The Monica Edwards Weblog

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

• 21 (PG-13): starring Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess (directed by Robert Luketic)
• Run, Fat Boy, Run (PG-13): starring Simon Pegg, Hank Azaria, Ameet Chana (directed by David Schwimmer)
• Stop-Loss (R): starring Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum (directed by Kimberly Peirce)
• Superhero Movie (PG-13): starring Drake Bell, Sarah Paxton, Christopher McDonald (directed by David Zucker)

  Click to continue reading In Theaters this Weekend (3/28)

  
  
  • Tools:
  • Permalink
  • Comments (0)
  • Digg This
  • Share on Facebook
  • Email this story

It’s official.  HD DVD is DOA.

Toshiba finally announced Tuesday what had been rumored for days—it is pulling out of the high-definition market.  Although the HD DVD system preceded Sony’s product, Blu-ray sales have steadily outpaced its competitor.

In the past few months, major studios have aligned themselves with the Sony brand.  Even though Paramount and Universal continued to offer their titles on HD DVD, it was clear the Toshiba format was being crippled.

Recent decisions made by Wal-Mart and Netflix helped drive a nail into the HD DVD coffin.  The companies announced they would no longer be making the high-def option available to its customers.

Shipments of the Toshiba systems will wrap up by March.

Read More | Hollywood Reporter

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

• Fool’s Gold (PG-13):  starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland (directed by Andy Tennant)
• Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (PG-13):  starring Martin Lawrence, Margaret Avery, Mo’Nique (directed by Malcolm D. Lee)

• Bab’Aziz - The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul* (NR):  starring Maryam Hamid, Parviz Shahinkhou, Kaveh Khodashenas (directed by Nacer Khemir)
• The Band’s Visit* (PG-13):  starring Saleh Bakri, Khalifa Natour, Ronit Elkabetz (directed by Eran Kolirin)
• The Hottie & the Nottie* (PG-13):  starring Paris Hilton, Adam Kulbersh, Christine Lakin (directed by Tom Putnam)
• In Bruges* (R):  starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes (directed by Martin McDonagh).  Read the FilmCrunch review here.
• Military Intelligence and You!* (NR):  starring Patrick Muldoon, Elizabeth Bennett, Mackenzie Astin (directed by Dale Kutzera)
• Spiral* (PG-13):  starring Amber Tamblyn, Joel David Moore, Zachary Levi (director Joel David Moore, Adam Green)
• Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Tour* (R):  starring Ahmed Ahmed, Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau (directed by Ari Sandel)

*limited and/or gradual release

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

The nominations for the 80th Annual Academy Awards were announced bright and early Tuesday morning from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.  Assuming the ceremony goes on as scheduled, you can see the live broadcast Sunday, February 24th on ABC.

Notable additions/omissions from today’s announcement:

• Based on the major categories alone, it looks like Michael Clayton may be the frontrunner.  It received six nominations.
• Aside from one nod each in the Best Supporting Actor category, both Into the Wild and Charlie Wilson’s War were virtually shut out from the top prizes.
• Sweeney Todd - winner for Best Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes - was shut out for Best Picture.  Johnny Depp’s nom was the only major accolade for the film.
• A much-deserving Amy Adams did not receive a nom nor did her film, Enchanted.
• Atonement - the movie with the most nominations at the Globes - only received 3 in the major areas.  The two main stars (Knightley, McAvoy) were also shut out.
• Cate Blanchett earned two nominations this year (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I’m Not There).
• Angelina Jolie was not recognized for her heartbreaking performance in A Mighty Heart.
• And last but not least, great news for (my personal) standouts this year: Ellen Page (Juno), Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises) and screenwriter Sarah Polley (Away From Her).

Click to continue reading The 80th Annual Academy Award Nominations

Read More | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Thanks to an interim waiver granted by the WGA, the 14th Annual SAG Awards telecast will air as scheduled on Sunday, January 27.  Since plans for the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards are still up in the air, this could be TNT’s most viewed awards show in quite some time.

