#5A - Scream (1996)

I know I said to check back soon for the other part of my 5th Favorite Film review, but I wanted to take my time and give this movie the credit it deserves. Not that the others in my list don't, this one just has a special place in my heart and I couldn't let it down. My apologies to those whom I kept waiting, but I promise this is worth the wait. May I present #5A, 1996's Scream.



Pretend its 15 years ago and you're a die-hard lover of the slasher film genre. I imagine you'd be about as depressed as possible, mainly because the last 6-8 years, the slasher movie has pretty much been non-existent. Granted, there were lots and lots of really great horror/mystery/thriller/suspense movies to help (Exorcist III, Silence Of The Lambs, Cemetery Man), but not counting either a Halloween, Friday The 13th, Nightmare On Elm Street, or Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel, good slashers were few and extremely far between. But that all changed in 1996 when famed horror director, Wes Craven, released Scream upon an unsuspecting, but oh so needed, world. The idea of Scream came from a young screenwriter named Kevin Williamson, and upon reading it for the first time, Wes instantly jumped on board. Casting some very young actors, including a couple of popular TV actors and pulling a Hitchcock casting secret, Wes and Kevin inadvertently changed the face of horror and slasher movies forever! The film starts with an innocent Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) popping some popcorn when her phone rings. She answers, and soon, one of the most spoken lines in the history of cinema and pop culture is first heard. "What's your favorite scary movie?" And from there, an icon was born, as for the next hour and fifty minutes, the ghostface killer stalked and slashed his way through a group of Woodsboro, California teens. After the first two murders, our heroine, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is called, tormented and finally attacked at her home by the masked killer. After locking herself in her room, her boyfriend, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), comes in her window after he heard screams. The two hug, but while doing so, Billy's cellular telephone falls from his pocket. A terrified Sidney runs from Billy and out the front door to a waiting Deputy Dewey Riley (David Arquette). From there, Sidney never really knows who she can trust. And on top of that, all of this is happening on the one year anniversary of her mother's murder. The next day, Woodsboro High's, Principle Himbry (Henry Winkler), calls off school and the police department announce a town wide curfew. Of course, this gives Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) the chance to throw one heck of a party, and everybody's invited, including the killer. But who is it? Wes and his cast definitely broke the mold with this little movie. Not only is the cast aware that slasher films actually exists, but the movie is based on tributes to most of the best and famous slashers of the 70's and 80's. Scream really is a slasher film fan's film. Its smart, sleek, sexy, funny, scary and gory. The story is hands down, one of the best, and definitely the smartest of any slasher film, and thanks to this movie, the new, teen-slasher film was born. The characters are all very desensitized to what is happening because they’ve all seen this movie before. They even argue with themselves over who could be the best suspect and who could actually commit such a crime. To coincide with such an amazing story, Wes needed an equally amazing cast to bring the words on the page to life. Neve Campbell (of Party Of Five fame) played the role of Sidney with such a powerful array of emotions and character, ones not seen in a slasher film since Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween, 18 years earlier. Her best friend, Tatum Riley, is played by the lovely Rose McGowan, who throws sexuality at the screen with a force. Sidney’s boyfriend, Billy, is played with an incredible psychotic presence by Skeet Ulrich. I really feel that he has severely detached himself from the reality that we all (well some of us) seem to live in. His best friend and Tatum’s boyfriend, Stu, played perfectly by Matthew Lillard, is the main comic relief, but in a total off -his-rocker way. This is the movie where I really took notice of Matthew’s talent and started checking out everything he appeared in. Even if the movie is less that stellar, his performance is always, always worth seeing. He’s never disappointed and I’ve been a fan ever since. Courtney Cox, of Friends fame, stars as Gale Weathers, a local TV news anchor looking for the next big story. She has spent the previous year covering the murder of Sidney’s mother, capitalizing on the tragedy. She sees the newest set of murders as her way of gaining a national following. Courtney plays Gale with a heartless tone, only caring about getting ahead, and she doesn’t care who she has to go through to get what she wants. The other comic relief of the film comes in the form of Deputy Dewey Riley, played almost mindlessly, yet perfectly, by David Arquette. His mind doesn’t seem to always be there, but his heart definitely is, and I believe that’s what counts most. Randy, the fifth member of the group of friends, and also the conscience of the film, is played very smartly by Jaime Kennedy. He is aware, most of all, that horror movies are good study material for serial killers, and anybody and everybody could be a suspect. The other big star of the film was an obvious tribute to Alfred Hitchcock. Drew Barrymore received the “and starring” credit, as she was obviously the biggest star of all the cast members at the time of production. Everybody assumed she would end up making it to the conclusion of the film, but boy could they have been more wrong. She lasted approximately 16 minutes into the film and was the second character murdered. Hitchcock did the same thing in Psycho, killing off Janet Leigh in the first act, even though she was the biggest name attached to the movie. Nobody would have guessed that Drew would be the first of the stars to go, and it definitely shocked the masses. Some very good performances were also turned in by some key role players too, notably Henry Winkler, playing Principal Himbry. Also; W. Earl Brown playing Kenny, Gale Weather’s cameraman, Joseph Whipp, playing Sheriff Burke, Liev Schreiber playing Cotton Weary, and Wes Craven himself in an uncredited cameo as Fred the janitor. The cast clearly outdid themselves. But when you’re right in the middle of making magic with one of horror’s most acclaimed director’s, wouldn’t you want to? Little did they know, along with Kevin and Wes, that while they were making all of that magic, they were actually saving the world.

