati Kid directed by Norman Jewison in 1965

The classic stud poker film known for its climatic final hand and the unforgettable quote: Gets down to what its all about, doesn't it? Making the wrong move at the right time. In short, The Cincinnati Kid is about the battle between Steve Macqueen who plays a young poker player also known as The Kid and the veteran poker gambler known as The Man who is played by Edward G. Robinson during the Great Depression in New Orleans. It may not appear at any other list of best movies, but it certainly has one of the best poker scenes ever seen on the silver screen.

California Split directed by Robert Altman in 1974

California Split may not be the pick of Robert Altmans creation, but is one of the best movies to depict the messy everyday life of two professional gamblers played by George Segal and Elliott Gould. Like in many of Altman films, the narrative is not particularly straight and the end is not necessarily happy, but it does succeed in describing an authentic experience. Additionally, poker trivia fans would be thrilled to learn that poker legend Amarillo Slim plays a small role.

Rounders directed by John Dahl in 1998

It is hard to tell whether the movie pushed to the 21st century poker boom or the rise in the popularity of poker during the last decade made Rounders a cult hit. However, Rounders is one of the best poker films to display the contemporary high stake poker scene. The core of the movie is a long poker marathon in which Mat Damon and Edward Norton are trying to earn money to pay off the latter gambling debts. World Series of Poker champion Johnny Chan plays a featured role.

Maverick directed by Richard Donner in 1994

Although Maverick is not the most brilliant film ever made and some of the poker scenes are kinda silly, it is a fun and lightheaded poker movie. It might even provide you a basic idea on what it was like to be a rambling gambler in the old west card scene with Mel Gibson as a maverick who tries to earn enough money for the big five card draw poker tournament.

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5 Steps To Get Your Movie Done In 2007

2007-11-20T01:22:00.000-08:00

New years resolutions are usually about fixing the things that did not go right the year before. Most of the time they involve losing weight or getting that better job or even finally writing the great American novel, but for a select few, it means finally getting that first movie done. This is the time to forget about all the forces that are against you and lay to rest all the reasons, especially from others, why you can't do it. Now is the time to take positive action. No matter how true the statement, "Just do it." is far easier to say than actually making film. To that end, here's 5 steps to get your movie done in 2007.

1. Be in the right mindset. What this means is that if you don't have millions of dollars to play with or major studio backing, you are not going to make a "Lord of the Rings" level epic your first time out. I've read forum posts from many accomplished animators who are convinced their movie must compete with the works of Pixar or not be made at all. Some people tell me about their dream project and it is so big that it has to have millions of dollars behind it to get off the ground, and they conclude because of this that they can't make a film. My question is, why can't that be their third or even fourth film? Don't kill your project before it even begins with this type of thinking. I am not saying don't have big dreams. I am saying work your way up to big dreams. Some of the biggest names in Hollywood started out with a cheesy horror film. Be in the mindset that your first film is just that, your first and not your last film.

2. Start with what you have. If you're sitting in your room and all you have available is a laptop, a DV camera and some decent editing software, it's not time to make Star Wars. Robert Rodriguez had a guitar case, a turtle, a bus and some areas in Mexico he could shoot in, and around this he crafted "El Mariachi". It should also be noted that he made this and other small movies before his epic "Once Upon a Time in Mexico". The same goes for animators who think they must use software like Maya or work the Pixar way. If you cannot afford the expensive tools, give serious consideration to free, open source animation software like Blender, or low cost tools like Poser. Some friends of mine recently bought a video game called "The Movies". Once you play your way through the game, building up a virtual studio, you unlock features that give you a plethora of sets, characters and costumes. You're given complete camera controls and simple editing tools that allow you to record soundtracks, add music and finish a virtual movie in just about any genre. This would be classified as the digital film making technique called Machinima. If Machinima is all that is available to you right now, do that! You can still tell your story and show your skill as a film maker even in an entirely virtual world.

3. Create a real schedule. Many film makers have the tools and the talent. Some even create bits of their project here and there, but failing to craft a real schedule, the project never gets done. Before long, they move on to some "better" idea. What could be better than getting it done? If you have a day job, make a commitment to work on your film at least one hour per night and full time on weekends. If you have other commitments, such as family, karate class or anything else, build a schedule around them, but build a schedule and stick to it. Chris Nolan, known today for "Batman Begins" made his first film, "Following", on weekends. He and his friends who acted in the film had day jobs, but they went out every weekend and got a little bit more of the film done. Create milestones and set out to reach them. Decide from the start how much of the film should be done in three months, in six months, in nine months and work to reach these milestones. Create smaller monthly milestones to reach and check them off so that you can be inspired by seeing progress.

4. Be prepared to compromise. If you're not contracting SAG actors and paying big money, you can't have the control of the major studio. If you're using your friends as actors, they have lives and commitments too. People are going to change hairstyles, gain weight, grow beards and even get sick and you are going to have to work with it. If you are doing digital film making or animation, technology can change right out from under you. I don't recommend upgrading computers and software in the middle of a project, but computers do die. It happens all the time. The next computer you get may not run your favorite software properly. You will have to work around such things. Never get stuck in the idea that it has to be one way or not at all. This is a surefire setup for failure. Be open to input from all quarters. Your actors have ideas too, and if they're not being paid, they also want to get something out of the project. Let them try their ideas and have a voice.

5. Edit your vision. Chances are your first independent film isn't going to be what you saw in your head. Even the big guys who have millions of dollars rarely get there. When your vision gets in the way of getting it done, it's time to make some cuts. You may have to lose some scenes or ideas you really love when it comes down to really completing your project. If you can't afford to realize what is in your mind on screen, and do it properly, it is better to find a work around. You may think you shot something masterful on the day, but in editing realize it just doesn't work. Let it go if you have to. If your vision sees you shooting in a particular location and it turns out you can't get it, you don't stop the film, you change the vision. Many big directors who can do anything often lament that they were at their most creative when they had nothing. It may be frustrating on the day, but changing your vision can still result in magic.

Many independent film makers will tell you that, starting out, the most important thing is not story or character development, it's getting it done. Odd as it may seem, it is better to get it done, even if it is horribly bad, than to fail trying to get it done right. How can this be, you say? Well, it is far better to have a film you can fix than to have nothing to work with at all. In fact, you should get your first pass on the film done as quickly as possible. You may not be finished, but you got it done. Now you can watch it as a movie and start to really work on making it great. You can plan a re-shoot or two, make a new scene here or there, fix some digital FX. You can do anything because it's small by comparison to starting from scratch. You already got it done. Now you're just perfecting it. Make sure to stick to your deadlines though. After all, they often say movies never get finished, they just get released.

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Hollywood Producers Want Fresh Ideas

2007-11-19T19:34:00.000-08:00

Hollywood is built on the power of "idea", and television is the most rapidly evolving platform for ideas to be produced through storytelling and games. Most people think of Hollywood as a closed door, with opportunities reserved for those who "know people". On the contrary, Hollywood is a machine constantly on the search for new ideas to help reinvent itself and bring a fresh form of entertainment to viewers.

After working for seven years as a Development Executive, creating and pitching concepts with producers, I can tell you it's simply a game of matching the right concept to the right producer at the right time.

The most notable pioneer of television who started his empire from a simple notion is my former boss, Merv Griffin. In 1964 (post quiz show scandals), Merv was flying back from New York with his wife Julann pondering ideas for shows they could pitch, when they began to explore the following idea; "What if we gave the contestant the answer, and they had to figure out what the question was?" That triggered a playful conversation similar to the following;

Julann, "5,280". Merv, "How many feet are in a mile?". Julann, "Correct". Julann, "The Ford Theatre". Merv, "Where was Abraham Lincoln shot?". Julann, "Correct".

That basic idea and game went through many stages of development before even being pitched to the network, but once produced, it became the most successful game show in the history of television we now know as "Jeopardy!" In 1986 Griffin sold the show, along with "Wheel of Fortune" (created shortly after) to The Coca Cola Company for a staggering $250 Million in cash.

Today, the landscape of programming and deal making is vastly different, and creating such simple concepts that haven't already been produced is difficult. To our benefit, the outlets and opportunities for new TV shows is literally a hundred-fold what it was in the 60's. Hollywood producers and development executives work full time to create or find those new concepts to sell to TV networks, and more and more are using the Internet to source new material.

