NYC for Equus

I went this past week into NYC with my friend Carl to see Equus staring Daniel Radcliffe. We had a pretty awesome time, apart from a incident with a cup of coffee. We met the stars from a few plays and met Will Smith and of Montreal at Letterman.

Golden Globe Nominations

The nominees for the 66th annual Golden Globes were announced today. The winners will be announced on January 11.

Here is a list of the nominees:

Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The ReaderRevolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Actor Motion Picture - Drama
Leonardo Dicaprio - Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Actress Motion Picture - Drama
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changling
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kristen Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long
Kate Winslett - Revolutionary Road

Best Actor Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Javier Bardem - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrell - In Bruges
James Franco - Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman - Last Chance Harvey

Best Actress Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand - Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep - Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson - Last Chance Harvey

Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes - The Duchess
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Best Director - Motion Picture
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes - Revolutionary Road

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Song
Bolt
Cadillac Records
Gran torino
Wall-E
The Wrestler

Best Original Score
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Animated Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Best Television Series - Drama

Dexter
House M.D.
In Treatment
Mad Men
True Blood

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Californication
Entourage
The Office
30 Rock
Weeds

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Bernard and Doris
Cranford
John Adams
A Raisin in the Sun
Recount

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ralph Fiennes - Bernard and Doris
Paul Giamatti - John Adams
Kevin Spacey - Recount
Kiefer Sutherland - 24: Redemption
Tom Wilkinson - Recount

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Judi Dench - Cranford
Catherine Keener - An American Crime
Laura Linney - John Adams
Shirley MacLaine - Coco Chanel
Susan Sarandon - Bernard and Doris

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Steve Carell - The Office
Kevin Connolly - Entourage
David Duchovny - Californication
Tony Shalhoub - Monk

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Christina Applegate - Samantha Who?
America Ferrera - Ugly Betty
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Debra Messing - The Starter Wife
Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Gabriel Byrne - In Treatment
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Jon Hamm - Mad Med
Hugh Laurie - House M.D.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers - The Tudors

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Sally Field - Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay - Law and Order: SVU
January Jones - Mad Men
Anna Paquin - True Blood
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Neil Patrick Harris - How I Met Your Mother
Denis Leary - Recount
Jeremy Piven - Entourage
Blair Underwood - In Treatment
Tom Wilkinson - John Adams

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Eileen Atikins - Cranford
Laura Dern - Recount
Melissa George - In Treatment
Rachel Griffiths - Brothers & Sisters
Dianne Wiest - In Treatment

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Twilight

Twilight is one of the movies that both fans of the book and newcomers to the series can enjoy. In the film Bella (Kristen Stewart) moves from Phoenix Arizona, to the small town of Forks, Washington. At her local high school, Bella fits right in, making friends and even getting the attention of some of the boys. She immediately notices Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and his family. The entire family is eerily white and all of them are beautiful, with golden eyes that seem to change color. Her first encounter with Edward does not go well, he looks at her as if he hates her. However, that is not the case, instead it is that she is so appealing to him, that he wants to drink her blood, because he is a vampire.  Although he fights his temptation, even telling her to stay away from him because he is dangerous, he realizes that he is in love with her and those feelings are mutual. There are however darker forces at work, including bad vampires, who unlike the Cullens, who hunt animals to quench there bloodlust, hunt humans, killing a few of the local townspeople. She not only has to deal with them but, the local Indian tribe as well. The indians are descendants of the wolf, and are enemies of the vampires and while the youngest child Jacob (Tyler Lautner) seems to like Bella his father seems to be keeping a watchful eye on her. 

This film was very enjoyable, there were a few laughs, some inside jokes for fans of the books, and some excellent action scenes. The end of the film while resolving the main storyline, hints at what is to come in future installments. I look forward to the sequel to this film, and hopefully film adaptations for the rest of the series.

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Secret Invasion 7

In Secret Invasion #7 all hell breaks loose in NYC and the battle between the skrulls and heroes is in full swing. This issue had some really standout moments, and one of them involved one of my favorite characters, but I'll get to that later. The action starts out right on the first page of the issue, which is a two-page spread, featuring the beginnings of the battle. Newsarama has a page by page description of entire issue here. 

