Cinematical

• Cinematical Seven: Outrageous Oscar Disqualifications
  

  Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Documentary, Foreign Language, Independent, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Cinematical Seven, Michael Moore, Oscar Watch

  
  
  With the news that the musical score from The Dark Knight has been disqualified from Academy Awards consideration on the grounds that too many people were credited with composing it, outrage against the Academy's stringent, complicated rules has erupted afresh. In the interest of fueling this indignation and making the world an angrier place, let's take a belligerent march down memory lane and look at seven other controversial disqualifications.
  
  The Jazz Singer disqualified...
  



• Michael Moore Tries to Shut Down the 'Slacker Uprising'
  

  Filed under: Documentary, Tech Stuff, Distribution, Politics, Michael Moore

  If you happen to already be of the opinion that Michael Moore is not the lovable man of the people he appears to be, then this news probably won't be changing your feelings about him anytime soon. One month after Moore offered up free downloads of his latest documentary, Slacker Uprising, Torrent Freak reports that "In a letter dated September 25th, lawyers representing Westside Productions LLC, owner of the Slacker Uprising copyright sprang into action, demanding the removal of a torrent linking to the movie from any and all international sites."
  
  Moore's latest...
  



• Michael Moore Offering 'Slacker' for Free Online
  

  Filed under: Documentary, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Politics, Michael Moore, Cinematical Indie

  The latest documentary from Michael Moore will be released exclusively online beginning September 23. FOR FREE. Yes, that's right, and it's a dream come true for both Moore's fans and those millions of anti-fans that despise him. For the followers it's obviously good because they don't have to wait very long to own a copy of the movie. For the enemies it's good because they can check out the movie without giving the man a dime. Or be witnessed buying a ticket.
  
  The 97-minute film is titled Slacker Uprising...
  



• What's in Harvey Weinstein's Recycling Bin?
  

  Filed under: RumorMonger, The Weinstein Co., Michael Moore, Miramax

  For everyone who's ever watched a bad movie and thought, "If this is what they produced, I wonder what they threw away?," the Village Voice has found an answer. In an amusing and fascinating article posted today, reporter Tony Ortega says he and a buddy accidentally stumbled across a recycling bin full of paper from Harvey Weinstein's office -- and not just from the office, but from Weinstein's own desk. Ortega proceeds to tell us all the juicy details he learned about the daily work of a movie mogul.
  
  So what is Harvey Weinstein throwing away? Lots...
  



• Oliver Stone Calls 'W.' Shakespearean
  

  Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Independent, Lionsgate Films, Michael Moore

  If you read any part of that draft of W., Oliver Stone's Bush biopic,which hit the net a few months back, you might think it ludicrous for the film to be likened to Shakespeare. But Stone himself has done so, as part of an L.A. Times set visit interview. Lumped in with a quote in which Stone also contrasts the project to the work of Michael Moore, the Oscar-winning director's statement is in response to the film's level of seriousness: "W. isn't an overly serious movie, but it is a serious subject....
  



• Bill Maher Unleashes Anti-Religion Website to Promote 'Religulous'
  

  Filed under: Documentary, Movie Marketing, Michael Moore

  Because Michael Moore can't make enough movies to piss people off 24/7, we fortunately have people like Bill Maher, whose new anti-religious documentary, Religulous,hits theaters this fall. Of course, Maher has said that he shouldn't be compared to Moore, whom he considers to be a genius. Plus, Maher didn't direct the film, Larry Charles, of Borat, Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm fame, did. But in the same way that Al Gore is credited with An Inconvenient Truth, Maher, who hosted one of my favorite shows of the past (Politically Incorrect) and currently hosts HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher...
  



• Next from Michael Moore: 'Fahrenheit 9/11' Sequel ('Fahrenheit 9/12'?)
  

  Filed under: Documentary, Deals, Distribution, The Weinstein Co., Politics, Michael Moore, Paramount Vantage

  Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 was pretty good as far as anti-Bush jeremiads go, but it ended with a cliffhanger. Would George W. Bush be reelected in 2004 despite all the reasons Moore laid out for his dismissal? Or would he overcome the odds, focus the campaign on silly non-issues, and get lucky by having a weak, boring opponent?
  
  We know what wound up happening, and now Varietyreports that Moore is making a sequel, as yet untitled but scheduled for release around this time next year. (There's a...
  



• The Ten Best Films of 2007 - Polowy's Picks
  

  Filed under: Fandom, Michael Moore, George Clooney, Lists, Best/Worst, Hold the 'Fone

  
  
  It was a damn fine year for movies, 2007. It's hard enough picking 10 top flicks from the crop after a just-decent year, so the task was especially tricky this time around. (At least at Moviefone we're able to pick the 50 best.) That's why I'm thankful for the unwritten critics' rule that Top 10 lists can start with a tie, so long as there's common thematic bond between them. Here are my 11 10 favorite movies of the 007.
  
  10. Tie: Dan in Real Life / Grace is...
  



• Jeffrey Blitz Returns to Documentary with Lottery Film
  

  Filed under: Documentary, Independent, Michael Moore, Cinematical Indie

  Jeffrey Blitz had enormous success with his debut film Spellbound. It is the 14th highest grossing documentary (better than it sounds; it made more than $7 million worldwide, while most docs never break $1 million), it was nominated for an Academy Award and it has lasting acclaim (it's #4 on IDA's list of all-time best docs). So it's OK that his follow-up, the fiction film Rocket Science, only made a tenth of what Spellbound grossed (yeah, that means it didn't break $1 million -- but it did win Blitz a directing award at Sundance). You...
  



• RIP: Reel Important People -- December 17, 2007
  

  Filed under: Obits, Michael Moore, Cinematical Indie

  • St. Claire Bourne(1943-2007) - Filmmaker who directed the documentary John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk and was the unit manager for When We Were Kings. He also appears as himself in the doc How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It), which is about Melvin Van Peebles. His most familiar work, though, is likely Making 'Do the Right Thing', which can be found on Criterion's DVD release of the Spike Lee film. He died after an operation to remove a brain tumor December 15, in New York. (Daily News via The Reeler)
  • John...