Movie Zion

Releases I'm getting/renting on 2/15/2011

2011-02-09T20:07:00.002-05:00

After a year and a half, the 4th season comes to DVD. This would be the last season for Michael J. Fox, whose Parkinson's disease had progressed to the point where working on a weekly television series was almost impossible. He would win his 4th Best Actor in a Comedy Emmy.

The greatest player in NBA history and one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, Michael Jordan gets the HD treatment in a package that showcases 5 of his greatest performaces of his career.

The movie that inspired the most well-known review of Pauline Kael who compared it to the premiere of Stravinsky's Rites of Spring in 1913. Marlon Brando was nominated for Best Actor in 1975.

Directed by Davis Guggenheim, who won an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth.

Nominated for Best Sound Editing.

The Misery of being a Cleveland Fan

2010-05-13T01:27:00.000-04:00

I was born and raised in Ohio and have lived in Michigan most of my life and root for all the Ohio pro sports teams except for the Cavaliers. Why? Growing up here in Michigan, I could watch either the Chicago Bulls or the Detroit Pistons on TV. The Cavs were never on TV. My best friend's aunt works at the United Center in Chicago and she also worked at Chicago Stadium. She was always sending stuff to my best friend and it always helped that the best player in basketball history, Michael Jordan, played for the Bulls. Not having much exposure to the Cavs and my dad not being a NBA fan led me to root for the Pistons and Bulls.

Courtesy of ltdanman44 at Fark (I corrected #13 and added #26):

1. 1954. The Catch. The great Willie Mays runs down a 420 shot to center field in sensational fashion preserving a 2-2 tie. Giants go on to sweep the World Series against a team that had set a record with 114 wins.

2. 1961. The Trade - Rocky Colavito to Detroit which killed the era of great Indians baseball in Cleveland. (Thanks to DeadlockVictim at TotalFark)

3. 1976. Jim Chones breaks his foot in practice, Cavs sunk in playoffs

4. 1981. Red Right 88. Even though they were in field goal range (13 yard line) for a winning kick, Sipe tosses an interception in the end zone, Browns lose 14-12. Raiders go on to win the Super Bowl.

5. 1987. The Drive. 98 yard drive by Elway tied the game with 37 seconds left. They go on to lose in overtime.

6. 1988. The Fumble. Ernest Byner fumbles on the 3 yard line, Denver recovers and ends another great season. Byner traded to Washington the next year and wins a Super Bowl for them.

7. 1989. The Shot. Micheal Jordan's iconic shot at the buzzer in game 5. Craig Ehlo inconsolable.

8. 1994. Brad Daugherty's career ended because of back problems at age 26.

9. 1994. Cleveland Indians break out to the best record in baseball. The season ended with a strike.

10. 1995. Indians lose in World Series to Atlanta in 6 games.

11. 1996. Indians have the best record in baseball, lose to Baltimore in 4 games.

12. 1996. Browns and Art Modell leave Cleveland and move to Baltimore.

13. 1997. World Series, game 7. Indians have the lead in the bottom of the ninth with 1 out when Jose Mesa(1.12 ERA 46 saves) falls apart on the mound and lets the Marlins tie the game. In the bottom of the 11th, 4 time Gold Glove winner and 5 time All-Star Tony Fernandez muffs a sure double play. Edgar Rentería singles in the winning run, scored by Craig Counsell.

14. 1999. Browns back in Cleveland. Draft Tim Couch 1st overall. Draft bust.

15. 2000. Browns draft Courtney Brown 1st overall. Draft bust.

16. 2001. Browns draft Gerard Warren 3rd overall. Draft bust.

17. 2001. The Ravens and Art Modell win the Super Bowl for Baltimore.

18. 2002. Browns draft William Green 16th overall. Draft bust.

19. 2002. Browns finally make the playoffs and have a 22 point 4th quarter lead against rival Pittsburgh and lose.

20. 2003. Browns draft Jeff Faine 21st overall, does nothing for Cleveland. Traded to Saints where he becomes a Pro Bowl center.

21. 2004. Browns draft Kellen Winslow. 2 games into season, he breaks his leg. Lost for year.

22. 2005. Kellen Winslow blows his knee out in a motorcycle accident, lost for the year.

