plus 4, What Are Your Favorite Movie Speeches? - cinematical

What Are Your Favorite Movie Speeches? - cinematical
The Critics' Choice Movie Awards Select Kathryn Bigelow as Best ... - Animation & FX
Mary Thomas, Subject of TV Movie and Mother of Basketball Star, Dies ... - New York Times
Off-duty officer shot at Philly movie theater - Morris County Daily Record
Mr. T Could Still be in "The A-Team" Movie - WorstPreviews.com

What Are Your Favorite Movie Speeches? - cinematical

Posted: 16 Jan 2010 01:40 AM PST

If you spend any time with me, then you will quickly learn that I love movie dialogue. I memorize it, I quote it, and I'm sure I'm more than a little annoying as a result. But I don't care, because while some of us might go to the movies to see mind-blowing special effects, and others to see their favorite stars, for me it's all about the words -- which I guess shouldn't come as a surprise considering my line of work. Unfortunately in our fancy-schmancy Event Movie world, filmmakers sometimes forget how important the dialogue can be, and when it comes to letting your actor shine, there is nothing that can showcase their skill and talent like a well written monologue or speech.

So you might be wondering how I got on this tangent in the first place. Well, I recently stumbled across the website American Rhetoric, and before you knew it I had spent an hour reading some of my absolute favorite monologues and speeches from the movies. Usually when people talk about classic movie speeches, it tends to be the kind of speech that will accompany an epic like Patton, Malcolm X, or even Braveheart. But, 'prestige' films aren't the only source of great movie speeches. So I started to think about my most loved movie speeches, and like any movie fan with a need for hierarchies, I decided to put together a list.

After the jump: my top five (in no particular order), and your nominations for favorite movie speeches...

Network

It goes to show the genius of Sidney Lumet and Paddy Chayefsky's TV news satire that here we are over 30 years later, and the message of the film is just as applicable as it was in 1976. There probably isn't a movie geek alive that doesn't recognize Peter Finch's (as the Mad Prophet Howard Beale) classic line, "I'm as mad as Hell and I'm not going to take this anymore". But, what makes Beale's breakdown so fantastic is that it is so much more than just a pop culture catchphrase, and once it sinks in that this speech has just as much resonance now as it did then, you don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Henry V

I've spent years reading and studying Shakespeare, but even as someone who is supposedly educated in the work of The Bard, sometimes the heart doesn't always connect with the head. Frankly, if you are spending half your time just trying to figure out what the hell people are saying, it's not like you're going to enjoy yourself. But that is where Kenneth Branagh comes in, because there is no one that can make you feel the emotion behind the words like he can. So if you're going to talk about rousing speeches, then you can't overlook the great St. Crispin's day speech from Henry V -- and as an added bonus, this scene gives us a glimpse of a very young Caped Crusader.

Bull Durham (contains language that is NSFW)

Remember when people used to think that Kevin Costner was a sex symbol? Well, it was all because of this one clip in which our booze-soaked baseball vet sums up his beliefs for a breathless Susan Sarandon. In just under two minutes, Costner manages to make you laugh and even blush a little. Plus, I'm pretty sure this was the last time any of us thought Costner was cool.

Malice

Once you get over the shock of seeing a young and trim Alec Baldwin front and center, there is plenty to love about his infamous "I am God" speech in the crime thriller Malice. Baldwin has a natural flair for arrogance that is not only suited to drama but to his comedy as well. So even though there isn't necessarily much to recommend in the story of a labyrinthine con of malpractice insurance, this speech alone is worth the price of a rental. Because if nothing else, the last few years have taught us that Alec Baldwin is the man...and he doesn't like to be second guessed.

25th Hour (Jam-packed with language that is NSFW)

Spike Lee has always had a flair for monologues, not to mention racial slurs, and in his crime drama 25th Hour, he brings those two skills front and center. Watching Monty Brogan berate everything from his home town and his fellow New Yorkers to Enron and finally himself is one of the many great moments in this movie. But, Edward Norton's performance as uptown heroin dealer Monty Brogan moves this speech from a tirade to a moment of understanding about how we all like to blame everyone else for our problems rather than the person staring back at us in the mirror.

