STEVEN SPIELBERG MIGHT PART RED SEA FOR WARNER BROS.

Which Spielberg will show up to direct this one? If it’s the “Munich” Spielberg, the moral illiterate who sees an equivalency between Islamists who target the innocent and Israelis who target those who target the innocent — no thanks.  If it’s the “Saving Private Ryan” Spielberg, the moral illiterate who told us saving a single man was  ”the one decent thing we were able to pull out of this whole godawful, shitty mess” also known as World War II — no thanks.

RUSSELL BRAND WILL STAR IN ANOTHER MOVIE — A FAMILY COMEDY

After the remake of “Arthur” flopped rather spectacularly, Hollywood is proving once again they are just about tapped out of stars. Brand is THE most unlikable, charmless, and creepiest guy Hollywood has ever tried to turn into a leading man. And not creepy in a Karloff, Lugosi, Lorre kind of way — not creepy in a way that delights. You wouldn’t let him near your daughter. He should be doing extra stand-ins as Prisoner Number Five in insane asylums.  But here we go again.

EVANGELINE LILY CHATS ABOUT ‘THE HOBBIT’

If she manages her career well, Evangeline Lily has, in my humble opinion, what it takes to be a genuine star, a real box office attraction like Sandra Bullock. She’s undeniably talented, looks great on the big screen (see “Real Steel”), and her presence has the exact right qualities: strong, intelligent, sexy, womanly, approachable, and she carries herself with dignity.

She reminds me of Elizabeth Banks before she did the sleazy “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.”

Fingers crossed.

‘IRON MAN 3′ RAMPING UP FOR EARLY PRODUCTION?

Legendary ’80s screenwriter Shane Black is directing this entry, and I’m eager to see what’s next for our favorite openly patriotic, libertarian super hero.

‘THE HANGOVER’ GUYS ARE NEGOTIATING FOR ANOTHER SEQUEL

The first “Hangover” was the best raunchy comedy since the original “American Pie,” but I’m avoiding the second, which I’ve read is more gross-out than clever. Because this is a comedy based on a pretty contrived concept that should’ve only worked once, can they go to the well for a third?

SIMON PEGG AND EDGAR WRIGHT ARE ‘HARD AT WORK’ ON ‘THE WORLD’S END‘

How much goodwill did the creators of the epic “Shaun of the Dead” burn up with all the cowardly Christian bashing that showed up in their last endeavor, “Paul”? A lot, methinks.

NETFLIX REBOUNDS THANKS TO STREAMING, NOT DVD

The key sentence in this piece covering Netflix’ stock rebound Is this:

We believe better-than-expected domestic streaming subs in the fourth quarter may help alleviate investors’ concerns about the ability of that business to restart subscriber growth[.]“

I don’t mean to belabor this point in every Call Sheet, but the daily signposts in this slow-motion revolution continue to fascinate. And the consequences in every arena are huge.

1. Lower profits for studios: Amazon intends to jump in with a lower streaming subscription fee than Netflix. It’s just a fact that We the Customers will no longer pay for expensive rentals (Redbox is now the top rental retailer in the country) and because movies are so bad, we’re longer purchasing them.

2. Because of this major dent in their bottom line, studios will either have to make better films that appeal to a broader audience or continue to make crappy movies and further sell their souls to communist China to get those markets open.

3. The bottleneck in distribution is disintegrating. One way the left holds power over the world’s popular culture is through their stranglehold on the few distribution outlets available, not to mention the starter cost of printing films and DVDs, and convincing retailers like Walmart to give up valuable shelf space. Now you can simply produce content and get it to a streaming provider. Digital technology has already democratized production, now the last hurdle is being removed.

4. Choices will further undermine Hollywood’s bottom line. Only a few giants own all of those cable channels, so it’s still very few people deciding what America watches. Streaming ends that monopoly and also gives us a ton of older, more conservative and traditional programming at the push of a button.

This is the biggest story the sycophant entertainment media isn’t telling. I’m not even sure they see it. Denial is a powerful thing. But just as the Internet exploded the MSM, within the decade, streaming will explode the entertainment industry.

The studios are literally attempting to make it impossible for Netflix to stream new films. It’s a monopolistic defensive move on the studio’s part and one they can’t possibly win. The timing couldn’t be worse. They simply aren’t producing the kind of content that makes this kind of blackmail possible. We can live without their crap. We can wait. And in the meantime, we’re discovering other sources of entertainment.

Hollywood is no longer the coal that runs the train; they’ve lost that privilege with their shitty product and non-stop insulting of the 60% of customers who aren’t atheist leftists living to recycle. There’s plenty of coal out there in the form of older titles. Hollywood is now the passenger, and they can either climb aboard or get left behind.

And now you know why Hollywood hates capitalism.

DEMI MOORE DROPS OUT OF ‘LOVELACE’: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR HER CAREER?

Anyone who’s read me for any amount of time knows how much I hate the nihilistic gossip and non-stop snark that surrounds the personal lives of celebrities. There’s nothing defensible about a destructive industry that feeds off the dysfunction of those who live for their attention or a destructive industry that bottom feeds off the rest. It does, however, looks as though Demi Moore is going through a serious personal crisis right now and that she could use our prayers.

We wish her nothing but a speedy and full recovery.

6 TV SHOWS WE THINK ARE DOOMED

What a shock. The basement-rated “30 Rock” no one watches isn’t on here. Well, Entertainment Weekly likes it. That’s all that matters.

OH, LOOK, MORE FAN-MADE POSTERZZZZZzzzzz……

Oh, did I miss anything?

‘SEEKING JUSTICE’ TRAILER: NIC CAGE GETS CRAZY ON GUY PEARCE

If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s vigilante movies that don’t have the conviction to be vigilante movies:

Cage stars as Will Gerard, a man whose wife (played by Mad Men actress January Jones) is violently assaulted by a criminal. Stricken with anger, Gerard is approached by “Simon” (Guy Pearce), a man who claims to represent a group of “concerned citizens” who enact vigilante justice against unpunished offenders roaming the city. Gerard accepts Simon’s offer of vengeance, but the price is high: Simon wants a dirty deed in exchange for a dirty deed, but Will isn’t willing to go that distance. Unfortunately for Will, Simon is not the type of man to take “no” for an answer.

Sounds like “The Star Chamber” meets “Strangers On a Train.” Great cast, though.

Hits theatres March 16. Two days after my birthday. Which is a reminder that you can buy me this.

WHAT FILM DO YOU THINK WOULD HAVE BEEN THE TENTH BEST PICTURE NOMINEE?

Did we miss anything starring George Clooney that made no money?

Hey, I know. Why not “30 Rock”? I hear it TRANSCENDS television.

