Tune in to TCM: Essentials, Jr.

Starting tomorrow night, Turner Classic Movies will reintroduce their Funday Night screenings as the newly christened Essentials, Jr. Abigail Breslin and Chris O'Donnell, stars of the upcoming feature film Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, will host this summer long showcase of classic favorites fit for the whole family.

Films scheduled for every Sunday night this summer include such, well, essential viewing as the original Mutiny on the Bounty; Harvey; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Meet Me in St. Louis; a double feature of Sherlock Jr. and The Music Box; Mr. Deeds Goes to Town; Roman Holiday; On the Town and Captains Courageous. The season kicks off with every horse lover's favorite, National Velvet, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney.

What a great way to introduce the young ones in your life to the joys of classic movies.

The Latest on TV: MTV Movie Awards

Hungry for some golden popcorn? Or perhaps some shameless self-promotion? The MTV Movie Awards, often described as the "anti-Oscars", will be presented tomorrow night on, naturally, MTV.

The two-hour special (preceded by a half hour red carpet special) will be hosted by The Love Guru himself, Mike Myers, who no doubt will be doing a lot of that shameless self-promotion.

In addition to awards such as "Best Kiss" and "Best Fight", those revered arbiters of cinematic excellence at MTV have decided to give Adam Sandler a lifetime achievement award. The only good thing about this news is that it pretty much means he won't be winning a golden popcorn for I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry ... or we can at least hope.

Countdown to AFI's 10 Top 10: Mystery

"Where there is mystery,

it is generally suspected there must also be evil."
-- Lord Byron

Mystery is on the menu for the next course in our countdown to the American Film Institute's 10 Top 10, which means our top chef will be the master of the genre, Alfred Hitchcock. Nine of Hitch's greatest suspense thrillers are nominated, and all but Spellbound and Suspicion have appeared on previous AFI lists (mostly in 100 Thrills, naturally): Dial M for Murder, The Man Who Knew Too Much, North by Northwest, Rear Window, Rebecca, To Catch a Thief and Vertigo, which could very well top this list considering its top ten placement in the last 100 Movies ranking.

Giving Hitchcock some strong competition is Chinatown, which tops the fifty nominees (see the comments section below for the full list) with five previous AFI listings. Joining Vertigo right behind it with four mentions each are In the Heat of the Night and The Maltese Falcon, the most likely to usurp the top spot from Hitch. Also fairing well on prior lists is The Third Man, with three listings (along with Rear Window and North by Northwest). Rounding out the list of previous AFI honorees are two-timer Blue Velvet, plus The Big Sleep, The Fugitive, Gaslight, Laura, The Postman Always Rings Twice, A Shot in the Dark, The Thin Man (the oldest film among the nominees) and The Usual Suspects, which may fare better here then in the gangster category, where it is also nominated.

Among the movies vying for a first time on the AFI short list is the questionable "mystery" The Big Lebowski, plus two AFI Award winners, Memento and Mulhulland Drive. Other contenders include And Then There Were None, Charade, The Conversation, Gosford Park, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Kiss Me Deadly, L.A. Confidential, Murder on the Orient Express, Sleuth and, the newest of the nominees, The Bourne Identity.

The mystery of which ten films will be chosen as the best of the genre will be solved June 17, when CBS airs the three hour television event, AFI's 10 Top 10.

Monthly Wallpaper - June 2008: Queer Cinema

Starting a new tradition, Movie Dearest will celebrate Gay Pride month every June with a special calendar wallpaper tribute to some of our favorite GLBT-themed movies of all time.

The 2008 edition features such classics of queer cinema as Beautiful Thing, The Times of Harvey Milk, Philadelphia, Boys Don't Cry, Personal Best, Gods and Monsters, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Latter Days, Trick, Bound, Transamerica, Desert Hearts, My Own Private Idaho, Longtime Companion and Making Love.

All you have to do is click on the picture above to enlarge it, then simply right click your mouse and select "Set as Background". (You can also save it to your computer and set it up from there if you prefer.) The size is 1024 x 768, but you can modify it if needed in your own photo-editing program.

Awards Watch: Broadway.com Audience Awards 2008

Young Frankenstein triumphed at the 9th Annual Broadway.com Audience Awards. The musical adaptation of the classic Mel Brooks comedy (which was more or less snubbed by the Tony Awards) was voted tops in five categories, including Favorite New Broadway Musical. Stars Roger Bart, Christopher Fitzgerald, Sutton Foster and Megan Mullally were also recognized.

Monty Python's Spamalot was voted Favorite Long-Running Broadway Show, while its stars Clay Aiken and Hannah Waddingham were named Favorite Replacements. Gypsy's Patti LuPone added two prizes to her ever-growing haul for this season, as Favorite Leading Actress and Favorite Diva Performance (naturally), and The Little Mermaid's Sierra Boggess was singled out as Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Female).

Other winners, who were voted on by readers of Broadway.com, include Tony nominees Patrick Stewart, Raúl Esparza, Laurence Fishburne and Lin-Manuel Miranda, plus Phylicia Rashad and the cast of Grease.

Out in Film: Cynthia Nixon

Today concludes our four part salute to the stars of Sex and the City as they are about to make the leap to the silver screen with their new movie, in theaters today.

Idol worship: Cynthia Nixon, actress.

- As the no-nonsense career gal Miranda Hobbs, she finally won a deserved Emmy Award (on her third try) in the show's final season. She was also nominated five times for the Golden Globe.

- Also on television, she co-starred in Robert Altman's Tanner '88 and guest-starred on everything from Law & Order and House to Murder She Wrote and Touched by an Angel. In 2005, she was nominated for an Emmy and a Globe for her performance as Eleanor Roosevelt in the TV movie Warm Springs.

- She made her film debut in Little Darlings, a.k.a. Sex and the City: The Training Bra Years. Other notable early film work includes The Prince of the City, I Am the Cheese, Amadeus, The Manhattan Project and Addams Family Values. Post-Sex, she has co-starred in Advice from a Caterpillar, The Out-of-Towners and Igby Goes Down.

- Her Broadway debut came with a revival of The Philadelphia Story; in 1984, she simultaneously appeared in two hit Broadway plays directed by Mike Nichols: The Real Thing and Hurlyburly. Subsequent stage work includes The Heidi Chronicles, Angels in America and Indiscretions, which earned her a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Play.

- She starred as "Mrs. Stephen Haines" in the 2001 revival of The Women, which later aired on PBS, and won the Tony Award as Best Actress for the drama Rabbit Hole in 2006.

Plan B for Plan 9

"Greetings, my friend. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives ..." and apparently get to see a so-called "serious" remake of Ed Wood's pièce de résistance, Plan 9 from Outer Space. Seriously.

Al Gore at the Opera

Well, if they can make 'em out of Star Wars and Jerry Springer, why not an Academy Award winning documentary about global warming? An operatic version of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth is currently being prepared for a production in Milan, Italy.

Expect lots of Sunday in the Park With George-style projections and excessive wailing.

Harvey Korman: 1927-2008

Harvey Korman, Emmy Award winning star of film and television, passed away yesterday at the age of 81.

Korman is best known for his work on the long-running comedy classic The Carol Burnett Show, for which he won four Emmys and a Golden Globe. Other memorable TV appearances include voicing the Great Gazoo on The Flintstones and playing several characters in the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978.

Film roles include the Mel Brooks' comedies Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, History of the World: Part 1 and Dracula: Dead and Loving It, plus three Pink Panther movies and the family favorites Huckleberry Finn and Herbie Goes Bananas.

The Latest in Theaters: The Joy of Sex

Indiana who? In case you didn't know, the Fabulous Four of Sex and the City are back and on the big screen this weekend. Also joining them in theaters starting tomorrow:

• Savage Grace: Director Tom Kalin's first feature since Swoon stars Julianne Moore as Barbara Daly, famed socialite, incestuous mother and infamous murder victim ... at the hands of her gay son, Antony Baekeland.
• The Strangers: Sexy Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler are a couple on vacation ... a vacation of terror (there seems to be a lot of that going around lately).
• The Foot Fist Way: Comedy about a loser Tae Kwan Do instructor who makes a pilgrimage to see his martial arts star inspiration (not Chuck Norris, go figure) at a kung fu convention.
• Bigger, Stronger, Faster*: Documentary filmmaker Chris Bell shines a light on the use of steroids in American sports. Check out the provocative trailer at the movie's official website.

Visit Fandango - Search movie showtimes and buy tickets!

Indiana Jones and the Imposing Chin

While it is not surprising that Disneyland would cash in on the phenomonal success of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with a slew of quickie "enhancements" to its Adventureland area, what is surprising is that they hired Bruce Campbell to play the intrepid adventurer ...? (Click on image for a closer look.)

Visit LaughingPlace.com for full coverage, including videos and pictures.

Potent Quotables: Catholic School Girls Edition

In an interview for Moviefone, Sex and the City movie director Michael Patrick King relates his favorite on-set anecdote:

"We were filming the Charlotte-Mr. Big scene, in front of the restaurant when she's very pregnant, and there was a fire drill in the Catholic high school across the street, and all the girls came pouring onto the street in their Catholic plaid uniforms, screaming, and running directly into the shot and going up to Mr. Big and going, "We love you!" And [Chris Noth] said, "Aren't you supposed to be in school?" And two girls said, "Abso-f***ing-lutely".

Women We Love: Sarah Jessica Parker

Today continues our four part salute to the stars of Sex and the City as they are about to make the leap to the silver screen with their new movie, in theaters May 30.

Object of our affection: Sarah Jessica Parker, actress/producer.

- As the center of the Sex universe, the Manolo Blahnik-wearing, Cosmopolitan-sipping, sex column-writing Carrie Bradshaw, she won four Golden Globes, three SAG Awards and an Emmy, plus additional trophies for her role as producer of the series.

- She paid her dues on Broadway as the "Tomorrow" belting title orphan in Annie. Later, she would star in revivals of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (opposite her husband, Matthew Broderick) and Once Upon a Mattress.

- Her lead role in the short-lived but well-remembered TV sitcom Square Pegs led to such teen films as Footloose, Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Flight of the Navigator.

