Is there anyone who can play charming yet unsettling like Denzel Washington? Even when he’s not playing a legitimate anti-hero, there’s always a vague sense of threat from his characters, in the stillness of his face and the wryness of his delivery.

Washington uses the trademark sociopathy to great affect in “Safe House”, the new spy thriller meant partially to re-charge Ryan Reynolds career after the “Green Lantern” disaster of 2011. Reynolds seems to exist mostly to get out of Washington’s way, the tactic followed by every white guy in a Denzel Washington movie which I like to call the “Ethan Hawke Defense.”

Matt Weston (Reynolds) at the beginning appears to have the un-sexiest job in the CIA, as a keeper of a CIA safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. He spends most of his time listening to French language tapes in an empty room, and telling elaborate lies about his work to his French national girlfriend. His uniquely boring life is upended when Tobin Frost (Washington) a former agent who’s been selling secrets for almost a decade, inexplicably wanders into a U.S. Consulate and allows himself to be captured (the trailer gives you a rough approximation of what will happen next).

Cape Town is shown in gritty, stunning glory, and director Daniel Espinosa makes the best use of location shooting I’ve seen in a long time. The city operates as both an ally and a potential enemy to the two fugitives, from its upscale downtown, to the chaos of Green Point soccer stadium, to the maze of a shanty town. There is very little politics in “Safe House”, but Espinosa doesn’t ignore the realities of Cape Town either, allowing the city to tell the story and add to the sharp realism of the action sequences.

The cat and mouse game at the heart of the story is a little played, and frankly most of it is stolen from other spy movies anyway. But the exquisite little details, ingeniously picked by the director and his stars, allow you to forget that this is a story that’s been told before: a spectacular crane shot of truck barreling through a shanty town’s throughways; the jaunty smile Frost gives when taking pictures of himself to add to a forged passport, the way Weston hugs his girlfriend and buries his face in her hair. The details make this movie special, make it more than just another Saturday-night throwaway picture. Washington’s charming villain is just the cherry on top.

The Screen Actors Guild award ceremony screened on Sunday, resulting in multiple wins for “The Help” and “Boardwalk Empire”. The full list of winners is listed below.

Theatrical Motion Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

• “The Help”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

• Jean DuJardin, “The Artist”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

• Viola Davis, “The Help”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

• Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

• Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Primetime Television

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

• “Boardwalk Empire”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

• “Modern Family”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

• Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

• Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

• Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

• Betty White, “Hot in Cleveland”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• Paul Giamatti, “Too Big to Fail”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce”

SAG Honors for Stunt Ensembles

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

• Game of Thrones

The nominees for the 2012, 84th Annual Academy Awards have been released and the film industry is already buzzing with speculation on who will take home the Oscar on February 26th. Here’s my two cents about the nominees, who got snubbed, and an early (tentative and subject to change!) prediction about who could take home the gold. I only reviewed the nine most-talked about categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Cinematography, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapted Screenplay. I will include every category in my official prediction post, which will come when the Oscars get closer.

Could "The Artist" be another "Slumdog Millionaire"-esque Oscar-sweeper?

Contenders: “The Artist,” “The Descendants,” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” “The Help,” “Hugo,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Moneyball,” “The Tree of Life,” “War Horse”

Didn’t Make the Cut: “Drive”, “The Ides of March”, “Young Adult”, “Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy”, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “My Week with Marilyn”, “Bridesmaids”

Thoughts: No surprises here. Five of the films tote big-name directors: “The Descendants” (George Clooney), “Hugo” (Martin Scorsese), “Midnight in Paris” (Woody Allen), “Tree of Life” (slightly lesser known Terrence Malick), and “War Horse” (Steven Spielberg). Three films were based on best-selling books: “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” “Moneyball,” and “The Help”. And the remaining film, “The Artist”, has always been seen as an awards contender ever since it’s release. The Academy remained predictable as ever this year for the Best Picture noms.

Every movie fan is bound to have at least a few films that they’re annoyed didn’t get picked, and this year mine were “Drive” and “The Ides of March.” “Drive”featured excellent cinematography, a catchy soundtrack, a unique story and a killer performance by Ryan Gosling (also ignored by the Academy this year, we’ll get to that later). “The Ides of March,” was easily my favorite film of the year. It was an edge-of-your-seat thriller that kept you guessing and featured another great Ryan Gosling performance, as well as excellent writing and supporting appearances by George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Early Prediction: I think Best Picture will come down to a fight between “The Artist” and “The Descendants.” “The Descendants” took home two Golden Globes (Best Picture and Best Actor – Drama) a few weeks ago, but “The Artist “boasts a whopping ten Oscar nominations to “The Descendants”‘ five. In the end, I see “The Artist” eventually going home with the gold. I’ve yet to see it, but the film is a classic case of the artsy, indie film that voters just love to throw awards at.

George Clooney in "The Descendants"

Contenders: Demián Bichir (“A Better Life”), George Clooney (“The Descendants”), Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”), Gary Oldman (“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”), Brad Pitt (“Moneyball”)

Didn’t Make the Cut: Ryan Gosling (“Drive “or “The Ides of March”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“J. Edgar”), Michael Fassbender (“Shame”), Michael Shannon (“Take Shelter”)

Thoughts: The only real surprise amongst the five nominees is Demián Bichir for his role in “A Better Life”. I vaguely remember seeing the trailer for this film, but that was the last time I had heard or thought about it until Bichir got this nomination. The performance must be a doozy for him to knock out the likes of DiCaprio and Fassbender. After leaving Ryan Gosling out of the race for the second year in a row (he wasn’t nominated for “Blue Valentine “last year, though Michelle Williams was), I’m beginning to wonder what the Academy has against the guy. As “The Hollywood Reporter” points out in it’s Oscar snubs article, it was a great year for Gosling, who had three really good films – “Drive, The Ides of March, “and “Crazy Stupid Love.” “THR” goes on to speculate that his lack of a nomination might have to do with him not making the rounds and doing the awards circuit to promote himself and lobby for a nomination. Which makes me mad, because the Academy should be voting on an actor’s performance, not the number of appearances he makes or parties he attends.

Early Prediction: Clooney and Pitt both gave the best performances of their careers this year, but again I think this category comes down to “The Descendants “vs. “The Artist. ” I’ve yet to see “The Artist “so I can’t say who I think deserves it, but at this point I’ll call Jean Dujardin the winner. We may have another “Slumdog Millionaire -”style Oscar-sweeper on our hands with “The Artist”, and it doesn’t help that Clooney already has an Academy Award under his belt (a Best Supporting Actor for 2005′s “Syriana”).

Side Note: How is this Gary Oldman’s first Oscar nomination, ever? That just seem so wrong…

Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier in "My Week with Marilyn"

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Contenders: Kenneth Branagh (“My Week with Marilyn”), Jonah Hill (“Moneyball”), Nick Nolte (“Warrior”), Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”), Max von Sydow (“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”)

Didn’t Make the Cut: Albert Brooks (“Drive”), Armie Hammer (“J. Edgar”), Andy Serkis (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”), Patton Oswalt (“Young Adult”)

Thoughts: Who would’ve thought the pudgy kid from “Superbad “would be an Oscar contender? I certainly didn’t, and I’m still not sure he belongs up there with the likes of Kenneth Branagh and Christopher Plummer. Sure, Hill did a decent job in “Moneyball,” but I certainly didn’t leave the theater thinking it was an Oscar-nomination-worthy performance.

I actually would’ve preferred it if Andy Serkis had gotten the nom over Hill. This could have been the Oscars in which motion-capture performances were finally given their due. Say what you will about the goofy “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, but if you see the work that goes into Serkis’ role as Caesar the ape it’s really impressive. This was a chance to right the wrong of Serkis never receiving a nomination for his landmark performance as Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings “trilogy.

Early Prediction: I’d say this category boils down to a Plummer vs. Branagh match-up. This is Plummer’s 2nd nomination and Branagh’s 5th, and neither has yet to win an Oscar. Plummer was good in “Beginners,” but Branagh was exceptional as Sir Laurence Olivier in “My Week with Marilyn.” Gold goes to Branagh.

Glenn Close as Albert Nobbs

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Contenders: Glenn Close (“Albert Nobbs”), Viola Davis (“The Help”), Rooney Mara (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”), Michelle Williams (“My Week with Marilyn”)

Didn’t Make the Cut: Shailene Woodley (“The Descendents”), Charlize Theron (“Young Adult”), Tilda Swinton (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”), Kirsten Dunst (“Melancholia”), Elizabeth Olson (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”)

Thoughts: Tilda Swinton’s absence from the list of nominees seems to be on the list of everybody’s top “Oscar snubs” this year. This category could be a tight one, with all very transformational roles in the running – Streep portraying Margaret Thatcher, Williams playing the iconic Marilyn Monroe, Rooney Mara almost unrecognizable as hacker Lisbeth Salander, Davis as maid/nanny Aibileen Clark, and Glenn Close as woman pretending to be a man.

Early Prediction: This one should be Glenn Close‘s – this is her sixth Oscar nomination and she’s yet to win. Meryl Streep has been nominated a whopping 17 times but she’s also already won twice. This is Michelle William’s third nomination (no wins yet) and Viola Davis’ second (no wins yet either). Close seems overdue for a win, and her role seems to be the most challenging since she’s essentially playing a man. Plus, Williams and Davis are younger and have more of their careers ahead of them.

Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson in "The Help"

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Contenders: Bérénice Bejo (“The Artist”), Jessica Chastain (“The Help”), Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids”), Janet McTeer (“Albert Nobbs”), Octavia Spencer (“The Help”)

Didn’t Make the Cut: Shailene Woodley (“The Descendants”), Cary Mulligan (“Shame “or “Drive”), Marion Cotillard (“Midnight in Paris”), Melanie Laurent (“Beginners”)

Thoughts: What’s that, a surprising Oscar nomination?! I didn’t think such a thing existed. But wouldn’t you know, the Academy catches us napping and actually nominates Melissa McCarthy for “Bridesmaids.” I still haven’t seen the movie, but regardless of what I end up thinking of it, I still love this nomination.

First off, it’s a nomination for a woman in “a comedy film”. That’s almost unheard of at the Oscars, and to see a comedy get two nominations (“Bridesmaids “also got a nom for Best Original Screenplay) is really refreshing. Even if the movie loses both categories, I still hope that their inclusion marks a new era in which comedies will be given more credit and eventually, maybe even a few awards. I’m not saying that “The Hangover “should have been up for Oscars, I’m just saying that I feel there are some really exceptional comedies of late that it wouldn’t hurt to recognize with a few nominations.

Secondly, Melissa McCarthy has been nominated for being a “funny” woman. I’m not sure when the last time was that a Supporting Actress nominee came from a comedy film (if it ever has happened, that is). This nomination carries on the message that “Bridesmaids “has carried from the start: that women can be just as funny as men and just as successful in the comedy genre.

Early Prediction: It was big enough for the Academy to nominate Melissa McCarthy in the first place, so I don’t see her then taking home the Oscar as well (as cool as that would be). Due to the recent “Artist “blitz this awards season, I think Bérénice Bejo might have this one in the bag. Plus, critics weren’t big fans of “The Help “or “Albert Nobbs” (which scored 62/100 and 55/100, respectively, on Metacritic).

Woody Allen directs Owen Wilson and Carla Bruni on the set of "Midnight in Paris"

BEST DIRECTOR

Contenders: Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”), Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”), Alexander Payne (“The Descendants”), Woody Allen (“Midnight in Paris”), Terrence Malick (“The Tree of Life”)

Didn’t Make the Cut: Nicolas Winding Refn (“Drive”), George Clooney (“The Ides of March”), David Fincher (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), Bennett Miller (“Moneyball”), Clint Eastwood (“J. Edgar”), Steve McQueen (“Shame”), Jason Reitman (“Young Adult”)

Thoughts: God I hope Terrence Malick doesn’t win. Much to the anger of pretentious/artsy-film-lovers everywhere, I heartily disliked “The Tree of Life”. To be honest, I’m pretty disappointed with the nominees this year. Looking at the rather long list of directors who missed out, I’d prefer most of them over those who have been nominated. Again, it’s a damn tragedy that Winding Refn and Clooney were left out. But it’s no use crying over spilled milk, so if I have to pull for one of the nominees, it would be Alexander Payne. “The Descendants “is the best film that received nominations this year (besides “Ides of March”), so I’d like to see Payne take home the statue.

Early Prediction: Besides “The Artist “having a recent hot-streak and touting the 2nd-most nominations this year with 10 (just behind “Hugo”‘s 11), I think the Academy might vote for the newcomer this year and go with Hazanavicius. Payne already has an Oscar, which he won for the last film he was nominated for – 2004′s “Sideways”. Scorsese is in the same boat, with an Oscar for “The Departed”, and Malick has been nominated twice before. So at this point, I’m calling this another victory for “The Artist”.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Contenders: “The Artist,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Hugo,” “The Tree of Life,” “War Horse”

Thoughts: To be honest, I’ve only seen one of these nominees – “Tree of Life. “As much as I disliked the film, the one thing I appreciated was that it truly was beautifully shot. It’s not an exaggeration at all to say that you could pause the film at any point, and the frame you froze on could hold its own as an incredible still photo hung on the wall of a photography exhibit somewhere. I’d have to see the other movies to be sure, but my guess is that “The Tree of Life “has this year’s best cinematography.

Early Prediction: A fight between “The Artist” and “The Tree of Life,” with “The Artist” winning out. A more informed prediction is still-to-come.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Contenders: “The Descendants,” “Hugo,” “The Ides of March,” “Moneyball,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Thoughts: I’d love “The Ides of March” to win the one category it’s up for, particularly because I think it is the most worthy amongst the fellow nominees. But it’s doubtful that’s going to happen, so if “Ides “can’t win, I’m rooting for “The Descendants”. It was an excellent script, and it would be really awesome to see one of the co-writers, Jim Rash, to win an Oscar. Some people may be more familiar with Rash as the character Dean Pelton on NBC’s “Community”, which is my favorite current TV show.

Early Prediction: With the film sitting well on it’s other four Oscar nominations, I think “The Descendants” is the one to beat in this category. “Tinker” could give it a run for it’s money though.

Could "Bridesmaids" be an Oscar winner?