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

An awesome double feature of two of my favorite films: Annie Hall (1977) and Manhattan (1979). Both just came out on Blu-ray and I’ll be doing a proper review in the coming days.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

DAVID FINCHER’S ‘THE GOON’ RUNS OUT OF MONEY AND WB CANCELS ‘ELFQUEST‘

NEW PICS FROM THE PG-13 RATED VERSION OF ‘THE EXPENDABLES 2′

GOOD NEWS FOR ONCE: NETFLIX 4Q EARNINGS SOAR PAST ESTIMATES

‘CAPTAIN AMERICA 2′ BEGINS SHOOTING BY THE END OF THIS YEAR

‘TRUE BLOOD’ CREATOR ALAN BALL’S NEW DRAMA ‘BANSHEE’ GETS PICKED UP BY CINEMAX

‘GHOST RIDER 2′ AND ‘WRATH OF THE TITANS’ TV SPOTS

USA ORDERS ASPIRATIONAL REALITY SERIES ‘THE MOMENT’ STARRING KURT WARNER

R.I.P. ‘EXCALIBUR’ STAR NICOL WILLIAMSON DIES AT 73

THE ‘EVIL DEAD’ REMAKE LOSES ITS LEAD ACTRESS

GOOD IDEA: SHOULD HAYWIRE STAR GINA CARANO PLAY ‘WONDER WOMAN’?

HOW THE 70S PROVED MASS-MARKETING WASN’T THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE MOVIES

OSCAR SNUBS AND SURPRISES

WHY DO THE OSCARS HATE HARRY POTTER?

WHERE ARE THE NEW 21ST CENTURY HEROES AND VILLAINS?

AN INTERVIEW WITH CRISPIN GLOVER

11 LIFE LESSONS FROM ‘THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION‘

A LOOK BACK AT WILLIAM HOLDEN IN ‘PICNIC‘

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Coming Soon to Home Video

TRANSFORMERS PRIME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON: Prepare to experience the world of TRANSFORMERS PRIME like never before with perfect picture visuals and the purest digital sound available when the entire first season of the award-winning CGI animated series TRANSFORMERS PRIME arrives in stores everywhere in North America on March 6, 2012 in a deluxe 4-DVD set and a Limited Edition 4-Disc Blu-ray™ collection from Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Hasbro Studios.

Both the DVD and Blu-ray collections of TRANSFORMERS PRIME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON boast all 26 action-packed episodes (including the 5-part miniseries Darkness Rising) and special bonus content. For a limited time only, TRANSFORMERS PRIME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON Limited Edition 4-Disc Blu-ray contains a 96-page IDW graphic novel based on this hit series.

Delivering a new level of heavy metal action and family entertainment for all ages, the limited edition Blu-ray collection is priced to own at $64.99 SRP. The deluxe 4-DVD set is sold separately and has a suggested retail price of $ 29.93 SRP.

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CLASSIC PICK FOR FRIDAY,  JANUARY 27

TCM:

1:30 PM  2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) –  Classic sci-fi epic about a mysterious monolith that seems to play a key role in human evolution. Dir: Stanley Kubrick Cast:  Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester. C-149 mins, TV-G, CC, Letterbox Format.

I just keep watching this and watching this and watching this in the hopes that someday I’ll like it.

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

NETFLIX USERS STREAM 3000 LIFETIMES’ WORTH OF VIDEOS IN 3 MONTHS

And Hollywood thinks they can put this genie back in the bottle. Never.

DID YOU KNOW KING KONG ALMOST BATTLED FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER?

Alternate title: Did you know the greatest movie ever almost got made?

TELEVISION SERIES THAT OUTSTAYED THEIR WELCOME

They forgot the season premiere of “Thirtysomething.”

COMING SOON TO HOME VIDEO

TEXAS KILLING FIELDS, JAN 31:  Anchor Bay Films is proud to announce the release of TEXAS KILLING FIELDS on both Blu-ray™ and DVD  January 31, 2012.  Directed by Ami Canaan Mann, produced by Michael Mann and Michael Jaffe, and based on the real life, headline-making series of unsolved murders, TEXAS KILLING FIELDS is a haunting story of two detectives and one desperate race to catch a killer. The release also contains audio commentary with Director Ami Canaan Mann and Writer Donald F. Ferrarone.

Inspired by true events, this tense thriller follows Detective Souder (Sam Worthington, Avatar, The Debt) a homicide detective in a small Texan town, and his partner, transplanted New York City cop Detective Heigh (Jeffrey Dean Morgan Starz’ “Magic City,” The Losers, The Watchmen)as they track a sadistic serial killer dumping his victims’ mutilated bodies in a nearby marsh locals call “The Killing Fields.” 

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THE KILLING – SEASON ONE, MAR 31: Season 1 of AMC’s critically acclaimed new show “THE KILLING” comes to Blu-ray and DVD on March 13 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.  With exclusive Blu-ray and DVD features, including an extended season finale, loyal fans and new viewers alike will dive deeper into the captivating mystery and complex characters that garnered the freshman series six Primetime Emmy® nominations and one Golden Globe® nomination.  Catch up on the show that everyone will be talking about when “The Killing” returns to AMC for season two this Spring.

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

Packer game, Golden Globes. I’ve had better nights.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

SCREEN SEX SIREN ANITA EKBERG IS PENNILESS AT AGE 80

THE CATO INSTITUTES DIGS INTO THE MPAA’S PIRACY STATISTICS AND SOPA

BAD REMAKE IDEA OF THE WEEK: ‘PSYCHO’ TV SERIES

HOW THE STATE OF THE MOVIE INDUSTRY IN 1991 ECHOES THROUGH TO TODAY

‘SHERLOCK’ SERIES 3 ALREADY CONFIRMED

STEVEN SPIELBERG DISCUSSES HIS UPCOMING PROJECTS…

…WHILE TIM BURTON DISCUSSES HIS UPCOMING PROJECTS

‘STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS’ SEASON 5 CONFIRMED

50 ORIGINAL (!) PROPERTIES SLATED FOR 2012

QUENTIN TARANTINO RELEASES HIS BEST OF 2011 LIST

THE ‘STAR TREK’ SEQUEL HAS BEGUN SHOOTING

VIDEO TRIBUTE: ‘I LOVE THE SMELL OF NAPALM IN THE MORNING’

THANKS TO KICKSTARTER, MANOS: HANDS OF FATE IS GETTING A RESTORATION

A 10-STEP GUIDE TO MAKING A ‘ONE LAST JOB’ MOVIE

THE STORY BEHIND THE PARAMOUNT LOGO

ELTON JOHN IS EFFIN’ MAD ABOUT MADONNA SONG WIN

THE MOST OVERPLAYED GENRE IN RECENT YEARS

10 FICTIONAL POLITICIANS WE’D LIKE TO SEE TAKE OFFICE IN REAL LIFE

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CLASSIC PICK FOR TUESDAY,  JANUARY 17

TCM:

8:00 AM  EST: Crime School (1938) — A crusading warden sets out to improve conditions at a reform school. Dir: Lewis Seiler Cast:  Humphrey Bogart, Gale Page, Billy Halop.  BW-85 mins, TV-G, CC.

Marvelous B-film before Bogart became a star that reunites him with his “Dead End” co-stars, the “Dead End Kids.” 

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

MICROSOFT BRINGS FOX NEWS, SESAME STREET, COMCAST TO XBOX

Can someone please tell me how this works? Is this a subscription service like Netflix Streaming?