One of the standout moments was the arrival of Marvel Boy, who in the name of Captain Mar-Vell and the Kree Empire declares that this fight is over. This serves as almost a second battle call and the Avengers once again charge the skrulls while Thor yells "have at thee." Another interesting moment is when Jessica Jones realizes that Luke was right all along, and decided to join in the battle as Jewel. She leave the baby with Skrull Jarvis, thinking that Danielle will be safe with him. However at the end of the issue he reverts to his true form and tells that baby that the heroes have to submit to the skrulls will. 

Lastly, during the battle, Young Avenger Hawkeye gets hurt and drops her bow and arrow, while the vision, also of the Young Avengers takes her out of the battle. Clint Barton , the former Hawkeye and current Ronin, picks up his old bow and arrows and starts killing skrulls immediately. He hits three in the head immediately. Clint then takes aim at the Skrull Queen and hits her with an arrow right through her face. With this Skrullowjacket realizes that it is time for their end game. Skrullowjacket had given the Wasp a new growth formula which causes her to grow very large and start to glow. At this the major heroes begin to react in pain.

For me the best part of issue was Clint Barton becoming Hawkeye again. There has been a lot of Clint Barton through this series, and he has had to deal with a lot. Prior to this in New Avengers it seemed as though he was starting a relationship with Echo. However while he was in the savage land he ran into Mockingbird and believed her to be his actual wife. However when it was revealed that she was a skrull it broke Clint's heart and he declared that this wouldn't end until every last skrull was dead.  Clint has had to deal with a lot these past few years, and with the Fake Mockingbird, he had a lot of built up anger, and he certainly took it out on the skrulls. Clint is one of my favorite characters and it good to see him with his bow and arrows. 

Baltimore Comic-con

Baltimore Comic-con
Originally uploaded by franquiz02

Well this past Saturday I took a trip down to Baltimore, with my friend John for Baltimore Comic-con. I had a really great time at the convention, and I even got to meet Jim Lee while I was there. I started out the day by going to the DC Nation panel. Dan Didio moderated the panel and panelists included Geoff Johns, Jimmy Palmiotti, Sean McKeever, James Robinson, and Sterling Gates. The panel started out by highlighting DC's current lineup and a preview of what's coming up next. There was a lot of talk about Final Crisis and Batman R.I.P.  as well as Superman and how October was going to be an important month for the Man of Steel. The panel was interesting and I always enjoy the DC panels because they seem to be very fan friendly. Geoff Johns was probably the best part of the panel, because we got to hear about some of the upcoming things that he has going on, and his answers to questions were very funny. A lot of the questions that people asked were about characters that had been killed off or hadn't been seen in a while and Johns kept saying that they were black lanterns. 

After the DC Panel was the Marvel A Cup of B Panel, which was moderated by Brian Bendis and included Dan Slott, Tom Brevoort and C.B. Cebulski. There was some announcements made at the beginning of the panel, including that Dan Slott will be writing Mighty Avengers starting with issue #21 and that he will no longer be writing for Avengers: The Initiative (which will only be written by Chris Gage). Instead of writing Mighty Avengers, Bendis will be writing Dark Avengers. He will also be teaming up with Alex Maleev to write Spider-Woman: Agent of SWORD which will debut in March of 2009 (Maleev and Bendis previously worked on Daredevil together). After the announcements the audience asked questions but there was nothing revealed about upcoming issues of Secret Invasion. A funny part of the panel was that there was a women signing in the front of the room for the hearing impaired and whenever Bendis would curse he would stop the panel to see how she signed the curses and he was paying a lot of attention to the woman signing. Also one of the audience members had made a jacket out of Mighty and New Avengers tie-ins, which he felt were filler issues, so that kept being brought up through out the panel.

After the panel I was finally able to make it to the convention floor. I got some good back issues that I was looking for, and I was able to get some things signed by Geoff Johns, JG Jones, Jim Lee and Dan Slott. I liked how the floor was set up, and how every artist and writer had their own table that they spent most of the day at, it made it a lot easier to get things signed and chat with the writers and artists a bit more.