Sorry for the length, but I just got caught up! Check back next week as I reveal my 4th Favorite Film of all time, and until then, keep your eyes and ears open ...

Shawn M

#5B - Blue Velvet (1986)

Narrowing down to my 5th favorite film of all time was incredibly hard! So I figured, why fight it? I went ahead and decided upon having two number 5's. Here is #5B, 1986's Blue Velvet.



Written and Directed by the amazing David Lynch in 1986, Blue Velvet is Lynch's ode to the seedy underground found in almost every good-hearted small town. In 1984 David Lynch agreed to direct a big-budget movie adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune for Dino De Laurentiis. In return, De Laurentiis agreed to produce a low-budget mystery for Lynch. Unfortunately, Dune was a critical and financial failure, so much as that when it was finally released on special edition DVD in 2006, David petitioned to have his name taken off the credits. However, things would turn around for the indie auteur two years later as Blue Velvet garnered him his second Academy Award Nomination for Best Director. Kyle MacLachlan playes a college student named Jeffrey as he returns back to his home town after his father is hospitalized. One day while walking back home from seeing his dad, he takes a shortcut through a field and happens upon a severed ear. After talking with a local detective, Jeffrey decides to investigate on his own. This leads him to a part of town he never knew existed and a way of life he may never be able to return from! Besides Lynch mainstay Maclachlan, the film also stars Isabella Rossellini as Dorothy Vallens, the always amazing Laura Dern as Sandy Williams and the late great, near perfect Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth. Lynch capitilizes on the amazing cinematographry of Fredrick Elmes, shot in a film noir style to convey what would become one of the most amazing mysteries ever produced. The movie, famous for being so sexual and violent, wasn't recieved with open arms by all reviewers upon its release. It was, however, included in the New York Times Top 10 Of 1986 list. Since then though, the film has been reguarded as a cult classic and has been included in the prestigious American Film Institue in three separate top of lists. The film has been referenced in television and film many, many times since its release, including Jay shouting out a famous Frank Booth line in Kevin Smith's Clerks and the famous Simpsons two-part episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns." And, as Kevin Smith once said, and I'm paraphrasing at best, "once you've been referenced on The Simpsons, you've finally made it!" Its just a shame it took Blue Velvet 9 years to "make it."

Check back soon for part 2 of my 5th Favorite Film of all time.

