The Scorecard Review

DVD Reviews

I Love the 80's has released another bevy of must-have films. These aren't the end-all be-all perfect editions of films that are loaded with extras ... These are the DVDs you put in your basket while you are in the check out line. You don't have to give much thought (or much money) and you know you've made the right decision. And as an added bonus, most have a CD with songs by a-ha, Echo & the Bunnymen, INXS and more. Here's a handful of selections from the new, available titles. Coming to America Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones

Movie: Is Eddie Murphy the biggest star from the 80's? I know it's hard to think about now, with his less than stellar movie choices over the past 15 years. But

Feb 23
Feb 23 81st Annual Academy Awards - The Oscar Winners

The Winners and nothing but the winners. Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire Best Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn, Milk Best Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Winslet, The Reader Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona Best Animated Feature: WALL-E Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy Best Original Screenplay: Milk, Dustin Lance Black Best Directing: Slumdog Millionaire Best Foreign Language Film: Departures (Japan) Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman Best Original Song: ''Jai Ho,'' Slumdog Millionaire Best Editing: Slumdog Millionaire Best Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire Best Sound Editing: The Dark Knight Best Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Best Documentary Short: Smile Pinki Best Documentary Feature: Man on Wire Best Live Action Short: Spielzeugland (Toyland) Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire Best Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Best Costume Design: The Duchess Best

Feb 23
Feb 23 TSR running diary - 81st Annual Academy Awards

Nick Allen

Articles

TSR running diary - 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009 Oscars) PREGAME - Though they may seem obvious, the awards are never certain until the gold statues are placed in the hand of the actual winner. Mickey Rourke may seem like a shoo-in for Best Actor, but in a world where Crash can win Best Picture, we must remember that nothing is certain. Going against what Slumdog preaches - these awards are NOT written.   Certainly, the technical awards are up for grabs. Will the Academy give Dark Knight a boat load awards? Will The Curious Case of Benjamin Button earn any technical recognition?

Regardless, here’s hoping for a few surprises and correct praise for the best films of 2008.

PREGAME - jeff bayer - I'm playing the sidekick for Nick Allen. Any time you

Feb 22
Feb 22 7th Annual TSR Movie Awards - 2008

7th Annual TSR Movie Awards -- Complete Results

TSR Awards

The results are in -- And it turns out TSR is the big winner.

I've been pouring my guts into TSR Movie Awards for seven years. The most votes I had before this year, and before this website was 88. Mainly family and friends would take pity on me, plus I would pester them beyond belief.

This year, 823 (my new lucky number) people voted. It appears the website and the awards are catching on.

In the coming days I will be giving more insight and analysis to the awards, so be a little patient please.

Here's a list of the winners (and a link to the complete voting)

(Scale of 1-10) Funniest TROPIC THUNDER 7.5

Scariest LET THE RIGHT ONE IN 6.21

Saddest MILK 7.35

Best Blockbuster THE DARK KNIGHT 8.9

Best Music SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE 7.66

Most

Feb 19
Feb 19 Fired Up!

Morrow McLaughlin

Fired Up Directed by: Will Gluck Cast: Nicholas D’Agosto, Eric Christian Olsen, Sarah Roemer Running Time: 1 hr 20 min Rating: PG-13

Plot: Two popular football players decide to ditch football camp in favor of cheerleading camp in order to surround themselves with hot, randy chicks.

Who’s It For? Anyone who enjoys dumb, saucy comedies. Did you like Van Wilder? You’ll like Fired Up.

Expectations: I thought the previews looked funny, but then everyone around me seemed to think this was going to be another painful, sub-par gross-out flick. Turns out those people laughed even harder than I did, so the joke is definitely on them. Nyah-nyah, cynics!

