Sicko's Recent Activity

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Title: Sicko
Year: 2007
Director: Michael Moore
Plot: After exploring the predominance of violence in American culture in Bowling for Columbine and taking a critical look at the September 11th attacks in Fahrenheit 9/11, activist filmmaker Michael Moore turns his attentions toward the topic of health care in the United States in this documentary that weighs the plight of the uninsured (and the insured who must deal with abuse from insurance companies) against the record-breaking profits of the pharmaceutical industry. Moore interviews a number of people who have been left broke by medical bills even though they were fully insured, and explains how the corporate drive for profits has left numerous people in financial and medical disarray. After hearing that detainees in Guantanamo have access to free health care, Moore assembles a group of World Trade Center rescue workers to travel to Cuba in order to get the medical help they need for ailments they incurred in 2001. Moore's film debuted at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 50
Number of Lists: 28
Number of blog posts: 48
Number of discussion threads: 6
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:58:35 GMTSicko2007Michael MooreAfter exploring the predominance of violence in American culture in <a href=/films/207197/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Bowling for Columbine</a> and taking a critical look at the September 11th attacks in Fahrenheit 9/11, activist filmmaker <a href="/players/P___103383/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Michael Moore</a> turns his attentions toward the topic of health care in the United States in this documentary that weighs the plight of the uninsured (and the insured who must deal with abuse from insurance companies) against the record-breaking profits of the pharmaceutical industry. Moore interviews a number of people who have been left broke by medical bills even though they were fully insured, and explains how the corporate drive for profits has left numerous people in financial and medical disarray. After hearing that detainees in Guantanamo have access to free health care, Moore assembles a group of World Trade Center rescue workers to travel to Cuba in order to get the medical help they need for ailments they incurred in 2001. Moore's film debuted at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide50Tag Target (>10)284863http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s284216.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Sicko/284216/default.aspxFilm Spout Post: 5 Movies That Really Made a Difference http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/12/2/37861.aspx

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/2/2008 4:01:04 PM
Body: It’s already been called the most important civil rights film of the decade, but only time will tell if Milk has any real impact on the gay marriage issue or any other related civil rights matter. Obviously the film, which is set thirty years in the past, can be appropriated by the campaign to overturn Proposition 8, but if that campaign is successful, it will be difficult to prove with certainty Milk contributed to the end result. The Birth of a Nation may have inspired a reformation of the Ku Klux Klan and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner may have opened some minds to wider acceptance of interracial marriage (which had just recently been legalized). However, as Time magazine reported earlier this year, it’s quite rare for cinema to really change the world. A movie like Philadelphia easily gets moviegoers thinking about AIDS and discrimination, for instance, and Sicko exposes some of the supposed benefits of universal health care, yet most of these kinds of message films preach primarily to the choir. But at least five films have made an actual difference, either on a local or national level. Will Milk join the small group of movies detailed below? Victim (1961) Long before Milk, Philadelphia or even Cruising, this British thriller became the first motion picture in history to feature the word “homosexual.” At the time, same-sex acts were illegal in the UK, and so, even though the laws weren’t strictly enforced, the film was quite controversial (and it was banned in the U.S.). Still, this story of a closeted bisexual lawyer who becomes the target of an anti-gay extortion ring had a deep, lasting effect on the people in Britain, and it’s unofficially yet widely considered to have influenced both general acceptance of homosexuality and the 1967 Sexual Offenses Act, which legalized consensual same-sex relations across the pond (anti-sodomy laws in the States, on the other hand, were not completely eliminated until 2003). I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967) It may seem extremely tame by today’s standards (in the recent words of John Waters, it’s nothing more than a “limp dick and some ugly women naked.”), but this warmer-titled of Vilgot Sjoman’s I Am Curious films became infamous for its depiction of full frontal nudity and an oral sex act that could barely be called fellatio. After being banned in Massachusetts, where it was labeled pornography, it became the subject of an obscenity case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was ultimately determined not to be obscene. Once it could be freely distributed, it became a must-see, though many were disappointed with it, and it held the record for highest grossing foreign film in the U.S. for more than twenty years. More importantly, the Supreme Court decision was groundbreaking in terms of obscenity law, and the multi-billion dollar pornographic film industry of the 70s was able to happen as a result of this one little Swedish art film. The Thin Blue Line (1988) This Errol Morris film is considered one of the most influential documentaries of all time, for a couple of reasons. In addition to being significant to the craft of nonfiction cinema, it also had a direct effect on the freedom of one man. Rather than merely present the story of Randall Dale Adams, who was tried and convicted of murdering a Dallas police officer, Morris also investigates the case, with enough