Is The Fighter an Oscar contender? Check out the new trailer

No, this isn't Cinderella Man 2. It's Mark Wahlberg's dream movie; the actor has been trying to get The Fighter made for years now and his dedication has finally paid off. Starring with him is Christian Bale and Amy Adams, neither of whom I have any complaints about. The story is pretty simple. Wahlberg is on a winning streak and his crazy brother, Bale, is his trainer. Bale gets into trouble and Wahlberg starts losing. No rise comes without its falls. The trailer is below.

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LEAP YEAR has more clichés than most parodies

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I want you to write down all of the situations, settings, shots, and lines from the hundreds of romantic comedies you've seen or heard of--all the glances, all of the broken hearts, all of the newfound love, all of the marriage scenes, everything, all of it. Write them all down on little note cards and put them into a garbage bag (there should be too many for a hat). Done that? Good. Okay, now pick an attractive actress, two attractive actors, and a setting. Finally, grab about 30 of those cards and lay them out on the table. If the actors you picked were Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, and a well-groomed Adam Scott, congratulations, you've just written Leap Year.

Scene-for-scene, there are more clichés in Leap Year than most professional parodies and satires. It makes Scary Movie look original. Here's an overview: Anna (Amy Adams), a rich city girl, is always in control of the situation. She decides to travel to Dublin, Ireland (an exotic romantic location) to propose to her boyfriend (Adam Scott), the initial love interest who we aren't supposed to like. He's a surgeon who seems to love inflamed aortas on more than he does Anna. 

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From stage to screen: why DOUBT is amazing in all its forms

 

Doubt is one of the best films I have ever seen. I feel the need to say this, because it will become evident in this writing. It represents a kind of movie that we don't see very often. It has virtually no "action;" it's full of extended scenes of dialogue; it's a mystery; and it is a completely different film to every person who sees it. Every moment and camera move, no matter how small, holds significance. It begs to be examined, poked, and prodded over multiple viewings and offers something new each time. It tells its story, but doesn't tell us how to feel about it.

I first found out that Doubt was adapted from a play when I was rooting for it to win "Best Original Screenplay" at the Academy Awards, and it wasn't even nominated. Instead, I found it in the "Best Adapted Screenplay" category. Released in 2004, Doubt, a parable, is written by John Patrick Shanley, who also wrote and directed the big screen version. After reading the play, I noticed that there are intense similarities and stark differences between the two versions, but they compliment each other well. Reading the play focused my eye on small details in the film; and watching the film, I see benefit in the more disciplined and simple approach of the play. Shanley has achieved an amazing feat, in that he's written a story and shaped the best elements of it across two very different mediums. Both the play and the film are full of theatrical and cinematic elements, squeezed and molded together in near perfect harmony.

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