By George, I Think We’ve Got It

Over the past month or so, George Clooney has been getting a lot of attention in the media, and MCC is not about to put a stop to it.

I’m sure you can imagine the sheer joy this Clooney fan felt when the name was called for the first award on Oscar night, Mar. 5. Clooney, who was also nominated for directing and co-writing “Good Night, and Good Luck,” won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of CIA Agent Bob Barnes in “Syriana.” He was definitely deserving of the Oscar, not only for his brilliant performance in the film, but also for his work over the years that has gone unnoticed by the Academy.

Clooney also appears as the first celebrity in online public service announcements for the ONE campaign, “The Campaign to Make Poverty History.” In another successful attempt to be charitable, Clooney donated his Oscar swag bag to a charity, which auctioned it off for over $42,000.

In a completely unrelated auction, Profiles in History auction house got $92,000 for Clooney’s legendary “nipple” batsuit from 1997’s “Batman & Robin,” which some consider to be the worst “Batman” movie around. (They must not have seen “Batman Forever.”) The starting bid for the suit was $80,000. Now, I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t imagine seriously paying that much money for any single piece of movie memorabilia. I was talking about it with a friend, and she agreed with me, asking, “Would you buy George Clooney for $80,000?” My response: “If I had $80,000 to spare, you bet I would.”

One of the other things that have brought about buzz in the media for Clooney is the whole “Gawker Stalker” thing. Gawker Stalker allows random people to post random celebrity sightings on a blog. I really don’t see why this is such a big deal. Sure, it infringes on your privacy somewhat, but as a person who has been in the public spotlight for at least 10 years now, you should be used to it and just learn to not care so much. I am quite possibly one of Clooney’s biggest fans, but I just cannot agree with what he is doing here.

On a happier note, the powers that be will be releasing the “George Clooney Collection” on DVD on June 6. There’s no word on what specific movies will be in the set. Clooney has also recently agreed to star as Danny Ocean for the third time in “Ocean’s Thirteen.” It looks like, with the exception of Julia Roberts, the entire cast will be returning, in addition to Clooney co-producing the film with Steven Soderbergh, who will also return to the director’s chair. This movie will probably be a blast to make, as all the stars are old pals by now, but I do not know how well that will translate to screen, as “Ocean’s Twelve” wasn’t exactly the best sequel to grace the theaters. Then again, it wasn’t the worst either.

All right, that’s probably enough Clooney for you.

The Boys (and Girls) of Summer

For Summer 2006, moviegoers can expect to see some familiar faces - pirates, Agent Ethan Hunt, a fat cat, some X-Men, Superman, and two Miami detectives named Crockett and Tubbs - in addition to other highly anticipated films - an adaptation of that one Dan Brown novel, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan’s latest, Mel Gibson’s latest directorial foray. With less than a month to go before the official start of summer in the movie business, let’s take a look at the major players.

“Mission: Impossible III” will be gracing a Cineplex near you on May 5, with Tom Cruise portraying Ethan Hunt for the third time. Also returning is Ving Rhames as Hunt’s right-hand man. TV’s “Alias” and “Lost” creator-writer J.J. Abrams is making his feature film directorial debut with the film, and pulled a few casting stunts by hiring on his “Felicity” star Keri Russell as the female lead and three-time TV collaborator Greg Grunberg for a minor role. The one redeeming casting call may be having recent Best Actor Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Capote”) as the bad guy.

On May 19, the adaptation of Dan Brown’s best-selling novel, “The Da Vinci Code,” will hit theaters. With Ron Howard in the director’s chair and an international all-star cast including Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Alfred Molina, Paul Bettany, Ian McKellen and Jean Reno, this adaptation should have no problem being entertaining or making money.

A week later, on May 26, McKellen is back as Magneto, along with a few other familiar faces, for “X-Men: The Last Stand,” the third and reportedly final “X-Men” film. With the second film being better than the first, maybe the third can be even better.

A week after “The Fast and the Furious 3” terrorizes audiences (June 16), “Garfield 2” hits to instill more terror in the hearts of American moviegoers on June 23. I bet that some of you didn’t even know there was a first “Garfield” movie. My point exactly.

“Superman Returns,” complete with the cape and the Daily Planet, hits theaters on June 30. Newcomer Brandon Routh is the S-wearing hero, while Kate Bosworth plays Lois Lane and Kevin Spacey plays the one and only Lex Luthor. Also look for stock footage of Marlon Brando as Kal-El.

Now, if you thought “Fast and Furious 3” and “Garfield 2” sounded bad, be prepared for worse. When I saw the trailer for “Little Man,” I thought it was a cruel, cruel joke. It actually uses the line “From the people who brought you ‘White Chicks’” as a selling point.