A variety of sources can be found online for writers to research and become directly involved with the industry. TVWritersVault.com is used by producers scouting new projects, and for Writers to pitch their material. You can also fine an extensive cross-referencing manual for industry contacts in the Hollywood Creative Directory at hcdonline.com .

If you think being an outsider from Hollywood makes it impossible, I know first hand that's not true. In my first year as a development executive at Merv Griffin Entertainment, I brought in a concept created by a journalist in Florida. The idea was written up in a two-page outline, and explored the simple idea; "How far will an ordinary person go to help a stranger in need?" The idea could have also been pitched as "Pay It Forward meets Candid Camera". Our producers immediately saw the potential for comedy and entertainment value, and Merv signed the new writer to an option deal. The project was sold on our first pitch to Disney, and eventually packaged for production where it still sits.

Just recently, an aspiring writer from Alabama, Timothy Centner, sold 3 projects (all ideas for reality-based programming) to a producer who uses The Television Writers Vault for finding new projects. Prior to that, Jon Stewart of Illinois sold his idea for a reality-based program built around his own life to a head executive for Fox Television Studios.

You may have the most inspiring story or script any producer could read, but unless you can boil that story or concept into a brief synopsis with a highly marketable "logline", a producer will never invest the time in reading the entire script or treatment, leaving no chance of any deal to be offered.

A "Logline" is a one or two sentence description that tells the basic idea and purpose of a show. Loglines for the sake of pitching a project are similar to a TV Guide description, but more specific in describing the idea of the show. This is the catalyst for increasing the odds of selling any script or idea to Hollywood.

A great logline should provoke interest and inspire the TV producer to see it's potential. The following are examples of could-be loglines for current television shows:

- "Ordinary people face their fears by competing against each other in outrageously devised stunts" - Fear Factor

- "A likeable husband's marriage and tolerance is tested by the constant intrusion of his overbearing parents and dim-witted brother" - Everybody Loves Raymond

- "Twenty women will court and compete to win the affections of one man who will narrow the selection until he must decide on his one true love." - The Bachelor

- "Contestants' general knowledge will be tested when given the answers to questions they must then form." - Jeopardy

Another important facet of marketing your projects to the entertainment industry is the protection and "proof-of-creation" as the Author. An aspiring writer need not be a member of any union to get protection for their writing. The Creators Vault is an online archive where writers may receive electronic proof of creation for their projects. The Writers Guild of America also provides a registry service to writers online.

When finally offered an "option deal" by a producer who wants to buy your project, you'll then want to seek the counsel of an entertainment attorney to help negotiate the specific terms of any agreement. Most often, the writer is paid token monies upfront for the company to have exclusive right to sell and produce the project with any network or third party buyer. Once a project reaches production, the writer receives the negotiated "purchase price" (usually a much larger sum than the option monies), and will receive a small percentage of participation in the fees received by the production company for producing the show.

Keep inspired. Look at your life and the world around you to find fresh and compelling stories and subjects. If you roll up your sleeves and dedicate yourself to the work necessary, you just might sell the next groundbreaking idea for a show to Hollywood.

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2 Movies About Young Adults That Prove Their Integrity and Substance

2007-11-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

Pretty in Pink - 2 Stars (Average)

Pretty in Pink is a classic high school story of first love and prom night, starring Molly Ringwald as Andie, a girl from the wrong side of tracks who falls for Blaine (Andrew McCarthy), a rich preppie.

For people who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks (this group includes your movie reviewer), Pretty in Pink strikes some emotional chords, such as looking at the homes of rich people, wondering what it would be like inside, and realizing you will never know; or, being asked to the prom and then being dumped by your date.

I give this movie two stars because of one story line item: after being dumped by her prom date Blaine, Andie decides to go to the prom alone; that requires not only courage but integrity, the idea that the date you had is not going to control your life.

Pretty in Pink falls apart psychologically in two critical ways. One, we are led to believe that Andie does not know that her best friend from childhood, Duckie, is crazy in love with her; and two, there is no real explanation why her date, Blaine, decided not to take her to the prom.

We are led to believe that it is because his rich parents and friends turned on him for dating a girl from the wrong social class, yet Blaine makes a case that it was something else; we are never told what that something else is, or the story line does not make it clear, either way, it fails to communicate properly.

Andie proves to be a girl of truth, courage and integrity. I give some props to John Hughes, the writer who chooses to make Andie a budding woman of substance rather than a push over. I believe that Andie, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, will live a better life than Blaine, who must overcome his social position to discover himself.

This movie is better done than so much slop of the same genre. I reserve the right to raise my rating on this film at a later date, and just might.

Saint Ralph - 2 Stars (Average)

Saint Ralph is the story of Ralph Walker (Adam Butcher), a 14-year-old boy who is raised by his single mother. He grows up without his father who died a war hero. His mother then gets ill and falls into a comma while he ends up living in his home alone telling school authorities he is living with his grandparents.

As if his life is not troubled enough, he is picked on and put down continually by his Catholic school classmates.

When he realizes he is bound for an orphanage if his mother dies, he has an epiphany that tells him if he accomplishes the miracle of winning the Boston Marathon his mother will come out of her comma and recover.

You will have to see the movie to discover if he wins the Boston Marathon. Despite some technical issues and weak acting, Saint Ralph is a movie worth the time and effort to see because of the values that it teaches, including having a dream, believing in your dream, being focused on your dream, and being determined to accomplish your dream.

This is a good film with a good message that falls short of a great film. There are audio problems which experience and knowledge could solve. Ralph has a diction problem which maturity and experience could resolve.

The title (Saint Ralph) does nothing to lift this good film to a great one. Miracle in the Making would have been a better title than setting up poor Ralph with the task of becoming a saint. The story line is really too much of a stretch, but at least the movie will touch your heart and moisten your eyes.

I would love to give this movie a 3-star rating, because it deserves it, but it just does not get it done.

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Surprise Ending Turns Spanglish Into a Triumph for James Brooks

2007-11-19T07:32:00.000-08:00

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

Spanglish - 3 Stars (Good)

Spanglish is a relationship movie with a surprise ending in that the two principal characters in the movie actually do the right thing.

The story line involves a Mexican woman who emigrates to America with her daughter following a failed relationship to seek a better life. She becomes a housekeeper for an upscale family with some relationship problems, and becomes emotionally involved with the husband.

The husband (Adam Sandler) and the housekeeper (Paz Vega) manage to almost lose it but do not act on their impulses, separating at the end with the husband going back to his dysfunctional wife (Tea Leoni) and two children, and the housekeeper moving on to another chapter in her life.

This is so unlike Hollywood, where filmmakers in tinsel town cannot seem to get enough sex, violence and smut into a movie like this without regard for ethics, values or morals.

Everyone in this movie that actually matters is sensitive except the wife (who should know better) and the housekeeper's daughter (who is young and immature).

All you need to know about the cruel wife is that she buys new clothes for her daughter that are two sizes too small as an incentive for her to loose weight. The daughter is overweight and unattractive, but she is also smart, sensitive and funny. The wife then manages to fall into an illicit affair because of her insecurity and poor self-image.

The role of the wife Deborah is cast so off the wall that she is an unbelievable character involved in what is otherwise a good film with some great messages. I give credit to Tea Leoni for taking on this despicable role, and proving that you could blow an air gun into her ear and feel a constant breeze on the other side.

The husband, who becomes a celebrity chef, comes across as vacant sometimes, but he also shows some sensitivity, understanding and compassion while his wife is totally self-absorbed. I would see this film again, and cringe even more at the character, activity and decision-making of the wife.

It is so great to see Adam Sandler in a more serious acting effort than another inane, stupid comedy like Punch-Drunk Love. Sandler may not be Hollywood's answer to the next great actor, but he is capable of more than great comedy; we need to find out how much more.

Spanglish does not benefit at all from its title, which arises from a combination of Spanish and English (the housekeeper in the movie is initially reliant on her daughter to speak English because she cannot). Actually, there was a translator on the set because Paz Vega did not speak English and James L. Brooks (the director) did not speak Spanish.