SCORECARD (0-10)

Eric Christian Olsen as Nick: The chemistry between Shawn and Nick makes this movie work and D’Agosto kicks ass as the unrepentant wiseacre sidekick. The scene where he discovers

Feb 19
Feb 19 Milking the Rhino

Megan Lehar

Milking the Rhino Directed by: Richard E. Simpson Cast: James Ole Kinyaga, Ian Craig, Kinanjui Lesenderia Running Time: 1 hr 25 min Rating: Unrated

32nd Portland International Film Festival Country: US English?: Various languages and English with subtitles.

Plot: Simpson follows tribes in Kenya and Namibia as they move toward wildlife conservancy.

Who’s It For? Anyone interested in modern Africa. Lovers of PBS docs.

OVERALL

Milking the Rhino follows the path of conservation efforts in Africa. In Il Ngwesi, with the village constructed they now run a small resort. They use the profits as communal funds for the good of the entire tribe. Because tourists want to see a certain type of Africa, namely exotic wild animals running around, the village protects these animals. This is shown as a model for conservation throughout Africa. The

Feb 18
Feb 18 TSR Hall of Fame - Film Nominees of 2008 - Vote in TSR Awards

Click Here to vote of the 7th Annual TSR Movie Awards

No Hall of Fame with the Oscars? Well, that’s not the case with The Scorecard Review. Films currently in the Hall of Fame -

American Beauty, Braveheart, Casablanca, Dead Poets Society, Fight Club, The Graduate, The Princess Bride, Pulp Fiction, Star Wars, Shawshank Redemption, Silence of the Lambs, Usual Suspects and When Harry Met Sally

And this year's nominees ...

Hoosiers Forrest Gump Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid The Matrix Toy Story The Godfather Good Will Hunting Raiders of the Lost Ark The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Shakespeare in Love

The Academy Awards just don’t cut it. Every year I watch, and every year I think they get something wrong. Not only that, why can’t there be more than five nominations, categories that fans care

Feb 18
Feb 18 TSR Hall of Fame - Actor Nominees for 2008 - Vote in TSR Awards

Click Here to vote of the 7th Annual TSR Movie Awards

No Hall of Fame with the Oscars? Well, that’s not the case with The Scorecard Review. Actors currently in the Hall of Fame -

Daniel Day-Lewis, Robert De Niro, Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Bill Murray, Jack Nicholson, Edward Norton, Kevin Spacey and Denzel Washington

And here are the list of nominees (the top two get in) …

Al Pacino Matt Damon Philip Seymour Hoffman Clint Eastwood Paul Newman Jimmy Stewart Russell Crowe Anthony Hopkins Dustin Hoffman Brad Pitt

The Academy Awards just don’t cut it. Every year I watch, and every year I think they get something wrong. Not only that, why can’t there be more than five nominations, categories that fans care about (no offense “Best Achievement in Sound Editing), and who got second place?

Instead of sitting

Feb 18
Feb 18 TSR Hall of Fame - Actress Nominees for 2008 - Vote in TSR Awards

Click Here to vote of the 7th Annual TSR Movie Awards

No Hall of Fame with the Oscars? Well, that's not the case with The Scorecard Review. Actresses currently in the Hall of Fame ...

Cate Blanchett, Audrey Hepburn, Diane Keaton, Nicole Kidman, Frances McDormand, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts

And here are the list of nominees (the top two get in) ...

Kate Winslet Ingrid Bergman Julie Andrews Sally Field Angelina Jolie Michelle Pfieffer Vanessa Redgrave Qwyneth Paltrow Julie Christie Judi Dench

The Academy Awards just don’t cut it. Every year I watch, and every year I think they get something wrong. Not only that, why can’t there be more than five nominations, categories that fans care about (no offense “Best Achievement in Sound Editing), and who got second place?

Instead of sitting still —

Feb 18
Feb 18 Best Movie Quote of 2008 - Vote in TSR Awards

Click Here to vote of the 7th Annual TSR Movie Awards

The Oscars don't have this category. The nominees ...