- She graduated to adult, sexy roles with L.A. Story (as a typical L.A. girl named SanDeE*), followed by Honeymoon in Vegas, Miami Rhapsody and The First Wives Club. Other film appearances include such quirky fare as Hocus Pocus, Ed Wood and Mars Attacks!

- Post Sex, she has starred in State and Main, Strangers With Candy, The Family Stone, Failure to Launch and the recent Smart People. After this week's Sex movie, she'll appear in the big screen romantic comedy A Family Affair.

Oh, Kaye!

The Kid from Brooklyn: The Danny Kaye Musical begins previews tonight in Chicago in preparation for a June 7 to August 24 run.

The bio musical, which previously had successful productions in Los Angeles and Florida, features songs from the beloved comic actor's many films, including The Court Jester, White Christmas and Hans Christian Andersen.

Sawyer Says, Part 2

Attention all Lost-ies: be sure to watch tomorrow night's two-hour season finale, or you'll be makin' like Sawyer in this here video.

Reverend's Reviews: Surfin' With the Gays

As LGBT-oriented movies proliferate, I am increasingly amused by how each new release seems to be termed "the gay (fill-in-the-blank) movie." For example, we've had "the gay slasher movie" (Hellbent), "the gay cowboy movie" (Brokeback Mountain), and "the gay soccer movie" (Eleven Men Out). While it can be edifying to hear of and watch gay takes on established genres, such terminology makes each film sound like not only the first but also the last of its kind!

Well, we can now add "the gay surfer movie," Shelter, to the list. It is being released on DVDthis week after a successful, if limited, theatrical run. The first project produced under here! Networks' Independent Film Initiative, Shelter has won numerous awards at various US film festivals.

Talented newcomer Trevor Wright plays Zach, a young aspiring artist living in San Pedro, California. As the responsible member of his dysfunctional family, he works in a local restaurant to support his ailing father and his young nephew. The latter is on the verge of being abandoned by Zach's older sister, Jeanne (a largely unsympathetic role well played by Tina Holmes), who is preparing to move to Oregon with her latest deadbeat boyfriend.

While taking an occasional, well-needed break from the pressures of his home life, Zach starts surfing with his best friend's older brother, Shaun (Brad Rowe, who has become both better looking and a better actor since he played the object of Sean Hayes' desire in Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss). An openly gay writer, Shaun takes Zach under his wing in more ways than one, gradually helping Zach explore his budding sexuality.

Written and directed by Jonah Markowitz, Shelter is a better than average coming-of-age story. Though it is somewhat predictable and suffers at times from some rough editing transitions, likely due to budgetary constraints, it is honest and heartfelt. One can't help but be moved by the film's climax, wherein Zach, Shaun and Zach's nephew are realistically presented as a healthier and more loving family than most.

Rowe and Wright have a nice chemistry and laid-back rapport that makes Shelter perfect romantic viewing on a warm summer night. It may be the first "gay surfer movie" (no, Point Break doesn't count), but let's hope it isn't the last.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

The Latest on DVD: Faboo

Sweetie darling, if you must have absolutely every fabulous moment of Patsy and Edina's alcohol-soaked, drug-induced, Lacroix-clad adventures, then you absolutely must have Absolutely Fabulous - Absolutely Everything.

The new nine-disc box set includes all five series of the classic Britcom, plus the two Christmas specials and over two and half hours of bonus features. The whole shebang is packaged in a chic silver quilted photo journal with leopard print bookmark. Like I said, "faboo".

Click on the link above to buy from Amazon.com, and see the Latest on DVD widgets in the sidebar for more of this week's new releases on sale now.

A Musical Affair

The original Broadway cast album for the new musical A Catered Affairis available today. Featuring songs by John Bucchino, the cast includes Tony Award nominees Faith Prince and Tom Wopat, plus Harvey Fierstein (who also wrote the show's book), Leslie Kritzer and Matt Cavenaugh.

Also available today: the cast album for the Tony nominated revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific.Click on the links to purchase the new albums from Amazon.com.

Sydney Pollack: 1934-2008

Sydney Pollack, Academy Award-winning director, producer and actor, died Monday at the age of 73.

A filmmaker known for his skill with actors, Pollack not surprisingly started his career as an actor and was also well known for his many character parts in recent years, from Will and Grace (wherein he played Will's philandering father) to his most recent production, Michael Clayton. But it was directing that brought him his biggest acclaim; he helmed such classics as They Shoot Horses, Don't They?; Jeremiah Johnson; The Way We Were; Three Days of the Condor; Absence of Malice; Tootsie and Out of Africa, which earned him his two Oscars, as both director and producer.

As producer, he also brought us such films as The Fabulous Baker Boys, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Sense and Sensibility, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Iris, The Quiet American, Cold Mountain and the recent Leatherheads, among many others. Onscreen, he had memorable turns in his own films (most memorably in Tootsie, as Dustin Hoffman's exasperated agent) and those of others, including Robert Altman's The Player, Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives and Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. His last screen appearance was in this spring's Made of Honor.

Reverend's Reviews: Indy Loses Faith -- But Gains Shia

As Jim Broadbent's Yale Dean says to Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones (Harrison Ford) early on in the latter's first big-screen outing in 19 years, "We're at the age where life stops giving us things and starts taking them." I don't think Indy's creators (and, now, contemporaries) George Lucas and Steven Spielberg will agree with that assessment when it comes to the new movie's opening box office; their globetrotting archaeologist is clearly as popular and crowd-pleasing as ever. However, in comparing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with its 1980's predecessors, it becomes clear that, while Dr. Jones gains a couple of significant things, much has been taken from him.

Broadbent nicely acknowledges with his line above the death of Jones' father, charmingly played by Sean Connery in 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as well as the loss of Indy's fellow professor and friend Marcus Brody, played by the late Denholm Elliott in both Last Crusade and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Also, while his absence isn't addressed here, I missed Sallah, played so winningly by John Rhys-Davies in those same prior films. One character from Raiders who makes a most welcome return in the new movie is Marion Ravenwood, here re-christened Mary Williams due to an intervening marriage. Long lost like one of Indy's prized relics, Karen Allen looks great and brings much-needed energy to Crystal Skull after a dull first hour. I can't help but wonder, though, if Marion's re-appearance will be lost on younger viewers or anyone who hasn't seen Raiders.

Indy also gains a brash young sidekick, Mutt Williams, played by Shia LaBeouf in 1950's Marlon Brando mode. With both a switchblade and a comb always at the ready, LeBeouf makes a fine apparent successor to Ford. Speaking of Ford, he remains in great shape, both physically and dramatically. While he doesn't have as many comedic lines or moments as he did in the earlier movies, Ford brings an appropriate spirit of resignation/ surrender befitting his -- and his character's -- age.

Alas, from a creative standpoint Indy has lost more than he has gained in Crystal Skull. The adventurer has taken on some great nemeses, including Adolf Hitler, in the past. Hard as she tries, Cate Blanchett doesn't quite cut it as a wicked, black-haired Commie commanding a squad of Soviet soldiers in a quest for the film's title object. She is too mannered and never becomes as vicious as she ought. Additionally, her nearly flawless Russian accent dissolves into the Queen's English every time she says "Dr. Jones," which is frequently.

Then there is what I previously described as the film's dull first half. The Indiana Jones movies have never had to rely on dialogue, using it minimally in deference to magnificent action set pieces. There is simply too much dialogue and unnecessary exposition in his latest adventure, and most of it is in the initial hour. Indy was historically a man of few words, which was apparently lost on screenwriter David Koepp. He has given Indy an overabundance of words, which doesn't result in a dramatic gain.

But the most significant thing curiously deleted from the new movie is a sense of religious faith. Part of the appeal of the series to date was that, while he wasn't clearly or overtly religious himself, Indy's previous adventures centered on the hunt for religious artifacts: the Ark of the Covenant, the Sankara Stones (in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) and the Holy Grail. In the process, Indy unwittingly became a savior figure, whether it was saving the world from Nazi tyranny, a remote Indian village's children, or his own father's life. Divine forces intervened and aided Indy, which Indy always noted and respected.

This is sadly absent from Crystal Skull, replaced with a dated Chariots of the Gods? scenario that ultimately credits beings from another dimension as having inspired the development of ancient South America and of modern technology. Or something like that. The film's climax is intellectually muddled and oddly reminiscent of the finale of 2001's The Mummy Returns, which was itself inspired by the earlier Indiana Jones movies.

All that being said, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is an entertaining-enough way to spend a summer afternoon and, in Spielberg's hands, is more accomplished than most of what Hollywood is dishing out so far this season. I just wish Indy had been given more than what was taken from him.

UPDATE: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is now available on DVDfrom Amazon.com.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Cinematic Crush: Jason Lewis

Crush object: Jason Lewis, actor/model.

- He is best known as the object of Samantha Jones' affection/lust, Absolut Hunk model Smith Jerrod on Sex and the City; he returns to the role this week when the Sex movie hits the big screen Friday.

- Soon after graduating college, his modeling career started in Paris and Milan for some of the biggest names in fashion, including Guess?, Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss.

- A guest shot on Beverly Hills, 90210 led to his Sex stint, which was followed by recurring roles on Charmed and Brothers and Sisters, wherein he played Kevin's closeted soap star boyfriend Chad Barry.

- Other film roles include Next Stop Wonderland, The Jacket, My Bollywood Bride and Mr. Brooks.

- Fans are rallying around him to play superhero Captain America in the upcoming movie adaptation of the long-running comic book.

Best of the Fests: Cannes Winners

The 2008 Cannes Film Festival came to a close yesterday, which means that prizes were handed out to a bunch of films that we all really haven't heard much about yet, let alone actually seen. Nevertheless, The Class (described as "an evocation of contemporary society as seen through a year's events in a Paris junior high school classroom") became the first French film in 20 years to win the big award, the Palme d'Or, while some recognizable names did take home some of the other honors given at the famed fest's 61st annual festivities.

Special Prizes went to Catherine Deneuve for A Christmas Tale and Clint Eastwood for Changeling, proving that even the French love their Clint (although I'm sure jury chairman Sean Penn had a say in the matter). Benicio del Toro won Best Actor for his title performance in Steven Soderbergh's Che, the four-hour epic biopic of Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, best known around these parts as that guy in Evita.

