DVD Rundown

Bringing Up Baby (NR)
Starring: Katherine Hepburn & Cary Grant
Director: Howard Hawks


Flight of the Phoenix (PG-13)
Starring: Dennis Quaid & Giovanni Ribisi
Director: John Moore


The Exorcist IV: The Beginning (R)
Starring: Stellan Skarsgard & James D'Arcy
Director: Renny Harlin


Bambi (G)


The SpoungeBob SquarePants Movie (PG)
Starring: Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Alec Baldwin, Scarlett Johansson, & Jeffrey Tambor
Director: Sherm Cohen & Stephen Hillenburg

Desert Reel Film Festival Meeting Tonight!

There will be an important meeting at 6:00 PM tonight in Midland for the Desert Reel Film Festival at the ATF Building across from Hastings. If you are interested in volunteering this year or helping out in anyway, then join us in the auditorium this evening. The Desert Reel Film Festival is and independent film festival that takes place annually with venues in both Odessa and Midland. It runs April 21st-24th.

Weekend Sweep

Diary of a Mad Black Woman stunned the box office gurus over the weekend by nabbing first place. Hitch held strong for another week in second. Constantine, Cursed, and Man of the House closed out the top five. Best Picture winner Million Dollar Baby came in sixth.

As for my Oscar picks I went 15 of 24 this year. That's 62.5%. However, when it came to the big awards--Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor & Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography I was 8 of 9. None too shabby if I do say so myself.

Million Dollar Baby was the big winner last night. Morgan Freeman won for actor in a supporting role, Hilary Swank for best actress, and Clint Eastwood as both producer and director. The Aviator took home its share of gold as well, winning in Cinematography, Costume Design, Art Direction, and Film Editing.

Sideways won for best adapted screenplay and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for best original screenplay.

Charlie Kaufman, who finally won an Oscar for screenwriting last night with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is the subject of this Reuters article.

In my humble opinion, Chris Rock did an good job as the host for the 77th Annual Academy Awards and he really seemed to enjoy the gig.

The 77th Annual Academy Awards

The Oscars air tonight at 7 PM CST so I figured it was time to make my final predictions. If you want your own copy of a printable ballot visit this link.

Actor - Leading
Jamie Foxx, Ray

Actor - Supporting
Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby

Actress - Leading
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby

Actress - Supporting
Cate Blanchett, The Aviator

Animated Feature
The Incredibles

Art Direction
The Aviator

Cinematography
The Passion of the Christ

Costume Design
The Aviator

Directing
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby

Documentary Feature
Super Size Me

Documentary Short
Mighty Times: The Children's March

Film Editing
The Aviator

Foreign Language Film
As it is in Heaven

Makeup
The Passion of the Christ

Original Score
The Passion of the Christ

Original Song
"Accidentally in Love", Shrek 2

Best Picture
Million Dollar Baby

Short Film - Animated
Gopher Broke

Short Film - Live Action
Little Terrorist

Sound Editing
The Incredibles

Sound Mixing
The Incredibles

Visual Effects
Spider-man 2

Screenplay - Adapted
Sideways

Screeplay - Original
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

The Best of 2004

Bull Durham's Top 10

1. Million Dollar Baby
2. Sideways
3. Spider-man 2
4. Napoleon Dynamite
5. The Passion of the Christ
6. Kill Bill Vol. 2
7. Ray
8. The Aviator
9. Shaun of the Dead
10. Friday Night Lights

Best Picture
Million Dollar Baby

Best Director
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby

Best Cinematography
The Passion of the Christ

Best Screenplay
Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, Sideways

Best Actor
Jamie Foxx, Ray

Best Supporting Actor
Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby

Best Actress
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, The Aviator

The Starting Lineup

Now playing at a theatre near you:


Man of the House (PG-13)
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Cedric the Entertainer, Anne Archer, & R Lee Ermey
Director: Stephen Herek


Diary of a Mad Black Woman (PG-13)
Starring: Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris, & Shemar Moore
Director: Darren Grant



Cursed (PG-13)
Starring: Christina Ricci, Joshua Jackson, & Jesse Eisenberg
Director: Wes Craven

DVD Rundown

Now available on DVD...


I Heart Huckabees (R)
Starring: Jude Law, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Naomi Watts, & Mark Wahlberg
Director: David O. Russell

Welcome to The Hot Corner

The Hot Corner welcomes our visitors from the links provided by Eric Siegmund's The Fire Ant Gazette and from Texas Bloggers site. We appreciate you stopping by and hope you'll tell your friends about us. Make sure you check out the extensive article about Mr. Siegmund that appeared recently in the Midland Reporter Telegram.