Secret Invasion 6

Secret Invasion has been very good so far, but this issue is where things really picked up. The Avengers in the Savage Land, along with Reed Richards (Whom discovered a way to detect skrulls) and Agent Brand finally make it to NYC to battle the Skrulls. They are joined by Nick Fury and his new Howling Commandoes, the Young Avengers, The Initiative,  Thunderbolts and The Hood's Syndicate of Criminals. Thor and Captain America also arrive in NYC, and they both have words as to who the other one is, when they meet. 

With the group of heroes facing the Skrulls, Spider-Woman aka Queen Veranke tells them that the Skrulls are here to save them and that "He Loves you" Spider-Man asks who "He" is and the Queen replies, "God". Nick Fury then delivers the best line of the issue, "Yeah, well my God has a Hammer" and following this Iron Man yells Avengers Assemble. The comic ends with two back to back double splash pages. Reading this issue makes the wait for the next one seem like a year. This was an excellent comic and with the next issue being the battle, it will be interesting to see what happens to our favorite heroes. Issue #7 the penultimate issue of the series will be available on October 22 at your local comic book shop, or wherever you buy your comics.

RocknRolla

The trailer to Guy Rithchie's latest film was released last week. The film stars Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges,  and Gemma Arterton. The trailer is amazing and if that is any indication of what the film is going to be like, then I am excited. 

According to apple the film is about:

“RocknRolla,” a story of sex, thugs and rock ‘n roll. The film takes a dangerous ride into high crime and low life in contemporary London, where real estate has supplanted drugs as the biggest market, and criminals are its most enthusiastic entrepreneurs. With millions up for grabs, all of London’s criminal underworld conspires, colludes and collides with one another in an effort to take their cut. But as high rollers and petty criminals alike jockey for dominance, the true prize of one multi-million-dollar deal will fall into the hands of a junkie rock star, presumed dead but very much alive.

You can see the trailer here and you can find more information about the film here.

San Diego Comic-Con Pictures

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

So far I have watched the first two episodes of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and all I can say is that it is amazing. I have been a fan of Joss Whedon for a while, I always watched Buffy and Angel and became a fan of Firefly and Serenity. I also love his comic work, especially Astonishing X-Men. 

The web series stars Neil Patrick Harris as Billy aka Doctor Horrible, who is a villain who is like a mad scientist. Nathan Fillion plays Captain Hammer who is a super hero and Doctor Horribles arch-nemesis. Rounding out the cast is Felicia Day who is Doctor Horrible's love interest and a volunteer at a homeless shelter. 

The first two episodes of the show are already posted at: http://drhorrible.com/ and the next episode will be available Saturday July 19. Also the episode are available for download from iTunes.

In other Joss Whedon news, he will be on hand at San Diego Comic-con doing panels for Doctor Horrible and Dollhouse. Here are his panels and viewings straight from the Comic-con website:

• Friday July 25 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Joss Whedon— Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and the writers and cast of his new short film, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, will show never-before-seen clips while Joss also discusses Buffy Season Eight, the Fray crossover, and the upcoming Serenity comic focusing on Shepherd Book. Ballroom 20
• Friday July 25 from 10:45 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog— The story of a low-rent supervillain (Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible), the hero who keeps beating him up (Nathan Fillion as Captain Hammer), and the cute girl from the laundromat he's too shy to talk to (Felicia Day as Penny). This musical in three parts, created for the Internet and written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Zack Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, premieres in its entirety on the big screen at Comic-Con. Room 6B
  
• Saturday July 26 from 1 - 2 p.m.Dollhouse— When news broke that Joss Whedon was returning to television with a vehicle for “Buffy” alum Eliza Dushku, legions of fans around the world rejoiced. Although most will have to wait until January to learn more about the exciting new project, Comic-Con fans will hear it straight from Joss and Eliza in person! Ballroom 20
  

Comic-Con Schedule

Well just a quick announcement that the schedule for Comic-Con is up and it is awesome. There are so many amazing panels, ranging from films, to tv to comics, and websites. The convention should be amazing, so if you're going have fun...I know I will.

*Update: The Autograph schedule is now up as well.