Reel Thoughts: From Russia With Love

It was really nice of Steven Spielberg to provide me with my next Halloween costume! Cate Blanchett as Dr. Irina Spalko, in a gray jumpsuit and sleek black bob, is ready-made for drag impersonation, even without her "moose and squvirrel" Natasha accent! She’s just one reason to love the latest Indiana Jones chapter, but not the only one. Harrison Ford is virtually resuscitated as an actor by donning the fedora and whip, and I can just hear fiancée Calista Flockhart saying, "Honey, bring HIM to bed with you tonight!" Ford’s having a ball, and it’s great to see.

The story of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will not surprise anyone who grew up watching those cheesy "documentaries" like Chariot of the Gods?, which is emblematic of its not-very-challenging reach. Set in 1957, the film finds Indy an older but not much wiser professor who gets caught up in Commie hysteria when he is kidnapped by Russians and taken to Area 51 to help them steal a crystal skull with psychic properties. Blanchett’s Dr. Spalko is a fabulous but underdeveloped expert in mind control, and she is convinced that the skull holds the secret to a new level of warfare. Jones is also called upon to save an old friend by a young greaser named Mutt, played by it-boy Shia LaBeouf. The single-minded story takes them to South America where they seek out the fabled city of El Dorado and also Mutt’s missing mother, who ends up being a familiar face.

Crystal Skull is a fairly entertaining chapter in the saga, with funny and exciting action sequences, but like its star, it doesn’t strain itself too much. It’s great to see the old faces and achieve some closure to certain characters, but if you’re hoping for some unforgettable images like melting Nazis, pulsing hearts ripped from chests, or even a little Cole Porter crooned in Mandarin Chinese, you’ll be disappointed. The ending is a letdown, given the dramatic climaxes of the previous films, and Spielberg messes up by not using Blanchett and her character’s "powers" more. Still, it does have a warm, cozy coda that serves as a nice final image to the saga, and guess what, not an Ewok in sight!

UPDATE: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is now available on DVDfrom Amazon.com.

Review by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Dick Martin: 1922-2008

Dick Martin, the Emmy Award-winning television comic who was one half of the team that brought us Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, passed away Saturday at the age of 86.

Although he is best known for Laugh-In, the groundbreaking, swinging 60's comedy/variety show classic he created with Dan Rowan that proved to be a breeding ground of new stars (Ruth Buzzi, Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, Lily Tomlin, Jo Anne Worley) and popular catchphrases ("Sock it to me!", "Look that up in your Funk and Wagnall's", "You bet your sweet bippy"), Martin was also a frequent guest star on game shows and other variety series and a prolific television director, including The Bob Newhart Show and Showtime's early gay-themed sitcom, Brothers.

Tune in to TCM: Memorial Day

Turner Classic Movies pays tribute to the holiday honoring American servicemen and women tomorrow with a Memorial Day-long marathon of war- and peace-themed films.

Wings, the very first Academy Award-winning Best Picture, starts off the day, which also includes another Best Picture, The Best Years of Our Lives (starring Oscar winners Harold Russell and Fredric March, plus the always welcome Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy and Teresa Wright). Another home front drama, Since You Went Away (starring Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones and an all-grown up Shirley Temple) will also screen, as well as the TCM premiere of The Eagle Has Landed, starring Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland and Robert Duvall.

Visit TCM.com for the full schedule and times.

Countdown to AFI's 10 Top 10: Sports

"It ain’t over 'til it's over."
-- Yogi Berra

Ladies and gentlemen, don your sports bras and jock straps, for we have now reached the point in our countdown to the American Film Institute's 10 Top 10s where the focus is on sports movies. These are the movies that depict the thrill of victory and/or the agony of defeat, where losers never quit and winners almost always win ... usually in slow motion while the orchestra swells.

Standing head and sweaty shoulders above all other contenders in this competition is Rocky, which lands a knock out with seven previous mentions on AFI lists past (which, by the way, places it in a tie for second overall with The Wizard of Oz; Casablanca is AFI's most honored film, appearing on eight of the ten lists so far). Needless to say, prospects are good that the ol' Italian Stallion will easily find himself the #1 choice this round as well. The only other movies to come close, with three previous mentions each, are two very different black and white biopics: the old-fashioned The Pride of the Yankees and the down and dirty Raging Bull.

The three films with two previous listings each -- Caddyshack, Field of Dreams and Jerry Maguire -- may find their (respective) comedy, fantasy and romance aspects playing against them in this particular match. Previous single list AFI honorees with stronger chances are Breaking Away, Bull Durham, Chariots of Fire, Harold Lloyd's The Freshman (the oldest film among the 50 nominees), Hoosiers, the Marx Brothers' Horse Feathers, The Karate Kid, Knute Rockney - All American, A League of Their Own, National Velvet, Rudy and Seabiscuit. AFI list watchers will notice the abundance of movies (ten total) that placed on the 100 Cheers list, the group's 2006 countdown of the most inspirational movies of all time.

Before we get to the rookies, two movies -- Friday Night Lights and Million Dollar Baby -- were previously honored by the AFI with AFI Awards, which therefore may give them an edge in this round (both films, along with Miracle, were released in 2004, thereby making them the newest movies among the 50 nominees; see the comments section below for the full list). Which may not leave much of a chance for the remaining roster of hopefuls for this squad, but I will note such personal favorites as Angels in the Outfield, The Bad News Bears, Eight Men Out, The Great White Hope, Heart Like a Wheel, The Hustler (and its sequel, The Color of Money), The Natural, Somebody Up There Likes Me and the lesbian-themed Personal Best.

The ten films making up the winners circle in this particular match will be revealed on June 17, when CBS will air the three-hour special, AFI's 10 Top 10.

Rent This Theater

The Tony Award winning musical sensation Rent is returning to movie theaters ... sort of. The final performance of the long-running Broadway show (scheduled for September 7) will be filmed for future screenings in movie theatres around the country.

Per Playbill.com: "The filming is part of a new business venture launched by Sony Pictures Releasing, which is entitled The Hot Ticket. The Hot Ticket, according to a press release, will "distribute event programming, including popular music concerts, the performing arts, and sporting events in high definition digital projection to select movie theaters nationwide."

Original and past cast members of the groundbreaking rock opera are expected to return for the final curtain as well. These special closing night extras will also be included in the "Hot Ticket" screenings.

Giving Props: The Ten Commandments

Attention heavy bidders: now you can own a piece of cinematic/ancient/biblical history when the original tablets held by Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments will go up for auction this summer.

The props, one of four surviving sets, are expected to fetch upwards of $60,000 (or 6K per commandment).

Toon Talk: Whip Crackin’

Twenty-seven years ago, on movie screens all over the world, a hero was born, and his name was Indiana Jones. Inspired by the swashbuckling adventurers of the past, this hero was a classic in every sense of the word: honorable, intelligent, patriotic, even a little rough around the edges. As brought to life in the motion picture Raiders of the Lost Ark by director Steven Spielberg, producer George Lucas and actor Harrison Ford, Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones Jr. embodied heroism for many a moviegoer in the summer of 1981 … and beyond.

And although his follow up film adventures (his trip to the Temple of Doom in 1984, his so-called Last Crusade in 1989) may have failed to live up to the pure wonder and adrenalin of his first escapade (at least in my eyes), his stature as one of the great movie heroes has never wavered (he was even named the number two movie hero of all time in an American Film Institute poll in 2003). Through the years, a television series, comic books, video games and Disney theme park attractions have been added to the mix, and now, nineteen years after his last big screen adventure, the man with the whip is back in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (in theaters now).

Does the new film live up to the legacy of Raiders? Not quite, but it isn’t a poke in the eye like Lucas’ Star Wars prequels either. What it is is a fun thrill ride of a movie that only really jumps the tracks at its somewhat preposterous climax; but in the meantime, it delivers a rollicking cinematic adventure that should satisfy most fans who’ve been jonesing for this particular brand of Indy action for almost twenty years now.

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at LaughingPlace.com.

UPDATE: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is now available on DVDfrom Amazon.com.

Out in Film: Darren Star

Idol worship: Darren Star, writer/director/producer.

- He is the creator of three of our favorite TV obsessions: Beverly Hills, 90210; Melrose Place and Sex and the City.

- An Emmy winning producer for the latter, as well as the upcoming movie version (in theaters May 30).

- He has also given us such series as Central Park West, Grosse Point, Miss Match, Kitchen Confidential and the recent (and recently cancelled) Cashmere Mafia.

- In addition to writing and producing his series', he has also directed several episodes.

- Next up: the much-talked about 90210 update.

Game On!

The Last Starfighter, the "intergalactic musical" based on the 1984 sci fi movie favorite, will be presenting workshop presentations this weekend at the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington.

Visit Playbill.com for more information.

MD Poll: From Screen to Stage, Class of 2007-2008

With the 2007-2008 Broadway season now at its end (and the Tony Awards just around the corner), the latest MD Poll asks you to take a look at the six "screen to stage" productions that have trod the boards of the Great White Way over the past year and asks "which is your favorite?"

Five musicals (A Catered Affair, Cry-Baby, The Little Mermaid, Xanadu and Young Frankenstein) and one play (The 39 Steps) are in the running, so make your choice and place your vote in the poll located in the sidebar to your right. Results will be revealed in two weeks.

UPDATE: This polll is now closed. Click here for the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: Jonesin' for Action

The internet has virtually exploded over Indiana Jones this week (for example, check out all the posts tagged "Indy 2008" -- as in 2,008 posts -- on Cinematical alone), so it is no big surprise that the classic adventurer tops the latest MD Poll as your favorite action movie hero.

Harrison Ford's iconic Raider of the Lost Ark netted nearly one-quarter of the votes, with James Bond coming in a close second. Supercop John McClane and superspy Jason Bourne also placed in the double digits, while the low-tech ape-man Tarzan rounds out the top five.

See the comments section below for a complete rundown of the stats, and click here for the latest MD Poll.

The Latest in Theaters: Not Just Indy

We'll have plenty of coverage of that certain movie with the excessively long title later this weekend, so in the meantime, here are a few other films in theaters this week that are also worth your attention:

• A Jihad for Love: This acclaimed documentary from producer Sandi Simcha DuBowski (Trembling Before G-d) and writer/director Parvez Sharma tells the stories of lesbian and gay Muslims from around the world. Now playing in New York, visit the film's official website for future screenings and more information.
• The Edge of Heaven: A lesbian couple is at the core of this Babel-like, international-set drama (which won the screenplay prize at last year's Cannes) from award-winning German director Fatih Akin.
• The Children of Huang Shi: Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as a reporter who leads a group of orphans on a thousand-mile journey through war torn China in this fact-based drama, co-starring Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh.

