(in no special order)

1. THE WRESTLER
2. GRAN TORINO
3. DARK KNIGHT
4. IRON MAN
5. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
6. VALKYRIE
7. TRAITOR
8. PUNISHER: WAR ZONE
9. FROST NIXON
10. YOUNG AT HEART

Honorable Mention:
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
THE CHANGELING

(In no particular order)

1. 300
2. CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR
3. AMERICAN GANGSTER
4. EASTERN PROMISES
5. TRANSFORMERS
6. JUNO
7. ONCE
8. HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
9. THERE WILL BE BLOOD
10. GRINDHOUSE (two movies, I know)

Honorable Mention:
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
ZODIAC
3:10 TO YUMA

I woke up this morning at 12:58 AM and then the 4.5 Richter Scale quake happened seconds later.

Isn't that strange, that somehow I awoke right before it happened? What does that mean?

1) PAN'S LABYRINTH
2) THE DEPARTED
3) INSIDE MAN
4) THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
5) LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
6) V FOR VENDETTA
7) PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
8) THE PRESTIGE
9) UNITED 93
10) APOCALYPTO

The Catholic Church used to kill-- that's right, kill-- those with a view of the Bible different than their own. Study the Cathars if you don't believe me. Or the Jews and "witches" burned at the stake.

Just had to get that off my chest after reading all this debate going on about DA VINCI CODE.

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?term=james+rothaar&l=10&c=none&D1=name&s=11

If you have a chance, go watch the film AFTER INNOCENCE. It's a documentary about people in the U.S. who are released from jail after having been proven innocent. Some of the guys in the film were in jail 20 years before DNA evidence was able to clear them of guilt. It's heartbreaking, but at the same time encouraging that the film was made so their story can be told. Criminals who get out of jail on parole are given job training, health care, and all kinds of assistance to help them assimilate back into society. On the other hand, innocent people who are let out jail get nothing. They leave prison with only the clothes on their backs. Not only that, many states do not even bother to clear their criminal records, which makes it hard to get jobs and such. I saw this film at the Nuart in LA, where it will show until Thursday, Jan 19. One of the innocent guys let out of prison was there for some Q&A. He seemed quite normal for a guy who lost 20 years or so of his life because of someone else's mistake. I'd be right pissed if it were me. If you ever serve on a jury, please make sure you get it right! Karl

As of today, KING KONG has grossed $193 million in the U.S. and CHRONICLES OF NARNIA has grossed $248 million in the U.S. They're both good movies with good stories, great special effects, and good music and acting. But there's a reason why NARNIA is edging KONG out of the top spot. KONG is by and large a tale about the tragedy of mankind and his folly in the face of nature. It’s about how his greed and ambition hurt others (even big apes.) NARNIA is about the resilience of mankind and his ability to triumph over evil. I think NARNIA's positive message is a much more powerful one than KONG's. True, tragedy has its own way of purifying us of pain, and I've always loved tragedies, from the Greek dramas to Shakespeare. But ultimately, people want to feel good about themselves and their lives. They want to believe that there's hope, even if there is none. And NARNIA gives them that, at least more than KONG does. The childhood aspect of NARNIA makes us want even more to believe that good will win over evil. The lines of good and evil often blur once we reach adulthood, with all its complications and complexities. Identifying with children as lead characters in a movie temporarily washes our sins away and makes us feel innocent once again. Anyway, that's what I think. What about you?

On Saturday, August 20 I went to the Ozzfest in Glen Helen, Devore (San Bernardino County) with a friend and his girl. We were there mainly to see Maiden (but Black Sabbath was good too.) Some junior metal bands played, like Shadow Falls, Mudvayne, and Slipknot. As soon as Iron Maiden hit the stage they got pummelled with eggs and crap from the audience. During one of their songs the lead singer runs around the stage carrying the British flag (they’re a British band.) During that song someone got up on stage carrying an American flag and was escorted off by security. At another point in the show another fan ran on stage and was escorted off. Perhaps the most aggravating thing of all was the fact that Maiden’s audio, I’m talking vocals, drums and everything cut out completely. Not once, twice, but four times throughout the show. I suspect sabotage, as the lead singer took a dig at Ozzy by saying Maiden would never appear on a f---ing reality show. After they finished, as the lead singer was thanking the audience, a tape was played (which had been playing between sets) of an MC guy imploring the audience to chant for Ozzy. Maiden’s singer countered that by leading people to chant for Maiden. As if they hadn’t suffered enough abuse, when Maiden finally left the stage Mrs. Sharon Osbourne got on stage, grabbed a mike, said how great Maiden was, then called their lead singer a “prick” and said he’s been disrespecting the Ozzfest since he got there. Once Black Sabbath played, they (and none of the other no-name bands playing that day) had any audio problems whatsoever. In fact, Sabbath’s mix sounded a helluva lot better than Maiden’s. All very interesting and not what you see in the normal rock show. I doubt Maiden will play Ozzest again. Over and out.

This movie is awesome! It was dramatic and really honed in on Bruce Wayne as a man and why he became Batman. They really gave him a sense of loss regarding his parents and a lot of fear, anger, and courage to deal with. The human side. All the bat stuff that came later in the movie was so much more meaningful after seeing why he became Batman in the first place. Quite simply, the best Batman movie I've ever seen. Two criticisms: 1) The action scenes were often shot in close up with a hand held camera. Excuse me, but I can't see what the hell is happening when they do that! To hell with putting the audience in the situation-- let me see what's happening and I'll be on board! 2) Tom Wilkinson, who is a fine actor otherwise, had the most awful New York accent! Why cast a British guy to play an Italian-American mobster from NY when you could cast an Italian-American actor from NY??