Unfortunately, the title comes across as cute and sophomoric and tells us nothing about the nature of the movie or its message. The title, which could have helped build an audience for the film, does not induce any emotion or imagination. Spanglish picked up a couple of awards, but you will find no nominations or Oscars of significance here.

The film is written and directed by James L. Brooks, usually a prescription for a terrible film, but Brooks has broken the mold.

Brooks may be the first writer/director that I have not purposely panned because of a terrible product. He manages to tell a story worth seeing, and makes the characters seem more real and involved when it matters rather than wasting footage with another mindless sex scene for a ratings boost.

A lot of Americans just love sex, filth and violence. If you do not think so, watch a movie, turn on your television or play a video game (they make it because consumers almost demand it). Give Brooks credit for drawing the line and making the characters more important than any ratings they may generate.

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Million Dollar Baby: This Is One Fight Where You Get Your Money's Worth

2007-11-19T00:57:00.000-08:00

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

Million Dollar Baby - 3 Stars (Good)

After watching so many pay-for-view, big time, hyped fights on the tube and being totally disappointed, watching Million Dollar Baby was refreshing because I really got my money's worth.

Million Dollar Baby is the story of Maggie Fitzgerald (Hillary Swank), a 31-year-old woman who wants to achieve her idea of the American Dream: to become a professional boxer. She finds her way to Frankie Dunn's (Clint Eastwood) gym only to get the cold shoulder.

Dunn, who barely stays afloat as a boxing trainer in a run-down gym, has never tasted real fame and fortune. Some of his fighters moved on to more aggressive managers and have earned more fame and fortune.

"Scrap Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman) acts as a go-between to bring Frankie and Maggie together. Dupris realizes Maggie is dead serious, a devout trainee and stubborn in her quest. The word "no" is not in Maggie's vocabulary. Frankie eventually agrees to take her on, and she fights her way to a title shot.

Her quest to be a champion takes a heart-wrenching turn when she becomes 100% paralyzed during the title fight. Her opponent throws a cheap-shot punch after the bell ending a round, and Maggie collapses to the mat, hitting her head on the corner stool with neck-shattering force.

It is here that the drama really begins in earnest as Frankie must now deal with his fighter, whose career abruptly ends.

The bond between Frankie and Maggie becomes a "family" issue as Maggie cannot deal with her misfortune; she attempts suicide but fails, and then enlists the help of Frankie to end her misery.

How Frankie, a Catholic who attends Mass almost every day, deals with Maggie's request brings to light the controversial topic of euthanasia.

You must see this film to understand how emotional Frankie's decision becomes. The issue of euthanasia is dealt with very sensitively and in a balanced way; it is worth the price of admission alone.

This is a really good film that has the hardware to prove it. When the 2005 Academy Awards presentation ended, Million Dollar Baby, nominated for 7 Oscars, won 4, including Best Picture, Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Actress (Hillary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald) and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman as Eddie "Scrap Iron" Dupris).

Eastwood was also nominated for a Best Actor Oscar but did not win in his role as Frankie Dunn.

Paul Haggis who wrote the screenplay was nominated for an Oscar. Million Dollar Baby is based on short stories by F. X. Toole, the pen name of fight manager and "cut man" Jerry Boyd.

Some critics wore out their keyboard pads yipping about what was wrong with this film, but the award givers were far more generous. In addition to the 7 nominations and 4 Oscars, Million Dollar Baby also picked up a ton of awards (another 44 wins and 29 nominations).

I believe a lot of folks are just plain upset with Clint Eastwood for winning another two Oscars with Million Dollar Baby as a Director and Producer (Best Picture). Eastwood was not known as a great actor (his "spaghetti" Westerns-on my personal favorites list-- were not exactly Oscar material), but he has become a Director of note.

Eastwood also won two Oscars for Unforgiven (Best Director and Best Picture) as well as being nominated for Best Actor which he did not win. He was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture for Mystic River but did not win.

Some people are just bummed out because he was considered a so-so actor and now has become a Director and Producer to be reckoned with.

Million Dollar Baby is a standout compared to much of the trash Hollywood is producing today. And Eastwood? I just like him. If I had to go to war or fight in an alley, I would want Clint Eastwood on my team and in my corner, anything less and you would not qualify as a red-blooded American male.

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Two Excellent Movies You Could See Over and Over and Not Miss a Beat

2007-11-18T18:55:00.000-08:00

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

My Fair Lady - 4 Stars (Excellent)

The 1964 musical My Fair Lady is one of the best movies ever made, earning 12 Oscar nominations and winning 8 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (George Cukor) and Best Actor (Rex Harrison) among major awards.

Only Mary Poppins (with 5 Oscars) and Chicago (with 6 Oscars) has had more nominations (13) than My Fair Lady, and only West Side Story has more Oscars (10) with 11 nominations. Cabaret earned 8 Oscars with 10 nominations. Outstanding company to say the least. Personal favorites of mine also include Camelot and Fiddler on the Roof.

My Fair Lady finds a professor of phonetics, Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), entering into a wager that he can take an illiterate, uneducated flower girl from the wrong side of town and make her into a sophisticated lady, and does by correcting her speech, grammar, carriage, bearing and charm to create a perfect lady for London society.

My Fair Lady is a must see with some of the best lyrics and music ever written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. This Broadway musical by Lerner and Loewe would become a movie with Audrey Hepburn as the Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle alongside Rex Harrison.

When the professor gloats over his triumphant victory, his perfect lady walks out on him, leaving the professor mystified by her ingratitude. In the end, he realizes his feelings for Eliza, and she tentatively returns, a happy ending that was not part of George Bernard Shaw's original play Pygmalion.

The Broadway play, My Fair Lady, opened in 1956 in New York with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews in the role of Eliza Doolittle, and ran for 2,717 performances, a Broadway record at the time.

With such a great heritage and Rex Harrison in the movie (he did win the Oscar for Best Actor), this is a truly great film with a marvelous score, and great acting that gives us an absolutely heartwarming story.

See My Fair Lady with your children at home, and give them a wonderful introduction to culture and breeding in the process. One of the great tragedies of our time is a dearth of musicals; thank goodness for the arrival of Chicago in 2002.

The Phantom of the Opera - 4 Stars (Excellent)

The release of The Phantom of the Opera in 2004 was such an exciting event, bringing this great play to film so millions could see the excellence of this masterpiece, which garnered only 3 nominations and no Oscars at the Academy Awards. No matter.

Perhaps the earlier success of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical composition of The Phantom of the Opera, based on the novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, was too successful to give the movie version much acclaim.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical opened in London in 1986 and in New York in 1988 and still runs today as the longest running Broadway musical of all time. It has become the highest-grossing entertainment event of all time, selling 80 million tickets and generating a worldwide gross of $3.3 billion, topping the best-grossing film of all time-Titanic-by $1.3 billion.

This Phantom of the Opera movie has it all: a story line, plot, great writing, great presentation, and even better music and lyrics.

A cast of unknowns was used; there is no headliner, but the female lead (Emmy Rossum as Christine) is attractive and, much more important, an opera singer who can actually sing without having her voice dubbed in.

Some reviewers panned this movie because the bad guy (Gerard Butler as The Phantom who lives under the opera house) is not ugly enough. With this mentality, the actress who wins the next Oscar for female lead will have to have a perfect body and perfect face to win. Sometimes, common sense prevails, otherwise, Meryl Streep would never have garnered 12 nominations and two Oscars.

This Phantom is not perfect, but it is very well done, and the music could not be better. There are so many great songs (as it is with all great musicals); and I loved the voice of Emmy Rossum. See this film when you can, you will be better for the experience.

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Star Wars: The Franchise That May Never Disappear

2007-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there was the little sci-fi movie that could - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. At the time, though, it was just known as Star Wars, and it created a franchise unlike anything seen before.

In 2005, Forbes magazine estimated that the Star Wars franchise, from the time it began in the late seventies, had generated more than twenty billion dollars in revenue, and with six big screen success stories, at least three spin-off films, five licensed television shows, and thousands of books, comic books, and toys, it's no surprise. What might be a surprise, though, is that by the time Star Wars creator George Lucas finished the first film, he was over-budget, out of time, and convinced the film would be a flop. Early screenings of the film did little to improve Lucas' ideas that the film would be any kind of success, but when it was finally released in the summer of 1977, the film earned nearly seven million dollars in its first weekend. It is considered to be the second highest profitable film of all time.