Corp. content from Twentieth Century Fox Films, Fox Television, Fox News and The Wall Street Journal will be available on the Xbox device starting in February, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced at the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday.

The initiative continues to transform the popular gaming console into an entertainment and news hub, with Ballmer counting Xbox Live subscribers at 40 million.

The reason I want to know is because I smell the death of cable with Fox News now being available in another format. Most Fox News viewers like myself could live without the non-stop garbage that clogs up most of cable and resent paying subscription fees that prop up networks we hate, such as OWN and MSNBC — networks that likely couldn’t survive without this revenue sharing racket.

More on this below…

DISH TO OFFER ANY SHOW AT ANY TIME

This is cable/ satellite, attempting to compete with Hulu and other streaming services:

Satellite operator DISH Network has unveiled a new DVR at the CES convention in Las Vegas that will automatically record every primetime show on the four major television networks and hold them for later viewing for as long as eight days. The DVR, called Hopper, will sport 2 TBs (terabytes) of storage, half of which will be used to record programs on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC airing between 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. nightly. Programs on the Hopper can also be accessed via up to three boxes called Joeys in other rooms of the home. Moreover, the DVRs will operate in conjunction with DISH’s Sling box, making the programs available for remote viewing on laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

Beyond revolutionary. I still think that, with the prices they charge compared to Netflix and Hulu, cable/satellite can’t survive. And the reason the prices are so absurd is to prop up a lot of specialty channels fewer than a million people watch.

Something’s got to give, and when it does, we customers will be declared the winners.

This is more than just a technological revolution, it’s a cultural one. Right now, we’re forced in many ways not only to support these dreadful channels but to view what only a very few create. Sure, there might be 500 channels, but they’re all owned by the same 10 companies. Once everything is a la carte, everything will have to stand on its own merit and it will also have to stand up against the past because older, more traditional programs will be just as accessible as the new ones.

Oh, and please, Lord, let me live to see the day when Oprah’s OWN Network goes dOWN.

SPIELBERG AND ‘WAR HORSE’ FAIL TO GET DGA NOD

Wow.

“The biggest snub on today’s list has to be Steven Spielberg who was overlooked for Dreamworks’ War Horse, an expected Oscar power player that may be slipping back in the pack a bit during the crucial stretch run,” Deadline’s Pete Hammond wrote a few minutes ago. “Spielberg’s omission is a crushing blow.”

At the same time there’s something seriously corroded and rotten in the minds of DGA members when they decide to nominate The Artist’s Michel Hazanavicius for delivering an emotionally simplistic and second-hand silver bauble, and at the same time deny a Best Director nomination to Moneyball’s Bennett Miller and The Tree of Life’s Terrence Malick. Ludicrous!

I’m hoping to see “Moneyball” this week and absolutely hated “Tree of Life,” but the Spielberg snub is a surprise. “War Horse” is a beautifully directed picture, equal parts “How Green Was My Valley” and “All Quiet On the Western Front,” and very much a return to form for the Oscar-winner after a middling stretch from 2004’s “The Terminal” straight through to the unforgivable “Indy 4″  – one of the most poorly directed films of the decade.

“War Horse” probably turns off a lot of Hollywood types because it is unapologetically sentimental in a way John Ford might have appreciated. With a run-time that exceeds 150 minutes, the story of a horse that touches too many lives to count in the days leading up to and immediately preceding World War I held my attention and was ultimately quite moving. But I do have to say that the movie didn’t stay with me. As soon as the lights came up, I forgot all about it.

I can watch “How Green Was My Valley” for the 45th time tonight, and for days afterward, my movie soul will carry it around. I’ll feel the film, think about the characters, and miss that world Ford so lovingly crafted and photographed. “War Horse” didn’t even melt away. It vanished before the credits did.

UPCOMING BLU-RAY/DVD RELEASES: ‘Chinatown,’ ‘Hop,’ ‘Wallace & Gromit’

–Director Roman Polanski’s Seminal Neo-Noir Classic, Chinatown, Debuts In High Definition. Renowned de Force Arrives on Blu-ray™ April 3, 2012 Overflowing with Special Features Including Commentary by Screenwriter Robert Towne and Director David Fincher, a Three-Part Documentary, Personal Reflections from Leading Filmmakers and More.

–Lionsgate is proud to present the Blu-ray Disc and DVD release of Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention, and the DVD, Digital Download and On Demand release of Stuck Between Stations, both available on March 13th, 2012.

–Lionsgate also announces the DVD, Digital Download and On Demand release of Snow White: A Deadly Summer, available on March 20th, 2012.

–Finally, Lionsgate also presents the DVD, Digital Download and On Demand debut of Breaking Wind: Unrated Director’s Cut on March 27th, 2012.

–Universal City, CA January 9, 2012 – The Easter Bunny’s hare apparent leaves his ancestral home on Easter Island to pursue pop superstardom in the hilarious comedy HOP, coming to Blu-ray™ and DVD on March 23, 2012, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Blending state-of-the-art CGI animation with live action, HOP is a non-stop, rockin’ adventure packed with humor and hijinks as rebellious young rabbit E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand), strikes up an unlikely friendship with Los Angeles underachiever Fred (James Marsden) en route to becoming a rock star drummer. Trailer is here.

VAN HALEN TEACHES US ALL A VALUABLE LESSON: WASTED YEARS CANNOT BE RETRIEVED

Absolutely heartbreaking.  What bothers me about the video isn’t that Van Halen lost their mojo. That happens to the best of us. It’s that Van Halen is unaware they’ve lost their mojo.

STATHAM AND DENIRO’S ‘KILLER ELITE’ HITS BLU-RAY/DVD TODAY

Based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite is a gritty battle between guns-for-hire that has been hailed as “one of the best action thrillers of the year!” by Richard Roeper, ReelzChannel.  Pitting two of the world’s most elite operatives against the cunning leader of a secret military society, Killer Elite stars Jason Statham (The Transporter, Death Race),

Academy Award® winner Robert De Niro (The Godfather Part II, Raging Bull)  and Academy Award®-nominee Clive Owen (Children of Men, Closer).  Directed by Academy Award®-nominee Gary McKendry (Everything in this Country Must), Killer Elite  is available on Blu-ray™Combo Pack with UltraViolet™, DVD, On Demand and Digital Download January 10, 2012 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Open Road Films.

Clips here, here, and here.

UNIVERSAL CELEBRATES 100TH BIRTHDAY WITH NEW LOGO AND 13 FILM RESTORATIONS

I love that Universal included Abbott and Costello’s immortal “Buck Privates” in this list of restorations. The Boys deserve respect — they were every bit as brilliant as the Marx Brothers and Chaplin.