detail to convince viewers of Adams’ innocence. Following the release of the film, Adams was able to get his conviction overturned and eventually was released from prison. While rescuing one individual may not be the same as changing the world, The Thin Blue Line is considered one of the only motion pictures to be directly influential in bringing about some kind of change. JFK (1991) Oliver Stone’s controversial look at the Kennedy assassination didn’t exactly tell us who killed the president. It didn’t even convince everyone that Oswald wasn’t responsible. But despite all the controversy and negative reviews, JFK went on to be a landmark film for its cause, because it led to the passage of The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Act of 1992 (aka the JFK Act) and the formation of the U.S. Assassination Records Review Board. Officially, Congress was more annoyed by the conclusions of JFK than inspired by the film, but the result just goes to show (and Michael Moore likely was paying attention) that being a burden can be as worthwhile as being convincing. An Inconvenient Truth (2006) Davis Guggenheim’s film of Al Gore’s Global Warming presentation didn’t bring about a lot of change or legislation in the U.S., but it did have a significant effect in terms of breaking ground on discussion of the issue. However, it was apparently instrumental in the passing of a law to curb greenhouse gases in California. Meanwhile, elsewhere, it has been employed in school curriculum and it certainly helped Gore win the Nobel Peace Prize. Because not all films can be as direct and quickly effect as The Thin Blue Line and JFK, though, we’ll need more than the past two years to fully see the difference made by this one. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:01:04 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/2/2008 4:01:04 PMIt’s already been called the most important civil rights film of the decade, but only time will tell if Milk has any real impact on the gay marriage issue or any other related civil rights matter. Obviously the film, which is set thirty years in the past, can be appropriated by the campaign to overturn Proposition 8, but if that campaign is successful, it will be difficult to prove with certainty Milk contributed to the end result. The Birth of a Nation may have inspired a reformation of the Ku Klux Klan and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner may have opened some minds to wider acceptance of interracial marriage (which had just recently been legalized). However, as Time magazine reported earlier this year, it’s quite rare for cinema to really change the world. A movie like Philadelphia easily gets moviegoers thinking about AIDS and discrimination, for instance, and Sicko exposes some of the supposed benefits of universal health care, yet most of these kinds of message films preach primarily to the choir. But at least five films have made an actual difference, either on a local or national level. Will Milk join the small group of movies detailed below? Victim (1961) Long before Milk, Philadelphia or even Cruising, this British thriller became the first motion picture in history to feature the word “homosexual.” At the time, same-sex acts were illegal in the UK, and so, even though the laws weren’t strictly enforced, the film was quite controversial (and it was banned in the U.S.). Still, this story of a closeted bisexual lawyer who becomes the target of an anti-gay extortion ring had a deep, lasting effect on the people in Britain, and it’s unofficially yet widely considered to have influenced both general acceptance of homosexuality and the 1967 Sexual Offenses Act, which legalized consensual same-sex relations across the pond (anti-sodomy laws in the States, on the other hand, were not completely eliminated until 2003). I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967) It may seem extremely tame by today’s standards (in the recent words of John Waters, it’s nothing more than a “limp dick and some ugly women naked.”), but this warmer-titled of Vilgot Sjoman’s I Am Curious films became infamous for its depiction of full frontal nudity and an oral sex act that could barely be called fellatio. After being banned in Massachusetts, where it was labeled pornography, it became the subject of an obscenity case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was ultimately determined not to be obscene. Once it could be freely distributed, it became a must-see, though many were disappointed with it, and it held the record for highest grossing foreign film in the U.S. for more than twenty years. More importantly, the Supreme Court decision was groundbreaking in terms of obscenity law, and the multi-billion dollar pornographic film industry of the 70s was able to happen as a result of this one little Swedish art film. The Thin Blue Line (1988) This Errol Morris film is considered one of the most influential documentaries of all time, for a couple of reasons. In addition to being significant to the craft of nonfiction cinema, it also had a direct effect on the freedom of one man. Rather than merely present the story of Randall Dale Adams, who was tried and convicted of murdering a Dallas police officer, Morris also investigates the case, with enough detail to convince viewers of Adams’ innocence. Following the release of the film, Adams was able to get his conviction overturned and eventually was released from prison. While rescuing one individual may not be the same as changing the world, The Thin Blue Line is considered one of the only motion pictures to be directly influential in bringing about some kind of change. JFK (1991) Oliver Stone’s controversial look at the Kennedy assassination didn’t exactly tell us who killed the president. It didn’t even convince everyone that Oswald wasn’t responsible. But despite all the controversy and negative reviews, JFK went on to be a landmark film for its cause, because it led to the passage of The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Act of 1992 (aka the JFK Act) and the formation of the U.S. Assassination Records Review Board. Officially, Congress was more annoyed by the conclusions of JFK than inspired by the film, but the result just goes to show (and Michael Moore likely was paying attention) that being a burden can be as worthwhile as being convincing. An Inconvenient Truth (2006) Davis Guggenheim’s film of Al Gore’s Global Warming presentation didn’t bring about a lot of change or legislation in the U.S., but it did have a significant effect in terms of breaking ground on discussion of the issue. However, it was apparently instrumental in the passing of a law to curb greenhouse gases in California. Meanwhile, elsewhere, it has been employed in school curriculum and it certainly helped Gore win the Nobel Peace Prize. Because not all films can be as direct and quickly effect as The Thin Blue Line and JFK, though, we’ll need more than the past two years to fully see the difference made by this one. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog Spout Post: Oscar Predictions: Feature Documentary Nominees http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/24/37595.aspx

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/24/2008 7:01:27 PM
Body: When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces a shortlist for one of its Oscar categories, many critics immediately focus on what titles are missing. Religulous was snubbed! Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired was punished for having a “secret” qualifying run! The Academy’s rules for eligibility must be amended! Such reactions were seen all over the web last week as awards season pundits looked at the narrowed-down list of 15 Feature Documentary hopefuls and criticized the Academy for its omissions. But the better response (which is the one SpoutBlog had) is to primarily address and celebrate the included films, not just for being contenders for the Feature Documentary Oscar but also for being showcased in general. The wonderful thing about shortlists is that they expand further the idea that it’s great just to be nominated. For feature documentaries, particularly those without a lot of media and major distributor attention, it is also great just to be shortlisted. Non-fiction film fans may now see this as an opportunity to take note of some documentaries that weren’t previously on their radar (unfortunately none of these films are actually allowed to advertise their recent achievement of being shortlisted). But the Academy Awards are, of course, still a competition. So, while we take notice of the 15 semi-finalists for the Feature Documentary Oscar, we shall also weigh their chances of being selected for the final five and predict which titles are likely to be announced as nominees on January 22. 1. Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh It’s a constant joke that any film related to the Holocaust is guaranteed an Oscar nomination. Obviously this is a generalization based on common trend, and not every Holocaust doc has in fact been recognized by the Academy, but if such a film is good enough to reach the shortlist, there is a very good chance that it will also be nominated. And since there hasn’t been a feature doc on the subject nominated since 2002, it’s probably time for a new one to get the spotlight. Blessed is narrated by Oscar-nominee Joan Allen and details the courageous life of Hannah Senesh, who took part in a mission to rescue Hungary’s Jews. If Hollywood doesn’t nominate this doc, it will probably at least use it as a springboard from which to produce an Oscar-bait dramatization about Senesh in the near future. 2. Trouble the Water Never mind the fact that it’s one of the best-reviewed films of the year, this is the Academy’s first chance to get behind the Katrina issue. Though some mistakenly see the Feature Documentary Oscar as primarily a category with which to showcase its favored causes rather than recognizing the actual best documentary filmmaking of the year, there is a miniscule amount of truth in the matter. It’s part of the reason that the Holocaust-doc joke is so often made, and it’s also why the films Born Into Brothels and An Inconvenient Truth were named winners, despite their being subject-over-style kinds of documentaries. Trouble the Water is a tad bit sloppy, but it has the subject matter and enough inspirational substance to receive a nomination. 3. Encounters at the End of the World This may be the Academy’s chance to make up for their exclusion of Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man a few years back or simply honor a filmmaker who has been important to the non-fiction genre for decades. Also, with their snub of Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, the Academy Documentary Branch could use this as more opportunity to distinguish and make an example out of the difference between a theatrical documentary and a television documentary (as David Poland recently pointed out, “if you are a TV doc, be a TV doc…if you are a theatrical doc, that is what the Oscars reward”). People who went to see Encounters recommended it on the basis that it needs to be seen on a big screen, which is not often said about documentaries. Other things it has going for it are a shared location with Oscar-winner March of the Penguins (even if Herzog starts the film addressing that this is not like that film) and a slight relevance to the global warming issue, which is one of the Academy’s currently favored issues. 4. Standard Operating Procedure The Academy Documentary Branch does seem to favor former nominees in their category, perhaps due to the number of documentarians who turn to fiction filmmaking after breaking out in non-fiction (maybe that explains their snub of Barbara Kopple recently after her attempt into fiction). So Morris, who was infamously rejected by the Academy with his monumental film The Thin Blue Line, and who later won the Oscar for The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons Learned from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, should be given another go. It also helps that Standard Operating Procedure is the sole Iraq War-relevant documentary in the bunch, an interesting fact given how many films dealing with this topic have been shortlisted in the past few years. Even though last year the Oscar was given to a similarly themed doc about torture and prisoner abuse, the issue is likely still one that the Academy feels strongly about. Of course, speaking of that film, Taxi to the Dark Side, its director’s latest film was not shortlisted. 