23. 2005. Browns draft Braylon Edwards 3rd overall. Blows knee out, lost for the year.

24. 2006. LeCharles Bentley, top rated free agent signs huge contract with Cleveland. During the first play of the first practice he tore his patella tendon and ended his career.

25. 2007. Cavs get swept in Finals.

26. 2007. Indians hold a 3-1 series lead against the Red Sox in the ALCS. They lose Games 5, 6 and 7 by a combined 30-5 score. Franchise is still reeling.

27. 2008-2009. Cleveland trades not one, but 2 Cy Young winners(C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee) to New York and Philly. Both pitchers meet each other in the World Series.

28. 2009. Cavs roll in playoffs, stopped by Orlando.

29. 2010. Cavs have the best record in NBA. Lose to aging Celtics team.

The Movies of the 2000's

2010-02-09T16:53:00.004-05:00

the films of the 2000s from Paul Proulx on Vimeo.

There Will Be Blood
The Hurt Locker
Training Day (Thanks to Paulina)
Miami Vice
A History of Violence
Unbreakable
Zodiac
Narc
Dog Soldiers (Thanks to JDH)
28 Days Later
Blow
Collateral
Gangs of New York
Fahrenheit 9/11
Sin City
City of God
The Descent
Sexy Beast
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Wrestler
8 Mile
Master and Commander: Far Side of the World
Avatar
Freddy vs. Jason
Million Dollar Baby
Gladiator
Inglourious Basterds
The Devil's Rejects (Thanks to Adam)
Walk the Line
Signs
Snatch
No Country for Old Men
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The Dark Knight
Up in the Air
Shaun of the Dead
Big Fish
The Cooler
A Prarie Home Companion
I Heart Huckabees
Ocean’s Eleven
Jackass (Thanks to Paulina)
Amelie
American Psycho
The Departed
Best in Show
O Brother Where Art Thou
Secretary
Planet Terror
Swimming Pool
Cast Away
Spun
Vanilla Sky
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Burn After Reading
The Royal Tenenbaums
Ghost World (Thanks to Paulina)
Punch Drunk Love
Dancer in the Dark (Thanks to Paulina)
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Ali
Dawn of the Dead
Little Miss Sunshine
Chicago
Jarhead
Lost in Translation
Birth
Kill Bill Vol. 1
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mystic River
?
Monster’s Ball
The Brown Bunny
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Mulholland Drive
Traffic
Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Memento
The Man Who Wasn’t There
The Hours
Road to Perdition
Requiem for a Dream
Wonder Boys (Thanks to Jeff.)
Once
The New World
In the Bedroom
Inland Empire (Thanks to Adam)
Monster
Irreversible (Thanks to Paulina)
About Schmidt
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
Capote
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Audition (Thanks to Adam)
A Beautiful Mind
Things We Lost in the Fire
Donnie Darko
The Aviator
The Assassination of Richard Nixon
Adaptation
American Gangster
The Passion of the Christ
District 9
Munich

2010-02-02T09:13:00.002-05:00

Actor in a Leading Role

* Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
* George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
* Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
* Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
* Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

In Theaters: Crazy Heart, Up in the Air, A Single Man, Invictus
On DVD: The Hurt Locker

Actor in a Supporting Role

* Matt Damon in “Invictus”
* Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
* Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
* Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
* Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

In Theaters: Invictus, The Messenger, The Last Station, The Lovely Bones
On DVD: Inglourious Basterds

Actress in a Leading Role

* Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
* Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
* Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
* Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
* Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

In Theaters: The Blind Side, The Last Station, An Education, Precious, Julie and Julia
On DVD: Julie and Julia

Actress in a Supporting Role

* Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
* Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
* Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
* Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

In Theaters: Nine, Up in the Air, Crazy Heart, Precious

Animated Feature Film

* “Coraline” Henry Selick
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
* “The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
* “The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
* “Up” Pete Docter

In Theaters: The Princess and the Frog
On DVD: Coraline, Up
Coming to DVD: Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Secret of Kells

Art Direction

* “Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
* “Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
* “Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
* “The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

In Theaters: Avatar, Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Nine, Sherlock Holmes and The Young Victoria

Cinematography

* “Avatar” Mauro Fiore
* “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
* “The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
* “Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
* “The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