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Contenders: “The Artist,” “Bridesmaids,” “Margin Call,” “Midnight in Paris,” “A Separation”

Thoughts: Go “Bridesmaids!” It feels odd to be cheering for a film that I’ve yet to see and could possibly even dislike once I see it. But in rooting for “Bridesmaids,” I’m rooting for the comedy genre in general, which I think is an important cause. Plus, wouldn’t it be refreshing to see an upset (gasp!) at the Oscars this year? Down with predictability!

Early Prediction: Like Melissa McCarthy’s nomination for her performance in “Bridesmaids”, I have a feeling a nomination is as far as this film is going to go. “The Artist” is certainly the talk of the town right now and far more prominent than “Midnight in Paris” and the indies “Margin Call” and “A Separation”. I’m chalking this one up to another one for “The Artist.”

There is absolutely no reason in the world why an action movie in which Liam Neeson punches a wolf in the mouth should be any good at all.

The very premise seems like sheer B-movie schlock, another black mark in Neeson’s already questionable late career. Joe Carnahan, the writer and director of the film, has a resume that includes a disastrous version of “The A-Team” and “Smokin Aces”, a hyperactive Vegas thriller. “The Grey” should be the movie you rent from Redbox and watch while drunk, stuffing cheese doodles in your maw and laughing when Neeson makes Wolfman puns.

And yet…and yet. Carnahan, in a surprising move, chose not to make this into another lame, faux post-modern black hole of cheese. He made a film. A very good film actually, using stripped-down and rugged camerawork and sound to tell a story about primitive forces.

The 6 men who dominate the movie are pipeline workers in Alaska, heading back to the lower-48 for a break. Their leader Ottway (Liam Neeson) was tasked with protecting the pipeline and its workers from wild animals, so when their plane goes down in the middle of a wolf pack’s territory it’s only him who has any kind of expertise to lead them out.

The main characters seem undomesticated even before they are thrown into the merciless wilderness- Ottway himself is a man on the edge, haunted by a lost love and verging on suicide. The others are a motley crew of deadbeats, ex-cons or similar, hopeless cases who come to work in Alaska because no else will take them. But their breed of wildness seems positively tame when they are left alone in the woods, being stalked by a band of timber wolves (the wolves appear to be mainly computer-generated, but that doesn’t make them any less frightening).

Carnahan knows his way around an action scene, and infuses everything from a plane crash, to a wolf attack, to a jump across a ravine with blunt horror and panic. For once I was unconcerned that the camera was shaking and obscuring my vision, because I have a feeling that a plane crash and a wolf attack wouldn’t seem very clear to the person experiencing it. He matches the bluntness of the camerawork with precision sound, eschewing music most of the time and just using a howling, relentless winter wind as the background.

Neeson is positively electrifying, playing a ravaged husk of a man who wants to end his life even as he’s thrown into the odd situation of trying to keep himself and his comrades alive. And while everyone probably will pay their $10 plus tax to see Liam Neeson box a wolf with broken glass taped to his knuckles (and note that scene is actually not what it seems in the trailers), I find him even more riveting when he is doing quieter things, like telling an injured man that he is going to die, or staring worriedly at a thermos of dwindling jet fuel they are using to start their precious fires.

Carnahan obviously owes a lot to the Werner Herzog, who’s made an entire career about discussing man’s strange relationship with the natural world. Carnahan even references Herzog’s “Grizzly Man”, though it’s very telling that the reference is when a character refers to it as “that movie about the fag that loves bears.” There is little Disneyfication of the natural world here, and the wild is considered beautiful, vast, unknowable and unmerciful. And the emotional devastation and fear you feel comes not with the first wolf death (which is expected) but the realization that if these men are unable to start a fire in a snowstorm they are all going to die- not from a villainous wolf, or a complicated human scheme, but by the immutable fact of the cold. Fire: you live. No fire: you die. There is nothing more primitive, more basic, or more animal than that.

Nominations for the upcoming 84^th Academy Awards ceremony were announced on Tuesday by Jennifer Lawrence and Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Leading the ceremony with 11 nominations is “Hugo”, a film directed by Martin Scorsese. The adventurous drama was nominated for Best Picture, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original Score), Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects and Writing (Adapted Screenplay).

Following “Hugo” with 10 nominations was “The Artist”, also running for Best Picture.

Other nominees for Best Picture are “The Descendants”, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”, “The Help”, “Midnight in Paris”, “Moneyball”, “The Tree of Life” and “War Horse”.

The ceremony will take place on February 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

More than anything, Chaske Spencer just wants to keep it real.

This may seem strange coming from the man who just wrapped up a multi-film stint in the massively successful fantasy-laden Twilight series, but a brief conversation with him makes this all too clear.

Take, for example, his perspective on his Twilight character, werewolf pack leader Sam Uley. While he appreciates many things about his animalistic alter-ego, not the least of which are his CGI antics played out on the big screen – “I never thought I would see myself jump off a cliff. I mean it was amazing!” he says – what he most hopes fans will take away from the most recent installments is that which makes the character most relatable – most human.

“What I got from talking to the kids, the fans of Twilight, is that a lot of them just hated Sam. A lot of them did not like Sam,” he recalls with a laugh. “So what I want to do is make him more human, more a character that you can relate to. In the Breaking Dawn film you get this sense that, in the script, he’s out to just kill Renesmee and he hates Bella, but that’s not the case. It’s just that it’s a job that he has to do.”

Similarly, Spencer notes, it’s the human element of filmmaking that has been the most rewarding through his work on the Twilight series and beyond. His bonds with cast and crew from the Twilight films have stayed strong, he assures: his fellow wolves are “like my brothers now,” he says, “and then you have Julia [Jones] and Tinsel [Korey, both costars] who are like my sisters.” It’s like “joining the circus,” he explains. “That’s basically what a film crew is. You join the circus, you all get tight, you’re like a family for a month or two, and then – boom. Maybe you’ll stay in touch, maybe you’ll see them again, maybe you won’t, you know?”

He emphasizes that this is one aspect of filmmaking that continues to draw him in – “Not just working on a character or just being an actor but the stuff behind the scenes.” It’s an affinity for the world behind the camera, bolstered by his recent experience in independent films Winter in the Blood and Desert Cathedral, that has clearly shaped his philosophy on his work and his art. An independent film, he says, is “where the artist comes into work”.

To hear him explain it, it’s answering a call to artistic integrity. He easily ticks off the names of examples and influences, a list that crosses genres and all levels of celebrity. “I grew up watching Johnny Depp,” he recalls, “and like a lot of young actors, I wanted to be Johnny Depp – and we can’t. But he inspires us to stick to artistic credit.” Depp, he notes, had a penchant for turning down big-budget roles in favor of independents, “and he got massive street cred for it.”

He’s quick to cite famous crossover acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam as well. “I always like bands who stretch, who go further,” he says. “You could be working a 9 to 5 job, but you’re trying to find the easiest way to make a living doing what you love, and of course you’re not going to say no to those paychecks.” But, he says, these bands were able to avoid earning the dreaded “sellout” label. Of Pearl Jam, he notes, “They used the tools that they had, and they just gave themselves some self-respect, and they stuck to their guns, and, obviously, they’re a huge group. They turned down Ticketmaster, and fought the good fight, and they’re still rockin’ and rollin’, they’re still touring.”

So what does this mean for Chaske Spencer, an actor moving into 2012 with a slew of major-budget films under his belt and many of these treasured independent efforts in the works? “I enjoy work on a franchise too,” he stresses. “[You] get a good paycheck, work on a big budget. But then you go back and do an independent movie and you can make up for I guess, ah, whoring yourself out,” he laughs.

Make no mistake: he’s grateful for the opportunities that Twilight’s success has given him – especially the freedom to gravitate toward those projects that allow him to emulate those he so admires. “You’ll never hear me talk bad about ‘Twilight!’”, he assures with a laugh. “Yeah, it’s given me a life.”

Here is the complete list of 84th Annual Academy Award nominations announced on Tuesday morning:

1. Best Picture: ‘‘The Artist,’’ ‘’The Descendants,’’ ‘’Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,’’ ‘’The Help,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Midnight in Paris,’’ ‘’Moneyball,’’ ‘’The Tree of Life,’’ ‘’War Horse.’’

2. Actor: Demian Bichir, ‘‘A Better Life”; George Clooney, ‘‘The Descendants”; Jean Dujardin, ‘‘The Artist”; Gary Oldman, ‘‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”; Brad Pitt, ‘‘Moneyball.’’

3. Actress: Glenn Close, ‘‘Albert Nobbs”; Viola Davis, ‘‘The Help”; Rooney Mara, ‘‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”; Meryl Streep, ‘‘The Iron Lady”; Michelle Williams, ‘‘My Week With Marilyn.’’

4. Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh, ‘‘My Week With Marilyn”; Jonah Hill, ‘‘Moneyball”; Nick Nolte, ‘‘Warrior”; Christopher Plummer, ‘‘Beginners”; Max von Sydow, ‘‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.’’

5. Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo, ‘‘The Artist”; Jessica Chastain, ‘‘The Help”; Melissa McCarthy, ‘‘Bridesmaids”; Janet McTeer, ‘‘Albert Nobbs”; Octavia Spencer, ‘‘The Help.’’

6. Directing: Michel Hazanavicius, ‘‘The Artist”; Alexander Payne, ‘‘The Descendants”; Martin Scorsese, ‘‘Hugo”; Woody Allen, ‘‘Midnight in Paris”; Terrence Malick, ‘‘The Tree of Life.’’

7. Foreign Language Film: ‘‘Bullhead,’’ Belgium; ‘‘Footnote,’’ Israel; ‘‘In Darkness,’’ Poland; ‘‘Monsieur Lazhar,’’ Canada; ‘‘A Separation,’’ Iran.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, ‘‘The Descendants”; John Logan, ‘‘Hugo”; George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon, ‘‘The Ides of March”; Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin, ‘‘Moneyball”; Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, ‘‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.’’

9. Original Screenplay: Michel Hazanavicius, ‘‘The Artist”; Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, ‘‘Bridesmaids”; J.C. Chandor, ‘‘Margin Call”; Woody Allen, ‘‘Midnight in Paris”; Asghar Farhadi, ‘‘A Separation.’’

10. Animated Feature Film: ‘‘A Cat in Paris”; ‘‘Chico & Rita”; ‘‘Kung Fu Panda 2”; ‘‘Puss in Boots”; ‘‘Rango.’’

11. Art Direction: ‘‘The Artist,’’ ‘’Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Midnight in Paris,’’ ‘’War Horse.’’

12. Cinematography: ‘‘The Artist,’’ ‘’The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’The Tree of Life,’’ ‘’War Horse.’’

13. Sound Mixing: ‘‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Moneyball,’’ ‘’Transformers: Dark of the Moon,’’ ‘’War Horse.’’

14. Sound Editing: ‘‘Drive,’’ ‘’The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Transformers: Dark of the Moon,’’ ‘’War Horse.’’

15. Original Score: ‘‘The Adventures of Tintin,’’ John Williams; ‘‘The Artist,’’ Ludovic Bource; ‘‘Hugo,’’ Howard Shore; ‘‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,’’ Alberto Iglesias; ‘‘War Horse,’’ John Williams.

16. Original Song: ‘‘Man or Muppet’’ from ‘‘The Muppets,’’ Bret McKenzie; ‘‘Real in Rio’’ from ‘‘Rio,’’ Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett.

17. Costume: ‘‘Anonymous,’’ ‘’The Artist,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Jane Eyre,’’ ‘’W.E.’’

18. Documentary Feature: ‘‘Hell and Back Again,’’ ‘’If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front,’’ ‘’Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory,’’ ‘’Pina,’’ ‘’Undefeated.’’

19. Documentary (short subject): ‘‘The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement,’’ ‘’God Is the Bigger Elvis,’’ ‘’Incident in New Baghdad,’’ ‘’Saving Face,’’ ‘’The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.’’

20. Film Editing: ‘‘The Artist,’’ ‘’The Descendants,’’ ‘’The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Moneyball.’’

21. Makeup: ‘‘Albert Nobbs,’’ ‘’Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,’’ ‘’The Iron Lady.’’

22. Animated Short Film: ‘‘Dimanche/Sunday,’’ ‘’The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,’’ ‘’La Luna,’’ ‘’A Morning Stroll,’’ ‘’Wild Life.’’

23. Live Action Short Film: ‘‘Pentecost,’’ ‘’Raju,’’ ‘’The Shore,’’ ‘’Time Freak,’’ ‘’Tuba Atlantic.’’

24. Visual Effects: ‘‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Real Steel,’’ ‘’Rise of the Planet of the Apes,’’ ‘’Transformers: Dark of the Moon.’’

Steven Soderbergh is possibly the most hyperactive director in the business today. Just in the past five years, he’s put out an all-star broad-strokes drama about a killer disease, a spy-comedy with Matt Damon, a tiny indie starring a porn star and a five-hour biopic of Che Guevara. They vary is scope, in cast (and yes, in quality) but they are always inextricably his.

“Haywire” is no different. From the first sepia-tinged frame to the last moment of violence, the story of a woman betrayed by the Blackwater-esque company she works for is pure Soderbergh- even in its flaws.

I suspect the movie is supposed to flourish into a franchise, in the form of the character Mallory Kane (Gina Carano), who works for an unnamed independent spy agency contracted with the U.S. government. It’s a typical spy story: she goes off on a “routine” mission that quickly shows itself to be a frame job intended to either kill Kane or plant a murder on her.

The plot itself isn’t overly impressive- at just over two hours, the plot is a little undercooked and wrapped up in a tidy (and lazy) flashback scene. I found myself wishing there had been more to the story, or another twist to navigate. The end comes too quickly, leaving several threads hanging and a certain sense of dissatisfaction.

But Gina Carano makes it all worth it. As a mixed-martial arts champion (who previously appeared in competitions like “American Gladiator” and “Fatal Femmes Fighting”) seeing Carano run, jump, fight, or even just walk around a room is riveting- like seeing a wild animal do what evolution has specifically developed it to do. Combine that with a stoic, Bruce Willis-like acting style and raw sex appeal, she has all the makings of the next big action star. She’s backed up with an all-star, all-male cast (Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas, among others) who despite their star power seem happy to simply get out of her way.

It will be intriguing to see if Mallory Kane can become a franchise; it’s always difficult to market a woman action star, but Carano’s worth her weight in gold if she can keep strangling people with her thighs. But there’s no telling. After all, who knows what Soderbergh will do next.

Jessica Ruth Goldberg will be reporting from Sundance during the festival for Blast. This is her first article since arriving.