Sound off in the comments and tell me your favorite movie speeches...

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

The Critics' Choice Movie Awards Select Kathryn Bigelow as Best ... - Animation & FX

Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:59 AM PST

The Critics' Choice Movie Awards Select Kathryn Bigelow as Best Director for 'The Hurt Locker,' Making Her the First Female to Win the Award 'Avatar' Wins Big With Record 6 Awards, 'Inglourious Basterds' Takes Home 3 Awards'The Hurt Locker' Takes Best Picture and Best DirectorJeff Bridges Wins Best Actor for His Wor... By PR Newswire

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) announced the winners of the 15th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards earlier this evening. The star-studded ceremony was hosted by Kristin Chenoweth at the Hollywood Palladium and aired live on VH1. The Hurt Locker was named the year's Best Picture and Kathryn Bigelow won Best Director honors.

Avatar was another big winner with a record six Critics' Choice Movie Awards for Best Action Movie, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Cinematography for Mauro Fiore, Best Art Direction for Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg, and Best Editing for Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron. Jeff Bridges was honored with the award for Best Actor for his role in Crazy Heart, while Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia) and Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) tied in the lead actress category.

Christoph Waltz was honored with the Best Supporting Actor award for his work in Inglourious Basterds, the film that was also honored for Best Acting Ensemble and Best Original Screenplay for Quentin Tarantino. Best Supporting Actress honors went to Mo'Nique for Precious and Best Young Actor/Actress went to Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones. Up won Best Animated Feature and Best Comedy went to The Hangover.

Renowned actor and philanthropist Kevin Bacon was honored with the third annual Joel Siegel Award presented by Meryl Streep. The BFCA created this award to honor those in the film community whose actions demonstrate that the greatest value of celebrity is the ability to do good work for others. This special award pays homage to beloved "Good Morning America" film critic and BFCA member Joel Siegel, who passed away in 2007.

The 15th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards also included a special tribute to American film director and producer John Hughes, who passed away in August, 2009. In honor of Hughes' life and cinematic achievements, John Krasinski and Amy Poehler presented a poignant tribute followed by a musical performance from Death Cab For Cutie who played "Don't You (Forget About Me)" from "The Breakfast Club" soundtrack.

Nominees in attendance included: Kathryn Bigelow, Ryan Bingham, Neill Blomkamp, Emily Blunt, Jeff Bridges, T-Bone Burnette, Sandra Bullock, James Cameron, Bradley Cooper, Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Lee Daniels, Peter Doctor, Vera Farmiga, Tom Ford, Morgan Freeman, Heather Graham, Woody Harrelson, Jae Head, Ed Helms, Nick Hornby, Anna Kendrick, Diane Kruger, Bailey Madison, Paul McCartney, Christian McKay, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Mo'Nique, Julianne Moore, Carey Mulligan, Kenny Ortega, Jason Reitman, Jeremy Renner, Saoirse Ronan, Eli Roth, Gabourey Sidibe, Meryl Streep, Quentin Tarantino, Stanley Tucci, and Christoph Waltz.

Presenters at the gala included: Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Emily Blunt, Cedric the Entertainer, Bradley Cooper, Rob Corddry, Abbie Cornish, Claire Danes, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Vera Farmiga, Heather Graham, Ed Helms, Samuel L. Jackson, Ken Jeong, Adam Lambert, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Tobey Maguire, Tracy Morgan, Amy Poehler, Craig Robinson, Zoe Saldana, Susan Sarandon, Sarah Silverman, and Meryl Streep.

The show featured Nick Jonas & The Administration as this year's house band.

The 240 members of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the largest film critics' organization in the United States and Canada, representing television, radio and online critics, selected nominees in each of 25 categories. The awards are bestowed annually to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Eligible films were released in 2009. The accounting firm of Gregory A. Mogab tallied the written ballots. Historically, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards are the most accurate predictor of the Academy Award nominations.

To watch the best moments, acceptance speeches, red carpet interviews and a complete list of winners visit http://criticschoice.vh1.com.