More than Great Films

Ask any Star Wars fan, though, and they'll tell you it's not just about the movies, it's also about the associated merchandise. The initial film was predicted to be a flop, so no merchandise was created to debut with the film's release. The toy company, Kenner, though had purchased the license to sell associate products By Christmas of 1977, demand was so high, Kenner created an "Early Bird Special" kit. The kit held a certificate fans could send in for four 3 ¾ inch figures as soon as they became available. On Christmas morning, thousands of kids got empty cardboard envelopes that held only a display stand, a Star Wars club card, a few stickers, and a certificate they could put their name and address on, mail in, and wait for several months for the first Star Wars toys ever produced to arrive. Months later, lots of kids did get Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2, and Chewbacca in the mail, and years later, these four figures are considered to be some of the most valuable action figures on the collectors' market today.

Explosive Industry Growth

As you can probably imagine, the Star Wars toy and merchandise franchise has grown considerably since the Christmas of 1977. Once Kenner geared up the production machine, it slowed for no one. From additional action figures to vehicles, playsets, and lightsabers, the vintage Star Wars toy market had everything. As Episodes V and VI were released, more toys hit the market. T-shirts, bed sheets, toothbrushes, combs, and watches were all part of the marketing campaign as well.

After the release of Return of the Jedi, though, the Star Wars marketing machine slowed considerably. People seemed to thing the Star Wars market was nearing the end. However, in the late 1990s, a new line of Star Wars action figures was released. Dubbed "The Power of the Force" line, these green carded figures created a whole new generation of collectors, and with the release of the special edition of the original trilogy, and the subsequent release of Star Wars Episode I, the marketing machine kicked back into high gear. From bubble bath to sandals, the Star Wars name can be found on almost anything these days, and with talk of additional television series, DVDs, and even other films, it's hard to tell when the franchise will ever slow down.

The author, Andrew Wills, is a professional working in Canada and is the Admin of the website content page content-web-site.com Article Directory. This article can also be found at SplitSecondBooks.com, where you will find books on many exciting topics of interest. For more information please go to splitsecondbooks.com today.

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Put Youtube Movies On Your iPod

2007-11-18T05:51:00.000-08:00

A couple of times a week, I like to browse through YouTube and download a handful of the latest "must see" clips onto my iPod to share with my wife (who just doesn't have the patience to wade through all the skateboard tricks, playground fights, and "teen" diaries). It used to be a bit of a chore to download and convert those videos, but over the past few months, a flood of little helper applications have hit the Internet.

I've actually been meaning to get around to recommending a few of the YouTube download programs here, but every time I sit down to start writing I realize that as a Mac user, it's difficult for me to recommend a program for the majority of my readers, who are Windows users. Yesterday, Lifehacker recommended a website that not only downloads any YouTube Flash video file, but also converts it into your choice of five different formats, including iPod mp4. Vixi.net's FLV Online Converter is amazingly simple to use, and works directly from your browser. Just enter the URL of the video's webpage, select the format you want it converted to, and press the start button. The download and conversion are surprisingly quick, and once it's finished Vixi automatically downloads it to your computer. Simple.

There is a ton of good content on YouTube, but copyright infringement claims and DMCA take-down notices mean that any given video can disappear at any time. Having a local copy of the video means you won't lose access if YouTube removes the video from their site. And if you convert the video to MP4 format, you can transfer it to your iPod as well.

Doing this appears to be in compliance with YouTube's Terms of Use, as long as you do not distribute the videos to others, and you retain any copyright notices on the files (see sections 2A and 4).

There are two excellent free services that take YouTube videos, download them to your hard drive, convert them to MP4 format and add them to iTunes. For Windows users, try iTube, available here. Mac users should use PodTube, although it requires the use of Safari.

If you just want to get access to the file and view it directly (the VLC media player will play flash-format video files) and/or convert it to another file format, you can download any YouTube video using Oyoom, or try the Firefox extension called Video Downloader. We've also written our own tool to download YouTube videos, available on this page, and it's also embedded below. Just enter any YouTube video URL and hit the "Get Video" button.

Once you have the .flv video on your hard drive, view it with VLC, or convert it to another format. For Windows users, try Replay Converter. For Mac users we recommend iSquint. There are also a few online file conversion services, but they are not as reliable as desktop software and you have to wait for both the upload and the download.

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Five Average Movies That Are Worth a Look, But Only Once

2007-11-18T05:42:00.000-08:00

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

The Bourne Supremacy - 2 Stars (Average)

In a CIA sting in Berlin two agents get murdered and a former agent, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), is framed for the hit. Bourne was in India with his girlfriend at the time, having dropped out of the CIA after suffering amnesia.

The sting gone wrong was an inside job, which was one of CIA's own, just not Bourne. In the meantime, the CIA wants Bourne dead, and so does the ruthless cartel that was paid to frame him.

This is an action adventure, and not a bad start to a movie, but the presentation suffers because it is too hard to follow the story line, the sound is terrible (you just cannot hear much of the movie without turning up the volume very high), and the main auto chase scene in the movie is beyond ridiculous.

Yes, there are cars crashing everywhere, but what happens during the chase is just stupid. Why is it that in the movies, always, always, always, there are 5,000 cops and police cars chasing the wronged victim, and the police officers chasing the "bad guy" are cast as idiots?

The police in The Bourne Supremacy are presented as dumber than a rock when, in real life, just the opposite is true, as the criminal is more often than not captured because he is dumb.

This flaw in movie making hurts the reality of the presentation in a suspenseful drama, and makes it tougher to swallow. Please, leave the dumb, bungling cop routine for comedies (I believe we call this associating appropriately).

Catch Me If You Can - 2 Stars (Average)

This movie is based on the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. who successfully conned millions of dollars by impersonating a pilot, physician and legal prosecutor, and he did this all before his 19th birthday. Abagnale was nothing if not very bright, and even more clever than bright considering his age.

Catch Me If You Can stars Leonardo DiCaprio (the pursued) and Tom Hanks (the pursuer), both former Academy Award winners. Catch Me If You Can has a great story line, but it is not a great film. In a word, it was disappointing.

This great chase has its moments, just too few of them. Both DiCaprio and Hanks are miscast in this film; the casting director should be demoted. The script is suspect too because it is disjointed and lacks believable depth.

The Breakfast Club - 2 Stars (Average)

This film focuses on five teens who spend all day Saturday in detention at a high school. They arrive not knowing each other and leave as new friends, having experienced some personal growth as their self-defense mechanisms crumble under the stress and proximity of the situation.

They are Andrew the Jock (Emilio Estevez), Brian the Brain (Anthony Michael Hall), John the Criminal (Judd Nelson), Claire the Princess (Molly Ringwald) and Allison the Kook (Ally Sheedy).

The Breakfast Club was written and directed by John Hughes. The number of awards this film received was zero, zip, nada (or, you might say, average).

This is a film about the interpersonal relationships among the teenagers, all of whom suffer from difficult relationships with their parents.

The impact of the parents' treatment and expectations is more than evident, and underscores how impressionable teenagers are at this point in their understanding and maturity about life.

The Christmas Child - 2 Stars (Average)

A Chicago journalist goes to a small Texas town on an assignment with another motive in mind, to find out about his past. He was adopted and wants to find his roots.

His marriage is on the rocks when he arrives, and by struggling to find his past, and confronting the truth, he finds himself and saves his marriage. This film could be on the Hallmark channel, as there is no filth, no violence and no sex to mess up a good story line with some surprise happenings.

Arsenic and Old Lace - 2 Stars (Average)

A drama critic discovers that his two elderly aunts are helping their male callers by poisoning them with arsenic and burying them in the basement. Their nephew who is mentally ill and apparently harmless, digs the graves in the basement and believes that he is President Teddy Roosevelt.

This film, made in 1944 (the year I was born), is in black and white; color films had not yet been perfected. Arsenic and Old Lace stars Cary Grant in what must have been his first film, or one his first films, as his performance is not star quality.

The film is funny and gives a real snapshot of how the movie business has changed in a half century.