Cheers,
Shawn M

#6 - Apocalyse Now! (1979)

As stated in my previous post, #7 could have went three different ways, and #6 was the reason, yet it too, could have went a couple of different ways. For your reading pleasure, here is #6 on my Top 10 List; 1979's Apocalypse Now!



I recently watched this movie again, for the first time in, I'd say, 11-12 years. And my feelings about the film have greatly changed. I always really liked it, in fact, I even loved it. I quoted it, often, and always told people that they really, really should check it out. Since that time though, and after my recent viewing, I have learned to respect it for what it truly is. Plainly and simply, it is one of the greatest pieces of work, in the history of cinema! The storied history of Apocalypse Now! is well documented. Producer and director, Francis Ford Coppola, gave his friend, screenwriter, John Milius $15,000 to write a screenplay about the Vietnam War. Originally, Coppola was just going to produce and have his friend George Lucas direct. But Lucas was just getting started on his own little movie called Star Wars, so Coppola decided upon directing the film himself. Toward the end of 1975 he started to revise Milius' script and the next year, he and the cast and crew went to the Philippines to start filming. Released in August 1979, more than three years after the start of production, Apocalypse Now! earned more than 78 million dollars in its initial run. Martin Sheen stars as Capt. Benjamin Willard, an alcoholic, troubled, seasoned, Special Operations veteran, currently on leave, not enjoying himself. Soon, government officials contact Willard, and order him to track down and find Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando). According to radio transmissions, the US Military now believes that Kurtz has gone insane and is commanding a legion of his own troops deep within the jungles of Cambodia. Kurtz was on his way to becoming a model General, but the wet jungles where he was stationed drove him to the point of insanity. He stopped communicating with the US Military and his family back home. Capt. Willard wouldn't be the first person they've sent to find Kurtz either. Capt. Richard M. Colby (Scott Glenn) was sent a year prior, but he hasn't been heard from since. Willard sees it as an opportunity to get back to what he likes best, so he accepts. The rest of the 2 hours and 23 minutes of glorious celluloid are filled with battles, boat rides, helicopters, Playboy playmates, dismembered bodies, sweaty jungle outposts and Marlon Brando at his unapologetic best! Martin Sheen literally went through hell to get this picture made. In early 1977, he suffered a heart attack while alone, having to hike a quarter-mile to get some help. Besides that, Sheen provided his best performance to date, and since, for that matter. Out of all the roles I've seen Brando in, especially since I've realized how amazing, commanding and talented he is, his portrayal of Colonel Kurtz is one of the most haunting and disturbing images I have ever seen. And trust me, that is a compliment. Besides those two incredibly talented individuals, Robert Duvall turns in an Academy Award Nominated Best Supporting role as Lt. Col. Kilgore. The American Film Institute also named Kilgore's speech about loving "the smell of napalm in the morning," #12 on its 100 Years ... 100 Quotes special. Dennis Hopper also stars as the nameless photo journalist who seems to enjoy the ruling of Kurtz half of the time, while spending the other half fearing for his life. Laurence Fishburne and Harrison Ford, both early in their careers, appear in small but memorable roles. As a whole, Apocalypse Now! was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards, but ultimately lost to Kramer vs. Kramer and its director Robert Benton. It did pick up wins for Best Cinematography and Best Sound Mixing and also won the coveted Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It wasn't long before it was spoken in the same vain as Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, The Bridge On The River Kwai, Lawrence Of Arabia and In The Heat Of The Night. It took me until 2011 to realize the same thing. But, you know that they say, its better late, than never. So check it out, and if you have to, reintroduce yourself to this legendary classic!

The latter half is done and things are starting to heat up! Check back for #5, coming soon!

Shawn M

#7 - House Of Frankenstein (1944)

This was a tough one! After narrowing down several hundred films that I oh so adore into a Top 10 List, I then had to figure out which ones would go where. My 7th Favorite Film was very hard to place, it could have went one of three ways, but when it was all said and done, #7 would belong to House Of Frankenstein.