In Theaters: Avatar, The White Ribbon
On DVD: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Hurt Lockers, Inglourious Basterds

Costume Design

* “Bright Star” Janet Patterson
* “Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
* “Nine” Colleen Atwood
* “The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

In Theaters: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Nine
Coming to DVD: Bright Star, Coco before Chanel, The Young Victoria

Directing

* “Avatar” James Cameron
* “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
* “Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
* “Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

In Theaters: Avatar, Precious, Up in the Air
On DVD: the Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds

Documentary (Feature)

* “Burma VJ” Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
* “The Cove” Nominees to be determined
* “Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
* “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
* “Which Way Home” Rebecca Cammisa

On DVD: The Cove, Food Inc.
Coming to DVD: Burma VJ, The Most Dangerous Man in America, Which Way Home

Documentary (Short Subject)

* “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
* “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
* “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
* “Music by Prudence” Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
* “Rabbit à la Berlin” Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing

* “Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
* “District 9” Julian Clarke
* “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
* “Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

In Theaters: Avatar, Precious
On DVD: District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterd

Foreign Language Film

* “Ajami” Israel
* “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” Argentina
* “The Milk of Sorrow” Peru
* “Un Prophète” France
* “The White Ribbon” Germany

Makeup

* “Il Divo” Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
* “Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
* “The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

On DVD: Star Trek
Coming to DVD: Il Divo, The Young Victoria

Music (Original Score)

* “Avatar” James Horner
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
* “The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
* “Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
* “Up” Michael Giacchino

In Theaters: Avatar, Sherlock Holmes
On DVD: The Hurt Locker, Up
Coming to DVD: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Music (Original Song)

* “Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
* “Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
* “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

In Theaters: The Princess and the Frog, Nine and Crazy Heart
Coming to DVD: Paris 36

Best Picture

* “Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
* “The Blind Side” Nominees to be determined
* “District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
* “An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
* “The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined
* “Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
* “A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
* “Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer
* “Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

In Theaters: Avatar, The Blind Side, An Education, Precious, Up in the Air
On DVD: District 9, The Hurt Locker, Ingloourious Basterds, Up
Coming to DVD: A Serious Man

Short Film (Animated)

* “French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert
* “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
* “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia
* “Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin
* “A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park

Short Film (Live Action)

* “The Door” Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
* “Instead of Abracadabra” Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
* “Kavi” Gregg Helvey
* “Miracle Fish” Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
* “The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Sound Editing

* “Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
* “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson
* “Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman
* “Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
* “Up” Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

In Theaters: Avatar
On DVD: The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Star Trek, Up

Sound Mixing

* “Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
* “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
* “Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
* “Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
* “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

In Theaters: Avatar
On DVD: The Hurt Lockers, Inglourious Basterds, Star Trek, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Visual Effects

* “Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
* “District 9” Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
* “Star Trek” Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

In Theaters: Avatar
On DVD: District 9, Star Trek

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

* “District 9” Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
* “An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
* “In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
* “Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

In Theaters: An Education, Precious, Up in the Air
On DVD: District 9, In the Loop

Writing (Original Screenplay)

* “The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
* “Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino
* “The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
* “A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
* “Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

In Theaters: The Messenger
On DVD: The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Up
Coming to DVD: Up

DVD and Blu-Ray releases for January 5th, 2010

2010-01-04T20:56:00.002-05:00

10 Things I Hate About You: 10th Anniversary Edition - 2-disc edition with the movie and the special features on the 1st disc and the digital copy on the 2nd disc.

Bonus Features include:
Digital Copy
10 Things I Love About 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU 10 Years Later Take A Look Back And Remember Why Everyone Loves This Classic Teen Comedy.
Audio Commentary with writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith and actors Andrew Keegan, David Krumholtz, Larisa Oleynik and Susan May Pratt.

Battlestar Galactica Season 1 on Blu-Ray - The first season of the highly acclaimed sci-fi series comes home on its own outside of the mega box-set that was released last summer.

Big Love Season 3 - The third season of the critically acclaimed HBO series hits DVD.

Chuck Season 2 on Blu-Ray The most entertaining show on television bar none. I was a fan of the show at the end of Season 1, but the cast and crew elevated their game during the course of Season 2 and the result by the end was a show that delivered in the action, romance, drama and comedy departments.