The Romantic Comedy File (2008 Feb 14)

When it comes to genre films, a certain amount of formula isn't a bad thing. Such is the case with the romantic comedy, where plot has always taken a back seat to two more important characteristics: chemistry and character likeability. For a ...

Video View (2008 Feb 12)

Every war, regardless of its nature, is comprised of a series of battles. Yesterday, HD-DVD lost two big ones. Early in the day, Netflix announced that it would no longer support HD-DVD. To salt the wound, Best Buy indicated later in the day that ...

Reel Talk (2008 Feb 11)

Just about everyone I know adores Juno. They don't all think it should win Best Picture, but they agree it's one of the most enjoyable movie experiences out there. All except one. He believes it's overrated and the more accolades it gets, the more ...

Short Clips (2008 Feb 10)

Has the writer's strike actually ended, or are those just rumors flying around Hollywood? Tentative agreements are such fragile things; let's get an actual settlement before rejoicing, if that's what we're supposed to do. Actually, I was hoping the...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Feb 08)

Why, people are asking, did I see a movie starring Paris Hilton? The answer to that one is easy: I enjoyed her performance so much in her previous starring role that I was hoping for something of a similar nature. The Hottie & the Nottie won't be ...

Blu Ray: No White Knight (2008 Feb 07)

Thus far, most of the talk about high-def has related to the format war. It's well known that the studios are investing a lot of hope on the success of the Blu-Ray and/or HD-DVD market. Standard DVD sales are lagging badly, primarily because nearly...

Video View (2008 Feb 05)

There's not much on the format war front this week except for an observation. As I prepared this column, I noted the placement of Blu-Ray titles versus HD-DVD titles relative to each other on Amazon's Top 50 list. Blu Ray discs are consistently ...

Rewarding the Pirates (2008 Feb 04)

The following applies specifically to the MPAA and the computer game industry, but it wouldn't take much imagination to extend it to the RIAA as well...If we're going to face reality, which is something the MPAA religiously fails to do, it's ...

Short Clips (2008 Feb 03)

This is a new regular (or semi-regular) feature for ReelThoughts that's intended to provide some weekend content as well as more interaction with readers. The idea behind "Short Clips" is for me to reply and react (in general) terms to e-mails from ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Feb 01)

According to sources, the box office this January is up 18% over last January. No doubt, this makes the Suits in Hollywood very happy. Unfortunately, I suspect they may not be divining the right message from the increased dollar amounts. Their ...

The Boob Tube (2008 Jan 31)

What do Charlotte Ross and Billie Piper have in common (aside from both being attractive blond actresses)? Both have shown their butts on TV. But oh how different the reactions have been...Piper, the teen pop starlet-turned-Dr. Who companion-turned...

Things that Go Pop (2008 Jan 30)

If it's a Wednesday (my normal weekday blog entry day off), this ReelThoughts must have something to do with site processes or something of minimal general interest to movie-lovers. I don't like to "waste" my regular valuable columns for this less ...

Video View (2008 Jan 29)

When it comes to DVD releases, this is yet another week when high-profile TV series trump high-profile movies, but that's not to say there aren't a lot of new theatrical titles available. In fact, this is the first week of the new year in which ...

The Wish List (2008 Jan 28)

"Programming" Announcement: Starting next weekend, I will periodically have a Saturday or Sunday ReelThoughts feature called "Short Cuts" that will deal with various brief subjects raised in e-mails that are worth airing in broader forum. It will ...

A Dozen Years and Counting (2008 Jan 26)

Today, ReelViews turns twelve. Next year, it will be a teenager. Looking back at my own life, I turned twelve in September 1979. Not a remarkable month as I can remember. Carter was President and the economy stunk, but at my age, I didn't care ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Jan 25)

Seven days after the most robust weekend of the new year, the box office takes a step back for the final round of January debuts. Undoubtedly, Cloverfield and 27 Dresses will continue to make money. While it would be surprising to see either of ...

Not an Obituary (2008 Jan 24)

Since Heath Ledger's tragic death on Tuesday evening, I have received numerous e-mail queries about whether I am planning to write something about him. The short answer is "no." There's a simple reason for that: anything I might have to contribute ...