5. Man on Wire This is the highest grossing (and best-reviewed) of the 15 shortlisted films, and that could mean a lot, even if it is only the fifth top grossing doc of the year. The Academy is hardly a sucker for popular documentaries, but most years since Michael Moore was honored in 2002 have seen at least one popular doc, such as Super Size Me, March of the Penguins and Moore’s Sicko. In fact, only four of the ten top grossing (non-IMAX, non-concert, non-compilation, non-reality TV-based) documentaries have not been nominated for an Oscar. The only drawback for Man on Wire could be that it features a very large percentage of re-enactment or dramatization, and even if the Academy’s rules have a greater permission for these kinds of documentaries than in the days of The Thin Blue Line’s snub, it’s very possible that members of the Academy Documentary Branch are more appreciable towards one of the films that aren’t so heavily dependent on re-enactments. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:01:27 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/24/2008 7:01:27 PMWhen the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces a shortlist for one of its Oscar categories, many critics immediately focus on what titles are missing. Religulous was snubbed! Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired was punished for having a “secret” qualifying run! The Academy’s rules for eligibility must be amended! Such reactions were seen all over the web last week as awards season pundits looked at the narrowed-down list of 15 Feature Documentary hopefuls and criticized the Academy for its omissions. But the better response (which is the one SpoutBlog had) is to primarily address and celebrate the included films, not just for being contenders for the Feature Documentary Oscar but also for being showcased in general. The wonderful thing about shortlists is that they expand further the idea that it’s great just to be nominated. For feature documentaries, particularly those without a lot of media and major distributor attention, it is also great just to be shortlisted. Non-fiction film fans may now see this as an opportunity to take note of some documentaries that weren’t previously on their radar (unfortunately none of these films are actually allowed to advertise their recent achievement of being shortlisted). But the Academy Awards are, of course, still a competition. So, while we take notice of the 15 semi-finalists for the Feature Documentary Oscar, we shall also weigh their chances of being selected for the final five and predict which titles are likely to be announced as nominees on January 22. 1. Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh It’s a constant joke that any film related to the Holocaust is guaranteed an Oscar nomination. Obviously this is a generalization based on common trend, and not every Holocaust doc has in fact been recognized by the Academy, but if such a film is good enough to reach the shortlist, there is a very good chance that it will also be nominated. And since there hasn’t been a feature doc on the subject nominated since 2002, it’s probably time for a new one to get the spotlight. Blessed is narrated by Oscar-nominee Joan Allen and details the courageous life of Hannah Senesh, who took part in a mission to rescue Hungary’s Jews. If Hollywood doesn’t nominate this doc, it will probably at least use it as a springboard from which to produce an Oscar-bait dramatization about Senesh in the near future. 2. Trouble the Water Never mind the fact that it’s one of the best-reviewed films of the year, this is the Academy’s first chance to get behind the Katrina issue. Though some mistakenly see the Feature Documentary Oscar as primarily a category with which to showcase its favored causes rather than recognizing the actual best documentary filmmaking of the year, there is a miniscule amount of truth in the matter. It’s part of the reason that the Holocaust-doc joke is so often made, and it’s also why the films Born Into Brothels and An Inconvenient Truth were named winners, despite their being subject-over-style kinds of documentaries. Trouble the Water is a tad bit sloppy, but it has the subject matter and enough inspirational substance to receive a nomination. 3. Encounters at the End of the World This may be the Academy’s chance to make up for their exclusion of Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man a few years back or simply honor a filmmaker who has been important to the non-fiction genre for decades. Also, with their snub of Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, the Academy Documentary Branch could use this as more opportunity to distinguish and make an example out of the difference between a theatrical documentary and a television documentary (as David Poland recently pointed out, “if you are a TV doc, be a TV doc…if you are a theatrical doc, that is what the Oscars reward”). People who went to see Encounters recommended it on the basis that it needs to be seen on a big screen, which is not often said about documentaries. Other things it has going for it are a shared location with Oscar-winner March of the Penguins (even if Herzog starts the film addressing that this is not like that film) and a slight relevance to the global warming issue, which is one of the Academy’s currently favored issues. 4. Standard Operating Procedure The Academy Documentary Branch does seem to favor former nominees in their category, perhaps due to the number of documentarians who turn to fiction filmmaking after breaking out in non-fiction (maybe that explains their snub of Barbara Kopple recently after her attempt into fiction). So Morris, who was infamously rejected by the Academy with his monumental film The Thin Blue Line, and who later won the Oscar for The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons Learned from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, should be given another go. It also helps that Standard Operating Procedure is the sole Iraq War-relevant documentary in the bunch, an interesting fact given how many films dealing with this topic have been shortlisted in the past few years. Even though last year the Oscar was given to a similarly themed doc about torture and prisoner abuse, the issue is likely still one that the Academy feels strongly about. Of course, speaking of that film, Taxi to the Dark Side, its director’s latest film was not shortlisted. 