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Five More Movies You Think Would Be Better Than They Are

2007-11-18T05:33:00.000-08:00

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

Here are five more movies you think would be really better than they are, unfortunately for the films, the scripts, the direction, and the actors, they are not.

Imagine Me & You - 1 Star (Terrible) Imagine a bride walking down the aisle on her wedding day, getting ready to marry the man she has had an intimate relationship with for years, looking at another woman at the ceremony, and starting an awakening that would lead her to question her own feelings, eventually falling in love with the other woman, ultimately destroying her marriage, but living happily ever after with her new lesbian partner.

Now, maybe, you begin to understand why this premise does not work. It is sold in the film as perfectly natural and normal, with everyone making out fine in the end (no pun intended).

This film does not work because it is not psychologically sound. The offering is British made, of course, which accounts for the poor sound effects of the movie, and the annoying lack of proper diction and enunciation by the actors involved.

It would be hard for me to believe that Imagine Me & You advances the cause and understanding of lesbian issues.

Down With Love - 1 Star (Terrible)

This movie stars Renee Zellweger in a very light, fun romantic comedy placed in 1962. A fashion show for clothing styles of the 1960s. Excellent movie for clothes conscious women to watch (are there any women who are not clothes hounds?).

In Good Company - 1 Star (Terrible)

An ad salesman gets demoted after a corporate buyout, and his new boss, young enough to be his son, falls for his daughter on the rebound from his divorce. You want to like this movie, but the scriptwriter and director will not let you; this movie ends without an ending, and becomes worthless in the process. In Good Company is beyond disappointing, it is a pathetic waste of time.

It Runs in the Family - 1 Star (Terrible)

A Michael Douglas produced movie with Kirk Douglas, his dad, and Cameron Douglas, his son. If the title of this film is the key to its presentation, then what runs in this family is a lot of incredibly dysfunctional people who are led virtually nowhere.

There are not enough adjectives to describe how poor this presentation is so I am not even going to try. Sum it up in two thoughts:

1) Am I a better person for having seen this film? No. Absolutely not, and I felt like I should have been. It was not even entertaining as a supposed "comedy." This was so far from comedy it was very bad drama.

2) Michael Douglas had an opportunity to make a substantial film with meaning about what counts in life, and he failed miserably. When one examines the body of Michael Douglas' work as an actor, I am hard put to find a film of substance; usually the theme is sex, warped values and bordering on revulsion. What should I have expected?

Laws of Attraction - 1 Star (Terrible)

Light-hearted, fun romantic comedy about two divorce attorneys who fight in court over cases and then end up together in marriage. Both Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore make this an easy film to watch, despite its lack of substance. No depth here, but it is an easy film to watch as there is no nudity, no filthy language, no violence and no sex scenes (in other words, almost a miracle of moviemaking given it is not a Disney production).

I only bring these terrible movies to your attention so you do not get blindsided once you sit down to enjoy your movie rental of choice. My forewarning is useless, of course, should you invest in any of these films.

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Five Movies You Think Would Be Really Better Than They Are

2007-11-18T05:24:00.000-08:00

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

Here are five movies you think would be really better than they are, unfortunately for the films, the scripts, the direction, and the actors, they are not.

About Schmidt - 1 Star (Terrible)

Jack Nicholson is Warren Schmidt in this movie, an actuary whose angry, miserable life is interrupted by retirement and the sudden death of his wife when he discovers his life has no real meaning, and he has no real relationships to comfort him. Nicholson (as Schmidt) stays in character in this effort, but the 2 hour 5 minute movie is really about 2 hours and 3 minutes of being angry, miserable and negative, and then a moment of redemption at the end that comes from a 6-year-old boy in Tanzania he has sponsored.

This does not get my 2-star rating as even average because it is so unredeeming. Just watching this angry, negative, miserable movie for 2 hours and 3 minutes put me in a foul mood, despite the pathetic try at redemption in the end. Who wants to watch a two-hour movie and feel miserable when you are done?

This film has to be the worst film I have even seen Jack Nicholson in, and did absolutely nothing to enhance Nicholson's image as one of the great actors of our time. Unfortunately for Nicholson, he gets involved in this film which lacks a good story line, a good script and good direction (one might say, he struck out).

None of this has any affect whatsoever on Hollywood as Nicholson was tapped for a Best Actor nomination (this is Jack, right?) and Kathy Bates for a Best Actress in a Supporting Role nomination; neither won an Oscar. Small justice for a lousy film.

The Anchorman - 1 Star (Terrible)

Will Ferrell as a self-absorbed nightly news anchor who falls from grace. This movie is worse than bad, it is terrible beyond belief. There are a couple of laughs in it, but it is the absolute pit to watch.

Farrell will never make it as an actor of note with these kinds of roles. The female lead is Christina Applegate (yes, that Christina-Kelly Bundy-of Married With Children), who is now grown and pretty darn attractive in spite of appearing in this awful choice of a movie.

We will pray that both Ferrell and Applegate get better roles, although it looks like Ferrell is making a career out of stupid, crummy roles. He certainly has more talent than this movie shows. I would date Applegate, at least once, to see if she had more going for her than just looks; you certainly could not tell by her choice of movie roles.

Before Sunset - 1 Star (Terrible)

Before Sunset is the story of a young couple who reunite 10 years later in Paris after an original fling. There is no story line in this movie, apparently they forgot to write one. Before Sunset follows the male and female leads walking around Paris and talking until they come back together.

The production in this movie not really well done (despite being in Paris), and I was not always able to hear the audio. It is filled with what are supposed to be cute lines that get very tired after awhile. If this was meant to be a movie about relationships, it failed miserably.

Cocktail - 1 Star (Terrible)

An early (1988) movie with Tom Cruise as an Irish performance bartender in Manhattan involved in booze, broads and beefcake with a smile.

After watching this movie I tried to determine which was more compelling: this movie effort or an ant walking across the sidewalk. Unable to determine which, I concluded this film was the victim of a poor script, terrible acting, lack of an interesting story line, and any meaningful message.

I guess I was looking for more than just mindless entertainment. I would not bother seeing this film again, unless, of course, you are just sappy about Tom Cruise and cannot get enough of a bad thing.

Corky Romano - 1 Star (Terrible)

A light (and I mean very light) comedy with no substance whatsoever, but funny nevertheless. Stars one of my favorite Saturday Night Live comics, Chris Kattan. It saddens me to see Chris Kattan in a movie like this after his brilliant sketches of Mango and Monkey Boy on Saturday Night Live.

So many cast members of Saturday Night Live have gone over to movies, trying to make the big bucks, and have been put into terrible movies with terrible scripts and terrible results. Christ Kattan is 1,000 times more impressive as a comedian on Saturday Night Live than Corky Romano will ever be.

I have no idea what Peter Falk was doing in this movie; he must have needed rent money.

I only bring these terrible movies to your attention so you do not get blindsided once you sit down to enjoy your movie rental of choice. My forewarning is useless, of course, should you invest in any of these films.

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The Spider-Man 3 legacy

2007-11-18T05:14:00.001-08:00

Definitely a mass hysteria creator, Spiderman 3 is to be released this spring. Millions await the breathtaking final part of the trilogy which brings along exquisite performances and staggering internal turmoil of the main character. Don't blink - you might miss it all!

The Spider-Man 3 trailer has already been devoured by fans. But nothing from the trailer strikes more than the suggestion that, and I quote, it 'could be the end of Spiderman'. Threatening with the possible death of the beloved main character is a well-known publicity stunt that has proven to sell millions of film tickets. J.K. Rowling has set an example when claiming, in a press release, that Harry Potter may not survive the seventh book of the series. Breaking the habit of the Hollywood happy endings, such announcements can slightly change the audience's perception. At the end of the day, it might even win some skeptics over and make more people go see the movie just to satisfy their curiosity.

Spider-Man 3 was the subject of thorough advertising plans. Its release date was actually set before the second part of the trilogy was released in 2004. Needless to say, after the 2002 success of the first part, lead actor Tobey Maguire signed his contract for Spiderman 2 and Spiderman 3 in a matter of weeks.