On Jan. 10, Universal Pictures celebrated its 100th anniversary (which is on Apr. 30) by unveiling a new logo and announcing a restoration of 13 of its iconic films: All Quiet on the Western Front, The Birds, Abbott and Costello’s Buck Privates, Dracula (1931), the Spanish-language Dracula filmed on the same set at night, Frankenstein, Jaws, Schindler’s List, Out of Africa, Pillow Talk, Bride of Frankenstein, The Sting and To Kill a Mockingbird (available Jan. 31 in a 50th-anniversary Blu-ray edition). …

The restorations, which will be released throughout the studio’s year-long centennial celebration, took three to six months each and cost $250,000 to $600,000 per title, Universal SVP, Technical Operations Michael Daruty told The Hollywood Reporter and others at a sneak preview of the extraordinarily impressive results on the studio lot on Dec. 1. “This restoration effort was not about marketability and whether we’re gonna sell enough DVDs,” said Daruty. “That is what we do on a daily basis, but this was a commitment by the company to say, ‘We’re gonna devote funding and most probably continue that effort year over year, to try and preserve and restore the legacy of the company. We’re here to spend the money on these 13 titles and some others, whether we’re gonna get our money back in that first year or not.’ It’s really refreshing.”

“Pillow Talk” is another unexpected surprise, as well.

Happy birthday Universal, and thanks for a century of joy and escape!

39 THINGS WE LEARNED FROM ‘THE BOONDOCK SAINTS’ COMMENTARY

“Boondock Saints” was so bad I couldn’t even finish it. Something good that did come from it, though, was the 2003 documentary “Overnight,” which examines how “Boondock” director Troy Duffy was so overtaken by his own insecurities and ego, you actually take the side of and sympathize with Harvey Weinsten.

AMC IS DEVELOPING ‘GOODFELLAS’ AS A TV SERIES

Deadline reports that AMC will develop Martin Scorsese’s classic 1990 mob movie as a potential weekly series, and though Scorsese (who directed the pilot of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire) isn’t involved with the project, the network did manage to secure returning player Nicholas Pileggi to script the show and Irwin Winkler to produce.

ALICE HAS MIND-BLOWING REVELATION IN ‘RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION’

Can’t wait for September 14:

The Umbrella Corporation’s deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race’s last and only hope, Alice (Milla Jovovich), awakens in the heart of Umbrella’s most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex. Without a safe haven, Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true. Aided by newfound allies and familiar friends, Alice must fight to survive long enough to escape a hostile world on the brink of oblivion. The countdown has begun.”

Oh baby!

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

Sorry. Nothing. Had to work late.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

‘MAD MEN’ FINALLY RETURNS MARCH 25

TNT ORDERS NOIR DRAMA PILOT FROM FRANK DARABONT

JOE CARNAHAN SAYS ‘A-TEAM 2′ WON’T HAPPEN

WHY CAN’T THE FILM INDUSTRY INNOVATE LIKE SILICON VALLEY?

THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON ‘KICK ASS 2‘

PARAMOUNT PUSHES ‘HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS’ TO 2013 FOR GOOD REASON

OSCAR-WINNING ART DIRECTOR ROBERT STROMBERG TO DIRECT DISNEY’S ‘MALEFICENT‘

DISNEY’S $250M ‘JOHN CARTER’ GAMBLE: OTHERWORLDLY HIT OR COSMIC BOMB?

KEVIN SMITH’S REALITY SHOW ‘COMIC BOOK MEN’ TO PREMIERE ON AMC FEBRUARY 12

DVD SETS HIGHLIGHT OBSCURE ‘G.I. JOE,’ ‘TRANSFORMERS’ ‘TOONS

30 YEARS LATER: WHO REALLY DIRECTED ‘POLTERGEIST?‘

‘BRUCE ALMIGHTY’ SEQUEL IN THE WORKS

10 OF THE FUNNIEST UNAIRED ‘SNL’ SKETCHES

SEASON FOUR OF HISTORY’S ‘TOP SHOT’ RETURNS ON VALENTINE’S DAY

THE SOUND AND MUSIC OF ‘THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO‘

KATEE SACKHOFF & JORDI MOLLA JOIN ‘RIDDICK 3′ AS MERCENARIES

50 TRAILERS THAT RUINED THE MOVIE (SPOILERS)

THE BEST MOVIES ABOUT WORLD WAR I

A LOOK BACK AT DON JOHNSON IN ‘A BOY AND HIS DOG‘

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CLASSIC PICK FOR WEDNESDAY,  JANUARY 11

TCM:

2:45 AM ET: Till The Clouds Roll By (1946)  – True story of composer Jerome Kern’s rise to the top on Broadway and in Hollywood. Dir: Richard Whorf Cast:  June Allyson, Lucille Bremer, Judy Garland. C-136 mins, TV-G.

Not much of a story but the music is timeless and the individual numbers beautifully realized. Well worth a look. Imagine MTV in 1946 if it didn’t suck … and played music.

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

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Brought to you by the same folks who eviscerated “Avatar,” the “Star Wars” prequels and more.

The second video expertly deconstructs the film’s overbearing politics and moral equivalencies, and hammers Lucas for his political hypocrisies.

“When the filmmakers can’t choose a clear side, it affects the overall film.”

 Thanks to ScottDS for sending this early Christmas gift our way.

ANOTHER REASON TO LOVE ROBERT DOWNEY JR.

Found this at Hollywood Elsewhere:

I’d so much rather be doing this than some little indie movie that everyone says is fantastic and it kinda sucks and is boring.

Now that I’m back home and have room to spread out my DVD collection again, I’ve been going through the actual physical cases as I organize. It’s been a trip down memory lane, and what has most struck me is how many independent films from the 1990s I purchased and still love. Over the last ten years, though, that indie movement (with rare exceptions) is an embarrassment of pretension, nihilism, pseudo-edginess, and horribly self-conscious acting. Because most of the small studios that produced these films are gone or have been swallowed up by the majors, instead of a movement it’s now a “genre” and therefore a parody of its once glorious and interesting self.

‘JAWS,’ UNIVERSAL CLASSIC HORROR FILMS SET FOR 2012 BLU-RAY RELEASE

Something to look forward to:

Easily the most important news of 2011 is The Digital Bits landing early word that Universal Home Entertainment is slotting Steven Spielberg’s classic 1975 summer blockbuster Jaws for a Blu-ray release on August 14, 2012. Spielberg told AICN earlier this year that the release (thankfully) won’t be amended (like he did with E.T.) in any way leaving in all wires and other visible bruises.

There’s really nothing all that wrong with cleaning up an old film’s special effects, especially wires and the like. The wires holding up the Martian ships in my DVD copy of the original “War of the Words” are pretty distracting. Imagine how much worse the Blu-ray will be. The problem is the slippery slope of intrusive alterations, so a complete hands-off approach is probably better.

In even better news, Universal has announced the release of their classic monster films in a Blu-ray box set. If done right, and I have no doubt it will be, that will be the must-own of the year.

BOOK REVIEW: ‘STEVE MCQUEEN: THE ACTOR AND HIS FILMS’

Most coffee table-type movie books that I have encountered are extravagantly made featuring glorious photographs, but very little substance. However, Steve McQueen: The Actor and His Films is not only handsomely produced featuring over 1,000 rare B&W and color photographs, but also contains an in-depth analysis of all of McQueen’s movies listed chronologically. This does not mean McQueen’s life is ignored. The writers expertly weave in the actor’s life journey into each chapter. Reading about his childhood early on clarifies his actions and behavior as an adult such as his legendary insecurities and his determination not to be bested by anyone, particularly a co-star.