Then comes, if done right, my high point of the summer and possibly of the whole year, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” on July 7. Captain Jack is back, and so are Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. This is the sequel to “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” which was based on a Disney theme park ride. That made talented actor Johnny Depp available to the mainstream audience after years of entertaining those who knew how to find him. I still have mixed feelings about that, but that’s not the point. Go see it on July 7.

On July 21, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan brings us his latest, “Lady in the Water.” The movie is a fairy tale-like story that stars Paul Giamatti as an apartment building super who finds a young woman in the building’s pool while cleaning it.

The guns are blazing on July 28, as director Michael Mann’s adaptation of the ‘80s TV classic “Miami Vice” hits screens. Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx star as detectives James “Sonny” Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs, respectively.

As the summer starts to come to a close, Mel Gibson’s latest foray into the film world as a director, “Apocalypto,” hits theaters on Aug. 4. I think this movie will finally be the proof that the once-beloved star of the “Lethal Weapon” films is off of his rocker.

“Meltdown” of a Slump

“Ice Age: The Meltdown,” sequel to “Ice Age,” raked in $68 million in its opening weekend, 3/31-4/2, signaling at least a brief pause to the box office slump. E! Online reported the movie to be the biggest ever March opener and the fourth biggest animated debut ever, behind “Shrek 2,” “The Incredibles” and “Finding Nemo.” Surprisingly, “The Meltdown” is actually a good movie, which is increasing my faith in the American public’s movie tastes. “Basic Instinct 2,” which was pretty horrible, opened the same weekend at the No. 10 spot, making only $3.2 million.

Every year, the movies released in the months from January to April are generally horrible. The studios, fresh from releasing their “Oscar movies,” dump their reserves, unnecessary remakes, sequels, extra-cheesy movies, etc., on poor, unsuspecting moviegoers.

While us movie buffs expect the stuff nightmares are made of this time of year, I think 2006 has reached a new low in bringing us cinematic crap. These movies make 2006 the year of the dog in more ways than one, as seen in the image below from Disney's e-mail promotion for Valentine's Day.

Upon seeing a commercial for Tim Allen’s latest, “The Shaggy Dog,” my friend looked at me, puzzled, asking, “Are they really showing this in theaters?” Begrudgingly, I answered her with a very pathetic “Yes.” In the movie, Allen plays a dog. No, I’m not joking, and no, it’s not an animated movie. The movie actually has the one time “Home Improvement” star running on all fours to chase a cat, licking up his food at the dinner table and growling at a human being. If this movie isn’t enough for you, Allen will appear in “The Santa Clause 3,” which, as of now, is scheduled to hit theaters on Nov. 3. Allen is also teaming up with Martin Lawrence and John Travolta for “Wild Hogs,” a movie about middle-aged motorcyclists.

This provides a good transition into that of another bad movie all-star, Martin Lawrence. Perhaps the aspect of “Big Momma’s House 2” that disappoints me the most is the fact that it is making money. Even further, I’m disappointed that the idea of a sequel to “Big Momma’s House” even crossed the minds of the execs at Fox. The same goes for pretty much every sequel being released.

As one of the few movies that aren’t sequels, “She’s the Man” stars Amanda Bynes as a girl who dresses up as a boy. In the TV spot for the movie, we don’t get a real reason as to why she’s doing this. Instead, we get a really weird description of “who likes whom” at the high school Bynes’ character attends. It just doesn’t make sense.

Another movie that doesn’t make sense is the horror remake “When a Stranger Calls.” A marker of a truly horrible cinematic specimen, this movie received film critic Roger Ebert’s “wagging finger of shame” for not being screened for critics. As a critic and a human being, I have to tell you that this movie was a major waste of an hour and a half. For at least half of the movie, the lead character wanders around the house on the phone, with nothing too important happening. It’s absolutely ridiculous.

These are the movies that make film fans like myself want to huddle up in a dark corner until someone comes and tells me that Beyoncé will never act again or they’ve canceled plans to make “Jurassic Park 4.”

As the weeks of the crème de la crème of cinematic crap go on, one thing keeps this fanatic going: “Oscar movie” season is only eight months away.