It appears that people in the movie business have varying opinions, regardless of what critics and fans think of Spiderman 3. Some are more enthusiastic. For example, Topher Grace decided not to star in "That 70's Show" in favor of starring in Spider-Man 3 as Eddie Brock (or Venom). On the less enthusiastic side is John Dykstra - he won an Oscar as visual effects supervisor for the second part of the trilogy, but refused to be part of the crew for Spider-Man 3, for unknown reasons.

Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace are key actors, starring as key characters of Spider-Man 3: 'Sandman' and 'Venom'. They both make things harder for Peter Parker and add to the already existing trouble: the black entity possessing him. However, none of the two actors had any idea what they were going to audition for when they were subtly invited to the Sony Studios. Plus, out of all Spiderman 3 characters, Sam Raimi also put a lot of faith into 'Venom'. He went as far as claiming to hate the character, but then pre-releasing exclusive images with unfinished special effects. The public went hysterical.

Dual characters rule the Spider-Man trilogy, either good (Peter Parker/Spiderman) or bad (Eddie Brock/Venom). Either way, one of the main events of the movie's plot outline is the return of Harry Osborne, looking to avenge his father's death by killing Spiderman. He continues working with his father's technology (which made the Green Goblin possible).

An intriguing fact: The approximately 600 latex balloons that were used for the celebration party were hand-painted, using markers. Apparently, Spiderman 3 will be the most expensive movie ever made. Its budget is estimated to about $250 million, and it even costs more than previous King Kong which was top of the list for a while (a mere $207 million).

Spiderman 3 is said to be the most complex and complicated movie of the trilogy. For the first time, the turmoil moves from the outside to the inside, where Peter Parker is possessed by a strange dark entity. In the end, in Spider-Man 3 he has to find the strength to fight against his own demons as well as the ones seeking his death.

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More Than Meets The Eye: The Future of Transformers

2007-11-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

With their unmistakable electronic changing noise and the tag line "Robots in Disguise" from the '80s cartoon, it's hard to ignore the Tranformers. As any true child of the '80s can tell you, Transformers were created by the toy company Hasbro after meeting Takara (a Japanese toy company) at the Tokyo Toy Show in 1983. By combining Takara's toy lines Diaclone and Micro Change, Hasbro created a product line unlike any other. The initial toys were released with the television series, and since then, nine different Transformers toy lines have hit American markets.

What Was. . .

The Transformer's storyline initially had the Autobots (the story's heroes) fighting the Decepticons (the ultimate villains) for control of Cybertron, their home planet. The eventually left their home in search of energy, which they found on Earth.

What is . . .

Because of the continued popularity of this story line and these toys, Producer Don Murphy looked into the possibility of creating a live-action film based on the franchise. Slated for release in July of 2007, the film brings together the creative minds of co-producer Adam DeSanto, Steven Spielberg, and screen writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

A Closer Look

The film begins when Captain Archibald Witwicky lands on Decepticon leader Megatron's hand after he has fallen into an chasm during a voyage through the Arctic circle in the 1800s. Megatron creates a map to Allspark in Witwicky's glasses, which are handed down to his descendant Sam Witwicky in the present. Sam purchases his first car, the Autobot Bumblebee, which in turn, helps him meet Mikaela, a new love interest. As the Autobots search for Witwicky's glasses, the Decepticon's invade Sam's house, triggering a chain of events that leads Autobot leader Optimus Prime and Megatron to the ultimate battle.

One of the most surprising and refreshing aspects of the film promises to be the effects. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura wanted to keep things on the realistic side, so instead of going with a standard box like look for the main character Optimus Prime, he turned him into a Peterbuilt truck. Autobot Bumblebee was changed from a Volkswagen Beetle into a Chevrolet Camero, and other Autobots were all shifted to GM vehicles as part of contract negotiations. The transformation sound effect many fans heard as children was reused throughout the movie, and motion capture points were used to create many of the effects movie-goers will see on screen.

Given that the internet trailers received more hits than any other movie trailer online, the new Transfomers movie promises to be a great success and a wonderful addition to the family.

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Two Films With Tons of Recognition That Leave This Viewer Unfulfilled

2007-11-17T13:00:00.000-08:00

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - 2 Stars (Average)

Master and Commander is set during the Napoleonic Wars and pits the British frigate HMS Surprise and its Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey on a quest to catch and destroy the French privateer Acheron in a cat and mouse game off the coast of South America.

The Surprise is rather pedestrian compared to the larger Acheron with its greater firepower. The Acheron strikes the first, crippling the Surprise and leaving Lucky Aubrey (Russell Crowe) two choices: either retreat and limp back to England or repair his vessel and fight against a superior opponent.

A lot of moviegoers saw Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as a great picture with great acting and pretty much a shoo-in for a handful of Oscars. I did not see it the same way, nor did the Academy.

This film was nominated for 10 Oscars and won two, being aced out in the two significant awards-- Best Picture and Best Director-by Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. I was not surprised at this result as Peter Weir was both the director and writer of the screenplay, a dual role that generally breeds more failure than success.

Master and Commander is slow to develop, suffers from too many still shots when actors are present, and creates tremendous confusion in trying to identify which side the combatants are on during the fight scenes.

I believe that Crowe's jaws were wired a little tight when he was not nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. He has four Oscar-nominated performances to his credit and won an Oscar for his role as Maximus in Gladiator, which was nominated for 12 Oscars and won 5, including Best Picture as well as Crowe's Best Actor award.

But Crowe could not carry Master and Commander's script. I was more impressed with the performance of the 13-year-old Midshipman Blakeney (Max Pirkis). Pirkis picked up two lesser awards as the Most Promising Newcomer and Best Young Artist.

Weir (average rating) joins a not-so-exclusive club of fellow writer/directors who have fallen short, including Nancy Meyers (average rating) for Something's Gotta Give, Thomas Bezucha (average rating) for The Family Stone, Michael McGowan (average rating) for Saint Ralph, Jared Hess (terrible rating) for Napoleon Dynamite, Robert Rodriguez (terrible rating) for Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and Paul Thomas Anderson (terrible rating) for Punch-Drunk Love.

Released in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl with Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Master and Commander could not compete big time.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was nominated for 5 Oscars and won none yet was four times as good as Master and Commander ever thought of being on its best day.

Do not even bother comparing Russell Crowe to Johnny Depp with moviegoers; Depp would win on his worst day and Crowe would lose on his best day as captain of any ship. Depp is aleady an icon as the best pirate in movie history.

Leave Master and Commander on The Far Side of the World.

The Lion in Winter - 2 Stars (Average)

The Lion in Winter is a 2 Star movie with some 4 Star (Excellent) performances.

It is Christmas time in 1183 and an aging King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) calls his dysfunctional family together to determine who will succeed him as King of England.

The players in this game of chess are Henry's scheming but imprisoned wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn), his mistress Princess Alais (Jane Merrow) who he hopes to marry, his sons Richard (Anthony Hopkins in his film debut), Geoffrey (John Castle) and John (Nigel Terry), and King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton) who is Alais' brother.

Henry and Eleanor are involved in a terrible rivalry over who will succeed him. All three of his sons have flaws, including his eldest son Richard the Lionhearted who apparently is gay.

In the end, Henry banishes his three sons and his mistress from his sight as he considers all four of them unworthy. He keeps his wife Eleanor in confinement, and ponders what lies ahead.

I wanted to give this film a 3 Star (Good) rating but there is no resolution to the relationship problems and at the end we are left with an even more dysfunctional family, thus the 2 Star rating despite some 4 Star acting.

The Lion in Winter received 7 Oscar nominations and won 3, including Best Music, Best Writing and Best Actress as Katharine Hepburn won her third of four Oscars. She holds the record for the most Best Actress Oscar nominations with 12.

Hepburn's acting career spanned 7-plus decades. She appeared in her first film and 1932 and her last in 1994. She celebrated her 96th birthday on May 12 and died in June of 2003. The American Film Institute rates Katharine Hepburn as the top female star ever.

Peter O'Toole was nominated for Best Actor, Anthony Harvey for Best Director and Martin Poll for Best Picture.

The recognition of these two films is staggering. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World earned 19 wins and another 43 nominations for awards in 2003 and The Lion in Winter earned 14 wins and another 16 nominations for awards in 1968.

I still came away from both movies feeling that they are average films because they stir no emotion in me, foment ill will and breed confusion when clarity should rule the day and resolution should be the result.