‘BRIDESMAIDS’ A SERIOUS OSCAR CONTENDER? UNIVERSAL CHIEFS SAY YES

Pete Hammond:

If anyone were to have told you back on May 13 when Universal’s raunchy female comedy, Bridesmaids opened that we would seriously be discussing its Best Picture Oscar nomination prospects a week before Christmas, the status of their mental health would been called into question. But even though it remains a long shot Oscar pundits are online actively debating its Best Pic potential. Universal is ratcheting up its campaign with an eye on the prize it never dared dream about, and kudos for the Judd Apatow produced film directed by Paul Feig keep piling up as this awards season gets curiouser and curiouser.

No doubt, “Bridesmaids” is a very good film, but the fact that “very good” is now enough to qualify for any kind of serious Best Picture talk says something about the quality of films today. 1989 saw the release of “Batman,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “Lethal Weapon 2,” “Honey I Shrunk the Kids,” “Parenthood,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Christmas Vacation,” “Uncle Buck,” “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” “Dead Calm,” “Enemies, A Love Story,” “Black Rain,” “The ‘Burbs,” “License to Kill,” “Lean on Me,” “Do the Right Thing,” “Cousins,” “Say Anything,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” and “The Abyss.” I would argue that any one of those is better than “Bridesmaids” — and not a single one was nominated for Best Picture.

We used to just expect movies to be as good as “Bridesmaids,” but now we’re so impressed by something that doesn’t completely blow, we’re talking Best Picture.

How depressing.

OUCH: ‘EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY’ CLOSE REVIEW

Film School Rejects:

Remember those trailers for Stephen Daldry‘s adaptation of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close that we all cringed at? Well, how could you forget – they stick with you in a very off-putting way. Disappointingly, most of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close replicates that experience. Daldry’s a fine filmmaker, and with a script from Eric Roth – a writer who’s delivered his fair share of modern classics – one should expect more from their collaboration.

Sometimes I worry that I’m too cynical when it comes to Hollywood, that my politics cloud my judgment, or worse, that I’m getting too old to see what others see. When I dislike almost every movie that comes out and roll my eyes upon learning about what’s coming next, I worry that it’s me. But then I read the above and feel better. Whew, someone else also hated those awful, goddamn trailers.

Maybe I’m not yet the get-off-my-lawn guy yet; maybe I’m not a hundred.

MIXED ‘WAR HORSE’ REVIEW:

This is interesting:

However, the film has a curious, mismatched pace to it, almost uneven as it tries to decide on how it wants be received – something replicated in its bizarre mix of real-life exposure and Gone With The Wind-styled, super-chroma-boosted cinematography. Rather than marrying the various key scenes in the film, including the charge of the cavalry, a shocking execution and a reality-defying gallop through No Man’s Land, the pockets of lighter relief seem to both trivialise and detract from the sombre but striking messages that, say, Spielberg’s Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan are known and respected for. These moments also highlight irrelevant narrative padding, such as the extensive French-farmer-and-granddaughter domestic scenes that might provide a respite from the muddy trenches and a way to tie up loose ends in the finale, but merely digress from more important matters.

One of my biggest problems with “Indy 4″ was the narrative structure, which was jarring. We’re here and now we’re here and now we’re here. The story had no flow and my brain kept having to catch up, which, of course, takes you out of the film.

MEL GIBSON TO HOST MAD MAX EVENT IN HOLLYWOOD

All three of the futuristic films will be screened at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles next month as part of the American Cinematheque tribute.

THERE WILL ONLY BE 8 OSCAR BEST-PICTURE NOMINEES — HERE’S WHY

What a mess:

Under the Oscar system, the race is immediately narrowed to those 33 films; every other movie is out of the running, no matter how many second- or third-place votes it received.

Once the initial count was made, the number of votes required to guarantee a nomination was determined. This is done by dividing the number of votes by 11, and then adding one (or if the result is not a whole number, adding whatever fraction is needed to make it one).

Example: If 250 members had voted, 23 votes would have guaranteed a nomination, because it would be impossible for more than 10 films to receive that many votes.

Got that?

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

“Margin Call” (2011) — Which I am hoping to review later today.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

TODAY ONLY: ‘PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN’ FOUR-MOVIE COLLECTION — $76.49

HARRISON FORD AND ABIGAIL BRESLIN JOIN THE CAST OF ‘ENDER’S GAME‘

A NEW ‘SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE’ TRAILER HAS ARRIVED

2011′S BEST FILMS YOU’VE POSSIBLY NEVER HEARD OF

12 FORGOTTEN FAMILY HOLIDAY MOVIES

THE TOP 10 TRAILERS OF 2011

10 ROCK AND METAL CHRISTMAS ALBUMS

FIRST OFFICIAL IMAGE RELEASED OF THE RECENTLY WRAPPED ‘CLOUD ATLAS‘

10 BEST SHORT SUPPORTING PERFORMANCES OF 2011

DID THIS MAN DESTROY THE MOVIES?

DAVID FINCHER DISCUSSES HIS SPIDER-MAN MOVIE THAT NEVER WAS

LISTEN TO HOWARD SHORE’S STUNNING ‘HUGO’ SCORE

INFOGRAPHIC: THE ‘DR. WHO’ TIMELINE

WATCH THE MANY WAYS MOVIE AND TV CHARACTERS DRAMATICALLY QUIT THEIR JOBS

10 UNDER-APPRECIATED SHOWS TO BINGE ON DURING HOLIDAY RERUNS

TV’S BEST, AND WORST, OF 2011

‘HARDCORE PAWN’ SETS TRUTV NETWORK RECORD WITH 2.7 MILLION VIEWERS

11 NON-CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS MOVIE MOMENTS

MANOS: ‘THE HANDS OF FATE’: RESTORING THE OPPOSITE OF A MASTERPIECE

NEXT ‘STAR TREK’ ADVENTURE: NO ORIGINAL CAST MEMBERS

REVELATIONS FROM EDGAR WRIGHT’S FILM FESTIVAL AT THE NEW BEVERLY

‘AMERICAN HORROR STORY’ SEASON 1 FINALE REVIEW & DISCUSSION

THE LOST ART OF THE SEQUEL HOOK

‘DRAGON TATTOO’ AND OTHER FEEL-BAD HOLIDAY MOVIES

25 FACTS ABOUT ‘SAY ANYTHING‘

BILL MURRAY REPORTEDLY HATES ‘GHOSTBUSTERS 3′ SCRIPT

THE 9 MOST DISAPPOINTING VIDEOGAMES OF 2011

TOP 10 SILENT COMEDIANS

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CLASSIC PICK FOR FRIDAY,  DECEMBER 23

TCM:

11:00 AM  EST: Christmas Carol, A (1938) –  In this adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve. Dir: Edwin L. Marin Cast:  Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart. BW-69 mins, TV-G, CC.