"You never go full retard." ROBERT DOWNEY JR. - TROPIC THUNDER "Get off my lawn." CLINT EASTWOOD - GRAN TORINO "Maybe it's written." - DEV PATEL - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE "My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances." - BRAD PITT - THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON "I never wash my pants. I like to keep the night on them." - MICHAEL CERA - NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST "Eeeee...vaah" - BEN BURTT - WALL-E "The truth is ... I am Iron Man." ROBERT DOWNEY JR. - IRON MAN "Why so serious?" - HEATH LEDGER - THE DARK KNIGHT

The Academy Awards just don’t cut it. Every year I watch, and every

Feb 18
Feb 18 Best Cameo of 2008 - Vote in TSR Awards

Click Here to vote of the 7th Annual TSR Movie Awards

The Oscars don't have this category. What's the best cameo of 2008?

STEPHEN COLBERT - THE LOVE GURU SIGOURNEY WEAVER - BE KIND REWIND LANCE BASS - TROPIC THUNDER SAMUEL L. JACKSON - IRON MAN SETH ROGEN - STEP BROTHERS ROBERT DOWNEY JR. - THE INCREDIBLE HULK CHRIS ROCK - YOU DON'T MESS WITH ZOHAN

And just for the record, Tom Cruise (Tropic Thunder), Matthew McConaughey (Tropic Thunder) and Paul Rudd (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) are supporting actors, not cameos.

The Academy Awards just don’t cut it. Every year I watch, and every year I think they get something wrong. Not only that, why can’t there be more than five nominations, categories that fans care about (no offense “Best Achievement in Sound Editing), and who got second

Feb 18
Feb 18 Actress of the Year - Multiple Roles - 2008 - Vote in the TSR Awards

Click Here to vote of the 7th Annual TSR Movie Awards

This isn't about one performance, it's about the body of work. The nominees ...

AMY ADAMS - MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY, DOUBT MERYL STREEP - DOUBT, MAMMA MIA! SCARLETT JOHANSSON - VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, THE SPIRIT ANGELINA JOLIE - CHANGELING, WANTED ELIZABETH BANKS - ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO, ROLE MODELS, W. KATE WINSLET - REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, THE READER RENEE ZELLWEGGER - APPALOOSA, LEATHERHEADS PENELOPE CRUZ - ELEGY, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

The Academy Awards just don’t cut it. Every year I watch, and every year I think they get something wrong. Not only that, why can’t there be more than five nominations, categories that fans care about (no offense “Best Achievement in Sound Editing), and who got second place?

Instead of sitting still —

Feb 18
Feb 18 Actor of the Year - Multiple Roles - 2008 - Vote in the TSR Awards

Click Here to vote of the 7th Annual TSR Movie Awards

This one isn't about just one role. It's about the body of work. The complete list of nominees.

LEONARDO DICAPRIO - REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, BODY OF LIES RALPH FIENNES - THE DUCHESS, THE READER, IN BRUGES WILL SMITH - HANCOCK, SEVEN POUNDS DANIEL CRAIG - QUANTUM OF SOLACE, DEFIANCE JOSH BROLIN - MILK, W. SAM ROCKWELL - CHOKE, SNOW ANGELS, FROST/NIXON TOM CRUISE - VALKYRIE, TROPIC THUNDER JAMES FRANCO - MILK, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS ROBERT DOWNEY JR. - IRON MAN, TROPIC THUNDER, CHARLIE BARTLETT

The Academy Awards just don’t cut it. Every year I watch, and every year I think they get something wrong. Not only that, why can’t there be more than five nominations, categories that fans care about (no offense “Best Achievement in Sound Editing), and who

Feb 18
Feb 18 Best Film of 2008 - Vote in TSR Awards

Click Here to vote of the 7th Annual TSR Movie Awards

The Oscars have five films. We have more. The complete list of nominees ...

NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST REVOLUTIONARY ROAD GRAN TORINO TROPIC THUNDER THE READER THE WRESTLER THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON FROST/NIXON MILK IRON MAN THE VISITOR THE DARK KNIGHT FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL RACHEL GETTING MARRIED SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY WALL-E VALKYRIE

The Academy Awards just don’t cut it. Every year I watch, and every year I think they get something wrong. Not only that, why can’t there be more than five nominations, categories that fans care about (no offense “Best Achievement in Sound Editing), and who got second place?

Instead of sitting still — I created the Scorecard Movie Awards.

Categories range from the typical (Best Overall Cast, Best Actor, Best Film) to the atypical (Best Ending, Best Quote

Feb 18
Feb 18 Best Acting - Entire Cast in 2008 - Vote in TSR Awards

Click Here to vote of the 7th Annual TSR Movie Awards

Sometimes it's all about the visuals, other times it's the story. But there are those movies that have all do to with the ENTIRE CAST. The SAG Awards understand this (and we do to), the Oscars don't. The complete list of nominees ...

BURN AFTER READING FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL FROST/NIXON IRON MAN VALKYRIE SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE THE DARK KNIGHT THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON MILK DOUBT

The Academy Awards just don’t cut it. Every year I watch, and every year I think they get something wrong. Not only that, why can’t there be more than five nominations, categories that fans care about (no offense “Best Achievement in Sound Editing), and who got second place?

Instead of sitting still — I created the Scorecard Movie Awards.

Categories range from the typical

Feb 18
Feb 18 Idiots and Angels

Megan Lehar

Idiots and Angels Directed by: Bill Plympton Cast: none Running Time: 1 hr 20 min Rating: Unrated

32nd Portland International Film Festival Country: US English?: Yes.

Plot: A jerk lives a lonely, meaningless life. Then a pair of wings grow on his back and he finds himself doing good and helping people. But once they appear, others want them.

Who’s It For? Adult fans of animation, especially experimental animation.

Expectations: I remember Plympton's films from MTV back when they still showed animation instead of reality shows about slutty 20-somethings. I expected something interesting and unique.

OVERALL

Bill Plympton's fifth feature length animated film looks like what you'd expect. His style is incredibly distinct, you know it when you see it. An ordinary man in an ordinary house wakes up, takes a shower, drives into town, goes

Feb 18
Feb 18 Must Read After My Death

Must Read After My Death Directed by: Morgan Dews Starring: Allis, Charley, Anne, Chuck, Bruce, Douglas Running Time: 1 hour 16 mins Rated: Not rated Additional info: The film is opening digitally outside of New York and LA. Everyone can access the film for digital viewing at www.giganticdigital.com beginning this Friday morning, February 20th at 10am Eastern. The ticket price will be $2.99 for a 3-day, unlimited viewing ticket. It will be streaming in HD quality.

Plot: This documentary focuses on a family in the 1950s and 1960s. Dews discovered his grandparents had a pile of audio tape and home movies, and he constructs this film to dissect the lives he didn't know.

Who's it For? Voyeurism might be the key here. This is a behind the scenes look at a dysfunctional family from a different time

Feb 18
Feb 18 Stoned Age

Mike Hales

DVD Reviews

DVD Review National Lampoon's Stoned Age

Directed by: Adam Rifkin Cast: Adam Rifkin, Ali Larter, Talia Shire, Hayes MacArthur, Gary Busey Running Time: 1 hr 28 mins Rating: Not Rated

Plot: Follow the exploits and conflicts of brainy caveman, Ishbo, (Adam Rifkin) as he seeks the love of his life Fardart (Ali Larter). Unfortunately, Fardart is already spoken for by Ishbo's older, stronger, caveman brother (Hayes MacArthur). Ishbo struggles to advance the human race through his inventions and by keeping his tribe safe from rival tribes.

Who's It For? College guys bored after a night of drinking or relatives of the actors in the movie.

Movie: Adam Rifkin directs, writes, and stars in this slow moving comedy that will leave you asking for your money back. You might think a movie with

Feb 17
Feb 17 Brokeback Mountain's Ang Lee to direct Life of Pi

Nick Allen