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CineFiend - Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Michael Bay



In a move that takes the Academy Awards back to its early days, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that, starting with the 2010 Oscar ceremony, 10 films will be included in the nomination for Best Picture. Since 1944, only five have been included in the nomination category.


Academy president Sid Ganis said, "The final outcome, of course, will be the same - one Best Picture winner - but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009."

It is unknown why the Academy suddenly changed their policies after half a century of going one way, but there are many different theories running around the interwebs. Surprisingly, most people who actually still watch the Oscars are against it, which some what baffles me. One of the biggest complaints I always hear from movie nerds such as myself is that their favorite film didn't win the big Oscar, let alone even get nominated. Now, most people's big complaint about this is that there aren't enough good movies that are released to even warrant the expansion.

I guess I am in the minority of thinking that this is not such a bad idea. Sure, the Academy Awards will still be just as political as ever, but at least more films will get the chance (even if a slim one) to take home the most coveted film award in America. And as for the argument that there aren't enough films made to make this change, no one can know the future. Despite most people's claims that cinema has died for the most part, I still like to believe there are a lot of great films that have yet to be made. For me, it's worth having to wade through all the Soul Planes to get to the American Beautys or Heats. So I think this is great idea.


What are your thoughts, guys? Is there anyone out there who still watches the Oscars every year that thinks this is a good idea? If not, why?
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Ed McMahon Dies at 86

June 23rd 2009 14:01


Legendary television personality Ed McMahon died in the early hours this morning, according to the Associated Press. Though he had been previously diagnosed with systemic bone cancer and other ailments towards the end of his life, it has so far been unconfirmed what the cause of his death was.

I must say this is pretty sad news, at least for me. I remember as a child my grandparents had hundreds of episodes of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson recorded, and every time I would go to visit, one would be playing in the background. Of course, I remember him best not only from his showing up at people's front doors with a big check for millions of dollars, but also because of Star Search, which was an obsession of my older sisters for years.

McMahon got his start in the entertainment industry while working alongside of Carson, co-hosting The Tonight Show for nearly 30 years. Though he has had many recent legal and medical troubles, I think it is fair to suggest that he will be remembered by most for his distinctive voice, witty sense of humor, and engaging screen presence.

We truly have lost a legend.
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REVIEW: Angels & Demons (2009)

May 18th 2009 09:01
AnglesAndDemons


Angels & Demons - 7/10


[ Click here to read more ]
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Heath Ledger Earned It!

February 23rd 2009 10:00


Let me preface this entry by saying that I have never been on the Heath Ledger "bandwagon." To be quite honest, other than his work in The Patriot, I never left the theater asking myself "I wonder where his career is going?" Even though he became immensely popular after Brokeback Mountain, I still did not give much thought to Ledger. I wanted to say all this so none of you trolls out there think that I am just another typical "OMG LEDGER IS F***ING AWESOME ROFLCOPTER!!!!" person


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Review: THE MATRIX (1999)

January 30th 2009 08:00


The Matrix - 9/10


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Review: THE BOONDOCK SAINTS (1999)

December 11th 2008 23:37


The Boondock Saints - 7/10


[ Click here to read more ]
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Welcome to the New CineFiend

December 11th 2008 05:01
The previous writer of CineFiend up and left the wonderful site quite a while ago, and Orble has asked me to fill his shoes. I'll do my best to do just that, though it may be a bit hard, seeing as how he had some really fantastic reviews.

As of December 10th, I have taken over CineFiend and hope to keep up the conversations about the awesomeness that are movies! If you're wondering which reviews are mine and which are the other writer's, here's a hint: if it was written before December 8th, I did not write it. I wish I could take credit for those wonderful reviews that he did, but I won't


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Review: AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999)

December 10th 2008 02:05


American Beauty - 9/10


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DVD Sales on the Decline

December 9th 2008 04:19
NOTE: I wrote this article last December, so if it seems a bit dated, that's why.

As I was checking IMDb today (one of my many daily routines) I noticed an article about the decline in DVD sales this year. This is what it said


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Anyone remember the days when the phrase 'independent movie' brought to mind the following thoughts: low budget, crude editing, rushed filming dates, etc. Some times, despite all those obstacles, the movies that came from truly independent filmmakers were exceptional and/or skyrocketed the careers of those involved. Quentin Tarintino, Robert Rodriguez, Sam Raimi, and Doug Liman come to mind. In the past few decades, these were the men who either could not get the financial support (or just support in general) they needed from Hollywood to make their films, or just did not care to. So what did they do? They said 'fuck it' and made their movies anyway. And what did we get? Reservoir Dogs, El Mariachi (Desperado), The Evil Dead, and Swingers. Granted, that is only a small list, but you get the picture. Those four films are considered cult classics by many movie enthusiasts, myself included.

These days, the phrase independent movie means something completely different. 'Indy' filmmaker, to me, means nothing anymore. In fact, there's nothing really independent about independent film making anymore. Some of the most critically acclaimed "independent" films to come out in the past decade have all been financially backed by the major film studios here in the US. Not wanting to loose that key demographic (those 18 to 25-year-olds who think they are free thinkers and hate the "corporation" side of America), the major studios decided to play down their status, or just create a new company entirely that would still be run by them, but just have a different name. Here's a list of a few 'indy' studios that are owned and operated by the major players in Hollywood


[ Click here to read more ]
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