**Update: The convention is officially sold out. I hope you have your tickets if you wanted to go.

Wall●E

Pixar has done it again, Wall●E was everything that I expected it to be and more. The film is about a waste collecting robot, whose only companion on earth is a cockroach. Wall●E does his job of collecting garbage and compacting it, but he often looks for treasures and his favorite is an old romantic/musical film called Hello, Dolly! that teaches Wall●E about love and companionship. Wall●E then meets Eve another robot (albeit a more hi-tech one) who comes to earth looking for samples. After meeting Eve he decides to follow her back into space, and that is where the adventure of his lifetime beings. 

The film does not have a lot a dialogue, but it is still heartwarming and funny. The audience can't help but fall in love with the characters and really get into their story. Voice talents in the film, include, Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver and Fred Willard (who is also shown in the film). This movie is great for children of all ages....including adults.

Wanted

This summer seems to be the season for films based on Comic books. So far Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk have been released, and now there is Wanted. Wanted is based on the comic by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones. The film is about an average guy named Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) who has a job that he hates, a girlfriend that cheats on him, fake friends and a horrible boss. After being targeted by a mysterious assassin and saved by a beautiful women named Fox (Angelina Jolie), Wesley is introduced into a world of deadly assassins known as the Fraternity, who are led by Sloan, (Morgan Freeman) and Wesley is taught how to become one. 

The film was a lot different then the comic book (which I am a fan of) but there were also several plot elements from the book incorporated into the film. Mark and J.G. were even Executive Producers so it seems that they were somewhat involved in the film. At the J.G. Jones panel at Wizard World Philly, he even mentioned that t

hey were treating them very well. Its good to see the creators involved in the film adaptations (Maybe Alan Moore would like the films based on his books better, if he had more say). The film was directed by Timur Bekmambetov and it was a really well made action film. It had a great story, had some amazing scenes and special effects. 

Also surprising is how awesome McAvoy is as an action star. He was a great choice for Wesley. The film itself had an awesome cast, other cast members included, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, David O'Hara, and Chris Pratt. 

I would recommend this film to fans of the comic and people who haven't read them. It is definitely worth seeing.

Upcoming Comic Films

So it seems that every week a new film based on a comic book or a superhero is coming out. The biggest pictures of the summer are based on comics: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Wanted, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and The Dark Knight. Also this summer Hancock is coming out, which is about a superhero, or a person with super powers.

After the success of Iron Man, Marvel announced their upcoming film projects, which include: Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers. Marvel seems to be everywhere right now, and consider they are behind my favorite comics, I am very pleased.

 MTV got the poster below, with the logo designs for the films.

In order news, there have been some posters released for the upcoming Spirit film (set for release at Christmas 2008). The film is based on the comic by Will Eisner, about a rookie cop who returns from the dead to fight against the evil forces in the city. The film stars Gabriel Macht, Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jamie King and is directed by Frank Miller (Sin City). 

Robert Downey Jr.

It seems right now Robert Downey Jr. is one of the biggest stars on the planet. He seems to be everywhere. A lot of that has to do with Iron Man being such a hit. But he also has Tropic Thunder coming up in August (which I think has the potential to be hilarious). 

So if you decided to go to the cinema and you feel like you need a bit more Robert Downey Jr. or Tony Stark or Iron Man then check out The Incredible Hulk. Here is a teaser where we get a glimpse of Tony. For more Hulk clips and trailers, click here.

Robert has also been attached to some upcoming films, including Sherlock Holmes (By Guy Ritchie) and Cowboys vs. Aliens (a Dreamworks/Universal film).

Also here is a video from youtube. Its the Tropic Thunder Promo from the MTV Movie Awards. Enjoy!

Movie News

• Dreamworks is looking to break away from Paramount and go back to being its own studio. Spielberg wants to have a more streamlined structure, like he had back in the Amblin days. Spielberg is getting help from Indian's Reliance ADA Group.
• The Incredible Hulk and Transporter director Louis Leterrier has picked his follow-up film to Hulk, called Strays. He is currently in talks to direct the film according to Empire Online, the film is about about a group of young consultants who, while on a business trip to Russia, mysteriously wake up in an abandoned, radioactive city. They’re then forced to struggle for survival, with a number of deadly obstacles blocking the way to freedom. The film is described as an eco action triller.

Casting news

• Sienna Miller is set to play Maid Marion in Nottingham, alongside Russell Crowe. Nottingham will be a new take on the Robin Hood legend and will be directed by Ridley Scott.
  