Visit Fandango - Search movie showtimes and buy tickets!

A Little Bit Country

From the creator of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas comes another countrified (if less bawdy) stage musical: Pure Country.

The new tuner, based on the 1992 movie starring George Strait and Lesley Ann Warren, is making its way to Broadway next season, starting off with a pair of workshops this week.

Best of the Fests: Blueprint

Opposites attract in Blueprint, Kirk Shannon-Butts' feature film debut screening today at the Cannes Film Festival.

Watch the trailer here.

Women We Love: Kim Cattrall

Today continues our four part salute to the stars of Sex and the City as they are about to make the leap to the silver screen with their new movie, in theaters May 30.

Object of our affection: Kim Cattrall, actress.

- As the sexy Samantha Jones, she was a cougar before there was a name for it; for her vampish performance, she was nominated for the Emmy five times unsuccessfully, but she did take home a Golden Globe Award.

- Prior to her noted sexcapades, she guest-starred on everything from The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries to The Paper Chase to Charlie's Angels.

- She made her name on the big screen in such lowbrow comedies as Porky's and Police Academy before became a fanboy pin-up with Big Trouble in Little China, Mannequin and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (as a Vulcan, no less).

- Frankly, she's not known for her film choices, as her resume includes such notorious stinkers as The Bonfire of the Vanities, Baby Geniuses and Crossroads (as Britney Spears' mother, no less).

- Capitalizing on her Sex character, she wrote the sex manual Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm.

Bye Bye Betty

"All right ladies, it's time for some dodgeball!"

Our Ugly Betty (played by the always game America Ferrera) faces some big challenges in tomorrow night's season finale, including a Felicity-esque choice between her two suitors in the present and a Hairspray-esque game of dodgeball in the past.

And, as you may have heard, a certain Lindsay Lohan guest stars as a Mean Girl from Betty's high school days. But she isn't the only tabloid name to sign up for the second season closer, as Naomi Campbell also pops in for a little game of ... softball?

Immediately following Betty will be the two-hour season finale of Grey's Anatomy, which promises to feature a reunion between Meredith and Dr. McDreamy and a possible hook up between lady docs Hahn and Torres.

All Hail, Prince Jake

Jake Gyllenhaal is finally entering into the (potential) franchise business. He has been cast in the lead role of the big screen adaptation of the popular video game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

The fantasy adventure comes from Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer, so expect lots of Pirates of the Caribbean-like, well, fantasy and adventure. Mike Newell, who tried his hand at such endeavors with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is set to direct the picture, due to start filming this summer.

Joining Jake will be newcomer Gemma Arterton, who will first be seen this fall opposite Daniel Craig in a little movie called Quantum of Solace.

UPDATE: Disney has pushed this back from a June 2009 release date to Memorial Day 2010.

Poster Post: The Big Red One

Ron Perlman looks mighty fierce (as would be expected) in the first official poster art for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, in theaters July 11.

Picture Perfect

Ben Barnes, hot off the #1 movie of the weekend, will trade in his Prince Caspian armor for the dapper period garb of Dorian Gray in an upcoming adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.

This is, of course, not the first time Dorian has been dramatized on film; the character has appeared in over twenty film and television incarnations. Previous Dorians include Josh Duhamel, Stuart Townsend, Helmut Berger and Hurd Hatfield.

Return to Oz

Three of our favorite Aussies -- Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Baz Luhrmann -- team up for the upcoming epic Australia, in theaters November 14.

And if that line-up isn't enough to get set your pulse pounding, see the new trailer here.

Kung Fu Fighting and Finger Snaps

The unlikely-named Elephant Eye Productions is planning to bring two unlikely pop culture icons to the Broadway musical stage in the future.

First up: Bruce Lee: Journey to the West, a bio musical about the martial arts superstar that will feature a score by The Full Monty's David Yazbek and a book by M. Butterfly's David Henry Hwang; Bartlett Sher, a Tony nominee this year for the acclaimed South Pacific revival, will direct.

And if that wasn't odd enough, then how about this: it's creepy, it's kooky, it's The Addams Family musical (snap, snap)! Based on the cartoon creations of humorist Charles Addams (which also inspired the classic TV series and two feature films), this one will feature music by Andrew Lippa of The Wild Party fame.

UPDATE: Readings are being held this week (August 4-8) for The Addams Family. Casting includes Nathan Lane as Gomez, Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia and (perfect casting) Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester.

The Latest on DVD: The Bear Necessities

"It's time to put on make up, it's time to light the lights," which means it's time for The Muppet Show: The Complete Third Season,now on DVD for the first time.

Season three was a high point for the classic series. Not only did the season boast such guest stars as Gilda Radner, Pearl Bailey, Jean Stapleton, Alice Cooper, Loretta Lynn, Liberace, Raquel Welch, James Coco, Helen Reddy, Harry Belafonte, Lesley Ann Warren, Danny Kaye, Leslie Uggams, Sylvester Stallone, Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, Lynn Redgrave and Cheryl Ladd (whew!), but the beloved variety show also won the prestigious Peabody Award that year. None to shabby for a bunch of felt.

Click on the link above to buy from Amazon.com, and see the Latest on DVD widgets in the sidebar for more of this week's new releases.

Cinematic Crush: Harrison Ford

Crush object: Harrison Ford, actor.

- From Han Solo to Indiana Jones to Rick Deckard to Jack Ryan to Richard Kimble, he is the consummate action movie star, starring in most of the biggest blockbusters in film history.

- A string of uncredited bit parts and television roles led to his first big break as Bob Falfa in George Lucas' American Graffiti, which of course led to Han Solo in the classic, original Star Wars trilogy.

- He was cast as Indiana Jones in Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark after Tom Selleck infamously turned it down; two more adventures (Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade) down, one more to go with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, opening this week.

- After another sci fi classic, Blade Runner, an Academy Award nomination for the crime drama Witness led to more non-genre films, including The Mosquito Coast, Working Girl, Presumed Innocent and Regarding Henry; he made a return to his action hero roots as Jack Ryan in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, as well as The Fugitive and Air Force One.

- He has received lifetime achievement awards from the American Film Institute, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror, and was named "Box Office Star of the Century" by ShoWest.

Awards Watch: Drama Desk 2008

While most of the gold went to such original works as August: Osage County and Passing Strange, a few screen-to-stage faves took home Drama Desk Awards earlier tonight.

Rob Ashford took home another prize for his Cry-Baby choreography while Xanadu's Douglas Carter Beane won his first for Outstanding Book of a Musical. And the Hitchcock-inspired The 39 Steps nabbed two awards, for lighting design and "Unique Theatrical Experience".

Maggie and Harold ... and the boys

Although completely snubbed by the Tony Awards, the all-star, all-African American revival of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is doing just fine, having recently recouped its investment. And now, Maggie the Cat (as played here by Anika Noni Rose) is returning to the screen once more: producers are hoping to turn the production into a film adaptation, with filming planned for next year.

This would be the fourth movie version of the Southern-fried drama, following the 1958 Oscar nominated hit starring Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor and two television adaptations: a 1976 British production with Natalie Wood and Laurence Olivier and the 1985 version starring Tommy Lee Jones and Jessica Lange. It is not clear if this new Cat would be theatrically released or broadcast on television.

In more "stage-to-screen" news, Danny Glover will return to "Master Harold"…and the boys once more, this time for a film adaptation. Glover previously starred on Broadway in the Tony Award winning drama's original 1983 production and also in a 20th anniversary revival. Lonny Price, who co-starred in the former and directed the latter, will helm the movie version, which begins filming in South Africa in July.

Countdown to AFI's 10 Top 10: Western

"The Old West is not a certain place in a certain time;
it's a state of mind."
-- Tom Mix

We are halfway through our countdown to the American Film Institute's salute to their 10 Top 10, which brings us to that purely American creation (that is, until Sergio Leone got hold of it): the western. A genre filled with iconic imagery, from the lone cowboy perched atop his horse to the climatic gunfight in the middle of a dusty town, a classic oater depicts "the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier".

Topping the list of westerns previously honored by the AFI in their annual lists is High Noon. The thinly veiled allegorical look at Hollywood's reaction to McCarthyism has been included on six prior lists, followed closely (with five mentions each) by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Shane. However, a strong contender for the top spot here is The Searchers, which may only have two previous listings, but it made an impressive leap from #96 to #12 on last year's 10th anniversary revisit to the top 100 movies.

The Wild Bunch, which redefined onscreen violence as well as the western genre itself, placed three times previously, and should place high this time around as well. Other possibilities from past lists include Best Picture Oscar winners Dances With Wolves and Unforgiven (both with two listings) and single-placers ranging from comedies (Blazing Saddles, Cat Ballou) to John Wayne headliners (Stagecoach, True Grit) to some questionable "westerns" (Giant, The Last Picture Show), plus The Magnificent Seven, a remake of a Far Eastern "western", The Seven Samurai.

Ranging from 1924 (The Iron Horse) to 1996 (Lone Star), other contenders among the fifty nominees (see the comments section below for the full list) include more John Ford epics (My Darling Clementine, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon), Clint Eastwood non-spaghetti westerns (High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales) and other favorites such as How the West Was Won, The Ox-Bow Incident, Red River and even Joan Crawford's lone contribution to the genre, Johnny Guitar.

The final top ten will be revealed in a CBS three-hour television event on June 17.

Desperately Seeking Closure

Desperate Housewives will conclude its revitalized fourth season tomorrow night (which will include the addition of Queer as Folk icon Gale Harold to the cast), so to keep all the Wisteria Lane action alive over the long hot summer, here is the Madame Alexander Desperate Housewives Doll Collection.

Yes, you too can recreate all the juicy gossip and homemaker intrigue of the popular nighttime soap with 16" recreations of Lynette, Gabrielle, Edie, Susan and Bree. And although I'm sure you would want him, tragically, there is no Mike Delfino doll.

Click Here for Official ABC Merchandise and to Shop the Desperate Housewives store!

