Really? There’s a right to free birth control through your employer? Liar.

But what Moore is doing here is what Obama and his media minions are doing. They’re turning a government mandate that violates the First Amendment into a “rights” issue.

What Obama is attempting to do to the Catholic Church is no different than creating a federal mandate that would require every Islamic-run business to provide pork rinds in their vending machines — because people have a right to equal access to fat free foods.

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Note all the Catholic Church-bashing Moore’s engages in. Where is that coming from and what does it have to do with this debate?

It’s just hate, pure and simple.

MORE CRYBABYING FROM GEORGE LUCAS: CLAIMS HAN NEVER SHOT FIRST

Who you gunna believe? George Lucas or your lying eyes?

Well, it’s not a religious event. I hate to tell people that. It’s a movie, just a movie. The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, in Episode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo [who seemed to be the one who shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually isn’t. It had been done in all close-ups and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first, but everyone wanted to think that Han shot first, because they wanted to think that he actually just gunned him down.

Granted, Lucas has every right to change his films, every right to make them worse. That is his property. But this absurd stance of dismissing criticism after he alters (dramatically, in some cases) something that was so universally beloved, is truly remarkable. If it’s “just a movie” why the non-stop tweaking?

And the real problem isn’t the tweaks. Lucas is right that films get tweaked all the time. No question. The problem is that he practically forces us to purchase his inferior recuts, and only after we’ve all been stupid enough to do that, does he release the untouched originals.  This is exactly what he did with the DVD release.

If, in this latest Blu-ray release, Lucas would’ve had the decency to include the original cuts of the films, I doubt very much the backlash would be as big as it is.

There’s nothing wrong with being a profiteer. Just don’t pretend you’re something else.

HITCHCOCK’S ‘REBECCA’ IS GETTING THE REMAKE TREATMENT

Oh, the irony. The overwhelming specter of “Rebecca” is going to hang over a second movie made about a second wife living with the overwhelming specter of a woman named Rebecca.

MORE CABLE SUBSCRIBERS CUTTING CORDS

Here comes the future:

Following numerous reports that “cord cutting” did not represent a serious threat to cable television operators, Nielsen said on Wednesday that the number of households that have dropped their satellite TV subscriptions and relied exclusively on broadband Internet access to watch TV had grown 22.8 percent over the last year. While such households now represent fewer than 5 percent of all TV households, the growing number was described by Nielsen as “a development to watch.”

Love it.

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

The Super Cops (1974) — Available only through Warner Archives. Review coming soon.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

TRAILER AND POSTER FOR STEVE CARELL’S “SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD”

NEW BATTLE SPOT FOR ‘JOHN CARTER‘

NAOMI WATTS TO PLAY PRINCESS DIANA

KOOL & THE GANG OPENING FOR VAN HALEN? BLAME DAVID LEE ROTH

FIRST PROMO POSTER FOR ‘MACHETE KILLS’

WB IS DEVELOPING A LIVE-ACTION “JETSONS” MOVIE

MACAULEY CULKIN IS SKINNY

JON FAVREAU TO DIRECT J.J. ABRAMS ACTION DRAMA PILOT “REVOLUTION”

TOP TEN PERFECTLY CAST FILMS

A TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES INTERVIEW WITH DIAHANN CARROLL

POTENTIAL POST ‘DARK KNIGHT RISES’ PLOTS?

THE PHYSICS BEHIND YOUR FAVORITE SCI-FI THEME SONGS

‘AMERICAN CHOPPER: SENIOR VS. JUNIOR’ SEASON 3: IS THE WAR OVER?

WHY WE WATCH PROCEDURALS

MY THREE FAVORITE MOMENTS IN HITCHCOCK’S ‘SPELLBOUND’

THE 10 MOST UNNECESSARY GIANT MONSTER MOVIES OF ALL TIME

HOW STANLEY KUBRICK SHOT HIS OWN NEWSWEEK COVER

THE INNER WORKINGS OF 12 TITLE SEQUENCES

19 ENTERTAINERS WHO STARTED AS EXTRAS

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CLASSIC PICK FOR SATURDAY,  FEBRUARY 11

TCM:

12:15 AM  Three Days of the Condor (1975)  –  A CIA researcher uncovers top secret information and finds himself marked for death. Dir: Sydney Pollack Cast:  Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson.  C-117 mins, TV-MA, CC, Letterbox Format.

One of those liberal films that’s not really as liberal as some remember. Robertson’s closing speech complicates all that came before and director Pollack deserves enormous credit for doing something liberals films are afraid to do today: Present the alternate point-of-view in an intelligent fashion.

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Please send comments, suggestions and tips to jnolte@breitbart.com or Twitter @NolteNC.

But all is now forgiven.

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” is not only a terrific piece of popcorn entertainment, it’s far and away the best of the trilogy. And the best news is that Bay’s delivered another pro-freedom, pro-American, pro-military blockbuster that made somewhere around a billion dollars. We don’t get too many of these, and we should embrace and support the good ones.

The film isn’t perfect. In most cases, I still can’t tell an Autobot (the good guys) from a Decepticon (the bad guys), which makes it difficult to understand who to root for during the many action sequences, but unlike its predecessor, “Dark of the Moon” has a story that sets up and explains the stakes well enough that you don’t feel like you’re watching someone else play a video game for two hours.

Length is another problem. This is a four-act story instead of the standard three-act, but the too-long climax really is jaw-droppingly well done and on Blu-ray the only thing that surpasses the fantastic picture quality is a sound design that made my archaic 5.1 system do things I never thought possible.