• Judd Aptows newest film already, Funny People has Adam Sandler, Seth Rogan, Leslie Mann, and Eric Bana. Now Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill have joined the cast. Little is known about the film, except for that it is about the world of stand-up comedy and about a comedian that has a near death experience. 
• Christopher Eccleston has joined the cast of Amelia, a biopic about Amelia Earhart. Also in the cast is Hilary Swank and Ewan McGregor.

New Trailers (click on title name for a link to the trailer)

• Death Race starring Jason Statham
• Punisher: War Zone starring Ray Stevenson
• The Transporter 3 starring Jason Statham

A Stargate Update

Being a hugh Stargate fan I just wanted to say how much I am looking forward to the upcoming season of Stargate Atlantis. The past season was great, and the finale left me wanting for more. The new season begins July 11 at 10 pm. 

Also, Stargate: Continuum comes out on dvd on July 29, so look out for that. Ark of Truth was great, and it was a great way to end the Ori storyline. Continuum will be a stand alone film, and hopefully if it does well there will be more films.

Also there should be some big Stargate things happening at Comic-con. I will post any info I see to keep everyone informed at what will be happening at the con. If you won't be at the con, don't fret, I will be posting updates on here from the convention, since I will be attending.

Doctor Who

This season of Doctor Who has been one of my favorites. I love the way this series has been written, especially how Donna and the Doctor interact with each other. That said I can't wait for the finale, it's shaping up to be one of the best ever. 

(Spoilers for Season 4)

This season started out with a jaw dropping ender to the first episode, with Rose showing up and Donna talking to her. The minute I saw Rose (after I stopped freaking out of course) I knew that this season would be amazing. The episodes have been very good, and I love how in every episode someone mistakes the Doctor and Donna for being a couple. I've liked all of the Doctor's companions. Rose was great and I was really sad when she got trapped in the parallel universe, but I think it added more to the Doctor and the pain that he always carries with him. Martha was a great character because she helped the Doctor get over the loss of Rose, and you couldn't help but feel bad for her, because the Doctor did not see her as a romantic interest (and who could blame her for liking him!) That said, Donna is easily becoming one of my favorite companions, she is just hilarious, and I attribute that to Catherine 

Tate. She is so talented and she brings so much to the show, I really hope that she sticks around for next year. Even with all that Donna has seen (Pompeii being destroyed, the pain of the Ood, her granddad nearly being killed by the Sontaran's, etc) she is still cheery and wants to continue traveling with the Doctor and seeing the universe. She is a great companion for him.

I have to mention the wonderful job that David Tennant has been doing this season (He does a great job every season, I know). We have seen a new side to the Doctor. This season had a lot of ups and downs for the Doctor. In Voyage of the Damned he found a new companion in Astrid, only to lose her when she sacrificed herself to save him. He then met up with Donna again, and finally had someone to travel throughout time and space with. Next in order to save the world he had to destroy the city of Pompeii, and in one of his darker moments he refused to save anyone, including the family that he got to know while he was there (until Donna pleaded with him to save one family, and he gave in). Next he freed the Ood from a life of servitude, and could hear their sad song. Later on in the season, he reproduced and had a daughter, only to lose her as well. It has been a hard year for the Doctor and coming up he will once again have to face off against his greatest enemy... the Daleks.

So all of the his brings me to the finale. It appears as those all of the Doctors companions from the past 4 seasons will be involved in the finale, and a few new ones as well. Sarah Jane, Mickey, Jackie, Rose, Martha, Captain Jack, and Donna will all be involved in the finale. Also included in the finale will be Ianto Jones and Gwen Cooper from Torchwood (The Doctor Who spin-off). Also appearing will Harriet Jones Prime Minister or MP for Flydale North (I know, but I couldn't resist doing her title joke). The last time we saw the former PM she was saying that she was fit for office, but we all know that the Master became the new PM. So it will be interesting to see what happened to Harriet Jones.