Photo Credit/Steve Heller

PARK CITY, Utah — I’m sitting in a wooden lodge, waiting out the extra hour to speak with filmmaker Kristina Nikolova, about her film, Faith Love and Whiskey, which opened the Sundance Film Festival last night. Outside the windows, there’s a beautiful view of the snow shower that’s delaying her.

The past couple of days in Park City, the sidewalks have been swept, and the mountains dusted with a picturesque, but non-functional powder.  The skiers in town have been grumbling.  The film goers have been nodding with vague sympathy.  Really though, I’ve heard a low hum of delight.

The town  has been unusually accessible without the usual 4 to 10 inches of frozen froth we normally wade through. Beyond the relief that weather delays won’t keep us from our next screening, the air has been clear of flakes, so that we’re able to see how beautiful Park City is, even without a coat of white.

Now, the red carpets are surrounded by sludge, and the stars are appearing in snow boots. Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, of Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, are dressed in the unofficial Sundance uniform of waterproof boots and puffy jackets.  Tim and Eric yelled and made faces for the cameras at their Park City at Midnight premier.  I’ll sit down and speak calmly with them on Monday.  Check back for the full interview Monday night.

When I finally meet Kristina she shows no sign of her trudge through the snow.  A beauty with perfect makeup  and hair, her hottest accessory is probably her handsome fiancee and co-writer, Paul Dalio, who journeyed with Kristina to Bulgaria where they fell in love, developed her story, added some drama to their own story, and where Kristina’s feature was shot.

Check back later for the full interview with Paul and Kristina on their first feature, and one of the most romantically entangled movies on the indie scene.

“Red Tails” takes place in Italy in 1944 during World War II, and tells the inspirational story of the Tuskegee Airmen. The group is composed of black pilots who triumph over racial stereotypes and prove themselves to be true heroes for their country. While this is certainly the accurate outcome of the 332^nd Fighter Group’s success, the film glosses over some of the obstacles that these men had to overcome in a segregated US military.

The racism present in the film is surface-level and comic relief is often used to ease the tension caused by a racist statement or sentiment. The victories are emphasized but the struggles are downplayed, which is surprising with Aaron McGruder, creator of the controversial cartoon The Boondocks, as one of the script writers along with John Ridley.

“We Fight! We Fight! We Fight! We Fight! We Fight!” This chant can be heard on many trailers for “Red Tails,” but there are many associations that can be coupled with it.

George Lucas fought the movie studios to distribute the film, the black airmen in the film fought for their country in aerial combat against Germany and they also fought racism in efforts to actively participate in the war.

It has taken 23 years for Lucas to get “Red Tails” to the big screen. The action scenes are executed very well and the use of technologies of the 1940s and today is well balanced. But the ratio of racism to acceptance in the film is not as accurate.

While Major Emmanuelle Stance (Cuba Gooding Jr.) provides words of encouragement to the pilots on the air base, Colonel Bullard (Terrence Howard) advocates in Washington for the fighter group to get more respectable assignments and decent planes to fly. The group had previously been assigned low-priority operations and given hand-me-down P-40 planes. Howard delivers a great performance with his adamant tone and no-nonsense stance, but the quick, positive results seem too easy.

Also, the attitudes of the white US soldiers are only briefly hostile before becoming overwhelmingly supportive of the black pilots. The Tuskegee Airmen show some frustration with the racism surrounding them, but it is certainly underplayed.

Personal issues seem to be more of a focus for the main characters in the film. Marty “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker), leads the unit in every battle, but has a drinking problem and Joe “Lightning” Little (David Oyelowo) is the best pilot in the group but is arrogant, disobedient and distracted by women. Yet, the two are best friends and help balance each other throughout the film. The sense of camaraderie among the other pilots is felt as well as they support each other during battles and on the air base.

Each actor brings much personality and likeability to his character. Nicknames abound with Ray “Junior” Gannon (Tristan Wilds), Andrew “Smoky” Salem (Ne-Yo), Maurice “Bumps” Wilson (Michael B. Jordan), Samuel “Joker” George (Elijah Kelly) and “Sticks” (Cliff “Method Man” Smith). The name of each pilot is painted on his plane, which is also distinguished from other planes in the US military because the tails are painted red.

When the 332^nd Fighter Group escorts the bomber planes to their destinations, the white pilots are able to identify them by their “red tails” and begin addressing them as such. But such ready acknowledgement seems rushed in the film.

More in-depth racism is not the only element missing in the film. Many of the scenes and conversations seem cut short. With a running time of 125 minutes it is possible that Lucas was simply trying to make such a rich story fit in a mere two hours. But regardless of what is missing, what is present is a heart-warming story that successfully depicts the Tuskegee Airmen who left an indelible mark on history.

“Red Tails” is certainly a feel-good war movie. The racism is toned town and the heroism is highlighted, which doesn’t make it the best history lesson, but enjoyable nonetheless.

“A Marine Story” is an important movie in one respect: it humanizes the struggle of homosexual men and women in the United States military who want to serve but must keep their sexual preference secret. The film was released in 2010 and was a festival/indie hit. Even though the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is now defunct, “A Marine Story” succeeds in dramatizing what so many men and women had to undergo all the years DADT was in effect.

The movie tells the story of Alexandra Everett, an accomplished and decorated Marine, who is discharged under murky circumstances. It seems she was drummed out of the military when allegations of homosexual behavior emerged. She returns to her rural hometown, where everyone believes she was honorably discharged. The town also believes she is married. Only near the end of the film do we learn her marriage is a sham, a cover so no one suspects her of being gay. Upon returning to the town, Alex is asked by a policeman friend to mentor a troubled girl, Saffron. The town has been overrun by ‘meth’ related crime, and a judge has given Saffron a choice: she can go to jail or join the military. Alex is tasked with preparing Saffron for boot camp. The training relationship storyline between Alex and Saffron competes with Alex’s struggle to remain closeted both in the present and –told in flashbacks– while in the military.

I do not believe “A Marine Story” was in theaters, but it is available on DVD. It is a movie that should be seen, but I’m not sure it succeeds artistically. It’s a message film and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but, as with many message films, the message can overshadow the ability to enjoy it as a work of art or entertainment. That’s why I led this review with the notion that it is “important” to see this film. It’s important to see “A Marine Story” because one gets a glimpse at the unintended consequences of DADT. But it’s as if the concept of the movie is where it ended.

The filmmakers have a difficult time with getting beyond the message to tell a truly engaging story. As such, the politics of the movies are always too close to the surface, and when the filmmakers try to veer away from politics into pure story (as when Alex tries to rescue Saffron from her meth-addled boyfriend’s drug lair or when a man Alex bests in a bar fight begins to stalk her and take clandestine photos of her with another woman) it’s hard to become truly engaged by the narrative.

“A Marine Story” could have taken a lesson from Biloxi Blues. Biloxi Blues is a comedy starring Matthew Broderick and Christopher Walken, a sentimental and humorous look back at recruit training during World War Two. It’s a two hour movie, but in one five minute segment we get all the power of the issue that it took “A Marine Story” 90 minutes to tell. One of the recruits, a kind and shy boy who always stuck up for the other guys in the platoon, is revealed to be homosexual. He’s taken away in front of the entire regiment, presumably to prison. It’s a devastating and moving moment, and it works because the character felt like a real character, not a walking rhetorical point.

In “A Marine Story,” Alex is at times a compelling character and the performance of Dreya Weber is very strong, but we never feel like we are too far away from political and social pot shots, and the movie does have some contradictory moments.

For example, Alex hoists the American flag immediately upon returning home so we are meant to see she is a patriot. But patriotic toward what? The military is generally sneered at. Her superior in Iraq wants to help her, but then it only seems to be a ploy to bed her to prove she is heterosexual. When folks in the town get wind she is gay, someone paints “Fag” on her car. She covers the graffiti with American-flag car magnets, and as she drives through the town a series of country bumpkins and other rough and tumble types blindly shout out things like “USA, woo!!!”

I think the idea is to show that even though the military has mistreated her, she is loyal to her country and loves it. But then why are fellow patriots around the town depicted as little more than mindless rubes? We don’t get any sense that she may regret sending Saffron off to a military that has treated her so callously. In fact, it’s kind of a back-handed compliment to the armed forces: boot camp is better than meth addiction or jail.

These reservations aside, “A Marine Story” does not drag even if its narrative stretches credulity at points. It’s the kind of film that is earnest and probably deserved more attention as opposed to another 4,000 screen release of some run of the mill blockbuster with a bloated budget and too many explosions to count.

A poll hosted by SodaHead.com revealed the Dark Knight Rises as the most anticipated movie sequel of the coming year. The film won with 26% of user’s votes, rising above the Hobbit, 21%, the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part 2, 14%, Men in Black III, 9%, and the Bourne Legacy, 7%.

The results, as well as other polls, can be seen here.

Host Ricky Gervais shrugs after slamming many of his acting peers at the 2012 Golden Globes.

The Golden Globes are often diminished by critics for not having its finger on the pulse. Many films and TV shows that have no business winning awards are honored for being popular and legitimized as part of the zeitgeist. In retrospect, I suppose this assessment is fair. Though often times, they get it right, and the Oscars do not. Why just last year “The Social Network” beat “The King’s Speech” for Best Drama and then the latter usurped the former for the Best Picture Oscar. We could certainly pigeon hole both award shows and dub The Globes a popularity contest and the Oscars the politics of the industry, but that would be unfair to the dedicated performers and artists to devalue these tributes to their talent. Sure, I can lay back on my bed and scorn the voters for their lack of vision, and claim it a blight on the history of storytelling and performance. Host Rickey Gervais did as much with this controversial analogy: “The Golden Globes are to the Oscars what Kim Kardashian is to Kate Middleton…one’s a little trashier…a little drunker…and a little more easily bought, allegedly.” But in the end, despite the biting wit of the always quotable comedian, these folks will still have more hardware atop their mantles.

If you are unfamiliar, the Globes are unique in that they honor the past year’s exceptional artistic achievements in TV and movies. In the TV categories, “Homeland,” the breakout hit that pits a bipolar renegade CIA operative against a former POW turned terrorist sympathizer (and my favorite new show) nabbed the big award for Best TV Series – Drama. Also capitalizing on the success of Showtime’s critical darling was the magnificent (and totally deserving) Claire Danes who plays that loose cannon federal agent who will push any boundary, whether ethical, social, or legal, to catch the bad guy and prevent another mass tragedy. She graciously accepted the third Golden Globe of her career for Best Actress in a TV drama. In the Best Actor in a TV Drama category, a seasoned TV vet won for a new role and likely shocked the  viewing public and certainly most critics. Kelsey Grammar took home the gold for his role in Starz rookie drama series, “Boss,” as Tom Kane, the mayor of Chicago, who is concealing his recently diagnosed neurological disorder that could ruin his political career. After a masterpiece fourth season, Bryan Cranston would have been a superlative choice for his role as a family wrapped up in the evils of the meth trade in “Breaking Bad.” And after him both Steve Buscemi of “Boardwalk Empire,” and Damian Lewis (my personal choice) of “Homeland” both garnered countless praise in the past year for their captivating roles. I have not caught any of “Boss” yet, so Grammar may have been just as noteworthy. Nonetheless, in a year filled with mesmerizing performances, most prognosticators felt the other three mentioned were superior.

Rounding out the acting awards, Peter Dinklage added another Supporting Actor in a TV Series, Mini-series or TV Movie trophy to his collection (he won the Emmy in the same category last fall) for his captivating portrayal in the high-fantasy, HBO epic “Game of Thrones.” Another new cable favorite, FX’s American Horror Story saw one of its stars, Globe Hall-of-Famer (five-time winner), Jessica Lange win Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Mini-series or TV Movie. For yet another starling turn, Kate Winslet of earned herself the Best Actress in a Mini-series or TV Movie award for her part in HBO mini-series, Mildred Pierce  and former “The Wire” great, Idris Elba was justly recognized for his arresting presence on “Luther” with Best Actor in a Mini-series or TV Movie. 

The Hollywood Foreign Press also deemed Matt LeBlanc of “Episodes”  and Laura Dern of “Enlightened.” two of the funniest performers of the past year by bestowing unto them the awards for Best Actor in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in TV Series-Comedy respectively. Also, in a mildly turn of events, “Modern Family,” was finally honored with the Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy after being stiffed the past two years while winning the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, both years, just seven months later. “Glee” had been the recipient those two previous years, but after what some would consider a creative slump for the series, it really shouldn’t be shocking that the clearly beloved ABC sitcom finally got its due from the Hollywood Foreign Press. PBS’ in-depth examination of class relations at the turn of the century had no trouble snagging the Best TV Mini-series or Motion Picture made for Television statuette.

For the cinephiles, it was a night of high regard for many prestige pictures, but the silent, black-and-white throwback “The Artist,” that shone the brightest among the flashing bulbs, winning 3 awards including Best Motion Picture – Comedy. The film’s score, arranged by Ludovic Bource, nabbed Best Original Score, and the charismatic Frenchman Jean Dujardin accepted the Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. Biting at their heels, however, was the Alexander Payne-directed family drama, “The Descendants,” which received 2 awards including Best Motion Picture – Drama. Its star, or rather superstar George Clooney continued to be adored by fans and critics by accepting Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. Familiar female faces earned the remaining major acting awards, perpetual nominee Meryl Streep and starlet Michelle Williams were both lauded for their iconic roles. Streep secured her Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama award for her dead-on transformation into former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, in “The Iron Lady,” and Williams’ immersion in the role of sex symbol Marilyn Monroe had voters swooning and proclaiming her Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

In the supporting categories, The Help’s Octavia Spencer struck gold for her portrayal as a strong-willed maid in what seemed like a given victory in the Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. For the men, oldie but a goodie, Christopher Plummer humbly accepted his Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture trophy. Industry favorite Martin Scorsese topped the Best Director in a Motion Picture category, beating out many worthy opponents for his expertly crafted family adventure, Hugo. Another universally beloved director and admired screenwriter, Woody Allen penned the Best Screenplay in a Motion Picture, as well.

And I would be remiss to mention that the astounding, and always commanding Morgan Freeman was the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille, Lifetime Achievement Award. Handed to him by former recipient, Sidney Poitier, Freeman was beaming as he basked in the glory of his many classic roles, while crediting every single one of his former castmates for blessing him with all the fun he has had of the course of his legendary career.

For a complete list of the award winners, click here.

And Blast readers, don’t forget to voice your opinions in the comments section! Share with us your insights on who was robbed, who deserved their accolades, and what performances/shows/films were overlooked and absent on the ballot.