John Phillip Law: 1937-2008

John Phillip Law, best known for playing an angel opposite Jane Fonda in the camp classic Barbarella, passed away earlier this week at the age of 70.

He initially gained fame (and a Golden Globe Award nomination) for his role as a love struck Russian sailor in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.

Other notable films include Hurry Sundown, Danger: Diabolik, Skidoo, The Hawaiians, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Tarzan the Ape Man and The Sergeant, wherein he played the object of Rod Steiger's obsession.

Awards Watch: Drama League 2008

It may have failed to get a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical, but A Catered Affair was just fine for the Drama League. The new tuner, based on the classic Bette Davis movie The Catered Affair, was named Distinguished Production of a Musical by the group, an association of theatre professionals and patrons dedicated to "encouraging the finest in professional theatre".

Winners, which also included August: Osage County, South Pacific, Macbeth and Gypsy's Patti LuPone (named the winner of the Distinguished Performance Award out of 70 (!) nominees), were announced at a luncheon yesterday, hosted by Affair's co-star/librettist Harvey Fierstein. Broadway.com has a report from the scene, which included an unexpected marriage proposal for one Cheyenne Jackson.

Cheyenne (and his Xanadu - which just announced its first national tour) are also among the nominees for the 9th Annual Broadway.com Audience Awards. Nominations have been announced for "the only theatrical award that honors the best of the season as chosen by regular theatergoers" and voting is currently underway. Other screen-to-stage favorites among the nominees (see the comments section below for a quick look) include A Bronx Tale, A Catered Affair, Grease, Hairspray, The Little Mermaid, Monty Python's Spamalot, Rent, The Ritz, The 39 Steps, Wicked and Young Frankenstein, which leads the pack with 10 nods.

Out in Film: Mario Cantone

Idol worship: Mario Cantone, actor/writer/comedian.

- Is best known as the flaky, materialistic professional stylist Anthony Marentino on Sex and the City, a role he'll reprise in the upcoming movie, in theaters May 30.

- The fast-paced, manic comedian got his start hosting the New Jersey-based TV kid's show Steampipe Alley; numerous Comedy Central appearances followed, including Chappelle's Show and his own stand-up special.

- He made his Broadway debut in Terrence McNally's Love! Valour! Compassion!, and has also starred in The Tempest, The Violet Hour and Assassins, as well as has own one-man shows, An Evening with Mario Cantone and the Tony Award nominated Laugh Whore, which was filmed for Showtime.

- Film roles include voice over work for Farce of the Penguins and Surf's Up and an appearence in the notorious The Aristocrats, wherein he memorably told the infamous joke as Liza Minelli (see the clip here - NSFW).

- He has made numerous guest appearances on daytime's The View (and was even rumored to join the female-centric talk show as a co-host for a while) and most recently had a recurring role on the now cancelled primetime dramedy Men in Trees.

Crazy for Toy Story Mania!

Toy Story Mania!, a new interactive ride-through attraction based on the classic Toy Story movies, is gearing up to officially open in Disney parks on both coasts within the next month.

As usual, LaughingPlace.com has been on the scene at Disney's Hollywood Studios for the advance previews, and you can see their extensive video and picture coverage here ... and here and here.

Toy Story Mania! will officially open later this month at Walt Disney World, while the Disneyland version will debut next month at Disney's California Adventure.

Reverend's Reviews: The Return to Narnia -- and the Crusades

I don't know whether C. S. Lewis envisioned his Chronicles of Narnia as movies, but I doubt he would have wanted them translated in such a heavy-handed fashion as is currently being done. Lewis seemed to prefer subtlety in his writing, personal relationships and theological ruminations. Whereas the 2005 adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe had a few moments of Lewis-like subtlety, there is none to be found in the new Prince Caspian.

After a strangely abbreviated opening that re-introduces the Pevensie children one year after the events of the previous tale, we're whisked along with them back to Narnia. However, it is 1,300 years later according to Narnia time, and the land's magical former inhabitants have been all but exterminated by the Telmarines, a race of humorless and supernatural-abhorring humans.

Following this basic and fairly brief set-up, Prince Caspian's coveted audience of children and families are then assaulted for two-plus hours by an unrelenting series of swordfights, castle-stormings, battles and other violent skirmishes. Watching the film with a preview audience mostly comprised of children, I was initially surprised, increasingly uncomfortable with and finally horrified by the inappropriately PG-rated goings-on. The fact that some of the bloodletting in the film is done by its juvenile lead characters is downright disturbing.

If The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a kid-friendly re-framing of the Gospels of Jesus, then Prince Caspian is apparently an allegorical take on the Crusades. As Christians and Muslims battled over the Middle East approximately 1,300 years after the death and resurrection of Christ, so here the Narnians and Telmarines fight for control of their "holy land" 1,300 years after the death and resurrection of Aslan, a majestic lion who serves as Jesus' stand-in.

The evil Telmarines are depicted as bearded men with dark complexions, almost all of whom speak with Italian accents. Meanwhile, the good Narnians are generally light-skinned, fresh-faced and speak with British accents, even (oddly) American actor Peter Dinklage, who plays the heroic dwarf Trumpkin.

Newcomer Ben Barnes plays the title character, an exiled Telmarine prince who may be able to unite the Telmarines and Narnians. Barnes is good and uses his dark eyes to hypnotic effect, but his accent tends to waver between Italian, Irish and non-existent during the course of the movie. The best new character is Reepicheep, a fierce, sword-wielding mouse voiced by transvestite comedian Eddie Izzard.

Before this overlong, excessively violent adventure lumbers to a close, Aslan re-appears to work some miracles, validate the victors and remind viewers of all religious stripes that this is supposed to be a Christian story. However, it rings hollow, not unlike the historical Crusades, when we realize Christ condemned violence and encouraged his followers to put down their swords in favor of plowshares. Despite its being heavily marketed to church groups, there is little that is Christian about Prince Caspian.

UPDATE: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is now available on DVDfrom Amazon.com.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Reel Thoughts Interview: That "Garcia" Guy

Little Somerton, Arizona, a dusty town not far from Yuma and the Mexican border, played host to a favorite daughter filming a very personal story, How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer. Much like Falling for Grace and Bonneville, Georgina Garcia Reidel’s film is an independent labor of love with some impressive star power. America Ferrera, Elizabeth Peña and Steven Bauer, along with the enchanting Lucy Gallardo, all bring to life the story of three generations of women searching for love and sex in a small town where nothing happens.

It’s a quiet, languidly paced character study where the heat, longing, and desire for something more are palpable. Bauer, the Cuban-born actor best known for sizzling performances in Scarface and Thief of Hearts, plays Victor Reyes, the comically macho town lothario and video store owner. He catches the eye of lonely mother (and butcher shop owner) Peña, at the same time as her mother (Gallardo) is striking up a friendship with benefits (free driving lessons) with her gardener, and her daughter (Ferrera) is exploring her sexuality with the new bad boy in town.

Bauer is a true contradiction to his swaggering action star persona. The grandson of a German concert violinist (who escaped the Holocaust) and an opera singer, and whose parents fled Cuba as Castro took over, Bauer is a talented musician who is constantly playing guitar or singing when not acting. He loved working on Garcia Girls and can’t say enough great things about the experience of making the film, the people in Somerton he met, and his excitement that Reidel’s film is finally getting distribution and recognition, three years after it garnered a Grand Jury Award nomination at the Sundance Film Festival.

"For some reason, I have a real affinity for the desert and I just loved that small town feel in Somerton and Yuma," Bauer explained. I was able to speak to him right before he left for the International Women’s Film Festival in his hometown of Miami to show the film.

NC: How was it being this huge burst of testosterone among all those women?
SB: Well, that was fun, that was really fun. Needless to say, I was flattered and honored to be chosen by Georgina for that part, and I just had to try to be humble (laughing), just try to retain some humility and not get too carried away there. It really was a great time, and all of the actors were really into the piece. We were all supporting Georgina in her first feature. I’m just so excited that it finally got distribution. It’s been an uphill battle for her. I don’t know if America’s burst of stardom had anything to do with it …

NC: What did you base Victor’s swaggering machismo on?
SB: Oh, gosh. You know, I’ve known guys like that. I’m always observing types, especially men, and the different form and variety of game that men have in dealing with the opposite sex. God, this is a particular type, because he’s a married man who’s not giving up his day job (laughing), he’s the married guy who still wants to be in high school and is just trying to put as many notches on his gun as possible. And he’s got a way of doing it, because obviously he has a radar for the ones who are vulnerable. It’s a social comedy so it’s not written quite that cruelly, but he’s not the nicest person in the world. I tried to play him with some humor. I did approach it, the arrogance, that he considers himself one-of-a-kind, so unique that "no one can resist me". I thought that would be kind of funny without playing the character too clownish or too much of a stereotype. I tried to be a little subtle with it.

NC: Yeah, your body language was so great.
SB: Oh good, you picked up on that. I liked the way the scenes were cut. And of course, Elizabeth and I had great chemistry together. Every time they yelled "Cut!", everybody was laughing. We’re playing it seriously and I’m swaggering, and the director is cracking up. She was going, "Oh my god, you’re so sleazy! You’re such a creep! You’re such a creep!" I had to tell them to stop making me laugh. It was really fun doing it!

NC: Your pictures from Sundance show you with this big warm smile, but your characters are usually these tough military types. Which one’s closer to you?
SB: (Laughing) I’m that warm person. That’s me. I was raised in a very loving family, so when I came to Hollywood, it was quite a culture shock for me. I really had to learn the way of the world quickly.

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer opens today in limited release.

UPDATE: How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer is now avaiable on DVDfrom Amazon.com.

Interview by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Nobody Puts Cry-Baby in the Corner

The scrappy little musical Cry-Baby has bounced back from mixed reviews and bad pre-opening buzz to become the underdog of this Broadway season. In addition to nabbing four Tony Award nominations earlier this week, including a surprise nod for Best Musical, the new tuner (based on the John Waters cult fave) picked up a few more trophies today, including a Theatre World Award for co-star Alli Mauzey.

Meanwhile, over at the Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, ensemble member Spencer Liff won their Best Male Dancer on Broadway prize (he also danced in the movies Hairspray and Across the Universe) and Rob Ashford picked up another award for Best Broadway Choreography. Step Up 2: The Streets won for Best Choreography in Film.

