Tetro introduction by Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola has recently released a video introduction to his website for his upcoming film Tetro.

Coppola also started a Tetro YouTube Channel.




Francis Ford Coppola is one of my all-time favorite directors and I've missed watching his movies for the better part of a decade. I enjoyed Youth Without Youth. But it might have been too artsy for its own sake.

Tetro sounds like something that could be more commercial and still personal enough to appeal to his new sensibilities.

Adventureland - Red Band Trailer

I really enjoyed Superbad. The film had a edge and a danger that isn't in the typical Frat-Pack film. I think credit has to go to director Greg Mottola, who seems to find the darkness in sentimentality.

Adventureland looks like it has that same kind of comedic balancing-on-a-razor-blade tone.

I Love You Man -Red Band Trailer

I think I Love You, Man looks pretty damn funny... in the three minute trailer form, like all the Frat-Pack movies.

Hopefully, it won't end up being three hours long and overly sentimental like the rest of these Judd Apatow inspired films.

Rickey Henderson being Rickey Henderson

Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson stopped by the Mike and Mike radio show on ESPN this morning and confirmed some interesting urban legends.

For instance, Rickey Henderson once framed a million dollar check from the Oakland Athletics...without cashing it.




Classic stuff.

Say what you will, Rickey Henderson was indisputably the greatest lead off hitter ever in Major League Baseball. For those who had the privilege of watching him in his prime, Henderson was a one man offensive machine. He'd hit for average, power and draw bases on balls better than anybody.

I wish there was a player I could compare him to in today's game but there is simply no equivalent.

He was a player that when he got on first base, he might as well be on third, cause he was going to steal second and third and there was nothing anybody could do about it.

He'd steal bases on pitch outs.

He was simply the best.

Agora Trailer

I haven't heard much about Agora. Apparently it stars Rachel Weisz and Max Minghaella and it's directed by Alejandro Amenábar who directed The Others and the excellent Abre Los Ojos.



Looks pretty great.

According to IMDb the movie takes place in ancient Roman governed Egypt. A slave boy falls in love with a famous female philosopher, named Hypatia against the backdrop of the fall of the Roman Empire in Egypt and the rise of Christianity.

Scheduled for release December 18, 2009.

Update:
According to reports, the Hypatia in the film is Hypatia of Alexandria, who was brutally murdered by a Christian mob.

When I say brutal...I mean really brutal.

Apparently, she was stripped, dragged through the streets to a church where she was skinned alive with oyster shells, then just in case she wasn't dead yet, she was set on fire.

Those are some angry Christians....if you can call them that.

Wow.

This film is setting up to be a real tragedy.

I'm thinking that the movie is possibly an indictment of the justification of violence through religious doctrine.

Something that is extremely relevant today.

Although you can spare me the visuals of a violent death. My anticipation for the drama in this film just went through the roof.

Dwight Howard Full Court Shot

Here's some footage of Dwight Howard fooling around before a game. In one clip he shoots from half court, in the next clip he shoots from full court.

What's crazy is the arch Dwight Howard has on the shots and also that he swishes both shots.




Where amazing happens.

Devin Harris Buzzer Beater

I'd be hard pressed to come up with a more impressive half court shot to feature on this site.

Lots of things are happening here.

1.8 seconds left, Nets down by one, Devin Harris loses the ball for a split second, Andre Iguodala in his face, hail mary...

Bucket.

Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Poster

A photo of a teaser poster for Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus has been released on various movie rumor sites and I have to say the poster looks pretty impressive.




I'm really looking forward to this film. I'm interested in seeing how Gilliam was able to restructure this film after the death of Heath Ledger.

Honestly, the movie already sounded fascinating. Then the unfortunate tragedy of Heath Ledger's death unavoidably affected the film's plot. Although for most films this could have been seen as disastrous, the circumstances have forced Gilliam to use even more creativity and visual artistry in telling his tale. Which in my opinion, can turn this troubled project from something potentially really cool into something potentially genius.

Inglourious Basterds Poster

Ain't It Cool News has released images of the three international posters for Inglourious Basterds.










One thing to note is that the marketing of the film really seems to push the fairy tale aspect of the movie. The trailer and the posters all feature the lines "Once Upon A Time In Nazi Occupied France."

