Oh, Those Jersey Ladies!
The Real Housewives of New Jersey: Season One makes its debut this month in a collectable three DVD set. An almost instant hit on Bravo, averaging 2.5 million viewers per episode, this reality drama of lavish lifestyles, friendships and family has plenty of big hair, big secrets and big drama.

Suppose you suddenly fall down a rabbit hole and find $116 million the first weekend you’re there! That’s exactly what happens to director Tim Burton when “his Alice” premiered. You don’t need any special potions or cakes to fit into this marvelous visual experience, everyone is just the right size.

Take care before you hire a ghost writer to write your memoirs. There’s always the possibility that an ugly skeleton or two might unexpectedly pop out of your closet.

To make that point, acclaimed fiilmmaker Danny Schechter’s latest documentary Plunder: The Crime of Our Time examines the current U.S. economic crisis and looks for criminal roots. We’ll just have to wait until the video is released to home video on April 6 to catch his take on this global crisis that almost brought down [...]

The FWA has just launched a new site.  In the list of features there is a nicely organized editorial section along with the ability to vote on submitted sites. Check it out.

The Informant!
Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) is a real person and one of the most notorious corporate whistle-blowers in U. S. history. His story is detailed in Kurt Eichenwald’s 2000 book, “The Informant” and is dramatized in this 2009 film of the same title.

IMDB
U. S. Marshal Ted Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is working a missing persons case with his new partner (Mark Ruffalo) in a very unlikely place, Ashecliffe Hospital, a remote asylum for the criminally insane. Situated on rocky  Shutter Island with only one point of access, an inmate is missing and escape seems impossible.

Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) returns to his family estate, Blackmoor, located in rural England to help search for his missing brother, Ben (Simon Merrells). After an uncomfortable reunion with his estranged father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins), he learns that his brother’s remains have been found and that his death was the result of [...]

Director Lasse Hallstrom will either have you crying or moaning within the first half-hour. Fans of romance author Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook) will be in their element as one romantic coincidence after another morphs into a love fest. The rest of us will be eyeing the Exit signs with longing anticipation.

Alan Rickman will not only be the voice of the hookah-smoking caterpillar in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, but he bears a strong resemblance to the insect as well. 

After a seven year respite from leading roles (Signs), Mel Gibson is back, and I mean really back. Not since Ransom (“Give me back my son.”) have we seen that nothing-to-lose look in those intense, blue eyes. Edge of Darkness gives that inner parent in Mel another reason to rear its savage side.

When tough hockey pro Derek Thompson (Dwayne Johnson) gains a reputation for knocking out his opponents’ teeth, Tracy (Stephen Merchant) and Lily (Julie Andrews), two concerned fairies, decide to teach him a “permanent” lesson.

Proving that titles are not always 100% descriptive, this drama from CBS Films is not extraordinary, but actually quite ordinary in its scope and delivery.

The Hurt Locker (R) (2009) Not your typical war drama, but since Iraq is not your typical war, the story fits well. The concept of “enemy” is a blur in the war-torn country where U. S. servicemen struggle to stay alive amidst the constant treat of IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) and unseen enemies. It follows [...]

The year is 2043 and it looks like “It” has happened again. An unnamed, cataclysmic event has transformed the world as we presently know it into a drab trash heap, sparsely populated by grimy villains and a lone traveler, named Eli (Denzel Washington), who is steadily heading west. 

If the threat of H1N1 isn’t scary enough, Hollywood wants us to ponder a pandemic virus that is capable of transforming the world’s population into vampires.

“Elementary, My Dear Watson,” seems to sum up the depth of thought attributed to this 21st century adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s titular character. Once thought of as the poster child for deductive reasoning, Robert Downey Jr.’s interpretation of Sherlock Holmes is quite stylized, leaning away from pure logic and bordering on gadgetry.

Ask any five-year-old what their favorite board game is and chances are it’s Candyland. Sixty years have passed since the game was introduced and to commemorate the occasion, San Francisco’s Lombard Street was transformed into a giant version of Candyland.  For a few days, the city’s most crooked street became the world’s largest board game.

This character driven, quirky coming-of-age comedy is adapted from C. D. Payne’s set of novels about teen angst, written as the journal of the central character, Nick Twisp. The transition from the printed page to the big screen is exceedingly smooth thanks to the talent-laden cast including Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Jean Smart, Zack Galifianakis, [...]

Director/ writer Jason Reitman (Juno; Thank You for Smoking) hits the nail on the head with this recession-timely story of corporate downsizing. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a modern-day “hatchet man,” a corporate rep that goes from business to business doing the dirty work of terminating employees.

Great website with an intro which is well worth watching.  Check it out.

It’s been awhile since a star-studded musical danced across the big screen, so director/ choreographer Rob Marshall (Chicago) decided to treat us to a spectacular show to wind up 2009 with a bang. 

The film’s opening is more than four months away, but Iron Man 2 information is rapidly finding its way to the Internet.

Straight from the director, Chris Weitz, here is some inside information for Twilight: New Moon fans.

Inglorious Basterds (R) (2009) (DVD) Now available for home viewing, this film of sweet revenge may well be a contender on the 2009 awards circuit. Director Quentin Tarantino grabs his audience in the opening “French farmhouse” scene and does not let go for two and a half hours. Plots and sub plots all centering on [...]

Director Clint Eastwood brings the story of one of Nelson Mandella’s (Morgan Freeman) first, and most novel, triumphs toward uniting the people of South Africa to the big screen.

Hillarious video by Jibjab. CHECK OUT MORE HERE

Great layout and execution by Blue Cadet Interactive. CHECK IT OUT

Great Flash site displaying a combination of design, motion and programming.  CHECK IT OUT

Director John Hillcoat manages to paint a grim picture of life after the world undergoes an unexplained, apocalyptic disaster. He creates the mood and the scenery using basically one Crayon, gray. There is no brightness, no glimmer of hope, only the most basic survival maneuvers.

You’d love to chip in, but you’re not carring any cash. This year, the Salvation Army has the  perfect solution. Just hand the bell-ringer your credit or debit card and he’ll swipe in your generous donation and hand you a receipt.

Long time friends John Travolta and Robin Williams play well off each other and appear to be having a great time filming Old Dogs. Slapstick routines run rampant and if a gag  gets a laugh, expect to see it repeated at least three more times.

Surprise those on your gift list by disguising your presents in Decoy Gift Boxes from The Onion.  The price is right (four for $23) and the reactions are, you guessed it, priceless. For example real-looking fake items like a USB-powered toaster will mislead even savvy recipients. Go ahead, spoil someone’s expectations,  if only for a few minutes.