What do you know about J Edgar Hoover? Most responses to this question –or so my guess goes— would be:

1. He was the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (the FBI).
2. He was a cross dresser and closeted homosexual.
3. There’s a movie in theaters about him directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

It’s not my purpose here to review the current Hoover movie. I have not yet seen it, and a fine review of J Edgar (the Eastwood film) can be found in Blast Magazine here. But when I saw the trailers for J Edgar and heard some of the buzz about it, I immediately wondered if other biopics about Hoover had been made.

Hoover has appeared as a minor character in dozens of films and television shows. As for films that focus solely on Hoover, there was a feature made about him in the late 1970s called “The Private Files of J Edgar Hoover” but it is unavailable on DVD. The other film about J Edgar Hoover that was available is from 2000. It stars the legendary Ernest Borgnine and is titled, simply, “Hoover.”

I’m glad I chose the latter for this ‘retro review,’ because it takes a different tack than one would expect to detail his directorship of the Bureau over the course of 50 years. Hoover is a 90-minute one man show in which Hoover/Borgnine addresses an unseen audience from a simple stage that is decorated to appear to be his office. A faded American flag is the backdrop and only adornment aside from several Greek-style columns and Hoover’s office furniture.

The film moves between Hoover’s monologues to the audience, feigned conversations he’s had with others, and clips of a real life interview from a deputy of his, Cartha D. Deloach. The cutaways to Deloach add an air of documentary authenticity, though in truth they are almost wholly redundant: Deloach simply repeats what Borgnine’s Hoover has just said. I think the conceit is to give credulity to Hoover’s monologues, to let us know that this is not something a writer or director has concocted. But they don’t add much else, other than bumping up what would be a sixty minute film to ninety minutes.

The casting of Borgnine as Hoover is a wonderful choice. Not only does he bear some resemblance to Hoover (at least in terms of body type), but he also plays the part magnificently.

What’s refreshing as a whole about Hoover is its unabashed patriotism. The other recent one-act play/movie about a famous figure, Will Ferrell’s “You’re Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush,” is too easily savage and snooty but not surprising: the artistic class simply knows George W Bush was a never-grown-up frat boy with an objectionable worldview and dangerous religious tendencies. One might expect similar fare for a stodgy and conservative figure like J Edgar Hoover. Not so in Hoover. Instead of a cheap takedown of the man, this film is an unapologetic defense of him, an explanation of and a compelling rationalization for some of his most famous actions and decisions. I might, however, concede, that Hoover does go too far in its defense of the man—as the movie veers quite close to a hagiography if little else.

More importantly, Hoover’s mission is to dispel myths about the Bureau Director, which brings us back to our list of popular conceptions of J Edgar Hoover. Number two on our list — which is widely believed to be true — is that Hoover wore women’s clothing and had a secret homosexual life. Hoover opens with a complete repudiation of this myth and takes to task the ‘tabloid culture’ of the media and society which baked up this, in his words, fabrication. Hoover’s reputed penchant for women’s clothes and homosexual behavior, in my limited research on the topic, does seem to be based wholly on conjecture and unreliable testimony. It’s titillating and what his enemies and detractors would like to believe, but I don’t see any conclusive proof of it.

J Edgar Hoover was almost certainly an annoyingly puritanical and boring man. He’s the kind of person you respect and want on your side but probably wouldn’t enjoy being around much on a Saturday night (unless bridge and The Lawrence Welk Show are your things). Hoover doesn’t offer much balance, but it’s convincingly pulled off and an interesting cinematic alternative –if you are looking for one—about the life of one of the most influential Americans of the 20th century.

Brad Bird wants to help you love the movies again.

And I don’t mean film in the academic sense. I mean movies. Big, loud, fun, slightly insane movies. Movies with explosions and fast cars and fabulous locales and women in tight dresses. Not to put too fine a point on it, movies with balls.

And Bird has decided to take his stand for the good, old-fashioned action flick, and make his live-action film debut, using a tired, 15-year-old franchise starring a manic Scientologist entering middle age. Frankly it sounds like the perfect recipe for disaster. And it very well could have been, in another director’s hands. But Bird uses deft sense of storytelling, a visionary skill with the IMAX camera, and a healthy dose of humor elevate what could have been a flop to the best action film of the year.

Part of “Ghost Protocol’s” merit lies with Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec’s script- the plot is tight, complicated enough to keep your interest, but simple enough to keep you from getting tied up in knots. Instead of the overwrought cat-and-masked mouse game of earlier films,the problem is simple: a terrorist named Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) has stolen nuclear launch codes, blown up the Kremlin and blamed it on spy agency IMF. The entire agency has been disavowed, including the legendary Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), who puts together a team to steal back the codes.

That’s it. No weird kidnapping scenarios, no Jon Voight. Without over-complicating the plot, Bird leave enough room to let the movie breathe and create truly stunning action set-pieces. The best take place in Dubai- Bird uses the surreal landscape of an adult playground in the middle of the desert to great effect. A scene where Cruise has to scale the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, is possibly the most thrilling, terrifying sequence I’ve seen this year- and a later chase scene through a dust storm isn’t far behind.

Say what you want about Tom Cruise (and there’s plenty to say), but he knows how to command a scene. Ethan Hunt isn’t exactly riveting by himself. Like Jason Bourne, and James Bond before them, the expert spy is only as interesting as the people and places around him. Cruise understands that limitation and knows how to work with it. Whatever he is in his personal life, in his career he’s nothing less than a consummate professional. He’s backed up by Paula Patton, making the most of the token hottie agent role, Simon Pegg, reprising his role as the comic relief techie, and of course Jeremy Renner, whose expressive eyes and fancy krav maga moves are worth the price of admission all by themselves. Renner is the only one who is capable of taking the spotlight from Cruise, with a slow-burn energy that will treat him well as he continues his ascent to stardom.

It’s not all gold. There’s a silly portion involving Renner’s character’s past, and a bizarrely out-of-place end scene that should have been cut out completely. There’s also the usual continuity/believability issues, but really why should we care how Ethan and his team get from Russia to Dubai when their entire agency has been shut down? Ignoring those little problems are part of the fun. Logistics are for suckers.

So bring on the explosions and the car chases and Paula Patton in a cut-out dress! Brad Bird is here and he wants to make goddamn movie. Give yourself a present this Christmas, and see it on the biggest screen you can find.

“A Dangerous Method” is the latest film in this year’s Michael Fassbender-blitz, when we’ve seen him previously in “Jane Eyre,” “X-Men: First Class,” and “Shame”. Some actors run the risk of over-exposure when they star in too many movies over a short period of time, but Hollywood’s recent fascination with Fassbender and the sudden frequency of his appearances are a welcome discovery of a multi-talented new leading man. In director David Cronenberg’s (“A History of Violence”, “Eastern Promises”) latest project, Fassbender plays psychology titan Carl Jung, who is in the midst of establishing his method of analytic psychology. Jung experiences a significant breakthrough in his studies when he successfully treats a new patient, Sabina Spielrein (played by Keira Knightley). Encouraged by the success of his work, Jung reaches out to fellow psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) in the hopes of collaboration. Freud’s unwillingness to budge from his own theories and incorporate Jung’s ideas leads to tension between them. Things become further complicated when one of Freud’s disciples, psychoanalyst Otto Gross (Vincent Cassel), persuades Jung to give into his temptations and take Spielrein as a mistress. This true-story of history’s most brilliant psychology pioneers spins a tangled web of egotism, desire and deceit.

Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung

Though “A Dangerous Method” is occasionally bogged-down by the weight of Jung and Freud’s theories and work, the performances are really the saving grace. Knightley’s Russian accent is somewhat suspect, but her portrayal of a mentally-ill Spielrein at the beginning of the movie is riveting – she’s cringe-inducing and downright frightening but you can’t look away. The particular physicality of the illness is unique and the way she handles the difficult assignment is impressive. Michael Fassbender easily handles his role as Carl Jung, proving that he can tackle deep, emotional, complex roles just as easily as he can don a spandex suit and kick some ass in action flicks. By demonstrating his wide range, Fassbender has ensured that he’ll be in high-demand in 2012. And not to be overlooked are Mortensen and Cassel, whose turns as Sigmund Freud and Otto Gross are as reliable as ever.

But despite the impressive efforts of Fassbender and company, overall I found “A Dangerous Method” a bit lackluster. The characters and the way they interact and relate to one another is interesting, but it wasn’t enough to hold my attention. For someone who is mostly indifferent about the works of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, the film grew tiresome despite being a short hour and 39 minutes. Instead of sparking my interest in psychology, the movie had me checking my watch. “A Dangerous Method” will probably be critically well-received, and Cronenberg did put together a decent movie, but for me it was no “Eastern Promises.”

If you are looking for a good holiday movie then look no further. Forget all those literal Christmas and New Year’s movies; “The Adventures of TinTin” has everything you could want and nothing bad in it at all. There is mystery, action, adventure, well-placed comedy, and so much more.

Steven Spielberg takes us on a wild ride trailing a young reporter named TinTin (voice of Jamie Bell) and his brave little dog. They come across a beautiful model ship that is more than it seems. It turns out a wealthy and devious man named Sakharine (voice of Daniel Craig) wants the ship as well. Secret clues are hidden within that lead to the sunken treasure of the great Captain Haddock (voice of Andy Serkis). The hunt takes them down south to Africa and all over the ocean.

The action was pretty constant and the story moved at a really good clip. I was never bored. There was even an amazing sequence of action in an African city with no cuts. Only Spielberg could come up with an amazing section where the camera constantly follows the action and nothing else. My jaw dropped. And leave it to the Einstein of directing to come up with a new fight scene involving cargo cranes. Didn’t know you could do that.

The music: If you listen carefully, you might be able to recognize a few other movie soundtracks in there. That is because John Williams composed the score. Williams is notorious for taking a few bars of music from one of his other compositions and creating a whole new score around it. I know this because I have listened to nearly every John Williams song and watched nearly every movie more than three times. I can recognize it when I hear it. I can tell you that there are sequences from “Indiana Jones,” “Harry Potter,” and “Star Wars” in this movie. As you watch “The Adventures of TinTin” be sure to pay attention to the music.

I am pleased to say that this movie stays true to those adorable Belgian characters we know and love. TinTin still wants to get his story, Snowy is still a very resourceful pooch, and Captain Haddock still loves his whiskey. This movie adventure actually incorporates two TinTin comics at the same time: “The Secret of the Unicorn” and “Red Rackhams Treasure.” I was very impressed at how seamlessly these two stories could be combined. Definitely enjoyable.

“TinTin” is an excellent movie for children and men, but very little of it appeals to girls outright. There are no female characters that last more than a scene, no evil temptress, no love interest. This is a straight-up boy’s adventure fantasy. That isn’t to say girls wont enjoy this either, but I just noticed that Spielberg didn’t even try to throw anything our way. It doesn’t matter; go see this movie as soon as you can. I already saw it twice, and I’m going to have to see it a third time with my family as our holiday movie. Have fun.

Nominees for the Golden Globes were announced on Thursday. The 69th award ceremony will take place on January 15.

Best Motion Picture – Drama

• The Descendants – Ad Hominem Enterprises; Fox Searchlight Pictures
• The Help – DreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media; Touchstone Pictures
• Hugo – Paramount Pictures presents a GK Films Production; Paramount Pictures
• The Ides of March – Columbia Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media Group, Crystal City Entertainment; Sony Pictures
• Moneyball – Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing International
• War Horse – DreamWorks Pictures; Touchstone Pictures

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis – The Help
• Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Meryl Streep – Iron Lady
• Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

• George Clooney – The Descendants
• Leonardo DiCaprio – J. Edgar
• Michael Fassbender – Shame
• Ryan Gosling – The Ides of March
• Brad Pitt – Moneyball

Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

• 50/50 – Summit Entertainment and Mandate Pictures; Summit Entertainment
• The Artist – a La Petite Reine-Studio 37-La Classe Americaine-JD Prod-France3 Cinema-Jouror Production-uFilms coproduction-The Weinstein Company
• Bridesmaids – Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Apatow Productions; Universal Pictures
• Midnight in Paris – A Mediapro, Versatil Cinema & Gravier Production; Sony Pictures Classics
• My Week with Marilyn – The Weinstein Company; The Weinstein Company

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

• Jodie Foster – Carnage
• Charlize Theron – Young Adult
• Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids
• Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn
• Kate Winslet – Carnage

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

• Jean Dujardin – The Artist
• Brendan Gleeson – The Guard
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt – 50/50
• Ryan Gosling – Crazy, Stupid, Love.
• Owen Wilson – Midnight in Paris

Best Animated Feature Film

• The Adventures of Tintin – Paramount Pictures/Columbia Pictures/ Hemisphere Capital/Amblin Entertainment/Wingnut Films Production/ Kennedy/Marshall Production A Steven Spielberg Film; Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures
• Arthur Christmas – Columbia Pictures & Sony Pictures Animation; Sony Pictures Releasing International
• Cars 2 – Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Pictures
• Puss In Boots – DreamWorks Animation; Paramount Pictures
• Rango – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink / GK Films Production;  Paramount Pictures

Best Foreign Language Film

• The Flowers of War (China) – (Jing Ling Shi San Chai) New Pictures Film Company; Wrekin Hill Entertainment
• In the Land of Blood and Honey (United States) – GK Films; FilmDistrict
• The Kid with a Bike (Belgium) – (Le Gamin au Velo) Les Films du Fleuve; Sundance Selects
• A Separation (Iran) – (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) Asghar Farhadi; Sony Pictures Classics
• The Skin I Live In (Spain) – (La piel que habito) El Deseo D.A., S.L.U.; Sony Pictures Classics

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Berenice Bejo – The Artist
• Jessica Chastain – The Help
• Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer – The Help
• Shailene Woodley – The Descendants

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn
• Albert Brooks – Drive
• Jonah Hill – Moneyball
• Viggo Mortensen – A Dangerous Method
• Christopher Plummer – Beginners

Best Director – Motion Picture

• Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
• George Clooney – The Ides of March
• Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
• Alexander Payne – The Descendants
• Martin Scorsese – Hugo

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

• Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
• Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, Jim Rash – The Descendants
• George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon – The Ides of March
• Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
• Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian – Moneyball

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

• Ludovic Bource – The Artist
• Abel Korzeniowski – W.E.
• Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Howard Shore – Hugo
• John Williams – War Horse