Though I hate him in almost everything else, in this particular franchise, Shia LeBeouf is perfectly cast as the every boy who’s not only unwittingly thrust into a secret war between giant robots from another planet, but also into the deepest recesses of America’s national security apparatus, which Bay always portrays with humor but also respect. Moreover, while the boyish LeBeouf is the star and hero of the film, he is always surrounded by the American military, which — and God love him for this — Bay always portrays as selfless and heroic. In other words, Bay portrays our service men as they really are.  

Liberals will love that LeBeouf’s Sam Witwicky is smitten with meeting President Obama and conservatives will get a huge kick out of the humor-mileage Bay, with the help of a very game Frances McDormand,  milks out of Senator Barbara Boxer’s unfortunate “Ma’am controversy.

Leonard Nimoy returns to voice Sentinel Prime, a character who gives a powerful voice to the film’s important theme, that of human liberty and why that’s something worth fighting and dying for. And when the fight is over and our heroes gather to take inventory of what just happened, it is the tattered stars and stripes that waves prominently in the background.

As big a treat as the film is the four-disc package it comes in that was just released last week. You get a 3D copy of the film, a digital copy, a regular DVD copy, and another Blu-ray disc that includes hours and hours of extra features to dig into. This is probably the first time ever that I thought watching at home in 3D might be kind of fun.

After my experience with the first sequel, I was soured as hell on the franchise and hit “play” with some real trepidation. But I had a blast watching Michael Bay redeem himself and I suspect you will, as well.

‘Transformers Dark of the Moon’ is available at Amazon.

GOING STREAMING, CANCELLING CABLE

Fascinating reader Email:

I cancelled cable about a year ago, and have not regretted it once. The only casualties have been about ten pounds and a callused channel-flipping thumb. Steaming really is a major time saver and has helped me discover a lot of shows that I bypassed the first time around. Of course my peers are skeptical, but they’re asking more and more questions.

Cancelling our cable and satellite plans is also a protest vote that says we’re not going to pay for channels we don’t watch and we’re no longer willing to subsidize those, like MSNBC, OWN, LOGO, Sundance and others, who constantly attack who we are.

In related news…

YOUTH MOVING AWAY FROM WATCHING TELEVISION ON TELEVISIONS

How is cable supposed to survive this:

New research by Nielsen confirms that Americans 35 and under now watch an increasing amount of television programming on phones, laptops, or devices other than a traditional, ad-friendly television. In 2011, that demographic’s daily TV viewing decreased by an average of nine minutes. (TV, in this sense, is defined as a Nielsen-measurable set and not a show made for television.)

Entertainment providers like ESPN have made a point of standing with cable providers, but people are moving elsewhere. Moreover, they’re used to getting unlimited choice and value online.

Within the decade, outlets like ESPN will have to move to online streaming and the old model of making money through ad revenue. In other words, when I was a kid we got TV for free. It was only a few channels, but you didn’t pay a penny for it. The way the networks made money, was through the sale of commercial time.

Today, networks make money from commercials and per-subscriber fees paid by cable companies. We might not watch OWN or MSNBC, but if we subscribe to a package that includes those channels, they still get the money. This is how networks nobody likes or watches stay alive.  

If, however, we start cancelling our cable subscriptions and move towards streaming, outlets like MSNBC and OWN and ESPN will have to broadcast online via streaming. This means fewer cable fees  and going back to the old model of making money off of ad revenue. This also means a lot of crappy networks go under.

One workaround to hold on to the old system that could be attempted online would be to sell streaming access in packages like they do cable. Meaning, if you want to stream ESPN, your package will also include MSNBC and OWN.

I don’t think this is going to work, though. The model of appointment television is what’s dying. We’re moving towards picking and choosing titles and watching them when we want to watch them. So outlets such as Netflix Streaming really are the future — and Netflix isn’t going to pay for OWN’s Rosie O’Donnell Show if no one’s watching it.

‘BRIDESMAIDS’ THE MOST POPULAR VIDEO-ON-DEMAND TITLE OF ALL TIME

What to make of this:

Bridesmaids is officially the most in-demand movie available on video-on-demand (or VOD). The Oscar-nominated comedy has racked up 4.8 million rentals in just over four months, according to Rentrak (via a Universal Pictures release), which adds up to over $24 million in VOD grosses.

“Bridesmaids” is a good flick, to be sure, but not this good.

Perhaps this is just another sign of a trend where people are ready to watch movies from the comfort of their own living rooms.

TRAILER: BOURNE’S LEGACY GETS RENNER’D

I like Jeremy Renner, a lot. But if this is more shaky-cammed anti-Americanism, no thanks.

From the trailer, it looks as though director Tony Gilroy used a tripod, but who wants to bet that the Edward Norton character talking about protecting America is the villain?

WARNER MUSIC LOSS WIDENS IN LATEST QUARTER

What music industry?

Warner Music Group on Thursday reported flat revenue and a slightly higher loss for its fiscal first quarter.

The music company posted a loss of $26 million, compared with a year-ago loss of $18 million.

Revenue was virtually unchanged at $779 million in the quarter. Digital revenue rose 17 percent to $219 million.

If I’m reading that correctly, Warner is spending nearly a billion dollars in order to lose $26 million.

Music has the same problem as movies, a shortage of real stars — at least not in the sense that there were stars twenty-five years ago. Rap and country have their stars, but it’s always funny to look at the concert tour stats and see senior citizens in the top-grossing slots.

SIRIUS XM SWINGS TO FOURTH-QUARTER PROFIT

Baffling:

The satellite radio company ended 2011 with a record subscriber count of 21.9 million and projects net additions of 1.3 million this year. …

The satellite radio firm posted quarterly earnings of $71.3 million, compared with a year-ago loss of $81.4 million.

