I couldn't get through a hundred pages of the book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I enjoyed the hell out of the movie. I actually have high hopes for the American re-make (purely because of Fincher), but seriously wonder whether the darkness of the Swedish version will be preserved. I mean, are American audiences ready to see a woman rape her rapist with a blue dildo? I'm a sucker for cop films (and Richard Gere), so I'm probably over-rating Brooklyn's Finest. Still, it's definitely worth at least your rental dollars. I admired A Single Man more than I actually enjoyed it. Tom Ford is clearly an accomplished visual stylist, but the film felt slightly cold and austere. I wanted to love it, but I only liked it. Whenever I can talk about Battlestar Galatica, I will talk about Battlestar Galactica. So...Battlestar Galactica! more ›

Despite a mediocre critical reception, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland demolished Avatar's opening weekend record for a 3-D film by taking in a mammoth $116.3M at the box office. Fellow newcomer Brooklyn's Finest was a very distant second with $13.5M, just edging previous stalwart Shutter Island ($13.3M | $95.8M). After that it was the painful Cop Out ($9.1M | $32.3M) and heavyweight Avatar ($7.7M | $720.1M). more ›

I confess to being a little confused by the enthusiasm for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland since my enjoyment of Burton's work has steadily waned over the years. For me, he peaked with Ed Wood. Despite all the lovely visual filigree that decorates his work, I find that I'm never particularly surprised by any of his films anymore. Sure, I'll see Alice in Wonderland, but that's mostly to see if Mia Wasikowska is as good an ingenue as she appears to be. What I certainly will see is Brooklyn's Finest. Despite mediocre reviews, I'm a total sucker for cop movies (Street Kings -- yes, fucking Street Kings -- has been on heavy rotation at my place lately.) It will be good to see Richard Gere back in uniform after the awesome Internal Affairs. Long overdue! more ›

The first day at the Sundance Film Festival is always a frantic rush. We arrive in Salt Lake City at the reasonable hour of noon and are on our way to Park City in our rental car within 30 minutes. Once we reach town, we decide to quickly shoot down to Main Street and grab a bite at one of my favorite restaurants in the city, Bandits Grill & Bar. The BBQ is good and, more importantly, the Wasatch beer is served in 25 oz. mugs (trust me, you need to drink that much since the alcohol content is watered-down by government fiat. more ›

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Honeycut @ MOCA more ›

Leona Lewis, a contestant on a Simon Cowell + Sharon Osbourne judged American Idol type program, who turns Cowell on so much he made out with Sharon and then dissed Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, and Carrie Underwood: Across this show, across Idol, across all the other shows. Let's be honest: all the girl singers haven't been very good, until now! You are absolutely the best contestant I have ever had across any of these shows.... more ›