After the success of pairing The Wolf Man with the Frankenstein Monster in Universal Studio's 1943 monster mash, Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, they tried their luck again with 1944's House Of Frankenstein. But instead of merely doing the same flick again, they added to it and seriously amped up the cast and scares. House follows its predecessor by picking up exactly where it left off. After The Wolf Man and the Monster are washed away by a river of water, the townsfolk have begun to rest easy. But during a severe thunderstorm, the old jail cell holding Dr. Gustav Niemann (Boris Karloff) and his hunchback friend Daniel (J. Carrol Naish), crumbles apart. Seeing their chance to escape, the two flee during the storm. Niemann's tells Daniel about his older brother, and how he spent his life assisting the original Dr. Henry Frankenstein and learned his secrets of creating life. With the secrets he now possesses, the actual notes Henry took while creating the Monster, and Count Dracula on his side, Niemann is now ready to extract revenge on those who put him in prison. After Dracula is only able to kill the town’s former Burgomaster before being killed himself, Niemann and Daniel travel to the small town outside of Castle Frankenstein in hopes to find some of Henry’s old equipment. Once there though, they discover the bodies of The Wolf Man and the Frankenstein Monster incased in large chunks of ice. He quickly thaws and frees them. The Wolf Man, in human form as Lawrence Talbot, is furious with Niemann for releasing him. He begs him to kill him, but Niemann promises he can cure Talbot’s disease. Soon, his intentions of curing Talbot are taken over by his desire to reanimate the sleeping Monster to help rid him of the other two men who imprisoned him. Riding the popularity of Universal’s previous monster movie, director Erle C. Kenton helped develop the monster rally film that would continue for the next two Universal Monster movies, House Of Dracula and Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. This film is famous for featuring five of the most villainous and vile creatures of all-time; the mad scientist, the hunchback, Count Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster and The Wolf Man! Unfortunately for the fans, Bela Lugosi was not chosen to return as the fang-toothed vampire, leaving John Carradine to fill the void. I do believe he did a better than average job, appearing far more sinister and scary, instead of romantic and elegant. He would reprise his roll with the sequel, appearing as a far more important character than he was here. J. Carrol Naish appeared as Daniel, the unsightly hunchback assistant, replacing the widely popular Dwight Fry, who appeared as hunchbacks in both, Frankenstein and Bride Of Frankenstein. Lon Chaney Jr. did return however, making The Wolf Man the only Universal Monster to be portrayed by one and only one very talented actor (until the 2009 remake). Future western star, Glenn Strange stepped into the large boots and greasepaint of the Monster for the first of three times, taking over for the legendary Boris Karloff. Boris was now well into his 50’s as of filming and was not physically able to handle all the extra weight. But he didn’t just fade away, he become far more evil, using his ominous voice and weathered face to lend an incredible vision of terror to the mad scientist, Dr. Gustav Niemann. Although I personally loved him as the Monster, I think I enjoyed his performance and voice as Niemann just a little bit more, and that helped propel House Of Frankenstein to be my all-time favorite Universal Monster movie. With all this amazing genre talent in one movie, how could anybody resist all of these thrills and chills? Ok, so the thrills and chills might not be anywhere as scary as they once were, but I promise you will definitely enjoy seeing what a real monster movie is all about!

That means #6 will be following very shortly. I hope everyone's week has been good and their Friday's will be a great!

Shawn M

#8 - A HIstory Of Violence (2005)

I apologize for the delay, two weeks is too long to wait for such a prestigious countdown! I can assure you that I will try my best to not let this happen again. In keeping up with my Top 10 List of my favorite films, here is #8; David Cronenberg's 2005 effort, A History Of Violence.