To each their own, but I cannot imagine paying a monthly subscription fee for radio.

DENZEL WASHINGTON WATERBOARDED FOR NEW FILM

Ruh-roh:

The actor plays an ex-cia agent battling to escape rebel soldiers in Africa, and to fully understand his character, he opted to put himself through a terrifying torture scene, where water was poured over a cloth on his face.

He tells New York Magazine, “I wanted to see what it would be like. It’s strange. You can’t breathe in, because the water comes in, and it’s filling up your mouth.

“And that was just one time for a short time. Imagine having that done for 20, 30 seconds? You will give up the answers! You may not necessarily tell the truth, but you will tell (your captors) whatever they want to hear.”

Man, after all the nice things I said yesterday, I hope this isn’t what it looks like. 

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

Interiors (1978) — This seems like the type of movie I should make fun of, but I happen to like it quite a bit. Woody Allen’s first leap into a purely dramatic picture is a fascinating examination of the dynamic of a family poisoned by Mom (an amazing Geraldine Page) and a damning indictment of the self-centered, dysfunctional, insecure, petty, and smallness of the godless left.

It’s only Maureen Stapleton’s character who earns any of our sympathy. About halfway through, she shows up in a red dress that hits like an explosion in a world defined by an oppressive lack of color. She also eats red meat and refuses to over-think things like Broadway plays into the meaninglessness leftists find so comforting. What a breath of fresh, unpretentious, bourgeois air.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

‘WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY’ STREAMS FREE OF CHARGE TOMORROW

EFFECTS GURU DOUGLAS TRUMBULL: “WE’VE GOT TO HAVE SHOWMANSHIP IN THE THEATERS…”

BILLY CONNOLLY SIGNS ON FOR ‘THE HOBBIT‘

DENZEL WASHINGTON IN TALKS TO STAR IN “2 GUNS” WITH MARK WAHLBERG

MARC WEBB TALKS ‘THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN‘

MICHAEL BIEHN TO STAR IN AND PRODUCE THREE GRINDHOUSE-STYLE FILMS

WILL SMITH AND M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN SHARE ‘AFTER EARTH’ SET PHOTOS

AMY ADAMS TO STAR IN “AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY” BASED ON STEVE MARTIN’S NOVEL‘

THE CALLOUS LIES OF DENZEL WASHINGTON MOVIE TITLES

BIG-SCREEN ADAPTATION OF ANNE RICE’S “THE TAIL OF THE BODY THIEF” IN DEVELOPMENT

AS 35MM FILM DIES, HOW DO REVIVAL THEATERS COPE?

RIDLEY SCOTT TALKS ‘BLADE RUNNER’, HARRISON FORD, AND ‘PROMETHEUS 2′

NEW PHOTOS FROM “ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER”

OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORTS, COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU

THE SAVE “TERRA NOVA” FAN CAMPAIGN BEGINS

FILMMAKER CLIVE BARKER AWAKENS FROM WEEK-LONG COMA

HOLLYWOOD BY THE NUMBERS

THOUGHTS ON THE STATE OF TV REMAKES

10 FACTS AND FIBS ABOUT PINK FLOYD

10 TRULY TERRIFYING HORROR MOVIE JUMP SCARES (SPOILERS)

A LOOK BACK AT NICKELODEON’S “DOUG”

25 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT “VIVA ZAPATA!”

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CLASSIC PICK FOR FRIDAY,  FEBRUARY 10

TCM:

10:30 PM  Cheyenne Autumn (1964)  –  A reluctant calvary Captain must track a defiant tribe of migrating Cheyennes. dir: John Ford Cast:  Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, Karl Malden. C-156 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format.

A movie that proves that political correctness is so toxic to art and storytelling that even John Ford, the greatest motion picture director ever, couldn’t overcome it.

This is nothing more than a stillborn piece of crap that strips humanity from the Indians and replaces it with stifling nobility.

So more of a lesson than a pick.

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Please send comments, suggestions and tips to jnolte@breitbart.com or Twitter @NolteNC.

THAT was a performance, as opposed to what we’ve seen from Streep for the last two decades.

I have a very simple rule when it comes to acting: If I notice the acting, if I see the strings — you’re doing it wrong. If you break the spell and take me out of the film with all your “technique” — you’re doing it wrong. If I notice your accent — you’re doing it wrong.  Patrick Swayze’s performance in “Road House” was ten-times better than almost anything Streep’s done since 1998. That’s not a joke, either. Swayze was more convincing, and that’s what true acting is really about. The rest is nothing more than bait for foo-foo critics and shallow Academy voters.

Anyway, here’s a wrinkle in Streep’s march to another trophy:

A Weinstein Company email that appears to skirt AMPAS campaign rules by using a third party to reach Oscar voters has stirred up anger among Academy members and rival campaigners.

But the email does not violate Academy regulations, AMPAS COO Ric Robertson told TheWrap on Tuesday. One of the organization’s campaign rules, he said, “allows for media entities to send such things to valid subscribers who’ve opted into being a subscriber.”

The email in question, which went out on Tuesday morning, is not part of Weinstein’s aggressive Best Picture campaign on behalf of “The Artist,” but instead promotes Meryl Streep’s Best Actress candidacy for “The Iron Lady.”

It was sent as a third-party advertisement by the Hollywood Reporter’s parent company, Prometheus Global Media, to THR subscribers, some of whom are Academy members.

Headed “From: The Weinstein Company: The Iron Lady,” its subject line reads “Exclusive Meryl Streep Video.”