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Movie Ratings Nonsense

2007-11-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

A long time ago we had four easy to understand ratings for movies. Now, I'm told that at one time there were no ratings at all, but the movie companies started getting a bit racy. Congress started inquiries into imposing a rating system, but before they could, the movie industry quickly popped up with one of their own. They grinned at Congress and said, "Don't worry we've taken care of the problem." In spite of it's general desire to create more and more laws, Congress shelved their ratings law, and considered the problem solved. So, contrary to what most people have always assumed, the ratings system isn't law. But at least we understood it. Note I used the past tense.
G was for kids or the whole family. PG was for grownups. R was also for grownups, but contained nastier stuff. X was for perverts. That was easy to understand. But during the mid-seventies and earlier eighties, a lot of parents started sending their kids to PG as well as R movies. If a kid showed up to a R movie without a grown-up, the ticket guy would ask, "Do you're parents know you're here?" The kid would say, "sure." (and of course all 10 year-olds going to see Phantasm or Porky's would always tell the truth, right?) and they'd be let in. So the perception changed. G became kiddie movies. PG became action movies. R became horror or teen sex movies, and of course X was still for perverts. But by the mid-eighties parents got confused. See since G meant kids, few movie companies by that time wanted to be cursed with a G rating, so they'd either add some innocuous something to get that coveted PG rating, or simply just out and ask for it. So the "family movie" of the early seventies had vanished to be replaced by a scant few kid movies and a whole lot of PG movies of unknown content. The two movies that kicked up the most fuss were Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Both rated PG, but both definitely not for little kids. Shocked parent raised a fuss after their little ones had nightmares about little toothy demon-looking things blowing up in microwaves or about some evil looking sweaty guy in a turban pulling their heart out of their chests. So the movie industry obliged us with PG-13.
During the following years G virtually disappeared as PG became the new "family movie" rating. That was a problem for us who think that foul language isn't what we want our kids to listen to. But since we were the minority, our opinion didn't matter. A few years later Hollywood tried to foist the infamous NC-17 which I guess meant "rated R, no really we mean it with this one". The trouble was the movies that came out with that rating were so bad, it tainted any future movie that might get it. Good riddance if you ask me, because it just gave Hollywood another excuse to pass sleaze off as something other than sleaze.
So for all those years we had the vanishing G, the ever present PG (pretending to be for families), the new PG-13, and the nasty old R. Things went so-so until a few years ago. It seems that parents, once again, started letting their kids flock to PG-13 movies, so that now if there any action at all in a movie, it needs to have a PG-13 rating, whether it actually deserves it or not. G is making a slow comeback as Hollywood is taking note of profits (really, that's so hard for leftists to do, so I can understand why it took them TWENTY YEARS to finally realize G and PG movies make more than PG-13 and R, besides, Hollywood Socialist aren't all that keen on this family thing either. They're pretty surprised that it wasn't a passing fad.). PG is waffling between family movie (identical to G) and drama and action movies that contain the obligatory swear word hear and there (habits are so hard to break). PG-13 now has become what PG used to be, except that many are actually fairly clean, but with some violence. Somehow these Hollywood types think that seeing a war scene with bullets and pretend dying (but no blood) is much, much worse than four letter words. R is still nasty movies and X is still for perverts (except they've come up with this fake XXX to make it look like it's really bad, and of course pornographers can always be trusted to be truthful about things, they work in such an honorable business, right?)
So when one is at the video store, trying to see what's in and available, without being able to reference any reviews, other than what's written on the box, it's pretty confusing. PG can mean quite a wide variety of things, so can PG-13. They've started putting why the ratings are there, but that still doesn't help completely. Of course Parents blame the movie industry for all this mess, and continue to let their kids flock to as bad a movie as they can, and so the cycle continues.

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An Independent Film Production That Became an Excellent, Big Fat Paycheck

2007-11-17T12:46:00.000-08:00

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

My Big Fat Greek Wedding - 4 Stars (Excellent)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is simply one of the best movies ever made about close families and their traditions.

This film is on par with Fiddler on the Roof (winner of 3 Oscars among 8 nominations) and A Christmas Story (winner of no major awards and no Oscar nominations), proving that the biggest award-winners are not the only great movies.

A Christmas Story and My Big Fat Greek Wedding were matched bookends in that both films were not thought to be worthy of financing by typical Hollywood backers and ended up as independent films with limited distribution before becoming huge successes.

A Christmas Story, a low budget film that was not expected to do well, was released just before Thanksgiving in 1983. By Christmas the film had been pulled from theaters because it was thought to have been "played out." It was only because of complaints from moviegoers that it was brought back to life and has since developed a loyal following of fans that will not let it die.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding was filmed because a gutsy Greek girl named Nia Vardalos believed in herself and in her one-woman stage show to keep performing until Rita Wilson saw the play. She persuaded her husband Tom Hanks to produce a movie version.

Wilson, like Vardalos, is Greek. Wilson's reward as one of the producers with her husband and Gary Goetzman was to see the project completed. The PGA Golden Laurel Awards remembered Rita Wilson by giving her the Visionary Award in 2003. The three producers also won the Golden Laurel Award for Producer of the Year.

So we have in My Big Fat Greek Wedding a low budget, independent film that was about to make Hollywood history.

To show you how dumb the Hollywood financial backers were and how smart Tom Hanks was the estimated $5 million budget for My Big Fat Greek Wedding generated worldwide revenue of $368 million.

The Hollywood backers thought America filmgoers would not accept an ethnic film. I wonder how many of the same backers recognized that Fiddler on the Roof, produced 31 years earlier in 1971, was an ethnic film about a Jewish family which broke with the tradition of arranged marriages.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) became the highest-grossing independent film of all time, surpassing The Blair Witch Project (1999). It also became the highest grossing movie never to have hit number one at the box office, surpassing Dances with Wolves (1990).

Incredibly , the film was still running in several theaters even after its initial video release.

This film is essentially the story of Toula (Nia Vardalos), a 30-year-old Greek woman who falls in love with John (Ian Miller), a non-Greek man, and struggles to get her family to accept him while both of them come to terms with their heritage, cultural identity and mutual compatibility.

As Toula says, "Nice Greek girls are supposed to do three things in life: marry Greek boys, make Greek babies, and feed everyone . . . until the day we die."

Her father, Gus Portokalos (Michael Constantine) says: "You better get married soon. You're starting to look old!" Gus also says, "There are only two kinds of people, Greeks and people who wish they were Greek." He believes any ailment can be cured with Windex.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the Greek community at its most accurate and best, all of the suffocating love, demanded tradition, motivation by guilt, male ego, female influence, pride of race, sibling ties, extended family, romance and sacrifice for those we love.

This film is not heavy and dripping with drama, this is a romantic comedy mixed with strong family traditions that proves Shakespeare's sage observation that "all's well that ends well."

The cast is not star-studded and proves that you do not need to be a headliner to deliver a headliner's performance and then some. Joining Nia Vardalos, Michael Constantine and Ian Miller with significant and meaningful contributions were Lainie Kazan as Toula's mother Maria, Louis Mandylor as Toula's brother Nick, Andrea Martin as Aunt Voula, and Gia Carides as Cousin Nikki.

Vardalos, Constantine, Mandylor and Carides were the only true Greeks in the cast.

There is a point in the film when Toula feels she is losing the battle and laments that "the man is the head of the house." Her mother Maria tells her that "the man is the head, but the woman is the neck, and she can turn the head any way she wants." Maria does so in a confrontation with her husband that should make women proud.

This film will warm you heart, entertain your soul and cause you to walk away a better person for having seen this superb effort in moviemaking. Toula's personal growth as a young woman freeing herself from forced expectations against insufferable odds is so precious that you want to take her home and adopt her.

I once went to a Polish funeral and was amazed that when the funeral was over and the reception began, the whiskey flowed and all of the immediate family and friends had a heck of great party drinking, dancing and singing.

I learned more about family traditions in different cultures at that Polish funeral. Some cultures celebrate the life of a loved one after the funeral.

Despite the complications presented in My Big Fat Greek Wedding you come away wanting to be Greek because you see the love and the fun that they have much more than any disagreements or disappointments.

The interaction between Toula and her brother Nick is really sweet, touching and funny.