I am so excited for the finale, I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

Recap - AFI: 10 Top 10

Well of the 100 films I have seen 54 of them. Of the 10 Number 1 films, I have watched 6 of them. Some of the films that made the list are my favorite films. I really thought that the number of films that I have seen would be higher, but I didn't see a lot of the romantic comedies and I didn't see any of the western films except for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 

One of the big omissions on the list would have to be that the Magnificent Seven didn't make the Top 10 Western films. Another one that I was surprised wasn't on the list was How The West Was Won. That could have easily fit into the western category or in the epic one. I thought it was weird that Gone With the Wind was only number 4 on the list. When I think of the that film, I think of an epic production, and I think that should have been either 1 or 2.

The list had a lot of actors and directors with multiple films, some in the same genre and others crossing genres. Alfred Hitchcock had 4 films in the Mystery genre. The animation list was dominated by Disney films, with only one of them not being a Disney production (Shrek was the only non-Disney film; also two of the films were Disney-Pixar productions.)

Steven Speilberg had 3 films make the list, E.T. in the Fantasy genre and Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List in the Epic category. Stanley Kubrick also had 3 films on the list. 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange in the Sci-Fi genre and Spartacus on the Epic list.

Martin Scorsese was also in two categories with Raging Bull in Sports and Goodfellas in the Gangster genre. 

James Stewart had films in 4 different genres: It's A Wonderful Life and Harvey in the Fantasy category; in Mystery Rear Window and Vertigo; A Philadelphia Story in Romantic comedy; and Anatomy Of A Murder in Courtroom Drama.

Tom Hanks was also in four different genres: Toy Story in Animation; Big in Fantasy; Saving Private Ryan in Epic; and Sleepless In Seattle in Romantic Comedy.

Two silent films made the list, City Lights in the Romantic Comedy category and The Thief Of Bagdad in the Fantasy category. The only film from the 21st century to make the list, was Finding Nemo.

It was an interesting show, and it certainly brings up a lot of discussion about errors and omissions on the list. Also it made me reminisce about the films, and think about what they mean to me, and how the films impacted me life. A lot of my favorites made the list, and they are films that I can watch over and over again.

AFI: 10 Top 10

Tonight, CBS aired the AFI's 10 Top 10, The top 10 films in 10 different genres. Here are the 10 best films in each category. The Name next to each section is the host for that particular section.

ANIMATION-Jennifer Love Hewitt

10. Finding Nemo

9. Cinderella

8. Shrek

7. Beauty And The Beast

6. Toy Story

5. Fantasia

4. The Lion King

3. Bambi

2. Pinocchio

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

FANTASY-Sean Astin

10. Big

9. The Thief Of Bagdad

8. Groundhog Day

7. Harvey

6. Field Of Dreams

5. Miracle On 34th Street

4. King Kong

3. It's A Wonderful Life

2. Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

1. The Wizard Of OZ

GANGSTER-Quentin Tarantino

10. Scarface

9. Little Caesar

8. The Public enemy

7. Pulp Fiction

6. Scarface: The Shame Of A Nation

5. Bonnie And Clyde

4. White Heat

3. The Godfather Part II

2. Goodfellas

1. The Godfather

SCIENCE FICTION-Sigourney Weaver

10. Back To The Future

9. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

8. Terminator 2: Judgement Day

7. Alien

6. Blade Runner

5. The Day The Earth Stood Still

4. A Clockwork Orange

3. E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial

2. Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey

WESTERN-Clint Eastwood

10. Cat Ballou

9. Stagecoach

8. McCabe & Mrs. Miller

7. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid

6. The Wild Bunch

5. Red River

4. Unforgiven

3. Shane

2. High Noon

1. The Searchers

SPORTS-Cuba Gooding Jr.