The email contains a “for your consideration” ad with an embedded link. The ad is headed with a Thelma Adams quote – “It’s been TWENTY-NINE YEARS SINCE MERYL STREEP WON AN OSCAR and she certainly deserves to win for her performance in ‘The Iron Lady’!” – and then contains a link to a video interview with Streep on the Weinstein website.

The interview is moderated by Pete Hammond, who mentions the 29-year gap in his introduction and says, “Something has to be done about that!”

The rest of the article amounts mainly to push-back from the Weinstein Company:

“It seems that every time TWC is innovative there is always some jealous competitor who… comes out of the woodwork.”

It’s all inside-insidery that only helps to illuminate how bent leftists get at the thought of unbridled competition. These self-imposed rules surrounding Oscar campaigns are famously absurd (at least in the real world):

Academy campaign rule number four specifically prohibits emails that “extol the merits of a film, an achievement or an individual,” emails that contain references to past awards, and links to websites that promote an eligible film.

Rule five adds that references or links to websites are only allowed if the website contains basic screening information, with no promotion or “photographic, audio, video, graphical and other multimedia elements.”

The subtext is: Please, heavens, no, don’t make me compete! I can’t stand the pressure! And as a result, you have the Weinsteins pushing for every advantage they can, and frequently benefiting from it.

Isn’t that right “Private Ryan?”

A few years have passed since Harold and Kumar escaped from Guantanamo or killed time hanging out together smoking their beloved mary jane. And sometime over the course of the last few years, the boys went their separate ways and became estranged. They’re now two completely different people who haven’t seen each other in over a year and probably wouldn’t become friends were they to meet for the first time today.  In fact, they would probably hate each other.

Harold now works in high finance. His is now THE MAN and even has to deal with Occupy Wall Street-types who protest outside his offices. Harold also enjoys an upper middle-class life in the suburbs with a nice car and an even nicer fiancée. Kumar, however, is still Kumar — an unemployed burn-out who smokes weed all day and avoids responsibility like he does a shower. Closing in on 30, sadly, the reefer’s become an escape for Kumar, a way to avoid coming to terms with the emptiness of his life and the loss of his girlfriend. What had been recreational and rebellious in his youth, is now a pathetic crutch.

It’s Christmastime and Harold’s smoking-hot fiancee’s rather large family has come to stay for the holidays. The most important thing to Harold’s future father-in-law (Danny Trejo), a man who’s crazy about Christmas and someone with whom Harold is desperate to make a good impression, is the perfect tree. Harold promises everyone that when they return from church, the perfect tree will be decorated and waiting for them. They leave. Kumar shows up. Mayhem ensues.  

The story is only sporadically funny. In-between bits that are truly clever, like a clay-mation sequence and Neil Patrick Harris riffing on his public persona, the jokes tend to be more miss than hit. The more vulgar (very vulgar) stuff meant to shock mostly falls flat, but some of the less politically correct moments involving race do hit the mark. It’s all good-natured and, in this day and age, pretty refreshing.

While this third chapter is definitely an improvement over the one-note Bush-bash that was chapter two, you can still sense The New Production Code at work. Some targets are safe. Some are not. Muslims and gays take no satiric hits and I still don’t understand a Hollywood that crusades against cigarettes but builds a trilogy around two sympathetic protagonists who, without any health consequences, love to smoke dope.

In the end, though, this is a story about two estranged friends who have gone their separate ways, grown apart, and are now uncomfortable in each other’s company. The emotional spine of the story involves them finding a way to become friends again, and this is something many of us can relate to. There are also some mature themes involving family and the reality that you actually do have to grow up eventually.

If you’re a fan of the genre or the first two, you’re going to enjoy the further adventures of… Others should probably stay away.

‘A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas’ is available at Amazon.

OVER TWO MILLION WATCHED SUPER BOWL LIVE STREAM

This is the first time the NFL live-streamed the Super Bowl and the hook was what they called a “second screen” experience, which sounds like the idea was to convince those watching the game on television to also keep their computers on.

How many people, though, watched because they didn’t have access to a television? In the car, for instance? The NFL has to sell this as a “second screen” experience or else cable and satellite providers will howl. If this kind of programming starts streaming, people will cancel their cable packages.

Two million is less than 2% of those who watched the Super Bowl, but that’s still a lot of people.

Right now, the NFL and content providers make a fortune off of cable fees, but you have to wonder  if numbers like these won’t have them looking for a way to cut out the middle man.

WHY DENZEL WASHINGTON IS THE LAST OLD-FASHIONED MOVIE STAR

The author of this piece makes some good observations, but misses the big one. Denzel has never insulted, talked down to, or offended his audience. I’ve seen him hug Obama, I’ve seen him visiting our troops in the Middle East, but there’s nothing divisive about him — nothing anyone can hold against him. That used to be the norm in Hollywood — class — and now it’s an endangered species. Washington is also a family man and openly Christian. What’s not to like about him?

Audiences also trust Denzel not to offend with his film choices. He not only chooses quality projects, but also sucker-punch free projects. We can relax during a Denzel Washington film. We can settle in and not worry about the cheap shot.

Most importantly, every once in a while he chooses a project that appeals to the conservative heartland. “Book of Eli” and “Man on Fire,” for instance.  That’s not to say he doesn’t also make left-of-center films. “John Q” and “The Siege” are both liberal fantasies. But a true movie star doesn’t choose films based on politics but rather story and script. If you look at Gene Hackman’s output, he did the same thing — which is why we miss him so much.

Of course, it also helps that Washington is a phenomenally talented and charismatic actor. But there are many phenomenally talented and charismatic actors — but only one Denzel Washington.