At one point, Nick is impressed with Toula's ability to break with tradition (he secretly wants to study art) and says, "Don't let your past dictate who you are, but let it be part of who you will become." "Nick, that's beautiful," replies Toula, to which Nick adds, "Yeah that dear Abby really knows what she's talking about."

Nia Vardalos wrote the script and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay, was nominated for 6 other lesser screenwriting awards and won 2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is directed by Joel Zwick who won two minor awards for his effort. I feel he deserved more recognition.

The film garnered little attention among the big award givers but did appropriately win the People's Choice Award for Favorite Comedy. Almost as an afterthought, My Big Fat Greek Wedding won the Best Independent Comedy Film Award from the U. S. Comedy Arts Festival. It would be my pleasure if some of the Comedy Film Award judges were Greek.

There is Greek love throughout this film, from Rita Wilson's vision to the thousands of Greek Americans who said, hey, this is Greek, this is good. The Greek community really made the film become a box office record-setter while we non-Greeks came on board later and enjoyed the film just as much.

When I left the theater, I went looking for ouzo, the Greek anise-flavored liqueur so celebrated in the film at Greek gatherings. They would down a shot of ouzo and shout "oumpa."

I married a girl from a very traditional Italian Catholic family. Every Christmas my wife makes Italian cookies with anise-flavored frosting, no wonder I loved My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Anyone who wants a job watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding should be Greek, love ouzo and love having fun. Others need not apply unless, of course, they might want to be Greek, want to try ouzo and have fun!

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And the Oscar for Best Movie Goes To--- Crash of Racial Stereotypes and Humanitarian Babel.

2007-11-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

Last year we saw Crash running away with the Oscar, and was acclaimed for not only the best movie of the year, but for its exposure of race relations, bias and stereotypes in American society. Again this year, Hollywood, has by accident, created incredible teaching tools that can be used to raise our unconscious biases and stereotypes which can lead us to recognize unique, individual features of others.

Crash is a movie that makes us take a second and third look at our own biases. Crash involves several stories with an underlying theme of biases and stereotypes that exist in today's society: the white veteran cop who has a bias against Blacks, a Caucasian gun shop owner who has a bias against Persians, a Caucasian District Attorney's wife who has a stereotype of Latinos, Black car thieves who have a bias against Caucasians, a Black police detective who has a stereotype of Hispanics, and the list goes on. Each of the characters who acted upon their own biases is transformed in this movie to a hero, when they set aside their bias and get to know the others' uniqueness.

This year, we see a universal view of this transformation in Babel where people from different countries are transformed from acting on stereotypes to embracing people for whom they are. Will Babel follow on the heals of Crash and win the Oscar for best picture? Babel begins in the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out--detonating a chain of events that will illicit biases and stereotypes such as the shooting of the American Tourist in Morocco is thought to be caused by a terrorist followed by the hunt for the perpetrator, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children in order to engage into a night of partying and drinking at her son's wedding, and a Japanese hearing-impaired teen rebel who is shunned by peers because of her disability. Separated by clashing cultures and sprawling distances, each of these four disparate groups of people is nevertheless hurtling toward a shared destiny of isolation and grief caused, in part, by a stereotype, but in the end are reconnected through understanding and appreciation of the others' uniqueness.

Researchers have found that human being's have unconscious biases. Studies conducted by Stanford University, have concluded that even when we think we are compensating for our bias, it is not something we can easily remove or factor out of our decisions because it operates unconsciously. We are far better at spotting bias in others than in ourselves. Researchers in the Stanford University study concluded that there is an assumption that our own golden rule of objectivity works well for ourselves- but others' rules do not work for them. The Bias Blind Spot: Perception of Bias in Self Versus Others (2002) The same person who is fairly objective when judging himself or herself may be highly biased when assessing others or vice versa. And contrary to expectations, a successful career built on making carefully reasoned decisions may only reinforce the illusion of objectivity, for example attorneys.

We obtain biases and stereotypes from our surroundings, family, friends, neighbors, music, television, movies and what we read, as well as our own experiences. These experiences begin when we are very young children. The rules from our culture are not what is written but are learned from those around us, and as children we accept these unwritten rules without question. In order to eliminate a bias, we have to begin to raise the unconscious to the conscious level and begin to recognize our biases. Self awareness of how we react to "others" is vital to breaking conflict generating patterns caused by a bias. We should not be intimidated by engaging in a discussion regarding biases and stereotypes. We should recognize that familiar scripts do not apply, and modify our communication behaviors accordingly. Attention must be paid to the unique, individual features of others.

How can movies, like Crash and Babel, be used to help us get in touch with our unconscious biases? Do not be intimidated by engaging in a discussion regarding the biases and stereotypes that are portrayed in these movies. Explore the transformations that occur with each character as they begin to set aside their stereotypes of the other and they begin to recognize the unique and individual features of others. Begin to pay attention to how we communicate with the ethnic and racial groups that are depicted in the Movies. Broaden our understanding and enhance our sensitivity toward these races and ethnicities. Avoid generalizing about a culture based on past information or observations, apply information only to the situation in which you receive it. Make opportunities to interact with people with different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, religions, and abilities. Finally realize that transforming attitudes and behaviors can be challenging and takes time. Crash and Babel were not filmed in a day.

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6 Worst Films in Cinema History

2007-11-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

You will not find Citizen Cane in this list. You will read here neither about Academy Award winners nor about movies that have changed the world of films. You will read here about films that the only thing they are remembered about is how bad they are.

Here is list of the worst films ever hit the big screens.
1) Plan 9 from Outer Space
Thanks to its mumbled plot, unbelievably odd dialogue, clumsy acting, corny production design, and ridiculous special effects, the low budget film of 1956 was announced in several occasions, including in a Seinfeld episode, as the worse film ever made and honored its maker, Ed Wood, as the worse director in film history. Plan 9, in short, tells the story of space invaders who aim to take over the world and raise people from the dead. The leading role of an old man in a Dracula costume who is coming out of the dead was shared by still photos of the late actor Bela Lugosi and by the younger, taller and balder Tom Mason.

2) The Conqueror
Even though The Conqueror is the opposite of a low budget film, since Howard Hughes had invested in it about 12 million dollars back in 1956; Although it featured huge Hollywood star John Wayne as Genghis Khan, The Conqueror remains one of largest disasters in film history. When adding to its lack of reliability, poor acting, ridiculous dialogues and unbelievably stupid custom design the rumors that the shooting in an atomic testing range caused to the death of its cast of cancer. And when considering the fact that it was the last film production of Hughes who later became a solitary weirdo, the result has to be either a huge embracement or a cult movie.

3) Che!
1969 Che! is yet another failed biopic that prefers to ignore historical facts and to depict living people in a ridiculous manner. In this particular case, Omar Sharif poorly plays Che Guevara while Jack Palance demonstrates his comedy talent in the role of Fidel Castro. At the same time, the screenwriters have chosen to ignore trivial historic facts such as all the part of the formative pre Cuban revolution. In addition, Che! was considered an offensive film in the South America countries and the Argentinean audience welcomed it with Molotov cocktails.

4) Glitter
The debut acting film of singer Mariah Carey from 2001 had entered to the worst films list for setting new standards of sentimental kitsch in the anyway clich? genre of the rise to fame of a poor but talented girl. Glitter obviously targets her pre teens fans; it is the only way to explain the holes in the plot, the banal characters, not to mention the poor acting and directing.

5) Gigli
The huge media attention given to the leading stars of Gigli: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, or Bennifer, did not help it from becoming one of the biggest box office flops of the 2000s. Theoretically, the original screenplay did have a potential of turning into a decent dark comedy. However, the screenplay was written and added unreasonably changes and some romantic scenes were added in order to entice celebrity magazines readers. The result was so bad that Lopez acting seemed like a demonstration of delicacy and talent comparing to the other performances.

6) Swept Away
By 2002, it was clear that only a miracle could save Madonna's acting career from being remembered as a sequence of embarrassing flops. The remake of the 1974 Italian film of the same name directed by Guy Ritchie, her husband and up until Swept Away was released, a critically acclaimed director was not the miracle you were hoping for, unless you were hoping to name Madonna as the worse actress in film history.

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