It is my firm belief that everybody needs a little Cronenberg in their life. And a good starting place would be 2005's A History Of Violence. It is quite a bit more tame than some of his past body of work (Shivers, Rabid, Scanners), and quite a bit more understandable than others (Naked Lunch, The Brood, Crash). Viggo Mortensen, stars as Tom Stall, husband, father, friend, neighbor, and owner of a small town diner. He enjoys a simple life with his wife Edie (Maria Bello) and his son Jack and daughter Sarah. That is, until one night his diner gets held up and he quickly and easily dispatches the thieves with the use of a shotgun. The small town hails Tom a hero. Things get back to normal, but not for long, as Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) and a couple of his associates come to town looking for Tom. Carl informs Tom that he knows of his past, and that he needs to come back to Philadelphia to meet with his own brother, notorious Irish gangster, Richie Cusack. Tom denies everything, but Carl doesn't believe him and starts to stalk his family. It is then that Tom has to decide to either admit his "history," or fight them to defend his family. A History Of Violence is a dark, philosophical thriller at its best. It is slow moving, allowing all the characters to dig themselves into your brain. You start to care for and feel for them, hoping all turns out well, yet not actually knowing if it will. You're never really sure what to believe, or what will happen next. Viggo Mortensen does a fantastic job as the introverted Tom. He never likes to talk about himself and never refers to himself as a hero. He loves his family and always tries to be nice to everybody in town. Maria Bello is as stunning and sexy as she is strong, as Tom's wife, Edie. She's always there for her husband and stands behind him, even when she's not sure. The always great, always entertaining Ed Harris plays the scarred villain, Carl Fogarty. His portrayal of Carl reminds me of Murder Legendre, the character Bela Lugosi played in the 1932 film, White Zombie. He's cunning and smart, he'd rather outwit you to get what he wants, than physically harm you. After seeing him here, I will forever be a fan. He has the ability to make any character he plays incredibly believable. Its no wonder he's been nominated for 4 Academy Awards, and at the same time, a crying shame he's never won. I hope that will change in the future though. Besides the all-star cast, that also includes a surprise Academy Award nominated performance by the great William Hurt, the amazing story was really what kept my attention. The screenplay was also nominated for an Academy Award that year too. It was adapted for the screen by Josh Olsen, and was based on the 1997 graphic novel written by John Wagner and Vince Locke and released by Paradox Press, an imprint of DC Comics. Of course, beyond all that, just the fact that David Cronenberg took the time to direct this modern day masterpiece was reason enough for me to check it out. It was, shortly after seeing this, that I realized he was and still is a master of cinema. He's proved that he can do almost anything in the world of movies. From body-horror to mystery to grindhouse to sexploitation to mosters to thrillers to art-house to sci-fi. I personally hope he continues to do all of the above. But until then, I'll always be able to sit back and enjoy one of his classic films, including this one. Check it out, I promise it will not disappoint!

Stay tuned for #7 on my List and some other ramblings, lists and thoughts!

Shawn M

#9 - Taxi Driver (1976)

Hello all. I trust and hope everybody has enjoyed their weekend. It was a beautiful day outside, so I decided to spend the day inside working on things. In continuing with my Top 10 List of my favorite films, here is #9 on my list; Martin Scorsese's 1976 classic Taxi Driver.