Will Smith, Sandra Bullock and Adam Sandler are in also in Denzel’s league, but that’s about it. Tom Hanks had it but blew it by starring in two openly anti-Catholic films and his trashing of WWII and the War on Terror as wars of terror and racism.

It all comes down to goodwill, doesn’t it?

NETFLIX LESS ABOUT FLICKS, MORE ABOUT TV

Two billion hours were streamed this last quarter, 60% of those hours were devoted to television. The article points out what I’ve said many times and that’s that people want to “dig in” to a show and watch one episode after another.

The article doesn’t reveal that most important truth, though, and that’s that the quality of television is ten-times better than 90% of the films produced today.

As a response to this unexpected demand, Netflix is bulking up its television content and worrying less about films.

And this is what I was talking about last week, as far as the studios having no muscle with their obnoxious 28 day waiting periods for their lousy film product.

Streaming is the perfect place for television shows old and new, television shows are more entertaining than today’s films, and so that’s where the customers are.

I know I drive you crazy covering this every day, but no one else is connecting the dots as the dots appear. Believe me, it would eat up much less of my time to simply link to someone else, but there is no one else and someone needs to tell this story.

Ahem. A-ah-ah-hem: Viacom Agrees To Stream TV Shows Through Amazon Prime

‘THE WOLVERINE’ SET FOR SUMMER 2013 RELEASE

The first “Wolverine” was a pleasant surprise, a simple story well told with plenty of action. Liev Schreiber might have been slumming but his presence added an unpredictability to his character (and therefore the film) few others could’ve pulled off.

FOX DELAYS ‘THIS MEANS WAR’ OPENING TO AVOID BOX OFFICE FACE-OFF WITH ‘THE VOW’

Reese Witherspoon looks astonishingly gorgeous in the “This Means War” trailer and poster, but the trailer is itself is exhausting. My biggest issue is how after you’ve watched those 150 seconds, you feel as though you’ve already seen the movie. All that remains is the question of who gets the girl, but the two guys are so unlikable and selfish, it’s hard to care.

DREW BARRYMORE TO SCALE BACK ON HOLLYWOOD CAREER

Yes, but will anyone notice.

CONSERVATIVE ANGER OVER M.I.A.’S FINGER GESTURE

Really? Only conservatives? Doesn’t say much about liberals, does it?

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COMING SOON TO HOME VIDEO

CLUELESS: Outrageously Funny Satire Makes an Entrance on Blu-ray™ May 1, 2012

Paramount Home Media Distribution invites you to revisit the halcyon days of high school in the ‘90s; a time filled with camaraderie, chaste dances and fervent study…AS IF.  Instead, kick off your designer shoes and enjoy the whip-smart comedy of the contemporary classic CLUELESS when it debuts May 1, 2012 on Blu-ray.  Written and directed by Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), CLUELESS stars Alicia Silverstone in a break-out performance as Cher, a beautiful and self-absorbed high school student who spends her days focused on assembling the ideal fashion ensemble, talking her way out of bad grades and searching for the perfect boyfriend.  What Cher discovers is that popularity only gets you so far, looks can be deceiving and love is sometimes found where you least expect it.  Whatever.

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) — One of those lovely, leisurely, classic MGM Dream Factory entries that replenishes your faith in human nature. The conflict doesn’t come from bad people, it comes from the humility and insecurity from the title character (Oscar-winner Robert Donat) over the course of his six decades as a teacher at a prep school for boys in England.

A nice movie, as well as also a genuine artistic achievement.

Can’t imagine life without DVD.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

OUR OWN MEIRA PENTERMANN’S ‘NINE-TENTHS’ HIT #1 IN POLITICAL FICTION AT AMAZON

TV PILOTS 2012: THE COMPLETE GUIDE

VAUGHN DISCUSSES HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH STEVE MCQUEEN

BRETT RATNER TO DIRECT AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCE FOX’ NEW SPY DRAMA PILOT

MORE PHOTOS FROM ‘ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER‘

CONCEPT ART FOR PIXAR’S UPCOMING FILM, ‘BRAVE’

EXCLUSIVE NEW ONE-MINUTE TV SPOT FOR ‘JOHN CARTER’!

DIRECTOR BRYAN SINGER AND TV WRITER/PRODUCER BRYAN FULLER WANT TO BRING ‘STAR TREK’ BACK TO TV

‘KARATE KID’ SEQUEL MOVING FORWARD

VINCE VAUGHN AND OWEN WILSON WILL REUNITE AS INTERNS

FIGHT OVER WHO OWNS ‘RAGING BULL’ CARRIED UP TO 9TH CIRCUIT APPEALS COURT

TWO WRITERS CONFIRMED FOR ‘DOCTOR WHO’ SERIES 7

10 UNFORGETTABLE OSCAR SPEECHES

GUIDE TO RONALD REAGAN MOVIES AVAILABLE FROM THE WARNER ARCHIVE

HOLLYWOOD’S LACK OF IDEAS

SIGOURNEY WEAVER SAYS JAMES CAMERON WANTS SPECIAL SUBMARINE FOR ‘AVATAR’ SEQUELS

9 MISCONCEPTIONS PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT ‘GODZILLA’

CHARLTON HESTON AS A JEDI? A LOOK BACK AT ‘THE PHANTOM MENACE’ RUMOR MILL

COOL INFOGRAPHIC: MOVIE MONSTER SIZE CHART

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CLASSIC PICK FOR THURSDAY,  FEBRUARY 9

TCM:

4:30 AM  Boom Town (1940) –  Friends become rivals when they strike-it-rich in oil. Dir: Jack Conway Cast:  Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert. BW-119 mins, TV-PG, CC.