5. Man on Wire This is the highest grossing (and best-reviewed) of the 15 shortlisted films, and that could mean a lot, even if it is only the fifth top grossing doc of the year. The Academy is hardly a sucker for popular documentaries, but most years since Michael Moore was honored in 2002 have seen at least one popular doc, such as Super Size Me, March of the Penguins and Moore’s Sicko. In fact, only four of the ten top grossing (non-IMAX, non-concert, non-compilation, non-reality TV-based) documentaries have not been nominated for an Oscar. The only drawback for Man on Wire could be that it features a very large percentage of re-enactment or dramatization, and even if the Academy’s rules have a greater permission for these kinds of documentaries than in the days of The Thin Blue Line’s snub, it’s very possible that members of the Academy Documentary Branch are more appreciable towards one of the films that aren’t so heavily dependent on re-enactments. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog Spout Post: Australia’s Oscar Chances: Does Oprah’s Endorsement Matter? http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/17/37380.aspx

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/17/2008 5:00:58 PM
Body: Oprah Winfrey can certainly create a best seller when it comes to books, and her pick of the presidential candidates is on his way to the White House. But can she get behind a movie and contribute to its success? 20th Century Fox seems to hope so, because the studio apparently allowed the talk show host to screen an unfinished cut of Australia in preparation for her November 10 show, which featured the film’s stars, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, as well as a live-via-Skype call-in from filmmaker Baz Luhrman. Fortunately for Fox, Oprah raved about the film, and now the media has latched on to the endorsement, creating some much-needed positive buzz for the Oscar-hopeful. Yet there’s a big problem with all the excitement: Oprah’s film recommendations have hardly been sure-fire champs in the past. Case in point: the first title I came upon while searching for Oprah-select cinema was something called Christmas in the Clouds, a 2005 indie that she chose as her “must see holiday movie,” in O magazine a few years back. The film barely grossed a quarter-million dollars in theaters, but even if her endorsement didn’t occur until its DVD release in November 2006, there’s still no proof of popularity from the rental charts of the time, and two years later fewer than 250 people have rated it on IMDb (not the best for determining how many people have seen it, sure, but such a small number of votes is still somewhat revealing). As for awards recognition, well, it received the Audience Award at the 2001 Austin Film Festival, and it was named the best Native American-themed film the same year at the Santa Fe Film Festival, but the majority of Academy voters probably never even heard of it. Okay, so that is an extreme example of a film that had not even one percent of the marketing budget of Australia. So, let’s take a look at some of the bigger releases that Oprah has recommended more recently. Well, there is Michael Moore’s Sicko, which she labeled “the one movie you must see this summer,” a few weeks prior to its barely wide release in June 2007. Considering its theater count and its genre, the documentary’s final domestic gross of $24.5 million was quite an achievement, especially since only two other docs have grossed more (including Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, which will stay on top for quite awhile with its $119.1 million). Oh, and yes, Sicko earned an Oscar nomination, too. But did Oprah’s statement really have that much impact on Sicko’s success? What about all the other titles with Oprah connections that haven’t performed so well? Films based on her book club selections, from her inaugural title, The Deep End of the Ocean, to the recent adaptation of Love in the Time of Cholera, have rarely been blockbusters, and the three Academy nominations for House of Sand and Fog are hardly thanks to her love for and endorsement of that novel. Of course, film adaptations are not necessarily ever pegged to the praises of their source material, which is why Oprah’s name has not been linked to the expected Oscar contenders The Reader and The Road. Then there are the films she’s been directly involved with. Beloved, which she produced and starred in, earned a middling gross of $22.9 million. Its sole Oscar nomination was for costume design. Her more recent production, The Great Debaters, did a little better money-wise with $30.2 million, but it failed to garner the Academy’s attention. Ignoring the animated films she’s lent her voice to, you have to go back 23 years, long before she had the powers of influence she’s currently known for, to find something as big as Fox would like Australia to be. It was then that The Color Purple earned nearly $100 million and 11 Oscar nominations (none of which it won). As for films that Oprah simply promotes and recommends on her show, there is no clear certainty that she can influence either box office or the Oscars. She’s featured the casts from Crash and Brokeback Mountain, yet she’s also given time to publicize films like Alexander and Things We Lost in the Fire. Last week, after calling Australia “the film we needed to see,” she also helped to sell Marley & Me, a movie that might benefit slightly in increased ticket sales thanks to the appearances by Jennifer Aniston, yet there are no news reports mentioning anything but Aniston’s comments about her ex-husband. There’s likewise little media attention given to the fact that Oprah also apparently saw Seven Pounds, the Will Smith movie that, like Australia, has so far received no reviews. Was there no soundbite from Smith’s appearance earlier this month? Seven Pounds is also a mysterious Oscar contender with some needed positive buzz, though maybe Sony Pictures didn’t think to feed the press anything regarding Oprah’s connection to that film the way Fox has pushed them on the Australia endorsement. And what of Oprah’s praise anyway? She said, “I have not been this excited about a movie since I don’t know when.” How excited? And be more specific. Since forty years ago? Since Titanic? Since Christmas in the Clouds? Is this really the best movie of the year? Other than turning the expectations up a little higher following the recent negativity surrounding Australia, Oprah hasn’t really offered us anything except hope. So, a word to Fox: it’s about time you let the real critics see this alleged masterpiece so we can actually find out if this film has some real chances at an Oscar. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:00:58 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/17/2008 5:00:58 PMOprah Winfrey can certainly create a best seller when it comes to books, and her pick of the presidential candidates is on his way to the White House. But can she get behind a movie and contribute to its success? 20th Century Fox seems to hope so, because the studio apparently allowed the talk show host to screen an unfinished cut of Australia in preparation for her November 10 show, which featured the film’s stars, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, as well as a live-via-Skype call-in from filmmaker Baz Luhrman. Fortunately for Fox, Oprah raved about the film, and now the media has latched on to the endorsement, creating some much-needed positive buzz for the Oscar-hopeful. Yet there’s a big problem with all the excitement: Oprah’s film recommendations have hardly been sure-fire champs in the past. Case in point: the first title I came upon while searching for Oprah-select cinema was something called Christmas in the Clouds, a 2005 indie that she chose as her “must see holiday movie,” in O magazine a few years back. The film barely grossed a quarter-million dollars in theaters, but even if her endorsement didn’t occur until its DVD release in November 2006, there’s still no proof of popularity from the rental charts of the time, and two years later fewer than 250 people have rated it on IMDb (not the best for determining how many people have seen it, sure, but such a small number of votes is still somewhat revealing). As for awards recognition, well, it received the Audience Award at the 2001 Austin Film Festival, and it was named the best Native American-themed film the same year at the Santa Fe Film Festival, but the majority of Academy voters probably never even heard of it. Okay, so that is an extreme example of a film that had not even one percent of the marketing budget of Australia. So, let’s take a look at some of the bigger releases that Oprah has recommended more recently. Well, there is Michael Moore’s Sicko, which she labeled “the one movie you must see this summer,” a few weeks prior to its barely wide release in June 2007. Considering its theater count and its genre, the documentary’s final domestic gross of $24.5 million was quite an achievement, especially since only two other docs have grossed more (including Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, which will stay on top for quite awhile with its $119.1 million). Oh, and yes, Sicko earned an Oscar nomination, too. But did Oprah’s statement really have that much impact on Sicko’s success? What about all the other titles with Oprah connections that haven’t performed so well? Films based on her book club selections, from her inaugural title, The Deep End of the Ocean, to the recent adaptation of Love in the Time of Cholera, have rarely been blockbusters, and the three Academy nominations for House of Sand and Fog are hardly thanks to her love for and endorsement of that novel. Of course, film adaptations are not necessarily ever pegged to the praises of their source material, which is why Oprah’s name has not been linked to the expected Oscar contenders The Reader and The Road. Then there are the films she’s been directly involved with. Beloved, which she produced and starred in, earned a middling gross of $22.9 million. Its sole Oscar nomination was for costume design. Her more recent production, The Great Debaters, did a little better money-wise with $30.2 million, but it failed to garner the Academy’s attention. Ignoring the animated films she’s lent her voice to, you have to go back 23 years, long before she had the powers of influence she’s currently known for, to find something as big as Fox would like Australia to be. It was then that The Color Purple earned nearly $100 million and 11 Oscar nominations (none of which it won). As for films that Oprah simply promotes and recommends on her show, there is no clear certainty that she can influence either box office or the Oscars. She’s featured the casts from Crash and Brokeback Mountain, yet she’s also given time to publicize films like Alexander and Things We Lost in the Fire. Last week, after calling Australia “the film we needed to see,” she also helped to sell Marley & Me, a movie that might benefit slightly in increased ticket sales thanks to the appearances by Jennifer Aniston, yet there are no news reports mentioning anything but Aniston’s comments about her ex-husband. There’s likewise little media attention given to the fact that Oprah also apparently saw Seven Pounds, the Will Smith movie that, like Australia, has so far received no reviews. Was there no soundbite from Smith’s appearance earlier this month? Seven Pounds is also a mysterious Oscar contender with some needed positive buzz, though maybe Sony Pictures didn’t think to feed the press anything regarding Oprah’s connection to that film the way Fox has pushed them on the Australia endorsement. And what of Oprah’s praise anyway? She said, “I have not been this excited about a movie since I don’t know when.” How excited? And be more specific. Since forty years ago? Since Titanic? Since Christmas in the Clouds? Is this really the best movie of the year? Other than turning the expectations up a little higher following the recent negativity surrounding Australia, Oprah hasn’t really offered us anything except hope. So, a word to Fox: it’s about time you let the real critics see this alleged masterpiece so we can actually find out if this film has some real chances at an Oscar. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog Spout Post: Re:Pick a Pair http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Games/Re_Pick_a_Pair/598/32946/1/ShowPost.aspx