Each of the well-known “Christmas Carol” adaptations has a single element that trumps the others. The 1951 version has the startling cinematography of a true ghost story and delves deeper into Scrooge’s background. The 1984 version has George C. Scott, who plays Scrooge perfectly straight, which makes the redemption scene the most poignant. What I love most about today’s pick, MGM’s 1938 offering, is the gorgeous production design and Gene Lockhart’s marvelously sympathetic portrayal of Bob Cratchit. The spirit of Christmas is alive and glowing in each and every shot, and you feel as though you’ve been dropped into one of those porcelain villages.

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

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It’s a movie about a noble horse and the boy who loves him. Well, the boy and the girl and a few other people who love him. The horse—one Joey—is conscripted into the British cavalry and dispatched to help fight World War I. Joey has many dangerous adventures, and the picture is in fact most effective in conveying, however discreetly, the horrors of the Great War—the mustard-gassed trenches, the mounted soldiers swinging outmoded swords in the face of enemy artillery. That’s not the problem; the movie is beautifully made. The problem is the story, which is an episodic sprawl, and its dripping sentimentality, a quality that Spielberg is unsurprisingly disinclined to mitigate. 

In the 1982 book on which the film is based, the horse was the narrator, I gather. In the 2007 London stage play that was made from the book (and which has since collected a number of Tony Awards on Broadway), the story’s several horses are depicted by ingeniously designed, life-size puppets. Spielberg rightly decided that real horses would be required for the film version, and his ability to turn one of them (or several, actually) into a lead presence is remarkable.

Read the full review here.

KYLE SMITH RIPS ‘DRAGON TATTOO’

Ouch:

Once the hype dies, this movie will be best enjoyed as a drinking game. Down a shot of Absolut every time Craig whips his glasses on or off and you’ll be blitzed by the halfway point. When he can’t figure out an excuse to do that, he does bizarre things with the specs, such as leaving them dangling beneath his face like a chin strap. The poor man is under the delusion that eyewear can make anything here seem intelligent.

Here’s “John Boot” at Pajamas, who seconds that emotion:

So take the critical hosannas for Larsson’s trilogy with a grain of salt. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo could hardly be pulpier, nastier, more contrived, or more risible. Its characters — morally pure crusaders, evil fanatics — could not be less developed. The sex scenes between Blomkvist and Salander seem thrown in to give us one more chance to see Mara (who is in her twenties but has the body of a high-school sophomore) naked, not because Fincher makes us see any connection (emotional or physical) between the characters. The film is as depraved as Caligula, but at least Caligula didn’t pretend to be anything other than smut.

It doesn’t sound as though Smith or ‘Boot’ were fans of the original trilogy of films released last year, either.

Though I haven’t seen the remake, I’m a big fan of the original trilogy. And while I do agree with both that the material is pulpy, nasty, and simplistic in both its politics and in the good and evil characterizations, I don’t see those qualities as bad things. None of that bothered me because at heart “Dragon Tattoo” is a vigilante film, and the most satisfying vigilante films are nasty, pulpy, and simplistic.

I cheered every kill.

WITH 31 REVIEWS IN, SPIELBERG’S “WAR HORSE” SITS AT 71% FRESH

Even a large number of positive reviews use words like “overlong,” “corny,” and “lacking subtlety.”

In an already overcrowded field of releases this weekend, Spielberg’s “War Horse” will also be competing with Spielberg’s “Tintin,” which is doing a little better with a 75% fresh rating.

While these are respectable reviews, they’re not the kind that create a must-see phenomenon.

VIN DIESEL CONFIRMS DOUBLE ‘FAST & FURIOUS’ SEQUELS ON THE WAY

Why not? The last franchise entry, “Fast Five,” opened with a whopping $86m and then went on to gross $209m domestic and another $416m overseas.

Curious how one of 2011’s few box office bright spots is a big-budget B-film.

CONSUMERS WANT STREAMING TV SETS, NOT 3D TV SETS

The dumbness of 3D is finally coming home to roost.

Although prices of 3D television sets have dropped significantly since last year’s holiday period, sales for them have not taken off, seeming to reflect falling interest in 3D in general as the year ends. What has taken off, according to a study by Parks Associates and reported today by Home Media magazine are so-called smart TV’s — that is, television sets that can connect to the Internet to receive movies and TV shows on demand without the necessity of set top boxes. These are outselling 3D TVs by nearly two to one, according to the study.

“Interest is falling.” 3D is a gimmick that does absolutely nothing to improve the immersive experience of whatever it is you’re watching. Yes, 3D allows Hollywood to inflate ticket prices and helps to thwart piracy, but Hollywood’s problem right now is that they’re not telling compelling stories, and no added dimension will change that.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS TV SPECIALS

When will some ACLU-type or evangelical atheist file suit against the network that airs “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on the basis that broadcasting religious programming over the public airwaves violates the non-existent ban on church and state?

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

AMAZON STUDIOS ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST THREE FILMS

ORSON WELLES’ ‘CITIZEN KANE’ OSCAR SELLS FOR NEARLY $1 MILLION

HBO RENEWS ‘ENLIGHTENED’; CANCELS ‘BORED TO DEATH,’ ‘HUNG,’ AND ‘HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA‘

NEW TRAILER FOR NAVY SEAL FILM ‘ACT OF VALOR‘

11 THINGS THE ‘HOMELAND’ FINALE DID WELL AND 4 THINGS THAT MAKE US NERVOUS

THE 15 BEST EPISODES OF TELEVISION IN 2011

10 SCI-FI SHOWS THAT COULD BECOME HIT MOVIES

TERRY GILLIAM’S 10 LESSONS FOR DIRECTORS

INFOGRAPHIC: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT 3D

A LOOK AT MOVIES WHERE THE DIRECTOR WAS FIRED MID-PRODUCTION

50 MOVIES THAT ARE BETTER THAN THE BOOK

INSIDE THE GENRE KNOWN AS ‘THE HALLMARK ORIGINAL MOVIE’

OLD SCHOOL EFFECTS: RECREATING PEARL HARBOR FOR ‘TORA! TORA! TORA!‘

THE 7 STUPIDEST ATTEMPTS TO REINVENT BATMAN

WATCH ‘PULP FICTION’ RE-EDITED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

CELEBRATING 45 YEARS OF ‘HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS‘

25 FACTS ABOUT ‘HAROLD AND MAUDE‘

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CLASSIC PICK FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22

TCM:

11:15 AM EST:  Strangers On A Train (1951) –  A man’s joking suggestion that he and a chance acquaintance trade murders turns deadly. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast:  Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker. BW-101 mins, TV-PG, CC.

No explanation should be necessary.

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

‘L.A. TIMES’ TO INSTITUTE PAYWALL IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2012

No one reads this rag now, but now by not reading we’ll save money. Nice.

PODCAST WITH ‘RISE OF THE APES’ SCREENWRITERS

The married screenwriting team of Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver talk about the five-year experience of making the film, from the germ of the idea straight through to production, and how they got started in Hollywood. No overnight successes in screenwriting. They also co-wrote “Eye for an Eye” and “The Relic,” two underrated favorites of mine.