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

• “Hello Hello” – Gnomeo & Juliet (Music by Elton John, Lyrics by Bernie Taupin)
• “Keeper, The” – Machine Gun Preacher (Music and Lyrics by Chris Cornell)
• “Lay Your Head Down” – Albert Nobbs (Music by Brian Byrne, Lyrics by Glenn Close)
• “Living Proof, The” – The Help (Music by Thomas Newman, Mary J. Blige and Harvey Mason, Jr., Lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas)
• “Masterpiece” – W.E. (Music and Lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost and Jimmy Harry)

Best Television Series – Drama

• American Horror Story (FX) – Twentieth Century Fox Television
• Boardwalk Empire (HBO) – Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions, Sikelia Productions and Cold Front Productions, HBO Entertainment
• Boss (STARZ) – Lionsgate Television in association with Grammnet NH Productions, Roya Productions and Old Friends Productions
• Game of Thrones (HBO) – Bighead, Littlehead, 360 Television, Grok and Generator Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
• Homeland (SHOWTIME) – SHOWTIME Presents, Teakwood Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet, Fox 21

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

• Claire Danes – Homeland (SHOWTIME)
• Mireille Enos – The Killing
• Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife (CBS)
• Madeleine Stowe – Revenge
• Callie Thorne – Necessary Roughness

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

• Steve Buscemi – Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
• Bryan Cranston – Breaking Bad
• Kelsey Grammer – Boss (STARZ)
• Jeremy Irons – The Borgias
• Damian Lewis – Homeland (SHOWTIME)

Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical

• Enlightened (HBO) – Ripcord Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
• Episodes (SHOWTIME) – SHOWTIME Presents, Hat Trick Productions, Crane Karik Productions
• Glee (FOX) – Ryan Murphy Television, Twentieth Century Fox Television
• Modern Family (ABC) – Twentieth Century Fox Television
• New Girl (FOX) – Chernin Entertainment in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical

• Laura Dern – Enlightened (HBO)
• Zooey Deschanel – New Girl (FOX)
• Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)
• Laura Linney – The Big C (SHOWTIME)
• Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical

• Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)
• David Duchovny – Californication (SHOWTIME)
• Johnny Galecki – The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Thomas Jane – Hung (HBO)
• Matt LeBlanc – Episodes (SHOWTIME) 

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Cinema Verite (HBO) – A Pariah Production in association with HBO Films
• Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) – A Carnival/Masterpiece Co-production
• The Hour (BBC AMERIC) – Kudo Film and Television/BBC America co-production
• Mildred Pierce (HBO) – A Killer Films/John Wells Production in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and HBO Miniseries
• Too Big to Fail (HBO) – A Spring Creek and a Deuce Three Production in association with HBO Films

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Romola Garai – The Hour (BBC AMERIC)
• Diane Lane – Cinema Verite (HBO)
• Elizabeth McGovern – Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
• Emily Watston – Appropriate Adult
• Kate Winslet – Mildred Pierce (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Hugh Bonneville – Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
• Idris Elba – Luther
• William Hurt – Too Big to Fail (HBO)
• Bill Nighy – Page Eight (Masterpiece)
• Dominic West – The Hour (BBC AMERIC)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Jessica Lange – American Horror Story (FX)
• Kelly MacDonald – Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
• Maggie Smith – Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
• Sofia Vergara – Modern Family (ABC)
• Evan Rachel Wood – Mildred Pierce (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones (HBO)
• Paul Giamatti – Too Big to Fail (HBO)
• Guy Pearce – Mildred Pierce (HBO)
• Tim Robbins – Cinema Verite (HBO)
• Eric Stonestreet – Modern Family (ABC)

By Marianne Salza at Emmanuel College

In the upcoming film “Mark of the Dog Rose,” a young woman, Toni, vanishes from her New England College. Her brother, Gabe Marcel, is determined to find her. The situation is graver than he could have imagined. With police bewildered and time dissipating, Gabe seeks the assistance of Lacey, the sister of one of the detectives on the case. The two collaborate in a race to continue when police had given up. Soon enough, Gabe and Lacey find themselves trapped, lying and waiting in a game of trickery with malevolence itself.

Producing independent movies like “Mark of the Dog Rose,” written by 25-year-old Shannon Carter, require similar chutzpah. The vivacious redhead has porcelain skin and jade-sparkled eyes.

Dedication, high hopes and uniqueness are pivotal for success, especially when working with barely-there finances and relying on people’s generosity.

“My main focus right now is the new film that I wrote, am producing and acting in,” said the Salem State University graduate. “It takes a lot of my time, but I love it! I talk to the director on a daily basis and we have to figure out everything from budget, locations, scheduling, to hair/makeup and wardrobe.”

Photo Cred: ourfilmspace.com

Composing a story line was the easy part. Shannon opted for a drama since her and the 27-year old director’s, Jessica Cook, first film together was comedic. Occasionally she would consult Jess for suggestions, tossing ideas about. A fan of Law and Order SVU, Shannon relishes suspense and is naturally veered in the direction of a thriller. A core plot was construed, and two months of feverish writing later, “Mark of the Dog Rose” was developed. Then came the hard part: finding the funds.

The main money raising strategy was done through Kickstarter. On this website, links are posted, connecting patrons to information about the film and how they can help.

“It’s great for filmmakers, musicians or entrepreneurs to fund their projects. People can donate anything from $1 to $100,000. We didn’t get near that much, but it was a help,” Shannon adds with a laugh. They rose a little over $1000 through the program.

The 99 Restaurant also donated food and gift cards for a celebration involving a group of local bands who performed and entertained raffle buyers. Many of the musicians were featured in the soundtrack of Shannon’s last film, “Sunblocked,” or were friends with the director. Prizes included wine, lottery and movie ticket baskets donated by Shannon’s family and even a hand-crafted shelf presented by It’s A Secret, a shop in Danvers.

It is a big responsibility, especially considering the two both work full-time. While Jessica does administrative work in Vermont, Shannon juggles two jobs: one in a law office as a paralegal-in-training; and another as a playful-grinned hostess at Blue Stove restaurant.

Having such an intense schedule can be difficult; and they do the brunt of the time-consuming project. Situations pop up where a location or shoot deadline arises, and it is hard to get in touch with the necessary people when working during business hours.

Shannon has no choice but to make her itinerary work – from sending out e-mails or drafts in the early hours prior to work, during breaks, and after her eight hours. Weekends end up being the most productive.

The money that is collected through fundraisers goes to paying for some locations and is also dedicated to purchasing props, equipment and food for the cast and crew on set. Needless to say, it is quickly spent.

Fortunately, the ladies have some terrific people and businesses that let the duo use supplies and venues free of charge.

Sadly, no one gets paid for working on the movie; particularly Shannon and Jess who wind up paying for some effects out of their own pockets.

“Everyone donates their time, but in return, people get exposure, experience and credit to add to their resumes,” says Shannon.

The wide assemblage managing “Mark of the Dog Rose” take part because it is their passion, but getting distribution is a major cinematic dream for Shannon. Upon completion, the team plans to submit the motion picture to multiple film festivals and will likely tour at a variety of venues presenting it while gaining viewership.

It is interesting to note that the best part of “New Year’s Eve,” the Garry Marshall holiday clusterfuck of stardom, is the outtakes during the end credits. In them we see everyone from Halle Barry, to Jon Bon Jovi, to Seth Myers giggling through dialogue, tripping, and joking around with their cast mates. It’s thoroughly charming.

The actual movie could have taken a lesson.

Is anyone actually surprised that this movie is terrible? Even the trailer is so tone-deaf, so embarrassingly shallow, completely soaked in cynical Hollywood money, it would have been a miracle if the movie itself had been halfway decent. Surely even America, with its love of shiny white men and blonde Botox monsters, will see through this charade! Even we are not so dumb that we can be hoodwinked by a bunch of producers who took a lame, gin-sodden sketch of an idea, injected 45 stars at various stages of their career into the frame like steroids with private islands, and called it a movie! For the scales have fallen from our eyes! It’s our Arab Spring! Occupy everything! Viva la revolution!

But no. Many, many people will see this tribute to the dubious cultural touchstone of New Year’s Eve in New York City- just like many, many people will spend all day in the cold in Times Square on December 31st, waiting in line for the port-a-john and drinking surreptitiously from flasks before watching a giant ball of LED lights drop 100 feet.

I hate to sound so bitter. But this movie really got under my skin, so much so that I don’t even want to go over the various intersecting plot lines and vignettes that fills the two-hour run time. Suffice it to say there are a lot of scenes that look like they were “Love Actually” subplots cut during the editing process, then swept up from the cutting room floor by Marshall and writer Katherine Fugate and reconstituted into some sort of narrative. The characters seem to be pulled from randomly from a hat, so Zac Efron is somehow the younger brother of Sarah Jessica Parker, Bon Jovi managed to bag Katherine Heigl despite being 16 years older than her, and Robert De Niro appears to be dying of the disease that only tragic Victorian heroines get after staying out all night in the rain. There’s also no time to actually get to know any of these people (the only character I can actually name is Bon Jovi, who has the weird and hilarious rock moniker of “Jensen”). But no time for characterization is actually a good thing, since it means that none of them have to display anything resembling a personality trait.

Michelle Pfeiffer comes close to actually acting, playing a downtrodden music industry paean who quits her job and asks Efron to help her complete her New Year’s resolutions from the prior year. Through the muck of the terrible dialogue there is a pulse of chemistry between Pfeiffer and Efron. Somehow I feel this would have been a much more interesting movie if it was just about them in a hotter “Harold and Maude” scenario.

The movie isn’t funny, it isn’t particularly sweet, and, like its predecessor “Valentine’s Day”, it spends most of its time trying to convince us that New Year’s Eve is a super-duper important holiday that has all sorts of meaning and significance! Like love and…family…and…whatever, everyone shut up and dance to “Firework!”

Halfway through listing all of the reasons I hated “New Year’s Eve”, it occurred to me that this is hardly the only piece of Hollywood garbage lobbed at the American public this year. Hell, it’s not the only one lobbed this week. So why do I hate it more than anything else I’ve seen this year? Why do I hate it more than “Transformers 3,” or “Gnomeo and Juliet”, and in such a visceral, gut wrenching, violent way? Perhaps because “New Year’s Eve” doesn’t even try to trick you into thinking it’s a film with any merit. It doesn’t have any sense of narrative, or artistry or fun. It doesn’t try to entertain you, or give you something to think about. It doesn’t even really have any characters.

Because the truth is “New Year’s Eve” isn’t a film at all. It’s an ATM.

NEW YORK — “Mary Poppins,” “Adventures in Baby Sitting” and even “The Hangover” all poked fun at babysitting, but Jonah Hill’s latest film “The Sitter” brings the sitter experience to a new low.

In the film, Jonah plays a college student who is suspended from school and coaxed into babysitting the kids next door, though he is fully unprepared for the wild night ahead of him.

When asked what freshness he brought to the “sitting” genre of films Hill told Blast: “We have the most hardcore, R-Rated, insane babysitting comedy ever made in the world eve.”

Likewise his girlfriend in the film, played by Ari Graynor, promises that the film is “The most unexpected form of babysitting” and “it is more of a great adventure in the city” than just a babysitting film.

Hill added that he loved “working with the kids” on set and prepared for the role by “watching ‘Adventures in Baby Sitting’ and ‘Uncle Buck.’”

NEW YORK — Charlize Theron dishes on her favorite scene from her latest film, “Young Adult.”

The gorgeous actress also explains to Blast how she humanizes a bitchy character.

“Young Adult” is the latest film written by “Juno” writer Diablo Cody. It was directed by Jason Reitman and also stars Patrick Wilson and Patton Oswalt.

The film hits theaters on Friday.

It’s Christmas morning (or the first night of Hanukah), and I look in my stocking (or beneath my Menorah), and what’s the gift I see from Blast Magazine: a note telling me to assemble a list of the top 25 holiday movies ever made. Was I naughty or nice to get this assignment. Rewind three weeks, and this is the task put before me by Blast.

I found this a more daunting assignment than my previous list of top ten vampire movies. Holiday movies span all film genres and are far more numerous than vampire films. Plus, we’re talking top 25 here—not a measly 10.

So here we go…and for all of you who think A Very Brady Christmas should be on the list, it just missed at number 26.

25. The Hebrew Hammer (2003)

I don’t even know if this was in theaters, but it gained some life on Comedy Central. There aren’t too many movies with an ass-kicking Jewish guy in it, and Eight Crazy Nights was so bad it could never make this list. Here we have a Holiday movie that includes everything (Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanzaa), and though you may think me ‘mishugina’ for including this, The Hebrew Hammer’s tagline alone makes it worthy: “If you’re in trouble…and you’re a Jew…and it’s not past Sundown on Friday…you should call The Hebrew Hammer!”

24. Barabbas (1961)

The first of the Biblical epics on this list that centers, directly or indirectly, around the life and times of Christ. This movie, starring Anthony Quinn, takes place in the days and years following the Crucifixion, as Barabbas, who was set free in place of Christ, struggles with a kind of survivor’s guilt and a very great question: is he a Christian? A spiritual exploration that anyone can appreciate during the Holiday season.

23.  The Polar Express (2004)

Cutting edge animation and the voice of Tom Hanks characterize this children’s film in which a young boy boards a magical train bound for the North Pole. The estimated budget for this movie was a whopping $165 million. I’m not sure if it earned its money back, but this list isn’t about box office; it’s about good Holiday movies. And The Polar Express deserves a place among our top 25.

22. Love Actually (2003)

Interweaving storylines were all the rage a few years back. Crash, Babel, and a few others. Enter to the genre Love Actually, which tells the tale of a number of characters (including the Prime Minister of England) in London during the Christmas season. It’s the kind of movie you can picture Hugh Grant in, and, not surprisingly, Hugh Grant is in this movie: it’s lighthearted, feel good, and the perfect cup of holiday cheer—with the added flavor of being a little different in terms of its approach to storytelling.

21. A Christmas Tale (2008)

Let’s get in our sleigh now and fly across the Channel to go to France for A Christmas Tale. This film received a Palme D’Or nomination at Cannes and stars the great Catherine Deneuve. It’s the story of a dysfunctional family that must coalesce around a cancerous matriarch during Christmas, but it’s not as dour as you might think. The French can do comedy, and this film is a more uplifting, slapsticky version of The Ice Storm.

I wish I could say this was an iconic movie that everyone can enjoy, but it’s not. I wish I could say this is one of Jonah Hill’s better roles, but it’s not. I am sorry to say that “The Sitter” was less than amusing. This is going to be a short review because there is so little worth mentioning.