Oil men portrayed as pioneers and heroes.  Hollywood didn’t always suck.

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Please send comments, suggestions and tips to jnolte@breitbart.com or Twitter @NolteNC.

‘BLADE RUNNER’ MAKERS AT ALCON SAY HARRISON FORD NOT IN TALKS TO STAR

But the scuttlebutt sure got the project a lot of attention. Well done, Hollywood. Well done.

AXL ROSE TURNS 50 TODAY

Which means I’m like a hundred or something.

You know, this whole passage of time thing is really starting to freak me out.

FILM SCHOOL REJECTS: IF REDBOX TAKES OVER THE WORLD, TITLES WILL BE LIMITED TO WHAT FITS IN A REDBOX

Interesting observation:

I can’t see these two stories happening [Redbox making a move on streaming and Blockbuster's kiosks] at the same time being seen as anything other than a stake aimed directly at the hearts of Netflix and Blockbuster, and as a play by Redbox to take over all aspects of the home video industry. The question I have to ask is, with a new streaming service and a lot more kiosk locations, does this mean Redbox has plans to diversify the titles that they offer the public in a given week, or are we going to see the model of everyone watching the same three movies at the same time become even more prevalent?

It would be easy for me to dismiss this as “the market at work,” but the selection at Redbox is, obviously, light, and should Redbox take over the world, then what?

For starters, I think the Redbox move into streaming is in part due to them recognizing that there’s money to made with more titles. I also think that Redbox jumping into streaming will be a net-plus for consumers and Hollywood — though Hollywood is too dumb to understand that now.

Streaming is the cut-out bin for old titles, a market for older titles with no place else to go — a way to monetize this stuff one last time. Right now, though, there’s only one cut-out bin, so there’s no one to compete with when it comes to selling your wares. Another buyer gives the seller the edge, and if the seller has more of an edge, more sellers will sell, which means more titles available via streaming.

Man, I love me some capitalism.

So, FSR might be right. As far as renting physical discs, once Blockbuster goes under (which I’m not looking forward to), our options will be limited to what fits in a kiosk. But we will still be able to get those discs through Netflix by mail and watch many of those titles (though not all, at least not right away) through the Netflix and Redbox streaming services.

Personally, I think dueling Redbox and Netflix streaming services will become the HBO and Showtime of this decade — each offering the same service but licensing different product. But this will be an infinitely better and cheaper service than HBO and Showtime, thanks to a wider selection.

‘LILYHAMMER,’ NETFLIX’S FIRST ORIGINAL SERIES, NOW AVAILABLE TO WATCH

If all goes right this weekend, I will be feasting on this.

A second season is already in production.

More: NETFLIX: THE FUTURE OF TELEVISION?

CONSUMERS LIKE CLOUD TECHNOLOGY — JUST DON’T ASK THEM TO PAY

This cloud is a digital locker that stores a digital copy of your film and does so for free — at least for now. This isn’t a perfect comparison, but it’s like Hotmail. You don’t store your email archives on your computer, Hotmail stores those archives for you. That way your email is accessible to you from any device that has access to the Internet. The same is true for films stored in this cloud.

Right now, Hollywood is hoping that by adding this nifty new feature only with DVDs that are purchased that this will boost sales. You might ask why anyone would want a digital copy of a film they don’t like very much, but I think the idea here is to cut into the previously-viewed market.

The real attraction to the cloud, though, is not being able to watch movies at anytime on anything. That’s a nice feature, but the real selling point should be the back-up copy. If your disc is damaged, lost, or stolen, you have a copy forever stored in this cloud.

What Hollywood should do is sell the cloud in that manner and allow people, for a small one-time fee, to back up their older films. That would be one way to monetize this. Another would be to charge a little extra to have the back-up copy of your regular DVD boosted to Blu-ray quality.

Imagine being able to access your entire DVD collection from your Blu-ray player?

BEST SONG NOMINEES WON’T PERFORM AT THIS YEAR’S OSCARS

Naturally, the studios nominated for Best Song are upset, which is yet another symptom of this industry’s self-involved lack of concern for the customers. Would the NFL bog down the Super Bowl with something some owner demanded that would result in people tuning out?

Mind boggling.

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COMING SOON TO HOME VIDEO

The Three Musketeers — a modern retelling of Alexander Dumas’ timeless swashbuckling classic – arrives on 3D Blu-ray™, Blu-ray and DVD March 13th from Summit Entertainment.  This exciting adventure for the whole family stars Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & the Olympians), Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean films), Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil films) and Academy Award®-winner Christoph Waltz (Best Supporting Actor, Inglourious Basterds).

NOTE: Insane move not to put Milla Jovovich on the DVD cover.

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

Worked late. Took a shower. Went to bed.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

ANDREW KLAVAN’S ‘THE RAIN’ ARRIVES ON E-BOOK

RE: SOPA – THE TARGET ISN’T HOLLYWOOD, IT’S THE POLICYMAKERS

MICHAEL CAINE ON THE SECRECY OF THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

HBO DEVELOPING POLITICAL THRILLER FROM ‘TRAINING DAY’ WRITER DAVID AYER

BRETT RATNER TO DIRECT FOX’S KARYN USHER SPY DRAMA PILOT

‘M:I – GHOST PROTOCOL’ HAS BECOME TOM CRUISE’S HIGHEST-GROSSING FILM

THE ‘IRON LADY DRAWS SYMPATHY FOR MARGARET THATCHER… IN ARGENTINA?