The 15th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards is sponsored by Walmart and WHEAT THINS.

The 15th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards is executive produced by Bob Bain, Joey Berlin, Jesse Ignjatovic and Lee Rolontz. Paul Flattery serves as producer and Kelly Brock as co-producer.

WINNERS OF THE 15TH ANNUAL CRITICS' CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE "The Hurt Locker" BEST ACTOR Jeff Bridges - "Crazy Heart" BEST ACTRESS Meryl Streep - "Julie & Julia" AND Sandra Bullock - "The Blind Side" BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Christoph Waltz - "Inglourious Basterds" BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Mo'Nique - "Precious" BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS Saoirse Ronan - "The Lovely Bones" BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE "Inglourious Basterds" BEST DIRECTING Kathryn Bigelow - "The Hurt Locker" BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Quentin Tarantino - "Inglourious Basterds" BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner - "Up in the Air" BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Mauro Fiore - "Avatar" BEST ART DIRECTION Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg - "Avatar" BEST EDITING Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron - "Avatar" BEST COSTUME DESIGN Sandy Powell - "The Young Victoria" BEST MAKE-UP "District 9" BEST VISUAL EFFECTS "Avatar" BEST SOUND "Avatar" BEST ANIMATED FEATURE "Up" BEST ACTION MOVIE "Avatar" BEST COMEDY "The Hangover" BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION "Grey Gardens" BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM "Broken Embraces" BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE "The Cove" BEST SONG "The Weary Kind" (Theme from Crazy Heart) - Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett BEST SCORE Michael Giancchio - "Up" JOEL SIEGEL AWARD Kevin Bacon

SOURCE VH1

Page: 1

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Mary Thomas, Subject of TV Movie and Mother of Basketball Star, Dies ... - New York Times

Posted: 16 Jan 2010 12:57 AM PST

CHICAGO (AP) — Mary Thomas, the mother of the Hall of Fame basketball star Isiah Thomas and the subject of an Emmy-winning television movie, died on Wednesday in Hinsdale, Ill., near Chicago. She was 86.

Her death was confirmed by a spokeswoman for Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, who did not specify a cause. Ms. Thomas had open-heart surgery in November, on the same day her son, a former head coach and executive with the Knicks, made his debut as the coach of Florida International University.

Alfre Woodard starred as Ms. Thomas in the 1989 television movie "A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story," which detailed her struggle to raise a large family on Chicago's West Side and to protect her children from gang violence and drugs. Ms. Woodard was nominated for an Emmy Award, and the movie won an Emmy as the year's outstanding children's program.

As a player, Isiah Thomas won an N.C.A.A. championship at Indiana University and two N.B.A. titles with the Detroit Pistons. He later coached the Indiana Pacers before joining the Knicks in 2003.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Off-duty officer shot at Philly movie theater - Morris County Daily Record

Posted: 16 Jan 2010 12:57 AM PST

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia police say a gunman shot an off-duty officer trying to break up a robbery at the box office of a movie theater near the University of Pennsylvania.

Officer Tanya Little says the state Capitol police officer was shot in the shoulder at around 7 p.m. Friday. A 20-year-old bystander was shot in the thigh.

Police say the officer was going to a movie when he stumbled on a robbery at the box office of the Bridge theater.

Gunfire erupted when the officer tried to break it up. Police say the gunman shot the officer and the bystander before running away.

Both are listed in stable condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Authorities are searching for the gunman.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Mr. T Could Still be in "The A-Team" Movie - WorstPreviews.com

Posted: 16 Jan 2010 01:55 AM PST

Mr T recently told LatinoReview that he's not interested in a cameo in "The A-Team" movie, even though the remaining actors from the original show (Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz) have already signed on.

UGO went straight to director Joe Carnahan (Smokin' Aces, Narc) to find out why Mr T won't make an appearance. "I don't know that he's not. That book is not yet closed," he replied.

Carnahan went on to reveal a bit about the roles of Benedict and Shultz, who played Faceman and Murdock on the show. "They are associated with their namesakes in the current film. And that's all I'll say," he hinted.

Click here to read more about "The A-Team."

Source: UGO

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.