For a peak at the award-winning dancing of Cry-Baby, visit the show's own YouTube collection. And stay tuned for a special Reel Thoughts review of the show from our own Neil Cohen, freshly returned from the Big Apple.

If Adventure Were a Carb

Is it Raiders of the Lost Starch? Indiana Spud and the Tuber of Doom? Idaho Jones and the Mash Crusade?

Nope, it's the Indiana Jones Mr. Potato Head: Taters of the Lost Ark.

Best of the Fests: Inside Out Toronto

The 18th Annual Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival starts today in Toronto and continues through May 25.

Scheduled to screen at the fest is Mulligans, a dark comedy described as "The Graduate for a new generation" (so I guess that makes Dan Payne Mrs. Robinson).

The pic stars Dante's Cove faves Charlie David, who also wrote the script and produced, and Thea Gill. Catch the trailer here.

Love and Fashion

Dashing fashionista Tim Gunn gets some advice from The Love Guru ... or is it the other way around?

The Love Guru opens in theaters June 20.

The Latest in Theaters: Someday Your Prince Will Come

Hoping to pick up the family film slack left in the wake of last week's non-starter Speed Racer, Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian strides into theaters tomorrow with next to no competition.

Does the dreamy Ben Barnes make a return trip to Narnia worthwhile? Our own Chris Carpenter has already seen it, and he'll chime in tomorrow with his own Reverend's Review of the fantasy sequel.

Also coming tomorrow: Neil Cohen's exclusive Reel Thoughts interview with Steven Bauer, star of How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer. Elizabeth Peña and America Ferrera also star in this acclaimed Sundance fave, which opens in limited release this weekend.

Visit Fandango - Search movie showtimes and buy tickets!

Reel Thoughts: Mother Issues

Helen Hunt (who also co-wrote, produced and directed) stars in Then She Found Me as April, a New York schoolteacher who all at once loses her husband (he runs back to his mother) and adoptive mother, and is confronted by the birth mother she never knew she wanted to meet.

Bernice Graves (Bette Midler) is a loud, overbearing local talk show host who claims that Steve McQueen and she were April’s birth parents. April’s brother (Ben Shenkman from Angels in America) tells her to be careful, and she also finds herself in a lovely relationship with a pupil’s father (Colin Firth). To say all doesn’t go as planned is an understatement.

Hunt is very endearing and she guides her cast well through novelist Elinor Lipman’s comic but serious twists and turns. Midler is a welcome burst of energy as the woman who could either be April’s "fairy godmother or wicked witch". Matthew Broderick plays a variation of his slimy boss character in You Can Count on Me, which Then She Found Me resembles in tone. It’s a sweet and unassuming film with rich characters you’ll want to seek out and find.

UPDATE: Then She Found Me is now available on DVDfrom Amazon.com.

Review by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Reverend's Reviews: Speed Junkie

I'm not ashamed to admit I LOVE Speed Racer. Not the animated TV series, with whom I have only a passing acquaintance, but the hyper-stylized, hyper-kinetic new movie adapted from it; bafflingly, I seem to be in the minority among film critics. Despite a number of favorable quotes on the film's newspaper ads, including one by Richard Corliss of Time, most critics have trashed the movie. Anthony Lane of The New Yorker went so far as to call it a work of "pop fascism" (puh-leeze), and warned parents not to take their kids. Such bad advance notices do seem to have scared families away and cursed the film with a relatively meager $18 million dollar opening weekend.

This is a shame, and I've become convinced in recent days (especially after viewing the allegedly family-friendly The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, but more on that in my next review) that most contemporary critics wouldn't know a good family film if it bit them in the ass. Speed Racer even features devotion to family and the importance of family unity as its central themes, but the movie still can't catch a break.

Never mind that, as written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers of Matrix trilogy fame, Speed Racer is also extremely well-acted by a big-name cast. Rising star Emile Hirsch, as the title character, employs a perfect balance of innocence and obsession, which is no easy feat. Susan Sarandon, as Mom Racer, is more down-to-earth and emotionally affecting than she's been in a few years, and John Goodman, as Pops Racer, is the most relaxed and enjoyable he's been on screen since The Flintstones. Christina Ricci is delightful as always as Speed's faithful girlfriend, Trixie, and Matthew Fox of TV's Lost brings unexpected gravitas to the mysterious Racer X. A talented international cast brings the film's remaining assortment of fellow racers, corporate baddies, sportscasters and ninjas to vivid life.

Never mind that the film's creators have seemingly perfected the use of computer graphics and digital environments in their achievement of a stunningly detailed, color-saturated yet organic-feeling world. Critics went ga-ga when Warren Beatty created a similar, cartoon-inspired world in 1990's Dick Tracy (that film's art direction won an Oscar), but some of those same critics are thoroughly unimpressed here.

Never mind that nobody dies in Speed Racer's moral/ethical universe, not even the vilest of the villains. The drivers involved in the film's explosive car crashes are delivered to safety via what look like form-fitting soap bubbles, and live to race another day. The Wachowskis' refusal to indulge violent impulses apart from a couple of comical fistfights struck me as truly refreshing, especially with Iron Man blasting presumed, not necessarily confirmed, terrorists in the next auditorium.

And never mind that Speed Racer's script features some great, timely and occasionally even poetic dialogue about corporate greed, family values, personal achievement and social responsibility. Even if some of it does, admittedly, go on a bit too long, it beats anything currently masquerading as dialogue in big-budget studio films.

My partner and my 40-year old self enjoyed watching Speed Racer as much as, and possibly more than, the children who were seated around us. We all found it entertaining, engrossing and exhilarating. For two hours and fifteen minutes on Sunday night, we were on "speed" and we loved it. Go see it!

UPDATE: Speed Racer is now available on DVDfrom Amazon.com.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Best of the Fests: Cannes 2008

The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival starts today on the sunny shores of France. Notable films on the docket range from the unexpected blockbuster (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) to the typical art house fare (just about everything else).

EW.com has a rundown of the films expected to make headlines between now and the close of the fest, the largest in the world, on May 25.

Women We Love: Kristin Davis

Today brings the first of a four part salute to the stars of Sex and the City as they are about to make the leap to the silver screen with their new movie, in theaters May 30.

Object of our affection: Kristin Davis, actress.

- As Charlotte York, the prim and mostly proper one, she endured a short-triggered husband and his overbearing mother only to find love ... and maybe babies ... with her divorce lawyer.

- Year after year, she watched her co-stars get Emmy nominations ... but she finally got one of her own in the series' final season.

- Pre-Sex, she was best known as the shrill and spoiled Brooke Armstrong on the popular nighttime sudser, Melrose Place.

- Other television appearances include Seinfeld, Friends and Will and Grace, and she played Annie (as in "Annie's Song") in the TV biopic Take Me Home: The John Denver Story.

- Film parts include mom roles in such family friendly fare as The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D, The Shaggy Dog and Deck the Halls.

Awards Watch: Tony Nominations

The nominations for the 62nd Annual Tony Awards were announced this morning, with lots of surprises among them. And while our favorites Cry-Baby and Xanadu were both nominated for Best Musical, other front-runners like A Catered Affair and Young Frankenstein were shut out in favor of original works In the Heights (which leads the field with 13 nominations) and Passing Strange. The 39 Steps, based on the classic Alfred Hitchcock film, was nominated for Best Play, where it faces tough competition from August: Osage County, Rock 'n' Roll and The Seafarer.

The 39 Steps leads the screen-to-stage nominees with six, followed by four each for Cry-Baby and Xanadu (including a Best Actress nod for Kerry Butler). A Catered Affair and Young Frankenstein did get three nominations each (including nods for actors Tom Wopat and Faith Prince in the former, and Christopher Fitzgerald and Andrea Martin in the latter), while The Little Mermaid netted only two, including a surprise nomination for Best Original Score.

Stephen Sondheim, currently represented on Broadway with the nominated revivals of Gypsy and Sunday in the Park with George, will receive a special Tony Award for "Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre". The Tony Award telecast, which will be hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, will be broadcast live on CBS from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday June 15. For a quick look at the nominations, see the comments section below.

The Latest on DVD: Sci Fi Showcase

Previously only available through Best Buy, Universal releases today the first two volumes of their Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collectionin one ten movie set.

If you love vintage 50's science fiction, this is the collection for you: Tarantula, The Mole People, The Monolith Monsters, Monster on the Campus, Dr. Cyclops, Cult of the Cobra, The Land Unknown, The Deadly Mantis, The Leech Woman and The Incredible Shrinking Man (one of my personal favorites of the genre).

Click here to purchase Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection 1 & 2from Amazon.com, and see the Latest on DVD widgets in the sidebar for more of this week's new releases.

Toon Talk: Hot Wheels

From Popeye to George of the Jungle, many a cartoon has tried to make the transition from pen and ink to flesh and blood, but none so spectacularly as Speed Racer. Zooming onto the big screen with a mixture of pedal to the metal pyrotechnics and hyperactive visuals, this live action take on the old school anime series is all kinds of crazy cool fun.

Speed Racer began its pop culture life in the 1960s as a Japanese manga (comic) and animated television series called Mach GoGoGo. Created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida for Tatsunoko Productions, the show (inspired by such western influences as Elvis Presley and James Bond) was quickly picked up for American syndication and given its now familiar name and iconic theme song. Over the years, the original series became a touchstone for both Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers alike, so a full-fledged movie version was inevitable.

And it is finally here; after seeing the kaleidoscopic images that only today’s digital technology could create, you’ll be glad they waited. Helmed by the visionary minds behind The Matrix trilogy, Larry and Andy Wachowski, this Speed thrills, exploding off the starting line and never letting up, laws of physics and plot densities be damned.

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Speed Racer at LaughingPlace.com.

UPDATE: Speed Racer is now available on DVDfrom Amazon.com.

Awards Watch: Outer Critics 2008

At first glance, screen to stage productions did well at the 58th annual Outer Critics Circle Awards today: the stage versions of Xanadu and Young Frankenstein tied for Outstanding Broadway Musical of the year, and Cry-Baby took home choreography honors.