In 1975 Brian De Palma introduced a young screenwriter named Paul Schrader to his director friend Martin Scorsese. Paul had just finished writing a screenplay and Martin was interested in shooting it. The screenplay was Taxi Driver and the rest they say, is history. Released in 1976, Taxi Driver took the world by storm, and in the process, made Travis Bickle one of the most popular characters in the world. Robert De Niro stars as Bickle, a former Marine who was honorably discharged after the Vietnam war, now living a lonely and depressing life in Manhattan. Plagued by insomnia, he soon takes a job driving a taxi cab through the five boroughs and spending his days walking through town and hanging out in seedy grind house movie theaters. After falling in love with Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), a campaign volunteer, she breaks things off with him. This sends him deeper into depression and paranoia, causing him to believe he has no reason for living. All is not well, until he meets a 12-year old prostitute named Iris (played by the then 15-year old Jodie Foster). He starts to care about her and tries in vein to get her to quit her job and return home to her parents. Suddenly he has a reason to keep going and decides upon ridding the New York underground of its seedy populace. After four amazing independent films, director Martin Scorsese makes a jump to the big-time. What can I say about Scorsese that hasn't been said, the man is a genius in my opinion. I believe his filmography can speak for itself, and I see no signs of him slowing down. Which is a great thing! He is definitely someone to admire in the world of cinema. He also managed to get an amazing ensemble cast together. Peter Boyle, Albert Brooks and Harvey Keitel, all did exceptional in their minor, yet memorable supporting roles. Cybill Shepherd was, as always, intoxicating, I know why Bickle fell for her. Jodie Foster brought such a fearlessness to her role, it was very interesting and exciting to see. Robert De Niro should have won his first Best Actor Oscar for his role as Travis Bickle. Not only did he do an absolute perfect job in his performance, he also went as far as losing 35 pounds for the role and doing countless hours of research. De Niro made an icon out of Bickle, so much that the American Film Institute (AFI) named him the 30th most popular villain. I believe he should have been in the hero category, but that’s a debate for later. Also the AFI named the line "You talkin' to me?" the 10th most popular quote in the history of cinema. And to top it off, it was ranked #47 in the AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies list. That I believe is quite an honor. The film itself was also nominated for Best Picture Oscar, ultimately losing to Rocky, which isn't a knock by any means. However, Taxi Driver did win the coveted Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Magazine Film Comment recently named it the greatest Palme d'Or winner of all time. All these awards and nominations are just proof that this film should take its rightful place among the greatest of the greatest, and in my books, it definitely has.

#8 coming next!

Shawn M

#10 - House On Haunted Hill (1959)

So, as promised, I've narrowed my all-time favorite films down to a Top 10 List. It took me a while, but I finally got it figured out. Here is my 10th favorite film of all-time, House On Haunted Hill (1959)



In 1959, William Castle struck gold with this schlocky, yet very entertaining and impressive, haunted house movie. In the process, he also introduced a young Shawn to the world of horror and the amazing talents of Vincent Price. And for that, I will forever be indebted to William Castle and his amazing talent. House On Haunted Hill was Castle's 42nd film and first collaboration with Vincent Price, which proved to be a good pairing as this was arguably each of their most popular movies. Though they would work together only one more time, their paired talents would forever be etched into the history of horror cinema. Vincent Price stars as Frederick Loren, a self-made millionaire who is throwing his 4th wife, a fancy birthday party. What his lovely wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart), doesn't know, is that Frederick has invited a selection of random people, not their friends. Some work for Frederick, others are just know of him, however none of the know why they've been invited to the party, they only know that if they spend the entire night, they will each be given $10,000. From there, the plot starts to take lots and lots of twists and turns as secrets are revealed and pacts are made. To make matters worse, Watson Pritchard (Elisha Cook Jr), the man who owns the house, claims it is genuinely haunted by those who have been killed there before. The claims do nothing but nearly frighten to death poor Nora Manning (Carolyn Craig) and make the rest of the guests paranoid and untrusting. Castle successfully creates an incredibly creepy atmosphere within the house, so much that the house becomes an extra equally important character. Screenwriter, Robb White, concocted a truly terrifying tale of paranoia and imprisonment. The characters all soon realize that once the doors are locked for the night by the creepy caretakers, there is no way of getting out. Once the fear takes over, anything and everything can and will happen. Throw in a walking skeleton and the fact that Frederick has given each of the guests a .45 (for their own personal protection, of course), its hard saying who will be left when morning comes. When it came time for the film to be released into theaters, Mr. Castle had a new trick up his sleeve. Back in 1959, films weren't released nationwide like they are now. They were sort of on tour, much like bands and pro wrestling. They might have made 10-20 prints of the film and sent them out to a town on the east coast, they'd play there for 1-2 weeks, then move on down the road to the next town. With House On The Haunted Hill, William would "tour" with the film and set up an elaborate gimmick called "Emergo," where a skeleton, just like the one in the film, would appear above the screen and shoot out towards the crowd, scaring the daylights out of them! He'd travel with the film and set this up at every theater he could, just to add something special to an already special film. Now that’s what I call showmanship! He did this for several more of his low-budget schlocky films through-out his famous career, upping his theatrics a little more with each film. Though this was Vincent Price's 8th horror film, House On Haunted Hill cemented Price as one of horror's most elegant and charismatic. He would go on to enjoy an incredibly illustrious career in, not only horror, but cinema in general, radio, theater and TV. Along the way, he also become one of my favorite actors of all-time. It doesn't matter what I see him in, he always commands my attention. And that’s just what House On Haunted Hill has done, from every aspect of the film, the lighting, the sound, the camera movements, the acting, the story and the direction, everything appealed to my senses. Alfred Hitchcock has said that House On Haunted Hill is one of his favorite films and one year after its release, he tried to emulate it by making a little movie called Psycho! House On Haunted Hill started my obsession with horror movies and haunted houses and instantly became one of my favorite movies of all-time. And trust me, that is no easy feat!