Budding screenwriters should definitely give this a listen.

SIX ‘BASED ON A TRUE STORY’ FILMS WITH UNPLEASANT EPILOGUES

If we learned anything from How Stella Got Her Groove Back it’s that a 20-year-old is capable of having a mature and fulfilling relationship that’s not based on sex. This is still technically true for the real-life Stella, author Terry McMillan, who wrote the book on which the movie is based. See, her real-life Jamaican lover based their relationship not on sex, but on a love of getting the fuck out of Jamaica by any means possible, even if that meant faking interest in an American tourist twice his age. … But that fact alone isn’t why the couple is separating — as it turns out, Jonathan Plumber, the real-life Winston Shakespeare, is actually gay[.]

[…]

When Hinkley’s residents contacted Erin [Brockovich] about their concerns (“concerns” is a term that here means “money for our cancer bills”), they found that their one-time advocate was now unreachable. Once they finally received the money, they noticed that it was far less than they expected. That’s because the law firm, wanting more than the agreed-upon 40 percent of the settlement ($133 million), took an extra $10 million for “expenses.”

SPIELBERG OBVIOUSLY FEELING BURNED OVER ‘INDY 4′

Spielberg should be embarrassed:

Steven Spielberg won’t make a fifth ‘Indiana Jones’ movie to “prove any point”.

The filmmaker – who has directed all four of the previous installments in the franchise – does know many people did not enjoy the last movie ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’, but would not work on further films just so he could win them round.

He told MTV News: “I would not make a fifth movie to prove any point. If we get a good story, I’ll make it. If George Lucas doesn’t think we should make any more, I’ll listen to him.

“I think audiences think we’re two for two. They love ‘Raiders’. They love ‘Last Crusade’. They don’t love as much ‘Temple of Doom’ or ‘Crystal Skull’.

“Temple of Doom” is fine, imperfect but very much saved by a truly magnificent third act.

“Crystal Skull” is excrement.

DENZEL WASHINGTON IN TALKS TO PLAY ‘THE EQUALIZER‘

Now that Paul Haggis is out, this is a great idea.

‘SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS’ REVIEW

A Game of Shadows is pure period action drama with a delicious camp twist (cross-dressing aside) that demonstrates Downey Jr has made Holmes as much a part of his nature, as Captain Jack Sparrow is to Depp’s. This alone will keep fans more than occupied throughout Ritchie’s second sleuthing romp – inflated run-time aside.

MATT DAMON TRASHES DIRECTOR OF NEW DAMON-LESS ‘BOURNE’ FILM

Bitter much?

In short, [Damon] was not a fan of the ['Bourne Ultimatum'] script. And in addition to calling out Tony Gilroy, he blames Universal for giving the screenwriter a sweetheart deal that only required one draft from him.

“It’s really the studio’s fault for putting themselves in that position,” Damon tells GQ. “I don’t blame Tony for taking a boatload of money and handing in what he handed in. It’s just that it was unreadable. This is a career-ender. I mean, I could put this thing up on eBay and it would be game over for that dude. It’s terrible. It’s really embarrassing. He was having a go, basically, and he took his money and left.”

“If I didn’t respect him and appreciate his talent, then I really wouldn’t have cared,” Damon said, referring to Gilroy. “My feelings were hurt. That’s all. And that’s exactly why I shouldn’t have said anything. This is between me and him. So saying anything publicly is f—ing stupid and unprofessional and just kind of douchey of me.

Damon? Douchey? Go on.

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

Starting Over (1979): This is a reminder of just how talented an actor Burt Reynolds is. A wonderful film, an intelligent adult romance (written by James L. Brooks) made for adults with a number of memorable scenes and more than a few big laughs that aren’t in any way contrived or cheap.

Reynolds intentionally and effectively underplays the role of Phil Potter, a hapless newly single man who can’t get over his unfaithful ex-wife (Candice Bergen), even though he knows the new woman in his life (Jill Clayburgh) is much better for him. Bergen is young and sexy and holds the key to Potter’s self-confidence. Clayburgh is average-looking, not-so-young, but faithful, intelligent, and caring.

Candice Bergen (playing it perfectly straight) singing those awful songs and Jill Clayburgh standing out in the freezing cold screaming, “I’m not a one-nighter!” (until her nose literally starts to drip) are stand out moments for both actresses who would end up with Oscar nominations.

Reynolds is the one who most deserving of a nomination, though. Two years after “Smokey and the Bandit,” Reynolds completely disappears into this role and garners huge laughs and enormous sympathy with nothing more than a look. The best scenes involve Potter’s support group for divorced men.  It’s a nice subplot with a touching, bittersweet ending.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

BLU-RAY PLAYER $69.99

TRAILER FOR ‘ROCK OF AGES‘

VINTAGE MOVIE MARQUEES: ‘THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK’ (1980)

TRAILER FOR NICHOLAS SPARKS ADAPTATION ‘THE LUCKY ONE‘

CINEMA TRENDS OF 2011: ESCAPISM, INVASION, SEQUELS AND RESENTMENT

‘RIDDICK 3′ CONCEPT ART REVEALS THE JACKAL

THE 10 BEST MOVIE SONGS OF 2011

POSTER FOR ‘GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE‘

FIRST OFFICIAL PHOTOS FROM ‘THE GREAT GATSBY‘

FATTY ARBUCKLE AND THE DEATH OF VIRGINIA RAPPE

ALEX PROYAS’ ‘PARADISE LOST’ DELAYED DUE TO BUDGET ISSUES

‘JERRY MAGUIRE’ STARS 15 YEARS LATER

DIRECTOR ELI ROTH AND NETFLIX TEAM UP FOR ORIGINAL HORROR SERIES

DISH MAY LAUNCH NETFLIX-LIKE STREAMING SERVICE

GREAT BUT FORGOTTEN: A BLOG DEDICATED TO MOVIES, BOOKS, ETC. THAT DESERVE TO BE LESS OBSCURE

THE 10 WORST THINGS HANNA-BARBERA EVER MADE

2011′S MOST BEAUTIFUL CELEBS

TOP 10 MAN’S LIFE MAGAZINE COVERS

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ‘MACGYVER’ SKILLS?

NEW ‘GHOST RIDER 2′ POSTER & EARLY REACTIONS

20 FACTS ABOUT ‘ABOUT A BOY‘

A LOOK BACK AT ‘DAMNATION ALLEY‘

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF ‘I LOVE LUCY‘

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CLASSIC PICK FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15

TCM:

8:00 PM  EST: Life With Father (1947) –  A straitlaced turn-of-the-century father presides over a family of boys and the mother who really rules the roost. Dir: Michael Curtiz Cast:  William Powell, Irene Dunne, Elizabeth Taylor. C-118 mins, TV-G, CC.

TCM is loaded for bear with tomorrow’s schedule, but with a number of titles I’ve previously recommended. Regardless, this would still be my pick, a gentle, funny, and warm family story that I once watched three times in a single day. If you want to be transported to a simpler time and gentler place, movies don’t do it much better than this.