But the big winners were the acclaimed revivals of Gypsy and South Pacific, with the latter taking home the most awards (four) of the day, including Outstanding Musical Revival. Both shows dominated the musical acting awards, including the first of likely many for Patti LuPone as Mama Rose.

Other acting winners include such big names as Kevin Kline (as Cyrano de Bergerac), James Earl Jones (as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Laurie Metcalf (November) and Laurence Fishburne (Thurgood).

Cinematic Crush: Shia LaBeouf

Crush object: Shia LaBeouf, actor.

- He first gained fame as a young actor on television, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for his role in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens.

- His breakout role in the movie Holes led to supporting turns in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle; I, Robot; Constantine; A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and Bobby, in which he had his first nude scene.

- An impressive lead performance in the golf period drama The Greatest Game Ever Played caught the attention of mega-producer Steven Spielberg, who cast him in the blockbuster hit of 2007, Transformers, which (along with Disturbia and Surf's Up) earned the actor a BAFTA Rising Star Award for his work last year.

- This year isn't shaping up to badly either, with his role as Mutt Williams (new sidekick and possible son to a certain Dr. Jones) in the eagerly awaited Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (in theaters May 22). Next up: the thriller Eagle Eye, the romantic anthology New York, I Love You and more transformin' with Transformers 2, due next year.

Countdown to AFI's 10 Top 10: Sci-Fi

"Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not.

In either case the idea is quite staggering."

-- Arthur C. Clarke

Beam aboard as the Movie Dearest countdown to the American Film Institute's 2008 edition of their famed "100 Years" lists, AFI's 10 Top 10, continues with science fiction. Defined as a genre that "marries a scientific or technological premise with imaginative speculation", sci fi films can range from the optimistic to the bleak, and there have been plenty of both recognized by the AFI's lists in years past.

Topping out at six prior mentions apiece are two films that should provide a close race for the top spot on this top ten: Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey. And while the latter can be viewed either way, the former is certainly in the optimistic camp (unlike its not nominated sequel, The Empire Strikes Back), as is the next highest placer, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (five previous listings). However, next up is another Stanley Kubrick masterpiece, A Clockwork Orange (four previous listings), that is certainly of the downer variety.

Three more classics come in next with three prior mentions: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Frankenstein, the oldest movie among the fifty nominees (see the comments section below for the full list). Rounding out the strong possibilities from previous lists are Alien, Blade Runner, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Planet of the Apes (all with two apiece), Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Jurassic Park, The Matrix, Soylent Green and The War of the Worlds (all with one previous mention), plus the lone AFI Award winner, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Of the possible newcomers to the list, the one that I would most like to see in the top ten, Children of Men, is also the most recent of the nominees. Other contenders include such popular favorites as Back to the Future, Fantastic Voyage, Forbidden Planet, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Invisible Man, Minority Report, Robocop, Silent Running, The Time Machine and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, representing the entire Trek franchise.

Mark your calendars for June 17, the date the results will be revealed when AFI's 10 Top 10 airs on CBS.

Film Art: Mommie's Day

To celebrate Mother's Day today, here is Vanessa Prager's "Mother Knows Best", inspired by our namesake.

And for more mommies you may not want to run into in a dark alley, be sure to check out Kindertrauma's extensive lists of "Trauma-Mommas".

Awards Watch: GLAAD SF

The last of the GLAAD Media Awards ceremony was held last night in San Francisco.

In addition to awards for Sharon Stone, L Word creator Ilene Chaiken, Brokeback Mountain producer James Schamus and The Advocate, the prize for Outstanding Television Movie or Mini-Series went to here! TV's The DL Chronicles. Also a winner: the Levi's "Change" commercial, which also aired as a heterosexual version.

A television broadcast of the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, which will include coverage from all four of this year's ceremonies, will air on Bravo June 27.

Meet the Prince

Just in time for the debut of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian this Friday, this prince charming will begin making meet and greet appearances at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World beginning the same day.

Also, "Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian", a behind the scenes attraction based on the movie, is also planned for later this summer.

Meanwhile on the west coast, the prince is already making parade stops at Disneyland.

I Now Pronounce You Kevin and Scotty

Television history will be made tomorrow night on ABC's Brothers and Sisters: for the first time, two regular gay characters on American primetime network TV will get hitched (or as much as they can in California, where the series is set).

In last week's penultimate episode, Kevin Walker (played by Matthew Rhys) proposed to his boyfriend Scotty Wandell (Luke MacFarlane), and their wedding ceremony will serve as the crux of the second season finale. Also, another gay-themed storyline, involving the closeted uncle Saul (Ron Rifkin), will be just one of the many other family secrets touched on, so be sure to have the tissues handy.

In recognition of the landmark occasion, GLAAD has compiled a comprehensive media resource on "marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships for gay couples".

Save Me

Per Playbill.com: "There is enough pressure in high school without the Lord appearing to you and telling you what to do -- even if he does provide a divine setup for a song.

That's the way it goes in the new affectionate, coming-of-age musical, Saved, getting its world premiere at Off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons."

After a one night delay, the stage musical version of the cult comedy film Saved! began previews tonight; it will officially open June 3, for a limited engagement through June 22.

Out in Film: Perry Moore

Idol worship: Perry Moore, director/writer/producer.

- He started his show biz career on the original production team of The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

- As part of Walden Media, he brought C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series to Disney. The first film, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was a huge hit; its sequel, Prince Caspian, opens next week.

- His first film as a writer/director (with his partner Hunter Hill), Lake City (a family drama starring Sissy Spacek, Troy Garity, Rebecca Romijn and Keith Carradine), is due later this year.

- Also in the works is a documentary about famed children's book author Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are) with director Spike Jonze.

- In addition to his work in film, he is also a best-selling author; his first novel, Hero(about a gay superhero) is currently in development for the silver screen.

Potent Quotables: Tori Spelling on Haggotry

Tori Spelling, star of Trick and the current Kiss the Bride, reveals to Out.com "what every homo should know about his straight gal pals". Some highlights:

- "We'll never get tired of the game "Which Character from Sex and the City and The Golden Girls Are You?", but if you're a Miranda or a Dorothy, own it. Not everyone can be Carrie and Blanche."

- "I secretly love it when you quote my Lifetime movies and compare seemingly hopeless situations to Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?"

- "Bite the bullet and buy your own concealer already."

The Tonys Make Whoopi

Whoopi Goldberg, herself a Tony Award winner (as producer of "the worst Best Musical ever" Thoroughly Modern Millie), has been tapped to host this year's Tony Awards program on June 15. Nominations for this year, the award's 62nd, will be announced this Tuesday, May 13, by Tony winners (and former Spamalotians) David Hyde Pierce and Sara Ramirez.

And speaking of nominations, Broadway.com is asking for yours for this year's Audience Awards. Here's your chance to vote for the best of Broadway both old (Avenue Q, Hairspray, Wicked) and new (A Catered Affair, Cry-Baby, Xanadu), now through May 15. Official nominations will be announced the following day, and then you'll have your chance to pick the winners.

MD Poll: Call to Action

Lights! Cameras! Action!

The newest MD Poll wants to know who your favorite movie action hero is ... is it Bond or Bourne, Harry or Indy? Or maybe one of the Johns: McClaine, Rambo or Shaft. Or perhaps one of the old school heroes, like Tarzan, Zorro or Robin Hood.

Place your vote in the poll, located in the sidebar to your right, and check back in two weeks to see who is most definitely not the last action hero.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed, click here for the results. To vote on the latest MD Poll, click here.

MD Poll: Cliff Noted

In the two recent MD Polls asking for your favorite Ugly Betty characters, it was one extreme to the other as far as the results were concerned. On one hand, Marc's lovable boyfriend Cliff (played by David Blue) dominated the male side with almost 50% of the votes (Marc himself had to settle for second). ABC, are you listening? The audience has spoken, and we want more Marcliff!!

But the real race was with the women, specifically a neck and neck nail-biter between Betty herself and her vampy nemesis Amanda (the always fabulous Becki Newton), who triumphed in the end with merely 0.5% of the votes more then our plucky unplucked heroine.

See the comments section below for the full stats on both polls, and click here for the latest MD Poll.

The Latest in Theaters: Feel the Need

... the need for speed, as in Speed Racer, of course.

Also opening wide this weekend: the romantic comedy What Happens in Vegas ..., starring Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz as two wacky straight people who get hitched in Sin City and then regret it. Must be nice.

On the other hand, a homoerotic take on Edgar Allen Poe's House of Usher, from director David DeCoteau, opens in Los Angeles. See the film's official website for more information.

Visit Fandango - Search movie showtimes and buy tickets!

Sarah's Square Roots

TV watchers of a certain age will remember Square Pegs, a Freaks and Geeks-like sitcom that, like that show, lasted only one season but lives on fondly in our memories.

It was the first time that we saw several future favorites, such as Jami Gertz, Tracy Nelson, the late Merritt Butrick and someone named Sarah Jessica Parker (who, in a recent interview with MTV, claims that her nerdy Pegs character, Patty Greene, grew up and moved to New York to become a writer named Carrie Bradshaw).

All twenty episodes have been collected for the first time on home video with the new DVD set Square Pegs - The Complete Series(click here to pre-order from Amazon.com), due out on May 20.

Women We Love: Christina Ricci

Object of our affection: Christina Ricci, actress.

- At age ten, she made her film debut upstaging Cher and Winona Ryder in Mermaids, and then went on to steal The Addams Family movies from the likes of Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston.

- Hitting her tween years, she paid her dues in such family friendly fare as Casper, Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain and That Darn Cat, and played a younger version of Rosie O'Donnell in Now and Then.

- She grew up fast with challenging roles in Bastard Out of Carolina, The Ice Storm, Buffalo '66, Sleepy Hollow, Black Snake Moan and her Golden Globe nominated performance in The Opposite of Sex.

- Other notable films on her résumé include such other gay faves as John Waters' Pecker (hee hee), All Over the Guy, The Laramie Project and Monster.

- This week, she revs the engine of our hero Speed Racer as his gal pal Trixie.