This year’s film nominees are:

OUTSTANDING LEADING MALE PERFORMANCE

• George Clooney, Michael Clayton
• Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
• Ryan Gosling, Lars And The Real Girl
• Emile Hirsch, Into The Wild
• Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

OUTSTANDING LEADING FEMALE PERFORMANCE

• Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• Julie Christie, Away From Her
• Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
• Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
• Ellen Page, Juno

Click to continue reading Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations (Film)

Read More | Screen Actors Guild

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Here are a few of the titles you can find on the rental shelves this Tuesday:

• Grindhouse: Death Proof:  starring Kurt Russell, Rose McGowan, Rosario Dawson (watch our review here)
• We Are Marshall:  starring Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox
• Lucky You:  starring Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall
• The Condemned:  starring ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin
• Gracie:  starring Carly Schroeder, Elizabeth Shue, Dermot Mulroney
• Saturday Night Fever (30th Anniversary Edition):  starring John Travolta, Karen Gorney
• Flashdance (Special Collector’s Edition):  starring Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri
• Wall Street (Special Collector’s Edition):  starring Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Daryl Hannah

NOTE:  Click here to see the TV-On-DVD options for this week.

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

If you need a little help planning your weekend, here are a few possible suggestions:

• The Brave One (R): starring Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews (directed by Neil Jordan)
• Dragon Wars (PG-13): starring Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, Robert Forster (directed by Hyung-rae Shim)
• Mr. Woodcock (PG-13): starring Seann William Scott, Billy Bob Thornton, Susan Sarandon (directed by Craig Gillespie)

• Across the Universe* (PG-13): starring Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson (directed by Julie Taymor)
• December Boys* (PG-13): starring Daniel Radcliffe, Christian Byers, Lee Cormie (directed by Rod Hardy)
• Eastern Promises* (R): starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel (directed by David Cronenberg)
• In the Valley of Elah* (R): starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon (directed by Paul Haggis)
• Ira & Abby* (R): starring Jennifer Westfeldt, Chris Messina, Jason Alexander (directed by Robert Cary)
• King of California* (PG-13): starring Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood, Greg Davis Jr. (directed by Michael Cahill)
• Moving McAllister* (PG-13): starring Ben Gourley, Mila Kunis, Jon Heder (directed by Andrew Black)
• Silk* (R): Keira Knightley, Alfred Molina, Michael Pitt (directed by Francois Girard)

*limited and/or gradual release

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Viewers in dire need of some raunch helped make Knocked Up a strong 2nd this weekend.

Katherine Heigl’s stomach bumped past several family-friendly sequels of late and brought a fresh dose of adults-only fun into the box office.  Although it didn’t surpass the strong swashbucklers in Pirates, Knocked has already grossed enough money to cover its entire production budget.  Something few other movies on this list could probably say. With strong word of mouth, director Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin) may soon be adding another summer sleeper to his bedpost.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Disney, $44,206,660
2. Knocked Up, Universal, $30,690,990
3. Shrek the Third, DreamWorks Animation-Paramount, $28,020,991
4. Mr. Brooks, MGM, $10,017,067
5. Spider-Man 3, Sony, $7,578,055
6. Waitress, Fox Searchlight, $2,012,857
7. Gracie, Picturehouse, $1,355,904
8. Bug, Lionsgate, $1,286,397
9. 28 Weeks Later, Fox Atomic, $1,214,942
10. Disturbia, DreamWorks-Paramount, $1,112,533

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Stream this video to your iPhone

Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep are back with another full episode of FilmCrunch. This time they review the theatrical releases of Dreamgirls and Pans Labyrinth, as well as the DVD releases of Employee of the Month, and The Illusionist.

Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any othe recommendations you have for the show.

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Pan’s Labyrinth centers on an imaginitive young girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who is moved with her mother and unborn brother to a military outpost in 1940s postwar Spain.  Her new stepfather, the violent and merciless Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), is trying to round up the last of an insurgency living in the surrounding forest.  When Ofelia stumbles upon a fantastical underworld in which she will be made princess, she must prove her worth to a host of mystical creatures while protecting herself and her loved ones from the belligerent captain.  While the film isn’t for children or anyone with an intolerance for graphic violence, it is by far the most visually stunning spectacle of 2006 and leaves one with the faint but distinct desire to believe in the supernatural.

Pan’s Labyrinth is written and directed by Guillermo del Toro.  Rated R.

Click to continue reading Pan’s Labyrinth Review: A Violent but Visual Delight

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story