“The Sitter” follows a college dropout named Noah Griffith (Jonah Hill). He winds up babysitting a bunch of kids so his mom can get one night out for herself. All three of the children have crazy personalities and are constantly causing trouble. While Noah has to handle the brats, his girlfriend calls and asks for drugs. If Noah gets them, she will finally have full-on sex with him. As you might have guessed, Noah’s sex drive drives the story on to wild adventures. He gets tangled with a drug lord, accused of being a pedophile, robs some stores, and gets initiated into a gang.

I would now like to pay attention to the three little devils that make Noah’s life hell. I think the best acting performances came from the kids. The best and most shocking performance comes from the little girl named Blithe (Landry Bender). Movies involving children have become cliche in the sense that you cannot believe the kind of language these kids have. Blithe is one of the characters that is taken over the top! She curses. She dresses up like a hooker. I’m sort of scared for this girl. The other two boys give equally shocking performances. One boy has anxiety over repressing deep dark feelings; the other is an adopted Latino boy who likes to blow up toilets.

“The Sitter” was very slow to begin. The second half of the movie was way more amusing than the first half. In the beginning, the kids were annoying and always causing problems, but in the second half cliche-man strikes again: the children and up working together with Noah and resolve their differences. This follows the same path as such movies as “Are We There Yet?” and “Daddy Day Care.” The antics are ridiculous but there is no depth.

The only thing creative in this movie was the playlist. The songs they choose were funny and appropriate. Other than that, I wasn’t floored and you won’t be either. Probably best not to waste your time. Do you know what I’m looking forward to next? “Tin Tin.” I can’t wait for that movie. I read “Tin Tin” comics in French while I spent my childhood summers in Paris. The commercials look great. Look for my next review soon.

Bradley Cooper, a main character in the first two installments of what will now be the Hangover trilogy, appeared on the Graham Norton Show in England to promote the series’ second film. During his appearance, he mentioned the production of a third film, saying “I personally want to do it. I hope we’re going to start shooting in September. I know Todd Phillips is working on the script.”

Apparently, the next addition won’t follow the same pattern the first two did. Cooper said “We adhered to the formula in the second one, for those of you who’ve seen it, and the third one, which would close the whole sort of trilogy, which now it would be a trilogy — even though we thought we would never make a second one, let alone anybody see the first one — I think it will take place in Los Angeles and maybe not adhere to the structure. It might be different”.

The second Hangover film earned $581 million worldwide, ranking as the highest-grossing comedy of all time.

A few weeks back, Blast Magazine asked me to assemble a list of the top ten vampire movies ever made. You can see that list here.

I received much feedback on the list and was of course offered suggestions for movies that should have been included. One that kept popping up was “Near Dark”. Released in 1987, it seemed to be a good fit for a “retro review.” And while “Near Dark” is a decent enough movie, it’s definitely not a top ten all time vampire film.

Set in the Southwest, “Near Dark” tells the story of Caleb, an aimless cowboy youth, who is “turned” into a vampire by a traveling band of undead. Caleb can never fully commit himself to their bloodthirsty ways even though he is in love with one of the she-vampires. Our hero is fortunate enough to have an animal doctor for a father who performs a blood transfusion to suck out all of the bad stuff and turn Caleb back into a human. Needless to say, before the film concludes Caleb must confront and destroy the vampire clan—and save the woman he loves.

I can see why this is set in Texas and surrounding states, for it has the feel of a Western. Cowboys on horseback, spurs that jingle jangle jingle and slash throats, showdowns on main street, and a saloon or two where bad things happen. If only there was a piano player or a stagecoach in “Near Dark,” both vampire flick and western would have been equally paid for.

Concerning vampire movie codes and conventions, “Near Dark” does seem to deviate slightly. With the exception of daylight being deadly to the vampires, there is almost no other mention of how to stop them. There’s no discussion or use of crucifixes, garlic, wooden stakes, holy water or any kind of Christian iconography. Can a vampire be turned back to human via a blood transfusion? And these vampires aren’t royalty—no urbane Count Draculas here. The undead in “Near Dark” are a bunch of psychopaths who like to populate honky-tonk joints, Winnebagos, and flea bag motels.

Indeed, these are the most gripping and memorable scenes in the movie. About halfway through the film, the brood invades a dive bar and systemically murders all the humans within. It’s a gruesome and horrible scene but done very well. And only a few scenes later, the vamp gang is holed up in a motel room during daylight. Police surround the bungalow and spray the shack with bullets. Daylight begins to stream through the bullet holes and scorch the vampires when it contacts their skin. And though it’s only a moment, there’s a quick scene that was the epitome of what this film excels at: Caleb’s father tries to rescue him from the vampires and shoots the lead vamp in the stomach. The vampire coughs and then spits up the bullet: pure camp genius.

One of the other reasons I wanted to see this film was because of its director, Kathryn Bigelow, who won the Academy Award for best director for The Hurt Locker in 2010. “Near Dark” was one of her first features, made more than twenty years prior, but it’s strictly B-movie material. It’s campy and un-serious with an ending that doesn’t quite add up or satisfy, and the cast is almost unheard of with the exception of Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton (who gives the stand out performance).

When compiling my top ten all-time vampire movie list, I tried to include not only good movies, but also ones that may have influenced the genre or had some significance where film history or pop culture are concerned. While I enjoyed “Near Dark,” I wasn’t convinced that this movie, at least in terms of my criteria, should be in the top ten. But it certainly made for a great “retro review.” 1987 was clearly a good year for blood suckers!

Tony Scott’s new project, titled “Narco Sub,” has been picked up by 20^th Century Fox. The film, which is based on a spec script written by David Guggenheim, will, based on the title, presumably follow something involving narcotics and submarines. Fox has kept any details about the plot of the show low key, leaving a potential audience to only speculate.

This is the first nautical-related thriller Scott will have directed since “Crimson Tide” in 1995, and is amongst a series of other projects he is working on, including a remake of “The Wild Bunch” and a film based on “24”. Other notable works of his include “Deja Vu”, “Top Gun”, and “Enemy of the State”.

Tasked by Blast Magazine with assembling a top ten vampire movie list that does not include any of the Twilight films, my first thought was: there’s no way any of the Twilight movies should be on a top ten vampire movie list to begin with.

I confess I only saw the first “Twilight” (on DVD) and didn’t think much of it. From the outset it seemed quite silly that Bella had to go live with her father because her mother hooked up with a minor league baseball player. Couldn’t they come up with something better? I don’t care if it was in the book, either, because it still was an odd choice. And then Bella gets to a rural, logging community in Washington, but the high school seems as diverse as Cambridge and all the kids there appear to have sprung from an Old Navy ad. And why would vampires be going to high school anyway?

OK, I could go on. Suffice it to say, I wouldn’t have included the Twilight movies in my top ten vampire film list even if Blast had not placed that restriction upon me. Below are my top ten. Feel free to tell me I don’t know this genre or I should have included “A Vampire in Brooklyn” with Eddie Murphy. Just don’t come looking for me during daylight.

10. “Vampyr” (1932)

I’m being a little film schoolish with this choice, but Carl Dreyer simply cannot be left off this list. More well known for the silent classic The Passion of Joan of Arc, Vampyr is a brooding work of light and shadow that typifies Scandanavian filmmaking. Perhaps more notable for its form rather than content, homage must be due in the vampire genre to one of cinema’s greatest directors.

Watch the whole movie here for FREE:

9. “Horror of Dracula” (1958)

This one could be filed under “lifetime achievement,” but if you are talking horror and then, more specifically, if you are talking vampires then any top ten list has to include Christopher Lee. The man played Dracula six times! Horror of Dracula is reputedly the best of his vampire movies (many of them being quite campy). And even if that’s wrong, this movie also stars Peter Cushing. What does that mean? Both Lee and Cushing would later go on to be featured in Star Wars movies.

8. “Salem’s Lot” (1979)

This was a made for TV movie and based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Others may not rank it that high, but there’s one scene that I can never forget from this movie. It’s when a man is asleep in a jail cell and a fog rolls in. He wakes to be confronted by ‘the master.’ He is paralyzed with fear as the master takes him, and it’s truly a horrifying scene. When Stephen King inspires any movie one has to take note.

7. TIE: “Vampire Hunter D” (1985) and “Blade” (1998)

Vampire Hunter D is 1980s Japanese animation. Blade is late 1990s when Wesley Snipes was one of the hottest action stars around. Both spawned sequels, and I’m not super huge into either series, but they have been influential in the genre and both feature a half-man, half-vampire warrior taking it to other undead. I’m cheating a bit with this double whammy, but some monsters don’t play by the rules.

6. “Fright Night” (1985)

Let’s introduce a little levity to this list. A teenage boy must enlist the help of a washed up minor TV celebrity to battle a vampire in his neighborhood. Yeah, it’s ridiculous but that’s what makes it fun and memorable. It also tackles the interesting theme of ‘belief.’ The TV host doesn’t believe in monsters at the outset, so he is unable to fight the vampire, but by the end he has been “converted” and can now wage war against evil.

5. “Interview with the Vampire” (1984)

A cast full of pretty boys, erotic undertones, and directed by Neil Jordan—not to mention adapted from an Anne Rice novel. What could be better? What makes this interesting is the way the genres are cross-pollinated. It’s half vampire story and half memoir or journalistic style. It’s an odd combination but stretched the genre in a way that works and must get inclusion on this list.

4. “The Lost Boys” (1987)

It’s a good movie, but if there’s any vampire film that captured the spirit of its age this is it. Packed with teen heartthrobs, only the inclusion of Kirk Cameron could have cemented this film as its own issue of Tiger Beat magazine. The Lost Boys is 1980s to its core. Big hair, a fatherless home, and an MTV look and feel, this movie is a fun ride and well written. It’s style and substance unify to make it a top 10 lister for sure.

3. “Dracula” (1931)

There probably is no better Count Dracula than that played by Bela Lugosi. Directed by Tod Browning, who was a master of the horror genre before there were academics to break down genre filmmaking, Dracula might even be able to rise beyond on its genre trappings to be considered among the finest of American films. This is American studio filmmaking at the dawn of its power and brilliance.

2. “Let the Right One In” (2008)

Here is a good contrast to Twilight in terms of everything that a teen vampire movie should be. This Swedish film is not about product placement or TMZ segments and has no head-slapping moments of “should I suspend my disbelief any further?” Stylistically beautiful with characters that are compelling and moving, Let the Right One In is gruesome the way serious vampire films should be and doesn’t end at the senior prom. The conclusion of this movie is one of the creepiest sequences you will ever see on celluloid.

1. “Nosferatu” (1922)

If Bram Stoker started it all with his novel, then Nosferatu, directed by the German master F.W. Murnau, is the cinematic equivalent. There may have been a few other vampire movies before it, but this silent classic not only is the epitome of German Expressionism, but is also, simply, a great vampire movie. I last saw this a few years ago at the Williamstown Film Festival where a live orchestra provided the music. This movie does not date, and if it’s not among your top 10 vampire movies I’ll be visiting you in the dead of night!

Watch the whole movie here for free:

Twilight’s fourth movie, Breaking Dawn Part 1, led the Friday box office once again, with $16.9 million. According to Reuters, this trend means the film will potentially earn $61 million by the end of Thanksgiving weekend. Which leads to the question, what could this $61 million otherwise go to?

Approximately

• 122,000 flights.
• 8,714,285 $7 meals.
• 1,946 priuses.
• 5,545,454 pairs of novelty vampire fangs.
• 1,220 semesters of my college tuition.

Many of us romanticize our youth. Those trips to the lake in the summer. The wonder and joy of air travel. But then you return to the lake twenty years later and see that it’s only a pond, with an algae problem to boot. Flying is no longer fun but an uncomfortable, anxiety-producing experience.

The same thing can happen with movies from our youth. We cherish the memory of the thing, but as an adult there’s simply no luster. I put this kind of romanticism to the test recently when I happened upon The Dark Crystal in my local video store (yes, I still use these on occasion).

It’s a funny coincidence that I stumbled upon this movie the same week the new Muppet Movie hit theaters, for The Dark Crystal is a Jim Henson production, but in this story Kermit and Miss Piggy wouldn’t last two seconds. The Dark Crystal tells the tale of a foreign world where Jen, a “gelfling,” must find an ancient crystal shard and reinsert it into the “dark crystal” to make his world whole and peaceful again.

The Dark Crystal was filed in the ‘family’ section, which seemed to make sense as I would have been nine when it was released in 1982, but the movie was surprisingly macabre and scary and I’m not sure most contemporary parents would let youngsters watch this.

Regardless, The Dark Crystal does manage to withhold adult scrutiny…somewhat. I say somewhat because there are a few plot elements that are hard to believe from an adult’s perspective, but if audiences can look past the things that don’t make sense in Avatar –one of the most successful movies ever—then the lapses in The Dark Crystal are hardly worth pondering.

Though I don’t know for sure, I imagine Jim Henson and company must have been influenced by Tolkien. There are too many parallels between The Dark Crystal and The Lord of the Rings to ignore, and it’s impossible to ignore that JK Rowling may have in turn been influenced by The Dark Crystal and other similar tales. Jen is an elf-like orphan whose family was destroyed by an evil force which he must confront. Jen must travel from his safe and tranquil village through dangerous lands and take a sacred object into the heart of darkness. Sound familiar?

Though some of the elements in the movie might only be scary to a child’s eye and mind, the evil creatures in The Dark Crystal, ‘the Skekses, a vulturish-loooking race, are beyond creepy no matter what your age.

And the truly amazing thing about this movie, something you cannot appreciate when you are young, is the artistry behind the special effects. Today, CGI makes it easy to create a fantasy or sci-fi world, but no such technology was available in 1982. The Dark Crystal’s use of puppetry is simply incredible.

Some say that CGI makes possible filmmaking few could have dreamed of decades ago (and this may be true), but it can also be argued that storytelling has suffered due to computer graphics. It’s as if filmmaking, in certain instances, has so come to rely on CGI that the effect or the visual has supplanted the story. You have to marvel at what went in to making The Dark Crystal, but there is a real harmony between the technology and the story.

Nevertheless, I have to admit the memory I have of this movie and the feelings that arise when I think of it were not sustained upon re-viewing. I liked it, and I can see why kids would enjoy it, but it’s hardly an original story line and the characters are not hugely compelling. Only the bizarre and repellent Skekses stay with me, as opposed to the hero and protagonist of the movie (Jen).

