Gross Behavior
The Audience Is Listning...
by Leonard Klady

In theory at least there's an ideal, hip crowd out there that shares the same cinematic sensibility that have informed your likes and peeves on the big screen.

Of course the reality is generally quite different. Though composed of a not necessarily homogeneous quilt of individuals, the crowd experience can turn us into a single voice. It can also be an entirely surreal experience as the peripheral sounds of hysterical laughter or a sea of sobs leaves you with the somewhat perplexing question about why you aren't sharing the prevailing emotions in the theater.

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Digital Drezka
If The Seat Fits ...
by Gary Dretzka

Apparently, the shift toward larger seats began at approximately the same time that exhibitors finally acknowledged – duh — that their shoebox-sized auditoriums, with small screens, paper-thin walls, sticky floors, pre-fab popcorn and crappy sightlines, actually were a major factor in the abandonment of multiplexes by discerning viewers. By the late-’80s and early-’90s, the downturn had reached crisis proportions. Something drastic had to be done.

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The Return Of The Hot Button
Cache
by David Poland

Michael Haneke is full of s**t.

Let me try again. Michael Haneke seems to have offered the press a rather clear explanation of the emotional text of his film and the critics, in particular, seem to have taken it way, way, way beyond the simple offering he made.

Cache (Hidden) is well made, well acted, and well worthy of a viewing. But it is also the most overpraised, underanalyzed movie of 2005.

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The Weekend Report
by Leonard Klady

There was a Spike in the box office both literally and figuratively as Inside Man ascended to an estimated $29.2 million to lead weekend movie going. The frame also provided surprises for other national debuts with the teen thriller Stay Alive having more utz than expected and the big screen incarnation for Larry the Cable Guy not as well connected as had been anticipated. Overall it was still more than enough to register double-digit boosts from 2005 and bring box office revenues on par with last year.
Weekend Estimates (Full List)
Top Domestic Grosses
Domestic Market Share

Digital Nation
Stoned
by Gary Dretzka

“If ever a man genuinely lived the rock and roll life and naturally characterized the Rolling Stones in every way -- long before the five of us assumed a style -- it was Brian Jones,” wrote Stones’ bassist Bill Wyman, in his book, “Stone Alone.” “The band would not have existed without him … many attitudes and sounds of the ’60 were developed from Brian's style and determination. … He was the archetypal middle-class kid screaming to break away from his background, bumming around in dead-end jobs before finally finding his niche.

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The Ultimate DVD Geek
History of Violence
by Doug Pratt

The gore is heavy, the sex is fantastic and for once, Cronenberg delivers such pleasures without getting weird on the viewer. The sequences involving the hero's children don't always ring true (the school bully is played by an actor who is clearly in his twenties), and there is that nagging feeling that the Canadian locations aren't Indiana, but otherwise the film is an outstanding accomplishment. It delivers the entertainment of a well-made thriller, but reaches for and achieves more, primarily through the editing, using the film as a reflection upon the violent undercurrent of American society, and human nature, without spoiling the rhythm of the suspense.

Voices
Is V For Vendetta A Drag?
by Larry Gross

V is about the gayest superhero of all time.

I mean, he makes Batman look like Tarzan by comparison. An outcast who cannot be himself in the ultimate ways, he is at the same time a dedicated gourmand, lover of 40's torch songs, a great dancer, an unrepentant high culture aesthete, an exceptional interior decorator and an enthusiast of 1930s black-and-white period-costume tear-jerking swash bucklers - and maybe he's just tomorrow's with-it metro sexual, but given his lack of nostalgia for nuclear family or lost love, and given that he can only warm up physically to Natalie when she's bald, it would seem to me that, well ... you get where this is going.

Discuss It On The Blog
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MCN DVD Wrap-Up
Chicken Little

This time, the world's most famous alarmist is joined by pals Ugly Duckling (Joan Cusack), Runt of the Litter (Steve Zahn) and Fish Out of Water. The CGI feature isn't up to usual Disney standards, but younger children should find it enjoyable, as will the interactive bonus features.

The Chicken Rap
The Trading Cards

Plus: The Busby Berkeley Collection, Buster Keaton: 65th Anniversary Collection, Bukowski: Born Into This, Capote, Chicken Little, David and Bathsheba, A History of Violence, Huff, A League of Ordinary Gentlemen, Loggerheads,Over There, Paul Mooney's Analyzing White America, Remember the Titans, Show Me, South Park, Stalag 17, The Ten Commandments, The Thing Called Love, Through the Fire, Townes Van Zandt, The White Shadow, The Year of the Yao, The Young Riders

Updated throughout the day
Updated: 6:49 pm

In The Ongoing Effort By Universal To Do The Right Thing And To Not Be Accused Of Capitalizing Financially On A Recent Domestic Tragedy, 10% Of The First Weekend Gross Of United 93 To Go To Family Organized Memorial To The Passengers
More Thoughts On, And A Discussion Of, The Situation

SAG First Organization To Set 2007 Awards Date

A Bit Of A Bitch Fest Ensues
The Man Pushed By NYT For Pulitzer... Brilliant Alt Media Crossover Queen Up For Old Media's Most Valued Prize, Critics Not Published In The Top 12 Newspapers Need Not Apply (Note: The Story Incorrectly Denies Stephen Hunter His Pulitzer Win.)

An Important World Documentarian Who You Probably Have Never Heard Of Before

Chris Kelly Argues The Genius Of Short Attention Span Horror Porn
"The teenagers are getting it -- and embracing perhaps the only movies around that dare to speak to larger social concerns and anxieties, especially about the often-faceless, unfathomably evil villains we must contend with in the aftermath of Sept. 11."

Will The LA Times (And The Internet) End Up Pushing The Tribune Company Out Of The Newspaper Business?