While you should probably just abstain from attending the theater right now, here’s a rundown of the specific movies to avoid this season:

In theaters: “Big Momma’s House 2,” “Date Movie,” “Final Destination 3,” “The Pink Panther,” “When a Stranger Calls”

Coming soon: “Aquamarine” (3/3), “Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction” (3/31), “Running Scared” (2/24), “The Shaggy Dog” (3/10), “She’s the Man” (3/17), “Silent Hill” (4/21), “Stay Alive” (3/24), “Stick It” (4/21), “Ultraviolet” (3/3)

-Catherine Krummey, MovieCat Cinema

To my fellow Americans,

Stop going to see crappy movies! For the last two weekends, the needless sequel “Big Momma’s House 2” and the horrible horror remake “When a Stranger Calls” have been the ones to beat at the box office.

The Oscar nominations were announced last week, so most of the films nominated for Best Picture and some other awards have been granted wider releases. I’d like to think that the studios and movie companies did this not only to make money, but also to allow these great films to reach a wider audience. So, my friends, now is the time to check out “Brokeback Mountain,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Capote,” “Munich” and the other fine Oscar-nominated films that I’ve written about previously. Yes, films are meant to entertain, and I know the two current box office darlings may do that to some extent, but the four Oscar nominees I mentioned not only entertain, they enlighten and inspire as well. So, go forth, my fellow American moviegoers, and see what the cinema can offer you.

Yours truly,

Catherine Krummey, MovieCat Cinema

The nominees for the 78^th Annual Academy Awards have been announced, and now I’m offering up MovieCat Cinema’s picks for who will win, who should win, and everything else you need to know before Mar. 5. With a couple horse races thrown into the mix, this year’s Oscar Night should be one for the ages.

Best Supporting Actor

The nominees are: George Clooney (“Syriana”), Matt Dillon (“Crash”), Paul Giamatti (“Cinderella Man”), Jake Gyllenhaal (“Brokeback Mountain”), William Hurt (“A History of Violence”)

Will win: Giamatti

Should win: Clooney

Clooney not only had a great year behind the camera, but he was great in his supporting role as CIA Agent Bob Barnes in Stephen Gaghan’s “Syriana.” While this race is almost 50/50 between Giamatti and Clooney, the Academy will most likely choose Giamatti after snubbing him in the lead actor role two years in a row (“American Splendor,” “Sideways”).

Best Supporting Actress

The nominees are: Amy Adams (“Junebug”), Catherine Keener (“Capote”), Frances McDormand (“North Country”), Rachel Weisz (“The Constant Gardner”), Michelle Williams (“Brokeback Mountain”)

Will win: Weisz

Should win: Adams

Adams won several early awards and honors for her standout performance as the very pregnant Ashley in “Junebug.” However, Weisz has won the Golden Globe and the SAG award, making her the clear winner in this race.

Best Original Screenplay

The nominees are: “Crash,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Match Point,” “The Squid and the Whale,” “Syriana”

Will win: “Good Night, and Good Luck”

Should win: “Good Night, and Good Luck”

George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s recreation of the real-life debates between Edward R. Murrow and Sen. Joseph McCarthy is definitely worthy of the Oscar. However, “Crash” or “The Squid and the Whale” could pull an upset and walk away with the trophy.

Best Adapted Screenplay

The nominees are: “Brokeback Mountain,” “Capote,” “The Constant Gardener,” “A History of Violence,” “Munich”

Will win: “Brokeback Mountain”

Should win: “Capote”

While “Capote” will squeeze out one win against “Brokeback” (Best Actor), there is no doubt in my mind that Dan Futterman will lose to Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana in this category. Let’s just hope that McMurtry thanks more than his typewriter at the Oscars, as he did at the Golden Globes.

Best Actor

The nominees are: Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Capote”), Terrence Howard (“Hustle & Flow”), Heath Ledger (“Brokeback Mountain”), Joaquin Phoenix (“Walk the Line”), David Strathairn (“Good Night, and Good Luck”)

Will win: Hoffman

Should win: Hoffman

Hoffman is hands down the likely and deserving winner of this year’s Best Actor Oscar. Yes, Ledger and Phoenix have received a couple honors and awards here and there, but Hoffman’s portrayal of author Truman Capote allows the actor to leap from the supporting character roles he’s known for into a very promising future.

Best Actress

The nominees are: Judi Dench (“Mrs. Henderson Presents”), Felicity Huffman (“Transamerica”), Keira Knightley (“Pride & Prejudice”), Charlize Theron (“North Country”), Reese Witherspoon (“Walk the Line”)

Will win: Witherspoon

Should win: Witherspoon

This is very much a horse race between Witherspoon and Huffman. Both have won several awards, but the scales are tipped a little in Witherspoon’s favor after she won the SAG award for her magnificent portrayal of music legend June Carter Cash.