I thought of sharing The Dark Crystal with my nieces to see if they would react to it the way I did when I was a preteen, but then I realized their mother would probably not allow it. It’s funny what our parents would permit, which we will not in 2011. But maybe I’m just being overly romantic.

As we near Thanksgiving this year, we also near the release of the newest Muppets movie today. “The Muppets” is being brought to us by writers Jason Segel (of “How I Met Your Mother” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” fame) and Nicholas Stoller (“Get Him to the Greek,” “Yes Man”) and director James Bobin (“Flight of the Conchords”). This year’s franchise reboot is hoping to breathe life back into Jim Henson’s lovable family of puppets, who have been missing from the big screen for over a decade.

Blast put together a Muppet timeline that chronicles the ups and downs of the Muppet gang from its beginning in 1969 to the current day.

1955 – 1961: Five Minutes With “Sam and Friends” student from the University of Maryland named Jim Henson creates a five minute show, called “Sam and Friends,” that airs twice every day on Washington D.C.’s NBC affiliate WRC-TV. The show features a title human character named Sam who is accompanied by a silly group of puppets, which are created and voiced by Henson. Voices are also provided by (Henson’s future wife) Jane Nebel, Bob Payne, and Jerry Juhl. “Sam and Friends” introduced viewers to puppets Kermit (not considered a frog yet), Professor Madcliffe, Chicken Liver, Pierre the French Rat, Yorick, and many others. As “Sam and Friends” grew in popularity, the characters began making appearances on other popular shows, such as NBC’s “Today”, “The Ed Sullivan Show”, and “The Jimmy Dean Show”. Check out the video below for a glimpse of Kermit on “Sam and Friends” before he became a star:

Bert, Ernie, Betty Lou, Roosevelt Franklin, Gordon and Susan on the first season of "Sesame Street"

November 10, 1969: “Sesame Street” Makes its Television Debut After over a decade of development, Jim Henson’s refined cast of puppets breaks into the spotlight with the premiere of “Sesame Street.” The television show, created by TV documentary producer Joan Ganz Cooney, aims to give pre-schoolers an education through entertainment. Families are introduced to classic characters such as Kermit the Frog, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, and Bert and Ernie. Jim Henson combines the words marionette and puppet and deems his creations “Muppets.”

Scred and Ploobis with Raquel Welch on "SNL", April 24th 1976

1975: Muppets Grow Up On First Season of “Saturday Night Live” With the debut of “Saturday Night Live,” Jim Henson sees an opportunity to cater the Muppets to adult audiences rather than kids. The first ten episodes of “SNL” contain a segment that features Muppet characters Ploobis and Scred. Ploobis and Scred’s sketches frequently include adult subject matter such as drunkenness, affairs, and sex toys. As the first season comes to a close and the second begins, SNL’s writers express displeasure in having to write Ploobis and Scred sketches. The characters cease to appear on the show by April of 1976.

January 29, 1976: “The Muppet Show” Debuts

After the mishap with “Saturday Night Live,” Jim Henson decides to take a new approach with the Muppets: appealing to kids and parents alike. As if to signal a fresh start, “The Muppet Show” stars an entirely new (with the exception of Kermit the Frog) ensemble cast of Muppets that includes Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great, geezer duo Statler and Waldorf, and countless others. In it’s run from 1976 to 1981, the show lands 21 Primetime Emmy nominations, four Emmy wins, three BAFTA awards, and a Peabody Award in 1979.

June 22, 1979: “The Muppet Movie” Hits the Big Screen

With “The Muppet Show” hitting it’s stride, Henson recognizes the potential for a film. “The Muppet Movie” provides an origin story for the Muppet gang, explaining how each of the major characters (Kermit, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, etc) met one another and how they began their journey to Hollywood together. The film is a box office smash, making $65.2 million domestically, which equates to $202.7 million today. It also does well critically, garnering a Golden Globe nomination and two Academy Award nominations (all for music). Roger Ebert gives “The Muppet Movie” 3.5 out of 4 stars and Variety magazine calls the film “a well-crafted combo of musical comedy and fantasy adventure.”

1981: “The Great Muppet Caper” and the end of “The Muppet Show”

The spring of 1981 brings about the series conclusion of “The Muppet Show,” which airs its final episode with guest Shirley Bassey on March 15th. The show has aired a total of 120 episodes and run for a total of five seasons. The show is cancelled not due to lack of interest but rather Jim Henson wishing to devote more of his time to other projects, particularly his upcoming film “The Dark Crystal”, to be released in December of 1982.

Almost two years to the exact day after “The Muppet Movie” premiered, the Muppets return to the big screen with “The Great Muppet Caper.” In this film, Kermit and Fozzie play twin brothers who are newspaper reporters for The Daily Chronicle. When fashion designer Lady Holiday’s valuable diamond necklace is stolen, Kermit and Fozzie are put on the case. In their travels, they meet up with other Muppets like Rowlf, Scooter, and Miss Piggy, all of them playing characters other than themselves. “The Great Muppet Caper” is another box office success (though not as popular as the previous movie), making $31.2 million. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $77.7 million today. The film doesn’t do as well critically, with Roger Ebert calling it, “too nice, too routine, too predictable, and too safe.”

1983: “Fraggle Rock”

Two years after “The Muppet Show” saw its last episode, Jim Henson uses the popularity of the Muppets to bring a new puppet show into the spotlight – “Fraggle Rock”. The new show focuses on a race of human-like Muppets called Fraggles, who come in a variety of colors and live in caves. The idea of “Fraggle Rock” is to create an internationally relatable and translatable version of “Sesame Street”. Like he’s done before, Henson introduces an entirely new and separate bunch of Muppets with the Fraggles, and likewise no classic Muppet characters make guest appearances on the show. Following in the footsteps of “The Muppet Show”, “Fraggle Rock” is a hit, airing for five seasons with a total of 96 episodes.

1984: “The Muppets Take Manhattan”

In their third film appearance, the Muppets decide to give Broadway a try, attempting to get their own musical onto the stages of New York City. “The Muppets Take Manhattan” sees the gang playing themselves again, as opposed to playing separate characters like they did in the previous film. For the first time, the Muppet Babies are introduced in a flashback – these baby characters will resurface in a future Saturday morning cartoon. “The Muppets Take Manhattan” is also the first Muppet movie to be directed by Frank Oz, the voice of Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, Cookie Monster and others. Though “Manhattan” does not fair as well at the box office as its predecessors, it still makes $25.5 million domestically.

“The Muppets Take Manhattan” is the last Muppet film that Henson will see released in theaters before his death in May of 1990.

Newspaper article about the London memorial for Jim Henson

May 16th, 1990: Jim Henson Dies from Bacterial Pneumonia

By the beginning of May, 1990, Jim Henson had begun experiencing flu-like symptoms. On May 12, while on a family trip to North Carolina to see his father and stepmother, he visits a local doctor who finds no signs of pneumonia. Henson takes an early flight home to New York and visits with his then separated wife Jane. In the early morning hours of May 15^th, he finally gives into pressure from Jane to go to the hospital. Jim’s condition rapidly deteriorates, causing him to pass away the next morning.

After Henson’s death, two public memorial services are held – one in New York and one in London. Following a stipulation set forth by Jim himself, attendees are forbidden to wear black. Each service features performances from the Muppets as well as a solo by Big Bird. Printed on each program is a quote taken from a letter that Henson wrote to his children four years prior to his death: “Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It’s a good life, enjoy it.”

1991 – 1994: “Dinosaurs”

Just prior to his death, Jim Henson had been working on a new idea for a sitcom called “Dinosaurs”. The half-hour comedy begins airing in April of 1991 on ABC. The show follows a family of dinosaurs who live a human-like life complete with living in houses, paying taxes, and working 9-5 jobs.

The project is a collaboration between Michael Jacobs Productions, The Jim Henson Company, and Disney’s Touchstone Entertainment. “Dinosaurs” is the first Henson production to rely heavily on animatronics, which were developed by Brian Henson’s (Jim’s son) company London Creature Shop.

1992: “The Muppets Christmas Carol”

“The Muppets Christmas Carol” is the first time the Muppets reappear after Jim Henson’s death. The film, directed by Jim’s son Brian Henson, provides a Muppet-reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic tale A Christmas Carol, replacing many of the characters with Muppets. Gonzo plays Dickens himself, narrating a tale that features Kermit as Bob Crachit, Miss Piggy as Emily Crachit, Fozzie Bear as Fozziewig, and Michael Caine as Scrooge. “The Muppets Christmas Carol” reestablishes the Muppets’ relevance after an eight year absence from the big screen. The movie takes in $27.2 million domestically.

1996: “Muppet Treasure Island”

Like “The Muppet Christmas Carol” before it, “Muppet Treasure Island” adapts a classic story by casting the Muppets in the story’s major roles. Tim Curry, Kevin Bishop and Billy Connolly make up the non-Muppet cast, playing Long John Silver, Jim Hawkins, and Billy Bones respectively. Roger Ebert gives the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, calling it “a near miss”. “Muppet Treasure Island” makes $34.3 million in domestic box offices.

1996 – 1998: “Muppets Tonight”

With hopes of resurrecting the magic of “The Muppet Show”, “Muppets Tonight” begins airing in March of 1996. However, the show fails to attract the audiences that the old show once did and “Tonight” is pulled after two seasons and 22 episodes. Despite being a failure, the series did introduce a handful of new Muppets, including Pepe the King Prawn and Bobo the Bear (both of which appear in the latest Muppet movie “The Muppets”).

1999: “Muppets from Space”

The sixth Muppet feature film spelled disaster for the franchise, suffering both financially and critically. With a reported budget of $24 million (BoxOfficeMojo), the movie grosses just $16.6 million domestically. Most critics pan “Muppets from Space”, describing serious franchise fatigue and remarking that the Muppets are quickly becoming irrelevant. Roger Ebert gives the film 2 out of 4 stars and writes in his review: “Maybe ‘Muppets from Space’ is just not very good, and they’ll make a comeback. I hope so. Because I just don’t seem to care much anymore.” Everybody seems to agree that “Muppets from Space” is the proverbial final nail in the coffin.

2002 & 2005: The Muppets Are Reduced to Made-for-TV Movies

In an attempt to prevent the Muppets from fading completely from public memory, two made-for-television films are broadcasted on TV: “It’s a Very Muppet Christmas Movie” in 2002 and “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” in 2005. Star-power alone fails to save “Christmas,” which features the likes of David Arquette, Joan Cusack, William H. Macy, and Whoopi Goldberg. “The Muppet’s Wizard of Oz” is a similar story, starring Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, and Queen Latifah.

2011: Triumphant Return Predicted for the Muppets

“The Muppets” was released today, a day before Thanksgiving. The film is Disney’s attempt to reboot the aged franchise after a staggering twelve-year absence from theaters. New life is being breathed into the Muppets through a young new crew led by writer/star Jason Segel. Segel wrote the script with Nicholas Stoller (“Yes Man”) and James Bobin (writer/director for HBO’s hit “Flight of the Conchords”) directed the feature. A media blitz of a promotional campaign has created substantial buzz about “The Muppets”, particularly amongst nostalgic fans who grew up watching the Muppets as kids. As of the night before the premiere of “The Muppets”, the movie had a perfect 100% rating on RottenTomatoes.com based on 58 reviews.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band announced four tour dates in the United Kingdom, and will soon be announcing other world tour stops, as well as U.S. dates. They will launch the tour on June 21.

Springsteen also will be releasing a new album next year.

After being absent from the big screen (as well as pop culture) for more than a decade, the Muppets are finally making their much anticipated return with this year’s comeback film simply titled “The Muppets.” Acknowledging the Muppets’ lack of relevance as of late, this new movie finds the gang broken up and out of touch, with each character off doing their own thing. Fozzie is singing lead in a Muppets tribute band -The Moopets – at a dingy club in Reno, Gonzo is the head of plumbing giant Gonzo’s Royal Flush, and Miss Piggy works for Vogue Paris.

Walter shows off his Muppet fandom with a Kermit t-shirt and watch

Enter Walter, an avid fan of The Muppets who also happens to be a muppet himself. Ever since he was a kid, he and his brother Gary (played by Jason Segel) bonded over watching The Muppet Show, hoping that one day they may actually get to meet their childhood idols. So when Gary decides to take his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) to LA for their tenth anniversary, he invites Walter to tag-along and finally see all the Muppet sights. When the trio visits LA, they discover not only that The Muppets have disbanded, but that their beloved theater is in danger of being destroyed by an evil oil tycoon named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper). The only hope of saving the theater is to reassemble The Muppets and put on one more show to raise enough money ($10 million bucks) to buy the theater back from Richman.

Though the plot is a little weak, it serves as the perfect vehicle to put together a nostalgia-loaded first act in which the beloved Muppets are rediscovered one-by-one. By working the Muppets’ real-life fade from the spotlight into the film’s script, Segel and fellow writer Nicholas Stoller (“Get Him to the Greek,” “Yes Man”) found a way to slowly build and ultimately enhance the excitement that die-hard fans will experience as they see the Muppets on the big screen once again. Despite the perhaps-too-easy premise of having to save the Muppet Theater, Segel and Stoller’s script really hits its marks when it comes to humor and incorporating the musical numbers. Director James Bobin, best known for writing and directing many “Flight of the Conchords” episodes, definitely gives “The Muppets” a “Conchords” tinge. That feeling is helped along by the presence of a handful of songs written by Bret McKenzie, who starred in and also wrote for “Flight of the Conchords.”

Chris Cooper as villain Tex Richman

In fact, really the only issue that “The Muppets” encounters is that, while focusing so much on catering to nostalgic adults who will appreciate its “Flight of the Conchords” style, the movie tends to leave kids behind. Normally, kids movies (excluding most of Pixars and a handful of Dreamworks’ films) suffer from way too much kid jokes and nothing for the adults to enjoy or appreciate. But with “The Muppets,” there’s too much adult material and not enough to keep kids’ attentions. This new update has traded adventures to Treasure Island and space for … a Muppet telethon. Unfortunately it seems that Segel and his gang got so caught up in bringing back old Muppets fans, that he forgot about making new ones.

Still, “The Muppets” is an enjoyable addition to the saga that will surely delight nostalgic fans who have been patiently awaiting their return to theaters. For people who are new to the Muppets, there’s plenty of catchy songs, clever humor, and excellent celebrity cameos (from Jack Black to Jim Parsons to Andy Rooney) to help you understand where the die-hards are coming from. And if anything, it’s worth seeing just for the hilarious hip-hop rap done by Chris Cooper himself.