Don't forget about out other partners in blogging! Check out George over at Sleepless in Midland and the folks over at Milk Plus.

Although we're not exactly a regional blog there are also some rookies out here in the Basin blogging away you might want to visit: Bert's Blog, Ruminations, Sticky Doorknobs, Blogging for Midland, and Stark Trek. Welcome to the family!

As best I can tell, we are the only blog originating on the www from Odessa, TX. If you know of anybody else out there from Odessa, or anywhere in the Permian Basin for that matter, let me know.

I'm thinking about starting a community blog that will accept posts from bloggers out here in the Permian Basin. Considering all that's out there it right now we could put together a pretty well-rounded site that could cover a variety of issues.

Don't foreget to click on our ads, vote for The Best Film of 2004 (Even if I misspelled Rwanda. lol), and scroll down for the quote of the week. As always, we appreciate your continued support.

The Starting Lineup

Now playing at a theatre near you:


Constantine (R)
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, & Shia LaBeouf
Director: Francis Lawrence


Because of Winn Dixie (PG)
Starring: Jeff Daniels, Cicely Tyson, Dave Matthews
Director: Wayne Wang


Son of the Mask (PG-13)
Starring: Jamie Kennedy, Alan Cumming, & Bob Hoskins
Director: Larry Guterman

DVD Rundown

Now available on DVD...


The Motorcycle Diaries (R)
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal & Mia Maestro
Director: Walter Salles


Taxi (PG-13)
Starring: Queen Latifah & Jimmy Fallon
Director: Tim Story


SAW (R)
Starring: Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, & Monica Potter
Director: James Wan


Raise Your Voice (PG)
Starring: Hilary Duff, Oliver James, & John Corbett
Director: Sean McNamara

Weekend Sweep

Happy Valentines Day! I hope you all are lucky enough to spend it with someone deserving of your love!

Starting a new gig this morning doing Tech Support for DSL. Hey, it's gonna pay some bills, it pays me the same amount my old preaching job paid me, and it comes with benefits. That's something I haven't had for the past three years. In other words, I'm coming out ahead of where I was before I was forced out of my last gig.

Hitch toppled The Boogeyman at the box office this past weekend. Are We There Yet? held pretty strong, coming in third. Three major Oscar contenders finished in the top ten again--Million Dollar Baby (4th), Sideways (8th), and The Aviator (9th). Pooh's Heffalump Movie trunked badly, taking fifth.

Video gamers should delight in the fact that the majority of the cast of Batman Begins have signed on for EA's home version.

ET takes a closer look at Adam Sandler and Chris Rock's remake of The Longest Yard.

Blockbuster's No Late Fees policy still has late fees. Big shock there, considering this is the company that came up with the keep your movies for an extra day policy that was really designed to increase late fees.

Reuter's has a pretty good interview with Keanu Reeves about his turn as Constantine. (The comic book character, not the Roman Christian Emperor.) They also have a great article about screenwriter Charlie Kaufman.

Sideways (R)

View Clips and Trailers
A Review By M. Chad Durham

Maybe there’s something beautiful about middle-aged angst for there’s so much of it in Alexander Payne’s story of wine, women, and song—Sideways; a male variation on standard chick-flick flair. But then again, maybe there isn’t; maybe mental and emotional baggage accompanied by a complete disregard for decency while selfishly looking out only for one’s self is, simply put, pathetic. If the latter is true, then what could be so fascinating about four characters bumbling aimlessly through life without purpose, meaning, or direction?



Jack (Thomas Haden Church) is a has-been. His acting career never amounted to much except voice-overs, commercials, and a brief stint on a daytime soap. He’s engaged to the lovely Christine to whom he will say, “I do” in just one short week. His best friend Miles (Paul Giamatti), a struggling writer as well as a high school English teacher and definitive wine snob, decides to send him off with a weeklong escapade through California’s wine country. The wine and the golf motivate Miles but Jack’s only interested in the booze and the broads. In fact, Miles is as obsessed with vino as Jack is with women. Where one’s obsession begins the other’s insecurities begin. They are such complete opposites it’s difficult to understand exactly why they are still friends. About the only thing they have in common is the fact that they once shared a room together in college. Nonetheless, they seem intent on having one last hoorah together before Jack ties the knot.



Along the way they meet the cautious Maya (Virginia Madsen), a waitress at Miles’ favorite restaurant. She’s certainly interested in Miles but he’s still reeling from a divorce and seems so unsure of himself around her. Jack immediately starts pushing his pal in her direction. The next day they stumble on to Stephanie (Sandra Oh) at a wine tasting. She’s the kind of gal that’s up for anything—especially a tryst with Jack—and she just happens to be friends with Maya.