Another perfect offering for the kids. Beware, though, a young Elizabeth Taylor will surely steal your adolescent son’s heart and possibly ruin him for life in the process. Who could possibly compare?

Unfortunately, this is another one of those public domain titles where a decent DVD print seems impossible to find. Hopefully, someday, someone will do something about that.

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

WHOA: SPIELBERG RIPS ‘CRYSTAL SKULL’

Is it just me or did Empire bury the lead here:

And Crystal Skull? “I’m very happy with the movie. I always have been… I sympathise with people who didn’t like the MacGuffin because I never liked the MacGuffin. George and I had big arguments about the MacGuffin. I didn’t want these things to be either aliens or inter-dimensional beings. But I am loyal to my best friend.["]

Gawd that movie blew.

The good news is that Lucas is working on ‘Indy 5,’ so maybe ‘Indy 4′ won’t be the worst of the franchise.

Don’t tell me I’m not a glass half-full kinda guy.

APPLE EFFORT TO DEVELOP TV IS SAID TO BE LED BY ITUNES CREATOR JEFF ROBBIN

I understand Apple has a device now that allows you to watch iTunes video on your television, but there’s no way I’m going to start buying one device per provider. What a pain that would be. As of right now, if it isn’t available through my Blu-ray player there’s no sale. Apple’s apparently cooking up something that will allow you to interface with more than just Apple, including Netflix, but I’m still not interested. My universal remote is ready to explode as is.

No more devices. No more wires. No more remotes. No more purchases until this is settled once and for all between all platforms.

More here: Platform Wars: Internet Video Vs. TV

GOOD NEWS FOR THE OSCARS: EDDIE MURPHY SAYS HE ISN’T DOING “ANY OF THOSE CRAZY DANCE NUMBERS”

I’m expecting great things from Murphy. His dislike of Hollywood isn’t a pose and neither is his “give a shit” attitude.

This could be the best Oscar telecast since Billy Crystal last hosted. Not a high bar, I know, but for the first time in years, I’ll be tuning in for reasons that aren’t solely work-related.

GLENN CLOSE TO BE HONORED BY PALM SPRINGS FEST

Imagine how much better movies would be if Glenn Close was given all those roles the truly awful Meryl Streep receives.

Close can act. Streep cannot.

HEARTBREAKING: NETFLIX’S FALL FROM GRACE BOOSTS PAY TV NETWORKS

If true, this is a bummer. The death of cable television needs to happen. I’m tired of the MSNBCs and all the other lousy networks of the world being propped up by these immoral cable plans where if you want Turner Classic Movies you have to pay for Bravo or some such junk.

The sooner cable television is a relic of the past, the sooner the monopolistic grip Hollywood has on what we watch will end.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINK-TACULAR

STARS ALIGN FOR STONE ROSES AND BEATLES MOVIES

BRIAN GRAZER: STEPHEN KING’S DARK TOWER HEADED TO HBO

20 FILMS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW ARE GETTING REMADE

DOES ‘DONNIE DARKO’ HOLD UP AFTER A DECADE?

GRACE OF MONACO FILM CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT

SONS OF ANARCHY SHOWRUNNER BLASTS DIRECTV FOR THREATENING FOX CHANNELS

STARZ ORDERS LEONARDO DA VINCI SERIES FROM DARK KNIGHT WRITER DAVID GOYER

TEASER POSTER FOR ‘PARANORMAN,’ FROM THE CREATORS OF CORALINE

RELEASE DATE ALREADY SET FOR IN-DEVELOPMENT ENDER’S GAME: MARCH 15, 2013

STEVEN SPIELBERG OFFERS JOB TO CREATOR OF FAN-MADE TINTIN CREDITS

WATCH THE ENGLISH-DUBBED TRAILER FOR STUDIO GHIBLI’S THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY

THE SUPER-HOT WOMEN OF OLD WESTERNS

A LOOK BACK AT PARAMOUNT’S UNPRODUCED STARFLEET ACADEMY FILM

20 FACTS ABOUT THE PRINCESS BRIDE

R.I.P. TV COMPOSER PETE RUGOLO; WROTE THEMES FOR THE FUGITIVE AND RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

STALLONE SUED, ACCUSED OF STEALING ‘EXPENDABLES’

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEVIN KLINE

EDDIE MURPHY WANTS TO DEVELOP BEVERLY HILLS COP TV SERIES

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

I’ve forgotten completely and my wife’s not here to remind me, so I don’t know what to tell you besides the fact that these blackouts are starting to worry me.

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CLASSIC PICK FOR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27

TCM:

8:00 PM EST:  Fiddler on the Roof (1971)  — In Russia before the revolution, a Jewish milkman tries to marry off his daughters who have plans of their own. Dir: Norman Jewison Cast:  Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey. C-181 mins, TV-G, CC, Letterbox Format

Let me send you over to a recent review of mine and assure you my mind hasn’t changed since then.

Coming Soon tells us “Gods and Kings” is a “whole new take” on the story of Moses in relation to “The Ten Commandments.”

 Deadline adds: 

Gods and Kings covers the life of Moses from birth to death. In between, there is his awakening to the plight of the Hebrew slaves that led Moses’ struggle against the Pharaoh for their freedom out of Egypt; the Ten Plagues; the Burning Bush; the daring escape across the Red Sea; receiving the Ten Commandments, and delivery to Israel. The film is not a remake of the 1956 Cecile B. DeMille-directed The Ten Commandments, which covered similar ground. Gods and Kings is based on the Book of Exodus and other stories from the Old Testament[.]

I’m torn.

After “Munich,” I hate to think what Spielberg would do with this. Do we really want to see moral equivalency in the story of Moses, where his actions to free the Hebrew slaves are somehow blamed for 9/11? After all, if Moses hadn’t freed the Jews there would be no Israel and if there was no Israel there would be no angry Islamic terrorists…

See how that can work?

In all seriousness, DeMille’s “Ten Commandments” still broadcasts on television every year and remains a vivid part of our culture. So where’s the urgency to try again? Also, Spielberg’s last foray into retelling this story through his company Dreamworks with the animated feature “The Prince of Egypt” didn’t fare all that well.

It’s quite easy to look at DeMille’s masterpiece and believe that if you remove some of the melodrama you can do better, but look again. There’s a reason it remains wildly popular. The storytelling is unquestionably brilliant. Over almost four hours, the narrative flows from scene to scene with a genius simplicity that completely sucks you in. That’s a quality almost impossible to reproduce.

Furthermore, who in the world could possibly play Moses? Look around, there are no Charlton Hestons. Even though he was in his early thirties, Heston had all the qualities necessary to create an iconic performance: the voice, the presence, the acting chops to pull off some very difficult dialogue, and The Belief. As a Christian, Heston brought something to the role no non-believer could; a conviction and sincerity.

Then there’s all the CGI. Yuck. Will it be in 3D?

On the other hand, the idea of covering more of the Moses story is a good one and we should probably encourage Hollywood whenever they show any kind of energy towards anything having to do with the Bible. As long as they show respect. Moses having adulterous fantasies we can do without. Which means Spielberg is a better choice than Scorsese.