You read that right – Chris Cooper and hip-hop, together at last.

“My Week With Marilyn” is the feature adaptation of the book by the same name, written by Colin Clark. Clark penned the book by using his own journal, which he wrote while working on the set of the 1957 film “The Prince and the Showgirl,” starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. His book focuses on one particular week of production, in which he became extremely close with Hollywood’s biggest star and was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to discover the real Marilyn Monroe.

Philip Jackson (L) and Eddie Redmayne on the set of "My Week With Marilyn"

With “My Week With Marilyn,” newcomer Eddie Redmayne takes on his first real starring role as inspiring filmmaker Colin Clark. Desperate to work in the movie industry, Clark relentlessly pursues a job at Laurence Olivier Productions and eventually lands the role of third assistant director on Olivier’s latest picture, “The Prince and the Showgirl.” The film – set to star Marilyn Monroe (Williams) and Laurence Olivier (Branagh) – is seen as an important step in both actors’ careers. Monroe hopes that appearing in a film with Olivier will help her be taken more seriously as an actress, and Olivier hopes that appearing alongside Monroe can help resurrect his declining career.

However, it doesn’t take long for the two stars to clash on set. Olivier, a very external actor, can’t stand Monroe’s method approach to acting and her need for acting coach Paula Strasberg (played by Zoë Wanamaker) to be constantly by her side. His patience his further strained by Monroe’s habitual lateness and fairly constant emotional breakdowns, which frequently delay production for hours at a time. Amidst the tension of the production, Colin Clark suddenly makes a connection with Marilyn. She takes a liking to the youthful young man and eventually drops her guard, letting him into her private world that so few people ever got the chance to see.

In “My Week With Marilyn,” excellent performances abound, with an exceptional turn by Kenneth Branagh and impressive leading-man material from Eddie Redmayne. Branagh himself is similar to Olivier in so many ways that it seems so right that he finally portray the British movie titan. But of course everybody will be talking about Michelle Williams for her effortless transformation into Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. From the beginning of the film to the very last frame, you never even seen Williams – its as if you’re seeing Monroe, come back to life for one final farewell appearance. Be sure to expect Williams’ name on this year’s Oscar ballot – she will certainly be a strong contendor for this year’s Best Actress in a Leading Role with this performance.

Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn"

But “My Week With Marilyn” offers far more than stellar acting, telling a troubling tale of celebrity that sadly transcends generations and still remains relevant in this day and age. Watching Monroe struggle with the emotional roller coaster of being the world’s biggest icon brings memories of contemporary stars whose lives were also tragically cut short. Though this story takes place over forty years ago, everything these characters face is applicable to today’s entertainment industry and our generation of icons.

What’s also refreshing about this film is that, similar to movies like “Frost/Nixon” and “The Queen,” “My Week With Marilyn” focuses on just a snippet of Monroe’s life. The film doesn’t waste time on Marilyn’s childhood, her rise to fame, or the period of her life leading up to her death. Instead it explores who she really was and what she was like when she stepped out of the spotlight. Through Colin Clark, the audience is given an unprecedented look at the private life of Marilyn Monroe.

Comparisons are already being made to last year’s “The King’s Speech,” and though “Marilyn” is a different film in many ways, it shares at least one rewarding similarity with “Speech.” Both films have a way of making you really care about the main character, regardless of whether you knew anything about them prior to seeing the film. As awards season approaches, Team Marilyn can only hope for the success that “The King’s Speech” had a year ago. Despite how the film ends up performing at the Oscars, “My Week With Marilyn” is easily one of this year’s best pictures.

“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1,” which premiered on Friday earned $283.5 million internationally and $139.5 million domestically for its first weekend. This amount falls behind only the second installment of the “Twilight” series franchise, “New Moon,” which premiered in 2009 with an opening of $142.8 million at home.

The first of the two parts of “Breaking Dawn” follows Bella Swan and her vampire beau, Edward Cullen, as they get married and are almost immediately faced with the impending doom of Edward’s spawn growing at a rapid rate within Bella.

This weekend’s revenues are as follows:

1. “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1,” $139.5 million
2. “Happy Feet 2,” $22 million
3. “Immortals,” $12.3 million
4. “Jack and Jill,” $12 million
5. “Puss in Boots,” $10.7 million
6. “Tower Heist,” $7 million
7. “J. Edgar,” $5.9 million
8. “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas,” $2.9 million
9. “In Time,” $1.7 million
10. “The Descendants,” $1.2 million

Long story short: if you liked all the other “Twilight” movies then you will probably like this one. If you never liked it before, this movie isn’t going to change your views. Twihards beware: I am one of the latter. I have seen them all, and the only good movie in the entire series was probably the second one. Oh…and I’ll come clean and announce that if I’m going to be on any team then I’m on team Jacob. All the scenes without Edward were the very best.

Plot time: if you read the books there are no surprises. Stefanie Meyers must have kept director Bill Condon on a short leash. There was no deviation from the written word. I almost feel like I could read the book side-by-side with the movie dialogue. Bella Swann (Kristen Stewart) is planning for her wedding with vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Sparks are heated between the vampires and the werewolves over whether turning Bella into a vampire breaks the ancient treaty of doing no harm to humans. But it’s not happening yet. Edward and Bella decide to have a honeymoon before the big change.

The vampire allegory for a pure virginal marriage comes through when the happy couple completely ignore birth control and end up with an “uh oh.” Bella becomes pregnant with vampire spawn and we are faced with another allegory for the debate for life vs. choice. Edward wants the baby gone before it can kill Bella, but Bella wants the baby to live even if she dies bringing it into the world. This sparks a civil war in the werewolf tribe. The current leader sees the baby as a threat to their pack. Now Jacob has to make the choice to stay with his kind or renege to save Bella.

The story is enough to make you cringe and/or laugh, but it’s the film style that really takes “Breaking Dawn” over the top. There were very few special effects. When there were, they were laughably out of place. A fuzzy dream sequence here, angry red vision there. If they appeared more often then they wouldn’t seem like such afterthoughts being thrown between the frames. The choice of music had the same affect. Whose idea was it to play hippie stoner music for the love montage scenes?

I think Condon tried his best, but teenage monster love is a little outside his purview. This is the guy who did “Dream Girls” and wrote in “Chicago.” I would be interested in seeing if turning “Twilight” into a sing-along would make it any better. Condon has also done a lot of movies I’ve never even heard of, which is why probably wanted to tack his name onto a huge movie franchise even if it’s bad. The most stylistically beautiful scene in the whole movie was a red and white wedding nightmare Bella had. It was visually stunning and it stands out. I could see musical theatre written all over it. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they burst into song about the dangers and delights of being married to a vampire. Doesn’t that sound funny?

This was the Condon’s chance to take this movie to the next level and he scaled it back. Remember how much fun it was counting how many times Jacob took off his shirt in the last movie? Well he only took his shirt off once! The rest of the werewolves were fully clothed the entire time too. If I’m going to sit through 120 minutes of a “Twilight” movie, I at least expect some eye candy. But no…this was a purity driven film where the only action we got was the haphazard sex scenes that Pattinson clearly didn’t get into. I’m telling you the chemistry is gone.

I know the Twihards out there are going to hate me for hating on this, but I tell you now that this is the worst movie of the four so far. Go see it for yourself, but remember you won’t ever get those two hours back.

If you are going to see any movie this fall it has to be “Happy Feet Two.” Whether you are a child or an adult you are going to love this movie. It’s cute, it’s fluffy, and it’s rich in pop culture. I almost don’t need to say anything else, but I will out of love for this movie.

“Happy Feet Two” takes place pretty close after the first “Happy Feet.” Mumble (voice by Elijah Wood) and wife Gloria (voice by Pink) have started a family in the singing/dancing society of Emperor Penguins. Their son Erik is having trouble fitting in because he has no special talents yet. He runs away with his friends to another tribe of penguins to try and belong. There’s a lot of singing and dancing and some inspirational speeches from a flying puffin.

But the Penguin world is under attack by global warming. The heat causes a giant iceberg to shift right into their society, blocking them in from food and water. Their only hope is the power of friendship and hip-hop music. There is also a little side story about two krill that break away from their swarm. They gain an existentialist view of their life and decide to make their way up the food chain. It is absolutely hilarious and surprisingly deep. I’m telling you, there is so much for children and adults alike to enjoy.

What surprised me the most was the stellar cast? You have Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Hank Azaria, Robin Williams, and so many more. And they can all sing really well. When the entire ensemble busted out an amazing rendition of “Under Pressure,” I was jumping out of my seat! It was so awesome, everyone in the whole audience was actually cheering and singing along. They were doing that at a few other songs too. My favorite moment was when a bunch of baby penguins were bringing their “sexy back.” Yeah, it was ridiculous and adorable at the same time. You WILL be grooving to every song they throw at you.

I would like to point something out. While director George Miller is known for his “Road Warrior” series, he does a decent kid movie. He was also able to incorporate some badass. There were territorial sea lions and some evil seagulls. If you are a child you won’t notice how dark some of this movie can be. Those are the moments that really make you think about how your own society is run. You reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses. See? I told you it got a bit deep.

The 3D in “Happy Feet Two” is also insanely deep. Every plane and dimension is visibly noticeable and vibrant. Objects actually jump out at you. It was so convincing that children were reaching out to pop bubbles that floated through the screen at one point. Of all the 3D movies I’ve seen, it was never as successfully coordinated as it is in this movie. Well worth the extra money. This 3D was better than “Avatar’s”

I know what you are thinking. “Happy Feet Two” cannot be this good. Well I am telling you it is. It was adorable, engaging, and thought provoking. It has some of the best 3D I’ve seen in years, and the pop songs they chose were just perfect. You can’t go wrong. Go see this movie.

Uganda has been in the news lately. You may have missed it, but last month President Obama ordered 100 troops (almost entirely in an advisory capacity) to Uganda to help the government to suppress the ultra-violent Lord’s Resistance Army (the LRA). The LRA has been destabilizing and terrorizing Uganda for years, abducting and forcing into military service children. Refuse and they cut off your nose, your ears, your hands, or simply kill you. Uganda’s history is one of colonial oppression, brutal strongmen (Idi Amin), and perpetual civil war, and the LRA is symptomatic of this larger disease.

Onto this scene comes “breakdancing!” Yes, you heard me right. Watching the new documentary “Bouncing Cats,” set to premier on the Documentary Channel November 19 (with many repeat showings), I was reminded of Cedric the Entertainer’s line in the brilliant, Spike Lee-directed The Original Kings of Comedy: he says, and I paraphrase, “Back in the day, we didn’t solve our problems with violence: we would breakdance.” Cedric then goes on –in hilarious fashion- to demonstrate how a throwdown in a dance club might go.

This same idea, that dancing can bring peace and bridge divides, is at the center of “Bouncing Cats,” which details the efforts of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) to heal the wounds that run so deep in this central-African nation and to get kids focused on a worthwhile endeavor.

The documentary features narration by the rapper-poet ‘Common’ and follows the journey of ‘Crazy Legs’ and his ‘Rock Steady’ crew, arguably the originators of breakdancing in the United States in the 1970s, as they travel to Uganda to link up with BPU founder ‘Abramz’. Crazy Legs tours the slums of cities in both the North and the South of Uganda. Compared with his poor youth in the Bronx, he finds the depravity in Uganda “hellish.”

Interspersed with Crazy Legs’ travels are interviews with war victims, BPU figures, and expert commentary. The mise en scene of the film is itself hip-hoppy. Throughout the documentary, we jump back and forth between static and stock footage to grainy, cinema verite-style shots of Uganda’s slums and its more appealing countryside. Throughout, we see Crazy Legs and Abramz teaching kids about the hip-hop culture and the finer points of breakdancing moves, and we learn that the title of the film — “Bouncing Cats” — is the phrase, used in staccato-like fashion, to simulate a beat when no music is available. Say “bouncing cats” ten times quickly and you will understand.

The main question for me is: ultimately, where can something like BPU go? Programs that teach under-privileged kids, golf, for instance, in America help youth to comprehend that it takes discipline, devotion, and concentration — and keeping your nose clean — to succeed in sport. Learn those lessons with golf and even if you don’t make it to the PGA, you’ll succeed in whatever avocation or occupation you embrace. But in America, contrary to what those in the ‘Occupy’ movement claim, there is opportunity. Your efforts can pay off. You may not be part of the 1 percent –whatever that really means– but you can carve out a good life.

Is that true in Uganda? You can learn to dance, understand your adversary, and stay out of trouble, but to what end? Dancing didn’t end the United States Civil War (massive force did), and it took another 100+ years to end racial segregation and oppression in America. I was truly moved by the idealism this documentary captured and by all measures it’s a well-made film, but can BPU itself survive and affect substantial change? View “Bouncing Cats” and decide for yourself.

Part one of Breaking Dawn is opening in theaters this Friday, and it highlights the series of events that lead to Bella’s inevitable transformation into a vampire. But, according to Kristen Stewart, the change is not all that glamorous.

Stewart, who has played the protagonist, Bella, in all of the film adaptations, complained about the amber-colored contacts the actors playing vampires are required to wear. She said “That is one thing I can’t wait to say goodbye to. They just kill you.”

The actress expressed her satisfaction with her character finally becoming a vampire, saying “The whole vampire thing – I wasn’t excited to be white and all that. I was really more excited to finally get her there because she wants it so bad.”

Kirsten Dunst, who appeared on The Ellen Show to publicize her new movie, “Melancholia“, revealed for the first time her struggles with depression.

Dunst, who has spent much of her 29 years of life acting, said on the show that her depression had much to do with being a figure in the media. She said “It’s also interesting as an actress you’re supposed to be sensitive and vulnerable and have this side to you. But then you’re supposed to be super sociable and ‘on’ and like nice to everybody. That’s a weird dichotomy. It’s a lot to ask of a person. It’s not a normal thing.” Because of the affect that constantly being in the public eye has on her, Dunst said she avoids events as much as possible. “I avoid the red carpet as much as possible. You have to do it to promote your movies obviously, but you won’t see me at an event just for the sake of it.”

The actress retreated to the Cirque Lodge Treatment Center in Utah in 2008 to refresh her ideals. She said “I definitely took a little bit of a break. And also, when you’re in your 20s you need figure things out and take a step back. I had been acting so long, all my life. I think I just needed a little bit of some perspective. It was good for me and it re-inspired what I do, too.”