10. Jerry Maguire

9. National Velvet

8. Breaking Away

7. Caddyshack

6. The Hustler

5. Bull Durham

4. Hoosiers

3. The Pride Of The Yankees

2. Rocky

1. Raging Bull

MYSTERY-Gabriel Byrne

10. The Usual Suspects

9. Dial M For Murder

8. Blue Velvet

7. North By Northwest

6. The Maltese Falcon

5. The Third Man

4. Laura

3. Rear Window

2. Chinatown

1. Vertigo

ROMANTIC COMEDY-Jessica Alba

10. Sleepless In Seattle

9. Harold And Maude

8. Moonstruck

7. Adam's Rib

6. When Harry Met Sally...

5. The Philadelphia Story

4. Roman Holiday

3. It Happened One Night

2. Annie Hall

1. City Lights

COURTROOM DRAMA-James Woods

10. Judgement At Nuremberg

9. A Cry In The Dark

8. In Cold Blood

7. Anatomy Of A Murder

6. Witness For The Prosecution

5. A Few Good Men

4. The Verdict

3. Kramer Vs. Kramer

2. 12 Angry Men

1. To Kill A Mockingbird

EPIC-Kirk Douglas

10. The Ten Commandments

9. Reds

8. Saving Private Ryan

7. All Quiet On The Western Front

6. Titanic

5. Spartacus

4. Gone With The Wind

3. Schindler's List

2. Ben-Hur

1. Lawrence Of Arabia

Sex and the City

Well as a fan of the TV show I was really excited when I heard they were making a film about Sex and the City, so I had very high expectations going into the film, and I was not disappointed. The film takes place 4 years after the series finale. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is with Big (Chris Noth), and they are moving in together; Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Harry (Evan Handler) have their adopted Daughter Lilly, and are a truly happy family; Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is living in California with Smith (Jason Lewis), and managing his career; and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Steve (David Eigenberg) are still living in Brooklyn with their son Brady, but they are having a rough time. The film follows the four girls, through their ups and downs, over the course of a year.

Rounding out the cast was Willie Garson as Stanford Blanch, Mario Cantone as Anthony Marentino, Candice Bergen as Enid Frick (Carrie's editor at Vogue) and Jennifer Hudson as Louise (a new character who is Carries assistant, who is looking for love in NYC.)

The film was a great movie, and I would recommend it to anyone, both fans of the show and people who just want to see a good movie.

Wizard World Philly

Well this past weekend I attend Wizard World Philly. It was a really good convention and I had a fantastic time. I went in thinking that it wouldn't be as good as NY Comic-Con but I really enjoyed myself.

I went on Friday and picked up my badge and did a quick walk through of the convention. There were a lot of booths and a got some good pins at the DC booth. I was pretty tired from spending most of Friday at the King of Prussia Mall so I didn't spend that much time at the con.

I spent all day Saturday at the convention. I started out the day by walking through the convention and hitting up the major booths (DC, Marvel, Top Cow, etc). I got some good free comics. Vertigo gave out the first Issue of House of Mystery and it is very good and interesting. I am definitely going to pick up the next issue, because it has my interest. 

After walking around the booths, I went to the J.G. Jones career retrospective panel at 11 a.m. J.G. was the Guest of Honor, and his panel was awesome. I was surprised that not that many people turned out to the panel, but I think that was because it was so early and people were still getting into the convention. They started out the panel with a slideshow of some of his work. After the slideshow, J.G. discussed what was going on when he was creating different pieces and some interesting facts about the art. It was great to hear his thoughts on his work. After the panel he was nice enough to sign for the fans that where there and he signed my copy of Wanted (which I can't wait for).

The next panel that I attend was for Marvel's Secret Invasion. Secret Invasion is one of my favorite comic series of the season, and it was great to see what was going to be happening in the series in the next few weeks. The cover for one of the upcoming issues was amazing, it was Captain America, Iron Man and Thor and the caption read Reunited. The crowd went wild at the sight of this, and all I have to say is how excited I am. I hope the real Steve Rogers comes back, its just not the same. Another cover has Nick Fury on it, and it will be good to have him finally back. I believe he is on issue 3, which comes out this week. The panel was awesome, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada was moderating the panel and along with Tom Brevoort answered most of the question about SEcret Invasion. Also in attendance were Brian Reed, Dan Slott, Fred Van Lente, Greg Pak, C.B. Cebulski, and Arune Singh.

During my lunch break I decided to walk around Philly since it wasn't raining. I walked all the way from the convention center to Independence Hall. I really wanted to see the Liberty Bell, but there were no more tickets available, so I walked back to the convention center to have lunch.

The final panel that I went to was Cup O' Joe with Joe Quesada. In this panel they answered the fans questions about anything in the MU. However most of the answers were to keep reading. Some interesting announcements were that: the next Stephen King comic would be The Stand, Daredevils new enemy would be Lady Bullseye, and finally that Marvel zombies would be crossing over into the MU. It's going to be a good year for Marvel comics and a lot of interesting comics are coming out. After the panel, I was able to get Joe Quesada's autograph on Invincible Iron Man Quesada Sketch variant, so that was awesome.