Post By: csprague
Post To: Movie Games
Post Date: 7/23/2008 12:12:36 PM
Body: possibly: Super Size Me and Sicko
]]>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:12:36 GMTcspragueMovie Games7/23/2008 12:12:36 PMpossibly: Super Size Me and Sicko Spout Post: Sicko Love Story of Iron Man and Fanny in The Orphanage http://www.spout.com/blogs/dibot/archive/2008/6/23/31550.aspx

Post By: dibot
Post To: dibot Blog
Post Date: 6/23/2008 11:30:50 AM
Body: OK. The internet has crashed on me twice while I was working on this review. So please forgive any spelling or other errors as I am going crazy trying to get this posted. At the beginning of Love Story, I wasn't sure I felt the repartee between Ali MacGraw ("Glam") and Ryan O'Neal ("Waste Land"). Then a young Tommy Lee Jones ("No Country for Old Men") popped up out of nowhere. Then there was some hockey. Then the banter got better. The passage of time was handled pretty well. And by the end of the film, I was crying like a baby. So take that as you want it. Iron Man was a pretty good comic book movie. Robert Downey Jr. ("Charlie Bartlett") is perfect (as always) as Tony Stark. He and Gwyneth Paltrow ("The Good Night") have excellent chemistry. Jeff Bridges ("Surf's Up") is kind of thrown away in the you-can-see-it-coming-a-mile-away bad guy role. The suit was amazing, and I think director Jon Favreau ("Zathura") handled it with the right light touch. I will see the sequel. Cause you know it's coming. The Orphanage is a gloriously atmospheric ghost story. I wasn't scared, but definitely enthralled the plot follows a young boy who disappears in an old house his parents were planning to turn into a school for special needs kids. But his mother also has some past connections to the place and it doesn't really go exactly where you think it will. Compared a lot to Pan's Labyrinth, it's different, and yet, has a similar fairy-tale quality. Sicko really made me think about America's health care system. Director Michael Moore ("Fahrenheit 9/11") sort of toned down his brazenness and tried to let the subject speak for itself. Of course, he doesn't quite manage it, but then, he wouldn't be Moore if he didn't get all up in your face. Good food or thought. Fanny and Alexander - Wow. Ingmar Bergman ("Saraband") really is one depressing SOB. Yes, I know, you'd think I'd realize that by now, but I'm a little slow on the uptake. I really did love this movie. It's breathtaking in its cinematography and the despair it explores. I saw the theatrical version and there's a part of me that wants to see the original, longer, television version. The rest of me is still fighting to urge to slit my wrists. The story follows two children, Fanny and Alexander (though the focus is more on Alexander) and their extended family. The children deal with the death of their father and their mother's remarriage to a very stern priest, played perfectly by Jan Malmsjo ("Goodnight, Irene"). He will, most likely, haunt my dreams for life. See this as soon as you feel happy enough.
]]>Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:30:50 GMTdibotdibot Blog6/23/2008 11:30:50 AMOK. The internet has crashed on me twice while I was working on this review. So please forgive any spelling or other errors as I am going crazy trying to get this posted. At the beginning of Love Story, I wasn't sure I felt the repartee between Ali MacGraw ("Glam") and Ryan O'Neal ("Waste Land"). Then a young Tommy Lee Jones ("No Country for Old Men") popped up out of nowhere. Then there was some hockey. Then the banter got better. The passage of time was handled pretty well. And by the end of the film, I was crying like a baby. So take that as you want it. Iron Man was a pretty good comic book movie. Robert Downey Jr. ("Charlie Bartlett") is perfect (as always) as Tony Stark. He and Gwyneth Paltrow ("The Good Night") have excellent chemistry. Jeff Bridges ("Surf's Up") is kind of thrown away in the you-can-see-it-coming-a-mile-away bad guy role. The suit was amazing, and I think director Jon Favreau ("Zathura") handled it with the right light touch. I will see the sequel. Cause you know it's coming. The Orphanage is a gloriously atmospheric ghost story. I wasn't scared, but definitely enthralled the plot follows a young boy who disappears in an old house his parents were planning to turn into a school for special needs kids. But his mother also has some past connections to the place and it doesn't really go exactly where you think it will. Compared a lot to Pan's Labyrinth, it's different, and yet, has a similar fairy-tale quality. Sicko really made me think about America's health care system. Director Michael Moore ("Fahrenheit 9/11") sort of toned down his brazenness and tried to let the subject speak for itself. Of course, he doesn't quite manage it, but then, he wouldn't be Moore if he didn't get all up in your face. Good food or thought. Fanny and Alexander - Wow. Ingmar Bergman ("Saraband") really is one depressing SOB. Yes, I know, you'd think I'd realize that by now, but I'm a little slow on the uptake. I really did love this movie. It's breathtaking in its cinematography and the despair it explores. I saw the theatrical version and there's a part of me that wants to see the original, longer, television version. The rest of me is still fighting to urge to slit my wrists. The story follows two children, Fanny and Alexander (though the focus is more on Alexander) and their extended family. The children deal with the death of their father and their mother's remarriage to a very stern priest, played perfectly by Jan Malmsjo ("Goodnight, Irene"). He will, most likely, haunt my dreams for life. See this as soon as you feel happy enough. Spout Post: Sicko (2007, USA, Michael Moore) ***1/2 http://www.spout.com/blogs/cinemarian/archive/2008/5/12/28627.aspx

Post By: CinemaRian
Post To: CinemaRian Blog
Post Date: 5/12/2008 11:59:39 AM