Interesting.

Oscar Predictions 2009

I usually participate in an Oscar pool at my job at Laser Blazer. But this year I'm working for Mahalo on Oscar Night. I thought since I'm not participating in an Oscar awards contest this year, it would be fun to post my predictions right here on my site.

For all the world to see.

I think for the record, I will state which film or artist I think WILL win the Oscar and which film or artist SHOULD win.




Best Short Live action film:

Will Win: On The Line

Should Win: ?

I have no idea....this is a shot in the dark. Maybe later on I'll actually watch all the films nominated and make an educated guess. But for now....I like the title of this film.




Best Documentary Short:

Will Win: The Witness From the Balcony of Room 306

Should Win: ?

Same thing here. Just a shot in the dark.




Best Visual Effects:

Will Win: The Dark Knight

Should Win: The Dark Knight




This film should sweep all the technical awards. The film technically was just awe inspiring. Especially in IMAX.



Best Sound Mixing:

Will Win: The Dark Knight

Should Win: The Dark Knight





Best Sound Editing:

Will Win: The Dark Knight

Should Win: The Dark Knight





Best Animated Short:

Will Win: Presto

Should Win Presto



I've actually seen all the films in this category. All though they all have their strengths Presto is simply superior to all of them. If your looking for a dark horse though This Way Up could sneak in here.




Best Song:

Will Win: Jai Ho

Should Win: Jai Ho

I think it's catchy. If it doesn't win O Saya will, Peter Gabriel's song was great too.




Best Score:

Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire

Should Win: Slumdog Millionaire

I can't even remember the soundtracks to the other films...which is a good sign for Slumdog.

Best Make-up:

Will Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Should Win: Hellboy 2



Half of the characters in Hellboy 2 weren't even human. But nobody saw this movie so I doubt it'll win.




Best Film Editing:

Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire

Should Win: Slumdog Millionaire



Lots of stuff going on in the film and it was well put together.




Best Documentary Feature:

Will Win: Man on Wire

Should Win: Man on Wire



Lots of buzz surrounding the film. I found the film interesting but over-rated.




Best Costume Design:

Will Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Should Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I think they are going to throw this movie as much love it can get, except when it really counts.




Best Cinematography:

Will Win: Claudio Miranda for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Should Win: Wally Pfister for The Dark Knight



Benjamin Button is the obvious pick here, but Pfister did some amazing work on The Dark Knight. The scenes in IMAX were just breathtaking and the action was all incredibly captured.




Best Art Direction:

Will Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Should Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button




Button is the sexy pick here.




Best Foreign Film:

Will Win: Waltz with Bashir

Should Win: ?

I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't seen any of the nominated films in this category. A situation that I will remedy when they become available on DVD.




Best Adapted Screenplay:

Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire


Should Win: Doubt



Slumdog will win here but John Patrick Shanley's adaptation of his own play is exceptional, especially when you consider that the students in the film are not in the stage version.




Best Original Screenplay:

Will Win: Milk

Should Win: Milk



I think this is where the film will make it's mark. Even though it deserves much more.




Best Animated Film:

Will Win: Wall-E

Should Win: Wall E



No-Brainer.....had a strong argument to be nominated for Best Picture.




Best Director:

Will Win: Danny Boyle

Should Win: Gus Van Sant



See: Best Picture



Best Supporting Actress:

Will Win: Penelope Cruz

Should Win: Penelope Cruz



Really tough category. All really great performances, but Penelope Cruz stands out for her deranged and sexy character from Vicky Cristina Barcelona.




Best Actress:

Will Win: Kate Winslet

Should Win: Meryl Streep




I honestly think Winslet should've been nominated for her performance in Revolutionary Road. I think she deserves to win for that performance. Meryl Streep's performance was fantastic in Doubt, unique and multi-dimensional. But she's going to get votes taken away from her because she's the great Meryl Streep and is always good, which is a shame.




Best Supporting Actor:

Will Win: Heath Ledger

Should Win: Robert Downey Jr.