Best Director

The nominees are: George Clooney (“Good Night, and Good Luck”), Paul Haggis (“Crash”), Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain”), Bennett Miller (“Capote”), Steven Spielberg (“Munich”)

Will win: Lee

Should win: Clooney

Sure, “Brokeback” was great, but “GN&GL” was a little greater, at least in my book, and it’s due in large part to Clooney that it is this way. It would be awesome to be surprised in this category (as well as Best Picture), but I know it won’t happen.

Best Picture

The nominees are: “Brokeback Mountain,” “Capote,” “Crash,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Munich”

Will win: “Brokeback”

Should win: “GN&GL”

First, I have to state my shock at the omission of “Walk the Line” for the top prize. It won the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) for crying out loud! I, personally, would choose “Walk the Line” over “Munich” any day of the week, but I guess Academy voters always have to have Spielberg praise. It’s not really a big surprise that “Brokeback” will walk home with the biggest award of the night, and as I said earlier, it would be awesome to be surprised. Even if it isn’t “GN&GL” walking away with the trophy, a surprise would be great.

The 78th Annual Academy Awards will air Sun., Mar. 5 at 8 p.m. (ET) on ABC, broadcast live from the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles with host Jon Stewart.

-Catherine Krummey

George Clooney, who has never been honored with even a nomination in the past, is now a three-time nominee at the 78^th Annual Academy Awards, which will take place in Hollywood on Mar. 5. Clooney was nominated for directing and co-writing his journalistic tour-de-force “Good Night, and Good Luck,” in addition to getting a Best Supporting Actor nom for his performance as CIA Agent Bob Barnes in Stephen Gaghan’s “Syriana.” These two films have marked a great year for Clooney, as his “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Twelve” co-star Julia Roberts pointed out when presenting him with the Freedom Award at the Critics’ Choice Awards in early January. From the Sept. 1 premiere of “Good Night, and Good Luck” at the Venice Film Festival to Oscar Night, this could very well prove to be the best six or seven months of Clooney’s career. He has a very strong chance of winning the original screenplay award with Grant Heslov, and about a 50/50 chance against Paul Giamatti (“Cinderella Man”) for the acting trophy. Best Director, on the other hand, he has a rather diminished chance of claiming, as this is the year of “Brokeback Mountain.” The film’s director, Ang Lee, will be the one to get that trophy. “Good Night, and Good Luck,” which Clooney mortgaged his house to finance, is also up for the prize of the night, Best Picture. Again, this is the year of “Brokeback,” and while Clooney’s film has the second-best chance of winning, its chances are minimal compared to “Brokeback.”

Clooney is known for portraying the suave anti-hero, best demonstrated in 1998’s “Out of Sight.” From that point on, he was pretty much typecast as that character. This year he played against type, losing his star persona in the character. He was not George Clooney in the movies this year; he was Fred Friendly and Bob Barnes.

“Good Night, and Good Luck” was Clooney’s second directorial effort, and while his first, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” was very underrated, he is getting the praise he deserves for this one. Clooney, whose father was a reporter, grew up in the world seen in the film, and it is very evident in his beautifully made film.

This year, Clooney will appear alongside Cate Blanchett in “The Good German” for frequent collaborator Steven Soderbergh.

-Catherine Krummey

After last night’s Golden Globes, some categories have become very predictable for the Oscars, while some others were opened up a little more.

The first film award of the night, Best Supporting Actor, given to George Clooney for his portrayal of a CIA agent in “Syriana,” was a surprise, even to Clooney.

“I thought Paul Giamatti was going to win,” Clooney said upon accepting the award.

While I’m pleased that Clooney won, I thought Giamatti (“Cinderella Man”) was going to win as well. It will be between the two of them and Jake Gyllenhaal (“Brokeback Mountain”), who wasn’t even nominated for a Golden Globe, for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Best Supporting Actress will most likely go to Rachel Weisz (“The Constant Gardener”), but Amy Adams (“Junebug”), Maria Bello (“A History of Violence”) and Michelle Williams (“Brokeback Mountain”) have also won some awards thus far, making them contenders as well.

Best Actress will be going to Reese Witherspoon for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in “Walk the Line,” although Felicity Huffman (“Transamerica”) won’t be far behind in the final tally.

The race for Best Picture is pretty much closed by “Brokeback Mountain” after last night’s win at the Globes, as is Best Actor by Philip Seymour Hoffman’s portrayal of author Truman Capote in “Capote.” “Brokeback Mountain” has also locked the trophies for Best Adapted Screenplay for Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana and Best Director for Ang Lee.

Best Original Screenplay will most likely go to Clooney and Grant Heslov for “Good Night, and Good Luck,” although Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco have a chance at the trophy for “Crash.”