I went back to the convention floor after the panel, I found some great buys. I was able to get the first three Y: The Last Man TPBs for 20% off which was awesome. I already read the books and they are so good, I can't wait to get the rest in the series. I then stopped by the Marvel booth, since they were giving away a bunch of swag, and I got a free comic which was cool, except it was one that I never heard of or that I was interested in. After that the convention ended and I went back to my hotel to get ready for dinner. I went to eat at the Hard Rock with my Aunt, and that was great. I love the Hard Rock, especially since they have the best pins, which I purchased an awesome teal one.

On Sunday I also spend the whole day at the convention, but I was running a little late and didn't get there til close to 12. I immediately went the Marvel: Prize no prize panel. And one lucky fan walked away with the new issue of Secret Invasion. The questions were super hard, and after getting the final one right, the person deserved the issue. I unfortunately still have to wait til Wednesday for my copy. I walked around the Convention a bit, and I went to a J.G. Jones signing at the Top Cow booth. I was able to get him to sign my copy of Final Crisis, a Flash poster, and my TPB of Y: The Last Man. He was such an awesome guy, and pretty funny. He talked about juggling cats, which was amusing. 

I went to 2 more panels, a DC discussion and a Marvel discussion. It was great because the fans were able to talk about what they liked about the comics, characters and reminisce about how comics have affected them. At the end of the DC panel, Batman pins were handed out, and at the end of the Marvel panel, a free issue of X-Men legacy was handed out. I just love free swag. After the final panel, I went back to the convention and got for back issues of Colossus: Bloodline for $1. It was amazing how cheap everything went by the end of the day. After that, I met my Aunt, and we drove home from Philly. It was an awesome weekend and I can't wait for my next convention.

Trailers for Summer Movies

Here are the trailers for all of the movies. Just click on the film name for the trailer. Enjoy!

May 23: Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
May 30: Sex and the City
June 13: The Incredible Hulk, The Happening
June 20: Get Smart
June 27: Wall*E, Wanted
July 4: Hankcock
July 11: Hellboy II: Golden Army
July 18: The Dark Knight, Mama Mia!
July 25: Step Brothers, The X-Files: I Want to Believe
August 1: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
August 8: Pineapple Express, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
August 15: The International, Tropic Thunder

*There is no trailer for The International, but for information on the film go to IMDB.

Summer Movies 2008

Well Summer movie season already kicked off a few weeks ago so I'm a bit behind (but technically summer hasn't started yet!) Anyway here is a list of some of the movie that have my interest this summer.

May 23: Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

May 30: Sex and the City

June 13: The Incredible Hulk, The Happening

June 20: Get Smart

June 27: Wall*E, Wanted

July 4: Hankcock

July 11: Hellboy II: Golden Army

July 18: The Dark Knight, Mama Mia!

July 25:Step Brothers, The X-Files: I Want to Believe

August 1: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

August 8: Pineapple Express, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

August 15: The International, Tropic Thunder

So in the next few days I'll provide trailer links, information and opinions (about movies I 

haven't seen yet), so stay tuned.

Wanted

I know that I haven't talked a lot about Wanted, but I think that it deserves a post. I haven't been seeing a lot of advertising on t.v. for the film, but there is certainly a lot of buzz online. The film is based on the comic by Mark Millar and is about a group of super assassins. Having read the comic series, I can't wait for this film and the trailer itself looks amazing. James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Star in the film. The film opens in the states on June 27, so make sure you check it out.

Click here for the trailer

Also Empire Online has posted an amazing feature on turning the comic book into a film. The feature has new footage and interviews with cast and crew, so check it out here.

Help Save Moonlight

I know I haven't talked a lot about Moonlight on this blog, but it is an amazing show, and CBS announced that they are not giving it a second season. So I recommend that if you are a fan of show you call or write to CBS and tell them that they are making a huge mistake. 

Also, while you are at it, if you like the show Shark, I suggest you do the same because that is also getting the ax.

We have to let the network know that they are making a mistake, especially when they renewed other shows, like The Unit. So let you voice be heard....and call or write CBS.