Star Trek: The Sex Generation

Here's proof that there was a lot more going on aboard the Starship Enterprise then just beaming up and down and loading photon torpedoes:

• First up, a rather extensive video montage of the Federation's own major playah, Captain James Tiberius Kirk, mackin' on all those alien babes; seriously, did anyone else on the crew ever get laid when he was around?
• Or if that is too much for you, then Spock brings sexy back to Captain J.T. ... with a little J.T.
• And here's another one ... if you like it a little rough.
• And finally: ladies and gentlemen, the sensual song stylings of Mr. George Takei.

For more Star Trek "inspirational posters" like the one above, visit Echosphere.net.

Best of the Fests: Boston Gay & Lesbian Film/Video Festival

The 24th Annual Boston Gay and Lesbian Film/Video Festival starts today, kicking things off with Casper Andreas' A Four Letter Word and Shamim Sarif’s The World Unseen.

Closing off the fest May 18 is The Curiosity of Chance, described as a "lost John Hughes movie" -- Ferris Bueller's Gay Off?

Reverend's Reviews: Iron Deficiency

I'm not as familiar with the Marvel Comics character Iron Man as I am with other superheroes, but I do in general like the big-screen, big-budget treatments of those courageous men and women in tights. Some (Superman, Batman, X-Men, Spider-Man) have fared better than others (Sheena, Brenda Starr, the Punisher, Captain America) to be sure. On paper, Iron Man has great credentials. The first release from Marvel's own production company, it boasts a budget in excess of $100 million, a cast full of Academy Award nominees and even a winner (Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges) and a good director in Jon Favreau (Elf, Zathura).

Unfortunately, a sloppy script and so-so special effects result in a decidedly underwhelming movie. It starts promisingly enough, with a "36 hours earlier" flashback sequence revealing much about morally questionable protagonist Tony Stark (a winning Downey Jr.). Stark is a US weapons manufacturer taken hostage by Afghani terrorists and forced to build a doomsday weapon for them. Despite constant surveillance by his captors, Stark is somehow able to create a weaponry-endowed iron suit that is virtually impenetrable and indestructible. After busting loose and returning to the US, he renounces his company's production of weapons of mass destruction, streamlines the suit, learns how to fly and takes to fighting crime as "Iron Man".

Oddly, it's the crime busting that is largely missing from the film. Too much time is devoted to Stark developing his suit and abilities than taking on the baddies. Only in the film's final twenty minutes, when Iron Man takes on a deranged Bridges (clearly having fun in a rare villainous role) in his own super-powered iron contraption, do the good versus evil dynamics get full play. There's way too much talk until then, and some of the allegedly romantic dialogue between Stark and his devoted assistant, Pepper Potts (a largely wasted Paltrow) is downright laughable.

And then there are the special effects. While there is a lot of build-up to Iron Man's first supersonic flight over the California coastline, the final result bears more similarity to the muses of Xanadu zipping around the world than to anything Christopher Reeve was able to do as Superman with "primitive" non-digital technology. At any rate, Iron Man looks to be a huge hit, and a sequel's release date was announced within days of its premiere. Hopefully, the ensuing franchise and other upcoming Marvel Studio adaptations will correct the deficiencies of this initial effort.

UPDATE: Iron Man is now available on DVDfrom Amazon.com.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Awards Watch: I Want My MTV

It was a good day for Michael Cera yesterday. The star of Superbad and Juno saw both of his movies from last year nominated for this year's MTV Movie Awards, with a combined total of nine nominations, including three nods for himself. Joining the two comedies in the Best Movie race are I Am Legend, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Transformers (that's right, Toto, we're not at the Oscars any more).

The Enchanted Amy Adams also picked up three nods, and Johnny Depp was nominated for both his Captain Jack and Sweeney Todd. Hairspray cuties Nikki Blonsky and Zac Efron are up for Breakthrough Performance (along with Superbad's Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Jonah Hill), but not Best Kiss (!). The biggest headscratcher though is Jessica Biel actually being nominated for her acting (and for I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, no less).

For a quick look at the nominees, see the comments section below, then head over to MTV.com to vote on the awards yourself. The "Golden Popcorns" will be handed out June 1 on, naturally, MTV. Mike Myers will be on hand to shill his upcoming movie The Love Guru ... I mean host.

Boys Will Be Boys: When Men Dance With Men on Film

This post is part of the Invitation to the Dance Movie Blogathon, now underway at FerdyOnFilms.com.

A man approaches a couple on a tightly-packed dance floor and asks to cut in; the lady agrees, but when she steps aside, the man joins her partner instead for a little man-on-man waltz action. Observing the situation, bandleader Al Jolson quips, "Boys will be boys!"

The scene is from the 1934 musical melodrama Wonder Bar (most likely you remember it from the seminal documentary on gay representation in film, The Celluloid Closet). But that was far from the first time two men danced together on the silver screen; in the famous Dickson experimental sound film from 1894 (which some scholars credit as the first ever motion picture with sound), two men unironically hold each other close as a violinist plays in the background.

And thus the image of -- and approach to -- men dancing together on film was (unintentionally) established with these two early examples, one comic, the other (pardon the pun) straightforward. And the boys have been doing it one way or the other ever since.

When one first thinks of men dancing with men in the movies, most likely the first thoughts are of such widescreen production numbers as those seen in West Side Story and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, wherein macho gang members and farm hands prove their manliness by way of elaborately choreographed ballets. On the flip side is the homoerotically charged "Y.M.C.A" dance routine in the camptastic Can't Stop the Music; the jocks on display here display their manhood in quite different ways than their predecessors, but the gist is still the same: "our testosterone levels are about to burst, so there is only one thing left to do ... gotta dance!"

Another instance of men dancing together is when they just want to entertain ... call them the "lets put on a show!" moments. Rooted in burlesque, it is no wonder that most of these tend toward the bawdy side, from drag queens (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) to strippers (The Full Monty), but if you want seriousness, then there is always the cat-walkers of Paris is Burning. They take their voguing very seriously.

Then of course, there is the instances of men not so much dancing with men as men dancing with men. Beginning in the 70's, out and out "gay films" became more common, and naturally, they often showed the guys getting their groove on (this being the 70's and all), whether in joyous group dances (The Boys in the Band) or popper-fueled bacchanals (Cruising). And even though disco died, the need to cut loose didn't, with similar scenes appearing in more recent gay-themed films, such as Edge of Seventeen and Trick.

But not all man on man dancing has to be on a crowded disco floor; more intimate, one-on-on pas de deux range from the sublimely comedic (Joe E. Brown and Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot) to the bittersweet (Tom Hanks and Antonio Banderas in Philadelphia) to the achingly romantic (Glen Berry and Scott Neal in Beautiful Thing).

In closing, there is perhaps no better ode to the "men dancing with men" sub-sub-genre than Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall, the Oscar-winning short film whose title says it all; a delightfully droll comedy of manners ... and you can dance to it.

For more of the Invitation to Dance Movie Blogathon, visit FerdyOnFilms.com.

Reverend's Reviews: Compass is Golden

Given the pre-release controversy over its religious and allegedly anti-Catholic elements, I had every intention of reviewing The Golden Compass when it opened last December. I didn't get around to commenting on it then, but I'm happy to do so now in the context of last week's release of the film on DVD.

The movie is the most gorgeously rendered cinematic fantasy of recent years apart from the Lord of the Rings cycle, and its special effects deservedly won the Academy Award. Adapted from novelist Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (which I haven't read), religious matters do constitute the plot of The Golden Compass. Set in a parallel universe, a young girl's best friend goes missing and is later found -- missing his animal daemon, or soul. The girl, Lyra, subsequently begins to uncover a sinister conspiracy by the all-powerful Magisterium to separate children from their daemons, apparently in an effort to make them more obedient adults.

The cast, which includes Dakota Blue Richards (as Lyra), Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott, Eva Green and the voice of Ian McKellen is excellent, and Nicole Kidman reveals previously unseen dark hues as the treacherous Mrs. Coulter. The screenplay by Chris Weitz, who also directs, is impressive for its willingness to speak intelligently to the film's primary intended audience of young people rather than dumbing down the material. Naturally, not everything that can be explained in a book can be conveyed on film either due to length or budget constraints. What didn't seem to make the translation is an adequate description of what "Dust" is all about; it might be Pullman's concept of God, or the spiritual material that constitutes and animates life, or the essence of the human soul.

We'll apparently have to wait for additional movies to find out, as The Golden Compass ends on an unresolved note. There were initial reports that the religious controversy around the film and its less-than-spectacular US box office (although it did much better overseas) had doomed any future movies in the series. More recent indicators are that the sequels will be made, but on a less-expensive scale, and possibly discarding the religious aspects of the storyline. That would be a mistake in my opinion. While The Golden Compass provides only an introduction, it is enough to get me interested in the continuation of Lyra's cinematic adventures and Pullman's philosophical/theological ruminations.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Twilight Time

The brand spanking new teaser trailer for the upcoming teen vamp thriller Twilight brings to mind the tag line for another teen vamp thriller: "Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire." Or at least that old saw, "Live fast, die young, leave a good-looking corpse".

Twilight dawns in theaters December 12.

The Latest on DVD: Happy Mother's Day

What better way to honor dear ol' mom this Sunday then with a slice of classic John Waters satire?

Serial Mom: Collector's Editionincludes featurettes about the making of the cult favorite, a salute to B-movie influences Herschell Gordon Lewis and David F. Friedman, plus an audio commentary by Waters and his Beverly Sutphin, Kathleen Turner.

Click on the above link to buy from Amazon.com, and see the Latest on DVD Amazon widgets in the sidebar for more great gift ideas for your "mommie dearest".

Poster Post: "2" Be ...

First look at the poster for the upcoming "comedy about drama", Hamlet 2, in theaters August 22.

Toon Talk: Heavy Metal

Tired of seeing their classic superhero characters make tons of money for other people, Marvel Comics has set up their own film production shingle, with Iron Man, the first big blockbuster wannabe of the 2008 summer movie season, as their first offering. And if this one is any indication, it was a move they should have made long ago.

And although you may not know this Iron Man from the Iron Chef, this is an action-packed superhero flick with a brain … and just the right amount of a sense of humor about the whole enterprise … that makes any ignorance of the character’s history irrelevant.

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Iron Man at LaughingPlace.com.

And in related news: What does $200 million worldwide in one weekend get you? Iron Man 2 in 2010. Plus: Thor, Captain America and The Avengers.

UPDATE: Iron Man is now available on DVDfrom Amazon.com.