The four primary characters lives are so filled with debauchery they leave nary a deadly sin uncommitted. Drunkenness may not crack the top-seven but there’s plenty of that, too, along with some serious pill popping and petty thievery. And yet, in spite of it all, it just might be their complete disregard for morality that makes them so intriguing. Watching them stumble through situation after situation complicated by their own stupidity lends credibility to the film. Each actor delivers a believable, heartfelt, noteworthy performance. First-rate acting is nothing new for Giamatti. He’s made quite a living at it for the past several years, but Church and Madsen are particularly surprising in their supporting roles. Sandra Oh also continues to demonstrate her chops for comedy.



The writers (Payne, along with Jim Taylor, based on Rex Pickett’s novel of the same name) deliver an unadulterated look at the human condition that reflects a keen understanding of the fundamentally flawed nature of people. The dialogue is first-rate and the humor racy, bawdy, crass, and irreverent delivering far more laughs than anticipated, many accompanied by a profound sense of guilt because some things just shouldn’t be that funny. Sideways is a fairly simple movie about friendship run amok that will surely strike a nerve, one way or another; it will hit too close to home for some, others won’t get at all, and still many more will find it blatantly offensive. On the other hand, it isn’t difficult to see why this flick is garnering so much buzz this award season. Sideways earns a HOT DATE rating with an * to warn off more sensitive viewers.

The Starting Lineup

Now playing at a theatre near you!


Hitch (PG-13)
Starring: Will Smith, Eva Mendes, & Kevin James
Director: Andy Tennant

Smith plays a date-doctor who can't heal himself.


Pooh's Heffalump Movie (G)
Starring: John Fielder, Nikita Hopkins, & Kath Soucie
Director: Frank Nissen

Sounds like a heffala movie for very, very, very, young kids.

Mini Reviews--Part III

Alien Vs. Predator (PG-13)

How in the world can you bring these two alien species together in a PG-13 atmosphere. Fundamentally, that decision sent this movie way off course right from the very beginning. There's no way this film could live up to the hype with a PG-13 rating. The studio stuck to the formula right down the line so AVP offers no surprises, zero chills, and not a single thrill. CATV

DeLovely (PG-13)

In this biographical musical about the life, loves, and sexcapades of Cole Porter, Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd render solid performances. Songs and appearances by Alanis Morressette, Cheryl Crow, and Elvis Costello keep this film mildly interesting. I could see what the filmmakers were going for here, but I just didn't buy into it. RENTAL

The Notebook (PG-13)

Another tear-jerker adapted from a Nicholas Sparks novel, The Notebook leapfrogs through time in a vain attempt to hide the obvious. It doesn't take much to see where this movie is going and what's going on. Even so, the performances are outstanding, especial James Garner and Rachel McAdams. Not many movies make for a better date--just in time for Valentine's Day. MATINEE

p.s. (R)

Aside from some mildly amusing moments from Topher Grace and a surprisingly sexy supporting role by Marcia Gay Harden, there's just nothing really special here. Laura Linney plays a middle aged college dean who stumbles across a student who reminds her of an old flame. CATV

Shark Tale (PG)

This film offers much in the way of laughs for the avid moviegoer. Not only does it spoof mobster movies and Titanic, it poke targets its own actors as well and their previous films, including Ali and Jerry Maguire. Martin Scorsese is brilliant in a film type-cast right down the line to Angelina Jolie as the bad girl. This one is just a whole lot of fun. MATINEE

When Will I Be Loved (R)

An erotic vignette masquerading as a feature film, When Will I Be Loved isn't even titled correctly. When Will Something Happen? Or, better still, When Will I Have Intercourse. This movie is short on plot and substance so its overly artistic presentation comes across as pretentious nonsense. Only Neve Campbell's acting stands apart, but not even that can overshadow the fact that she appears nude in the film, which seems to be about the only reason some folks could excuse watching this train-wreck on film. FORGEDABOUDIT!

DVD Rundown

Today's new releases:

Shark Tale (PG)
Starring: Will Smith, Robert DeNiro, & Jack Black
Director: Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, & Rob Letterman


The Notebook (PG-13)
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, & James Garner
Director: Nick Cassavetes


p.s. (R)
Starring: Laura Linney, Topher Grace, & Gabriel Byrne
Director: Dylan Kidd

Weekend Sweep

The Boogeyman burst out of the closet and out from under the bed to nab first place at the box office over the weekend. The Wedding Date was a distant second, nipping past Are We There Yet in third. Hide and Seek and Million Dollar Baby round out the top five.