The nominees for the Oscars will be announced at 8:30 a.m. (ET) on Jan. 31. The 78^th Annual Academy Awards will air live on ABC at 8 p.m. (ET) on Mar. 5.

For the latest awards show nominees and winners, visit moviecatcinema.com/awards.html.

-Catherine Krummey, MovieCat Cinema

I offer up the probable candidates for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ highest honors, the Oscars. The actual nominees for the 78^th Annual Academy Awards will be announced Jan. 31 at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Best Picture

Brokeback Mountain

Capote

Crash

Good Night, and Good Luck

Munich

A multitude of movies, including Cinderella Man, The Constant Gardener, A History of Violence, King Kong, Match Point, The Squid and the Whale and Walk the Line have a chance at stealing the spotlight away from Capote, Crash and Munich. Brokeback Mountain and Good Night, and Good Luck are pretty much the only ones that are locked in as nominees; it will most definitely be neck and neck between those two films for the winner.

Best Director

Woody Allen, Match Point

George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck

Peter Jackson, King Kong

Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain

Steven Spielberg, Munich

Lee and Clooney have been nominated for and won several awards so far. Academy members will be unable to resist nominating favorites like Allen, Jackson and Spielberg, or maybe even Ron Howard for Cinderella Man. Lee will most likely be the one going home with the little golden man on Oscar night.

Best Actor

Russell Crowe, Cinderella Man

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote

Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain

Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line

David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck

The only nomination that’s iffy here is Oscar-winner Crowe for his turn as a depression-era boxer in Cinderella Man. Jeff Daniels (The Squid and the Whale), recent Oscar fave Johnny Depp (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow) all have good chances of replacing Crowe. The other four actors have pretty much been nominated for or won every award so far. It will be Hoffman (with an outside chance for Ledger) walking up on stage Mar. 5.

Best Actress

Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents

Felicity Huffman, Transamerica

Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice

Charlize Theron, North Country

Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line

These actresses are the only five that are consistently getting nominated for or winning awards. Joan Allen (The Upside of Anger), Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow (Proof) and Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha) each have a chance of replacing Knightley. This race comes down to Huffman and Witherspoon as far as who will win.

Best Supporting Actor

George Clooney, Syriana

Matt Dillon, Crash

Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man

Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain

William Hurt, A History of Violence

Again, these five actors are the only ones that are consistently getting nominated or winning. Dillon's Crash co-star Terrence Howard also has a chance for a nom in this race. It will be Giamatti vs. Gyllenhaal for the trophy.

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, Junebug

Maria Bello, A History of Violence

Catherine Keener, Capote

Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener

Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain

Adams, Bello and Williams are getting high praise for their performances in these indie films. Look for Shirley MacLaine (In Her Shoes) or Frances McDormand (North Country) as a possible replacement for either of the other two actresses.

The 78^th Annual Academy Awards will take place Mar. 5 and will air on ABC. To keep up-to-date on the latest Oscar and other awards buzz, visit MovieCat Cinema’s Awards Central.

-Catherine Krummey, MovieCat Cinema

Dear Whoever Votes on/Does the Nominations for the Golden Satellite Awards:

You rock. This year, you’ve nominated some of my favorite underdog performances, mainly Mickey Rourke for Sin City, America Ferrera for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Toni Collette for In Her Shoes, and Jason Schwartzman for Shopgirl. In addition to the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama nod for Rourke, you recognized Sin City for some technical awards and Best Score as well. I think this is great, as most of the more “serious” awards shows will most likely ignore the film and the four performances I mentioned earlier.

Sincerely,

Catherine Krummey, MovieCat Cinema

P.S.: Check out MCC's coverage of the awards @ www.geocities.com/moviecatcinema/goldensatelliteawards.html

     I'm starting to think that perhaps even more annoying than people's cell phones ringing during a movie are the ads that tell us to silence/turn off our phones. It's a very creative idea to create a fake movie trailer and then dub in the sound of a cell phone ringing, but these fake trailers can get old after one or two viewings.

     The latest fake trailer, shown at AMC Theaters, features a Lion King-like storyline, only with eagles instead of lions. The daughter must save her father, but as she swoops in to do so, a cell phone starts ringing. This allows for the characters to be distracted and start talking to the audience, causing the daughter to be unable to save her father. Like I said, it's somewhat amusing if you see it one or two times, but anytime after that, you just groan and moan.

     I understand the importance of the message, because yes, ringing cell phones during a movie are very annoying, but for frequent moviegoers like myself, the theaters need to change it up a little more often than the current rate. Or even show the fake trailer first instead of last. That would be great.

-Catherine Krummey