#9 coming soon!

Shawn M

83rd Annual Academy Awards and An Introduction To Sight+Sound

I was trying to think of a night to properly start my blog of reviews, when it suddenly hit me. "Why not do your first blog on the night of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards?" Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, I nail it. Tonight is THE perfect night to start blogging about some of my favorite things in the whole wide world. Those favorite things happen to include the world of cinema, along with music, concerts, TV, NBA basketball and professional wrestling.

The plan is to review things that I really, really love. If I don't dig it, chances are, you won't see a review of it. I definitely won't trash anything I dislike, I just simply won't review it. I know what it takes to make something like a movie or a song, and it's incredibly hard. No matter how bad something is, I'm sure that somebody has worked very hard on it. I'm not going to be one of those reviewers.

Consider this a counterculturist's evaluation on all things underground, right here on the ground, and way up above the ground. I believe movies, music and all things art related and entertainment related should be an ESCAPE! Whether it be an escape from work, or just an escape from everyday life, everybody needs a break once in awhile. So let's get started!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Oscar goes to ...

I've been glued to the TV all night to check out who was being recognized as the best in their particular field in the world of cinema. I have to say the producers and writers of the show did an amazing job. And an equally amazing job from the co-hosts James Franco and Ann Hathaway. They've been tasteful, classy, upstanding, respectful and very funny. The opening segment of James and Ann getting 'Incepted' into Alec Baldwin's dream was genius. Who wouldn't want Morgan Freeman narrating their dreams? I loved seeing Kirk Douglas as a presenter. That man is a living legend and I loved how the crowd 'popped' for him. He completely deserved it. Congratulations was in order to the tape-delay guys as they successfully silenced Best Supporting Actress Melissa Leo's drop of the 'F' Bomb on national television. David Seidler's acceptance speech for Best Original Screenplay was very, very inspiring. Which just so happens to be something I aspire to. I really enjoyed seeing Trent Reznor, a rock and alternative music icon, and his writing partner and music producer Atticus Ross win for Best Original Score from the movie The Social Network. Randy Newman's acceptance speech for Best Original Song was just down right funny and Celine Dion's performance in memory to the many who passed away this year was very touching. The world seems a little less shiny now without Lynn Redgrave, Gloria Stuart, Kevin McCarthy, Dino De Laurentiis, Tony Curtis, Leslie Neilson and Dennis Hopper. I was very shocked that Tom Hooper won Best Director, as well as Colin Firth winning Best Actor for The King's Speech, and the film itself winning Best Picture. I can't wait until the middle of April so I can finally check this seemingly incredible film out, as well as other nominees. Out of all 10 movies nominated for Best Film, I have only seen Inception. The Social Network is currently on its way to my house and the ones that I wanted to see, none of my friends wanted to. So, sadly I wait until they are released on DVD (The Fighter, The King's Speech, Black Swan and True Grit) so I may finally enjoy what all the chatter has been about.

All in all, this Award show has been a great joy to watch. Let's hope next year will be just as good, and hopefully, the films will be just as good too!

Coming soon, My Top 10 Films Of All Time ...

Until then,

Shawn M