James Bond will be going old school when it takes on its first Ian Fleming title in many years--Casino Royale. Casion Royale was actually the first of the James Bond novels penned by Flemming. There was a spoof entitled Casino Royale starring David Niven, Woody Allen, and Peter Sellers but MGM has bought back the rights to the title. Martin Campbell, who directed Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye, is now slated to direct. Still no word on who the next Bond will be but rumor is that Clive Owen has the inside track.

Here's an interesting article from Reuters that claims Marlon Brando almost refused an offer he couldn't refuse. How different the world would be if he hadn't taken the part! There are also plans to use Brando's voice in a video game version of The Godfather.

Burnt Orange Productions has wrapped filming on its first feature. The production company works in conjunction with The University of Texas at Austin and uses students to work on crucial aspects of production. The film has been retitled The Quiet and stars Elisha Cuthbert (The Girl Next Door, 24) and Shawn Ashmore (X-Men and X2).

The SAG Awards were held this past weekend. Jamie Foxx won Best Actor, Hilary Swank took Best Actress, Morgan Freeman and Cate Blanchett were honored for supporting roles, James Garner received a lifetime achievement award, and the cast of Sideways (Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, and Sandra Oh) claimed the prize for Best Ensemble.

The genius behind Shaun of the Dead, Edgar Wright, is in negotiations for his next feature film.

In casting news Jacinda Barrett will replace Rachel McAdams in The Last Kiss, co-starring Zach Braff, and Sam Huntington will join the cast of Superman as Jimmy Olsen.

This interview with former Permian quarterback Mike Winchell found its way to My Yahoo a few days ago.

Call me simple, but I just didn't figure the ending of Million Dollar Baby would be considered so controversial. In part, because it made perfect sense to me, but if you haven't seen the movie never fear. I'll not spoil it for you here. But in case your interested in reading about all about the brouhaha, just click here. I say, go see the movie and make up your own mind.

Finally, one of the better interviews I've ever read of my favorite actress--Kate Beckinsale. Ain't she just gorgeous?

The Starting Lineup

Now playing at a theatre near you!


The Wedding Date (PG-13)
Starring: Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, Amy Adams
Director: Clare Kilner

In a fluffed-up recycled story, Kat is a single woman who has to attend her kid-sister's wedding. Unfortunately, the groom-to-be happens to be her ex-fiancé. In a desperate attempt to save face, she hires Nick, a professional male escort. Oh, and get this plot twist! While she's pretending to be in love she realizes she's falling in love. What a shocker!


Boogeyman (PG-13)
Starring: Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, and Skye McCole
Director: Stephen T. Kay

Make sure you check the closet door and under the bed before you go to sleep tonight because, according to this tale, the Boogeyman is real. Now isn't that just a frightening concept?

DVD Rundown

Now Available on DVD!

Ray (PG-13)
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Reginia King, and Kerry Washington
Director: Taylor Hackford

Nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, Ray is the only contender to make to DVD before the big show. Foxx' portrayal of Ray Charles has been heralded on every front so this movie is worth renting this week if you can find a copy.


Mr. 3000 (PG-13)
Starring: Bernie Mac, Angela Bassett, and Chris North
Director: Charles Stone III

Mac plays a selfish retired baseball player who discovers he doesn't really have 3000 hits so he signs back up to try and get three more hits. This flick should be good for some laughs.


Vanity Fair (PG-13)
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, James Purefoy, and Gabriel Byrne
Director: Mira Nair

For the more aspiring film aficionado.


The Grudge (PG-13)
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, and Bill Pullman
Director: Takashi Shimizu

The Americanization of the flick listed below.


Ju-On (PG-13)
Starring: Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, and Misa Uehara
Director: Takashi Shimizu

A genuinely creepy horror flick about a house, a curse, and a grudge. The story is so thin it has to hop around all over the place to make it seem like something is going on but the intensity of it all will keep you on edge throughout. The experience of watching this film is kind of exhausting.


Shall We Dance (PG-13)
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere, and Susan Sarandon
Director: Peter Chelsom

Ballroom dancing that's not Strictly Ballroom.


She Hate Me (R)
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, and Ellen Barkin
Director: Spike Lee

Spike Lee's latest Joint.


Mullan II (NR)
Starring: Not Available
Director: Not Available

Why, oh why, does Disney keep doing these pointless straight to video sequels. Oh, yeah. That's right. They want to take advantage of little kids. That's it!


The Bodyguard (R)
Starring: Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston, and Gary Kemp
Director: Mick Jackson

A new special edition hits the shelves this week.