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THE TOP 10 DOCUMENTARIES THAT ARE NOT WELL KNOWN

HOW MICHAEL EISNER TRIED TO DERAIL DISNEY’S ACQUISITION OF PIXAR

READ JOHN STEINBECK’S LETTER TO 20TH CENTURY FOX COMPLAINING ABOUT ‘LIFEBOAT‘

7 TV SHOWS RE-IMAGINED AS 90S SITCOMS

FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON, A LOOK BACK AT SHAQUILLE O’NEAL IN ‘KAZAAM‘

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CLASSIC PICK FOR WEDNESDAY,  FEBRUARY 8

TCM:

11:45 PM  Music Man, The (1962) —  A con artist hawks musical instruments and band uniforms to small-town America. Dir: Morton DaCosta Cast:  Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett. C-151 mins, TV-G, CC, Letterbox Format.

This one works like a drug. You just can’t help but to smile and feel better about life through the whole 151 minutes.

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Please send comments, suggestions and tips to jnolte@breitbart.com or Twitter @NolteNC.

How did Clint Eastwood and the people around him not see the partisan storm coming with this ad? Eastwood’s a smart guy, as a Hollywood survivor and former mayor, he understands how politics works.

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Because Obama’s decided to eliminate moral hazard and socialize losses for anyone who employs the unions who fund his campaigns, Chrysler obviously wrote a thinly veiled thank you in the form of a reelection ad for their benefactor, and convinced a Republican icon to deliver  it.

Reuters:

Before he emerged in a controversial Super Bowl ad as the gravelly voice of Chrysler’s resurgence, Clint Eastwood was a critic of the government bailout that saved the U.S. automaker.

“We shouldn’t be bailing out the banks and car companies,” actor, director and Academy Award winner Eastwood told the Los Angeles Times in November 2011. “If a CEO can’t figure out how to make his company profitable, then he shouldn’t be the CEO.”

The two-minute Chrysler ad “Halftime in America” won attention for its focus on American resilience, but raised eyebrows for the way critics said it echoed one of the central themes of President Barack Obama’s reelection bid.

Eastwood, a longtime Republican who now describes himself as a libertarian, told Fox News on Monday he was “certainly not politically affiliated with Mr. Obama.”

The ad was meant as a message “about job growth and the spirit of America. I think all politicians will agree with it,” Eastwood said, according to a transcript on Foxnews.com.

“If Obama or any other politician wants to run with the spirit of that ad, go for it,” the actor added.

The White House, which said it was not involved in making the ad, did say that the message highlighted the “simple fact” that Obama had rescued the U.S. auto industry.

“He was not willing to allow – did not believe it was necessary to allow – the American automobile industry to collapse and disappear,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.

Eastwood’s manager Leonard Hirshan said the actor has not changed his views on the auto bailout.

Nothing good happens when the federal government gets into bed with private corporations.

It might be half-time in America, but we’re losing because President Quarterback is in over his failed head.

HARRISON FORD IN EARLY TALKS FOR ‘BLADE RUNNER’ SEQUEL

If Ford plays Deckard 30 years in the future, that would answer the question of whether or not he’s a replicant. Hard not to be excited about this, especially if Ridley Scott returns. There are so many possibilities, so many places to go with the character and the world.

Knowing Hollywood, they will muck it up immediately by casting Shia LaBeouf, or something.

HUGE NEWS:  VERIZON, REDBOX TO LAUNCH STREAMING SERVICE THIS YEAR

One cannot overstate how big of a deal this is or how symbolic it is within the context of Hollywood standing at the station not even knowing they’ve missed the train:

The joint venture plans to introduce the product portfolio in the second half of 2012. It will offer subscription services and more in an easy-to-use, flexible and affordable service that will allow all consumers across the U.S. to enjoy the new and popular entertainment they want, whenever they choose, using the media and devices they prefer. Additional brand and product information will be revealed in the coming months.

Redbox understands that New Product is no longer king. Hollywood can’t hold Redbox or the customers hostage by withholding this product because the product is so unappealing. People want the value and convenience of streaming — and people will watch whatever is provided via streaming.  The bottom line is that Hollywood can either go to where the customers are (and are headed) and try to better monetize that reality, or they can continue to pretend they hold all the cards with their lousy product.

Everyone complains about Netflix Streaming lacking in product, which I find absurd. What’s happening is that my wife and I (and, I think, millions of others) are discovering programming to enjoy on streaming we might have otherwise dismissed. Right now, she’s hip deep in British television imports and I’m finding that without commercials, all kinds of Discovery Channel programming is truly addicting.

“Ice Road Truckers” is better entertainment than 90% of the films released over the last five years. This program also fits my values. Real men (not metrosexuals), working class heroes, patriotic, etc…

Thank heaven Redbox’s attitude towards the major studios is one of delicious belligerence. And Hollywood can’t win that battle. For example…

Warners lost the battle the moment Redbox told the studio it could stick its 56 day waiting period. Redbox will buy the DVDs from retailers and only have to rent them out for 25 nights in order to make a profit. But the hit Warners will take is even bigger.  If Warners supplies the DVDs to Redbox it’s with the clause that Redbox cannot sell the titles as previously viewed once the rentals slow down. In order to keep the market from being flooded with used titles, Redbox is forced to destroy the DVDs. But if Redbox buys them independent of Warners, that will no longer be the case.

It’s going to be checkmate every time.

FRANK GRILLO SPILLS ABOUT JOE CARNAHAN’S ‘DEATH WISH’ REMAKE

Here we go:

“[I]t’s certainly not going to do what the Charles Bronson movies did, they were fun but when you go back and watch them they don’t really hold up very well, they were a product of their time.  [Carnahan] wants to do something far more interesting, like what Lumet had in mind for the film.”