Headline Is "Harrison Ford Hates Internet," But Story Is How The Internet Has Changed The Realities Of Stardom

Corporate Censorship, America's Dominant Mode Of Censorship, Hits Magazine Printing The Riotous Mohammed Cartoons

The Question Isn't Whether The Case Is A Winner, The Question Is Why Paramount Would Let A Guy With Burns On 60% Of His Body Take Them To Court Over MI:3 A Month Before Release Instead of Settling

John Hurt, Shooting Dogs
"There were outbreaks of hysteria on set on a daily basis. People we were working with would break down, it was often too much."

Whipp-ing Sequels That Suck

Gregg Goldstein On Alternative Distribution Models

Buy Black Hawk Down On DVD ... Again, For The Fourth Time

United 93 Will Open The Film Festival Founded To Help The 9/11 Recovery

Remember 1963?
Charlie Babbit Is Born, Mike Myers Kills His Sister, Henry Hill Buries Billy Batts, And Jack & Ennis Del Mar Meet

Phil Hall Looks At Cutting Room Floor Performances, From Costner To Reagan

Erick Schonfeld Says Time-Warner Can Be Fixed
1. Dump Cable
2. De-Emphasize Borders Between Products
3. Build For Niches
4. Don't Sweat Copyright
5. Let The Audience Into Your Library

Regal CEO Says The Idea That Studios Will Shorten The Window Further Is "Hype"

Stan Lee Sells His Old Mercedes On eBay... How Much More Is A Geek Celebrity Car Worth?
Q: Does the old guy come with the car? I could really use a butler
A: I hope you're just kidding. Stan Lee is 83 years young and his favorite and only passion is writing great superhero stories.

Cinematical Spears The Myth Of The Brando Test for Rebel
Earlier - Brando's Rebel Without A Cause Screentest Arrives With New DVD

Harvey Fierstein Takes You Into The Vegas Version Of Hairspray, From The 90 Minute Running Time To The Theater Cupholders

Winterbottom & Steve Coogan Teaming Up Again For A Comic Drama Tha Hope To Be As Relevant As Winterbottom's New Doc

The Devil & Daniel Johnston From A Music Critic's View

Friday's Memorabilia Auction Featuring Star Trek, Alien, Rocketeer, Batman & Lots Of Art

Ang Lee Picks Up The GLAAD Award For Brokeback Mountain
"the very last award I will accept for Brokeback Mountain...And to end the journey here tonight is like coming home."

David Thomson On Why Lumet's Find Me Guilty Aligns With Our "Addled Morality"

It's Hard Out Here For A Censor

Rea On The Philly Film Fest

McTeigue Down Under On A Vendetta

Glickman Goes To Russia

Patrick Goldstein Wants His Technology And He Wants It Now!
And - Why He Just Doesn't Get It

Salon Looks At Critics

Talking Daniel Johnston & The Devil With Jeff Feuerzeig

Dark Shadows Creator Dan Curtis Passes Away At 78, Just Four Months After A Diagnosis Of Brain Cancer

Steven Soderbergh Sticks To His Guns As A Cutting Edge Filmmaker/Distributor, Will Make Ocean's Thirteen For $3.8 Million And Release It On DVD, PPV, iPod, Airlines, Sat Radio, Peep Shows, Mall Kiosks, Kaleidoscopes, And 4 Theaters Simultaneously (Just Kidding)

City Of Angels/City Of Lights Festival About To Be Unleashed On Los Angeles

Toronto Goes To The Bahamas To See If James Bond Will Survive His Most Aggressive Nemisis Yet... The Media

Shooting Dogs Opens In Kigali, Stirs Memories Of The Rwandan Genocide

Pellicano Prosecutors Allegedly Take Busch Responsibility Off Of Seagal

Director Richard Fleischer Dies At 89

Michael Caton Jones Speaks - "I went straight on to Basic Instinct 2 five days after I'd finished Shooting Dogs. But a change is as good as a rest, and I was really ready for some sex by then."

Sarah Jessica Parker Stays Grounded

Jack Mathews Takes Back His 1982 Prediction That Animation Is An Endangered Species

Peter Bogdanovich On Why Seeing Movies On The Big Screen Is Something That Should Never Go Away

Chocano On Holofcener, And Paying Attention To The Small Stuff

Welcome to Teen Noir

Vin Diesel, A Romantic Comedy Waiting To Happen

Geoff Pevere On Hate Mail, Movie Critics And The New Era Of Coarsened Discourse
"It's the age of full digital democratization, which might also be called The Real Planet of the Apes."

Play the Movie Marketing Hack Match Game

Andrew Sarris, Master Of The Press Notes

Another Must-See From Worth1000... Unleashing 2006 On Middle Earth

Katzenberg Drops DWAnimation Bonuses For Two Years... Coincidentally (Or Not) The Length Of DW Employment Contracts With New Pseudo-Owner Paramount... Hmmmm...

"Defendents Have Enriched Themselves... On The Backs On Actors"
Randy Quaid Sues Focus, In An Act Of What Might Be Career Suicide, Over Brokeback Mountain... Says He Effectively "Donated His Time" Because He Was Told The Film Was "A Low Budget Art Film," Which He Defines As Being Budgeted Under $7 Million (Don't Tell The Indie Spirits)
And - AOL's Story On It

NYT's Ben Brantley Arrives At Middle Earth Later Than The Others, But Arrives, Golluming, Not Smeagoling The Show
Earlier - Lord Of The Rings: The 3 Hour Musical Opens In Toronto... Toronto Sun.... The Globe & Mail... The Telegraph Sends A Critic... So Does The LA Times... But NYT Does Not

The Tribeca Film Fest Is Heading Uptown Too

Xan Brooks Asks "What Makes A Man Remake A Movie?"