If there's any lock it's that Ledger is going to win. But Robert Downey Jr. deserves kudos for pulling this difficult performance off. Comedy is always underestimated during awards season. But the truth is, it's the most difficult type of performance to pull off. Substitute Downey Jr. with any of the nominated actors in his Tropic Thunder role and you'd have a disaster. Now if you reverse that formula and put Downey Jr. in any of those other roles, he'd probably knock it out of the park.

No joke.

Wouldn't you like to see Downey Jr. as the Joker?




Best Actor:

Will Win: Mickey Rourke

Should Win: Mickey Rourke




I'm trusting that the Academy realizes that this is a one shot deal for Rourke. It's a performance we're likely never going to see from him again. The role was tailor made and I'm not sure there are going to be other roles like this out there for him. I'm not saying Sean Penn doesn't deserve the award as well, but I think Rourke's performance is going to be seen as legendary in the years ahead.




Best Picture:

Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire

Should Win: Milk




I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Slumdog Millionaire not only shouldn't win best picture....it shouldn't even be nominated.

Yeah...that's right I said it and in two years you're going to say the same thing too. You're going to be staring at your Slumdog Millionaire DVD on your shelf and think to yourself...

What in the hell was I thinking?

Then you're going to trade it in at Laser Blazer for three bucks with fifty other people and it'll end up in the 4.98 bargain bin with Crash and A Beautiful Mind.

I'm not exactly sure how all this Oscar buzz got started for this film, but in my opinion it's a DEEPLY flawed and at best mediocre motion picture.

Everybody wants to call the film unique and ground breaking, but it's really not. I found the film formulaic, commercial and at times just plain silly.

In any event, Milk is the most important film in this category. Especially in light of recent events and should be recognized as such THIS year. Especially since the Brokeback Mountain debacle.

Instead, a love story about a dude on Who wants to be a Millionaire?.....which was friggin canceled folks...is going to win the most prestigious award in film.

Seriously?

For the record the Best five films that SHOULD HAVE been nominated for Best Picture were Milk, Che, Nothing But the Truth directed by Rod Lurie, Revolutionary Road and Doubt.

I Miss Shaq

Yesterday Shaquille O'Neal won the NBA All-Star MVP, ironically sharing the award with former teammate Kobe Bryant.

I admit like most of the media, I was caught up in all the nostalgia.



The Los Angeles Lakers have simply not been the same since Shaq left.

Sure, they've been playing great lately but they still lack that bigger than life personality that Shaq provided.

This past weekend the media had been toying with the idea of Shaq possibly one day coming back to the Lakers but it's not realistic.

Besides the obvious salary dynamic, Kobe Bryant wouldn't want the distraction and he wants to win a championship without the big man....which is his prerogative and right.

I guess.

Kobe was able to endure the mediocre years, he should get to enjoy the fruits on his labor.

Plus any trade for Shaq would probably have to include Andrew Bynum and you'd have to be clinically insane to make that deal. Injury prone as Bynum is, he still has tremendous upside while Shaq has made it clear that his retirement is pending.

Truthfully, I would just like to see the Lakers win another championship for Phil Jackson.

I don't care how they do it.

So that Red Auerbach and the Boston Celtics can hold one less NBA record.

The Slam Dunk Contest is Back

Last night the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk contest provided one of the most interesting dunk competitions in a long time. The evening had drama, theatrics and even gimmicks which have been sorely missing from the event for several years.

The evening hit its high point when Nate Robinson performed a show stopping dunk.

Dressed in all green, Nate Robinson or as he referred to himself "Krypto-Nate", dunked over last year's slam dunk champion Dwight Howard. Howard a gracious prop, was wearing his signature "Superman" cape, which he wore last year when he performed his winning dunk.

Costumes aside, the feat was impressive visually, especially since Howard is close to seven feet tall, while Robinson is listed as a mere 5'9".




Further proof that the dunk contest is back, was the announcement that LeBron James would compete in the 2010 event.

Now if Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter decided to compete too we'd have something really special.

The People vs George Lucas - Teaser Trailer

Wow...seriously?

I know a lot of people out there weren't fans of the new trilogy. But is there really enough venom out there to complete a two hour documentary?



In any case, this film is sure to feature some serious whack jobs and unbalanced fan boys. Not to mention, it'll be fun seeing the makers of this film alienate themselves from one of the most powerful and influential men in Hollywood.

Good luck with that.