Yeah, why do what worked?

‘GAME OF THRONES’ ON BLU-RAY FOR ONLY $44.99

We have read your comments and requests that “Game of Thrones” get a Big Hollywood review and, in turn, I have requested a screener copy from HBO that should be coming soon.

Thanks very much for registering your interest.

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COMING SOON TO HOME VIDEO

YOUNG ADULT: A brilliant and bittersweet comedy about the harsh realities of growing up, YOUNG ADULT debuts on Blu-ray and DVD (both with UltraViolet™) on March 13, 2012, as well as On Demand and for Digital Download on March 9, 2012 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.  Nominated for a 2012 Golden Globe® for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture—Comedy or Musical, Charlize Theron is “a comic force of nature” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) as Mavis Gary, a former prom queen and current writer of young adult novels who returns to her hometown in order to win back her now-married high school sweetheart.  The film reunites director Jason Reitman (Up In The Air) with screenwriter Diablo Cody, whose work was nominated for Best Original Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America and the Broadcast Film Critics Association.  Hailed as a “one-of-a-kind comedy.”

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One of the most popular toys on the planet comes to life as Lionsgate releases Adventures in Lalaloopsy Land: The Search for Pillow to DVD, Digital Download and On Demand in March. The first-ever Lalaloopsy movie follows the “Sew Magical! Sew Cute!” crew of adorable ragdolls as they search for their missing friend Pillow Featherbed and attempt to bring her home before Peanut Big Top reveals an amazing surprise! Also starring girls’ favorites Jewel Sparkles, Bea Spells-a-Lot, Crumbs Sugar Cookie, Spot Splatter Splash, Dot Starlight, Mittens Fluff ‘N’ Stuff and Rosie Bumps ‘N’ Bruises, the whimsical, action-packed story is sure to delight the young girls in every family.

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Snow White: A Deadly Summer: A killer twist on a classic fairytale debuts on DVD, Digital Download and On Demand this March as Lionsgate releases Snow White: A Deadly Summer. The horror film stars Maureen McCormick (TV’s “The Brady Bunch”), Eric Roberts (The Expendables) and Shanley Caswell (TV’s “The Middle”), as “Snow.” Reimagining the darker side of a timeless story, Snow White: A Deadly Summer, also features a stills gallery.

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

We were out and about yesterday, enjoying a perfect day. Other than that, I used the weekend to catch up some screeners of some films I’ll be reviewing soon.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

TAKE A DIP IN ‘APOCALYPSE NOW’ WITH YET ANOTHER ‘RIDDICK’ IMAGE

‘EXPENDABLES 2′ PG-13 RATING DEFENDED … IN A NOT PARTICULARLY CONVINCING FASHION…

BOB GALE DEBUNKS THE RUMORS OF A ‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’ MUSICAL

NEW PICTURES FROM ‘MEN IN BLACK 3‘

BRAD BIRD TO POSSIBLY DIRECT SEA MONSTER TALE CALLED ‘THERE BE MONSTERS‘

CRUISE’S FOURTH ‘MISSION’ IS HIS BIGGEST FILM EVER

NBC PICKS UP J.J. ABRAMS ACTION DRAMA PILOT ‘REVOLUTION‘

NEW ‘GHOST RIDER 2′ & ‘PROJECT X’ TV SPOTS

‘GROUNDHOG DAY’ SCREENWRITER DANNY RUBIN HAS WRITTEN AN E-BOOK ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE

WHAT IS THE BEST SCI-FI FOR PEOPLE SERVING IN THE MILITARY?

‘G.I. JOE’ PHOTO CATCHES ROCK AND BRUCE WILLIS IN THE WAR ROOM

20 BANNED MOVIE POSTERS (NSFW)

OUR NEW ‘STAR WARS’ COLUMN ASKS ‘WHY IS BOBA FETT SO POPULAR?’

A LOOK BACK AT THE LATE NIGHT SKETCH COMEDY SHOW ‘FRIDAYS‘

8 FAN CAMPAIGNS THAT SAVED TV SHOWS AND 14 THAT FAILED

REVISITING THE LOONEY TUNES 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

INFOGRAPHIC: REALITY TV BY THE NUMBERS

61 THINGS WE LEARNED FROM THE ‘ARMAGEDDON’ COMMENTARY

10 BIZARRE EARLY FILMS FROM FAMOUS DIRECTORS

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CLASSIC PICK FOR TUESDAY,  FEBRUARY 7

TCM:

1:30 AM  EST: Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet (1940) —  True story of the German scientist who devoted his life to curing syphilis. Dir: William Dieterle Cast:  Edward G. Robinson, Ruth Gordon, Otto Kruger. BW-103 mins, TV-G, CC.

One of the best and least known biopics ever produced. As of right now, it’s only available through the Warner Archives, but either way you see it, you’re in for a real treat.

And here again is an opportunity to not only appreciate the dynamic range of Edward G. Robinson but also to see how a studio handled mature subject matter (syphilis) in a way that made the film better than it would have been without the self-imposed restrictions the studios placed themselves under the Production Code.

The film’s poster, which is represented with the Warner Archive DVD cover art, was horribly misleading. With the word “bullet” in the title and that look on Robinson’s face, audience’s who didn’t know any better were probably expecting another gangster picture. In the actual film, Robinson sports a full beard, wears spectacles, and is about as gentle as a baby.

Wonder if anyone got their money back?

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Please send comments, suggestions and tips to jnolte@breitbart.com or Twitter @NolteNC.