Body: The crucial difference between Sicko, Michael Moore's newest film and the rest of his cinema is the fact that the subject is less controversial. Pretty much everyone who is not a slobbering Republican party hack acknowledges that there are major problems with the American healthcare system, and according to polls a clear majority of Americans think the Democrats have the best plan-universal coverage for everyone. This means that his material is not as offensive or unreasonable as usual though I have no doubt that a lot, though probably not a majority, of conservatives will find something to be offended by. As my pal Kristen Gorlitz aptly stated, judging a movie like this' worth is somewhat tempered by the fact that the movie is inherently dated to the period it was made in. Will anyone other than film students want to watch this movie thirty years from now? Probably not, but I can't deny that it's an extremely cogent and generally reasonable argument as to why American needs socialized medicine. Moore spends most of the first part of the movie demonstrating horror stories about healthcare in America. The startling is that so many of these happen to people are who insured. My favorite was the woman who knocked unconscious in car accident, but whose insurance company refused to pay for her ambulance ride to the hospital. Why? She failed to have the ambulance trip pre-approved, although that's kind of hard to do when you are unconscious. There are others with more catastrophic consequences. A couple with insurance has to sell their house and move in with their daughter, when the husband has three heart attacks and the wife gets cancer. Even though they are insured, the co-pays and deductibles are so high they can't pay them and the rent at the same time. He also shares and astonishing stastic that I later learned was accurate: 18,000 Americans die each year because they don't have healthcare. Moore then investigates the universal healthcare of Canada, Britain and France, and finds that, not surprisingly, the people who live in those countries really like their coverage, because...it's for free! And contrary to what the health lobby will tell you, it's really good, too. So far, so good, but its here that Moore starts to overplay his hand. My friend Magali, who is from France and is doing an internship at St. Mary's hospital, told me that she was glad that France has universal coverage, but that the government is having trouble paying for it, as there are more old than young in the country. Moore presents France as some kind of paradise, where everyone loves each other and there are no problems, at all. Things get worse when Moore takes some uninsured 9/11 veterans to Cuba, which also has universal healthcare. While Cuba undoubtedly has a better healthcare system than the US, the average American's standard of living is so much better than the average Cuban the comparison somewhat muted, especially when Moore fails to come down on Fidel Castro. I am certain that people of Cuba are no better or worse than any other nation, but their government, is well, a dictatorship, and a really bad one that. Why didn't Moore point this out? Still, Sicko will play a positive roll in the national dialogue, which much needs to comes to grips that there are basically no real alternatives to the healthcare crisis other than socialized medicine. I know a guy who once had a minor stroke, paralyzing one side of his face, but didn't go the hospital because he was uninsured. I will be on my father's health coverage until next May, and if by then I don't have a job with benefits, I will be in real trouble if I get another infection, which will, of course, make finding a job (or doing much of anything even harder). Opponents argue that universal care means more inefficiency and longer wait times, but studies have shown that's only true for elective or non-essential procedures. I had a stroke in Britain; I could go to the hospital immediately and not worry about my mortgage or putting my (hypothetical) kids through college. Although Moore paints overly rosy picture of some other countries solutions to the problem, he dead right about one thing: it is my right to be has healthy as I can be. It is my obligation to work and pay into the system. But if I am having trouble finding work, or work with benefits (as I am now in this horrid Michigan economy) the people who are doing well have an obligation to help the people who are doing their best, but still cannot make enough to pay the astronomical insurance rates. It's not a free ride, as everyone pays in, but simply the right thing to do. _______________________________________________________ Here's an article that points out that the movie is basically accurate: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/06/28/sicko.fact.check/index.html# Sicko (2007)
]]>Mon, 12 May 2008 15:59:39 GMTCinemaRianCinemaRian Blog5/12/2008 11:59:39 AM The crucial difference between Sicko, Michael Moore's newest film and the rest of his cinema is the fact that the subject is less controversial. Pretty much everyone who is not a slobbering Republican party hack acknowledges that there are major problems with the American healthcare system, and according to polls a clear majority of Americans think the Democrats have the best plan-universal coverage for everyone. This means that his material is not as offensive or unreasonable as usual though I have no doubt that a lot, though probably not a majority, of conservatives will find something to be offended by. As my pal Kristen Gorlitz aptly stated, judging a movie like this' worth is somewhat tempered by the fact that the movie is inherently dated to the period it was made in. Will anyone other than film students want to watch this movie thirty years from now? Probably not, but I can't deny that it's an extremely cogent and generally reasonable argument as to why American needs socialized medicine. Moore spends most of the first part of the movie demonstrating horror stories about healthcare in America. The startling is that so many of these happen to people are who insured. My favorite was the woman who knocked unconscious in car accident, but whose insurance company refused to pay for her ambulance ride to the hospital. Why? She failed to have the ambulance trip pre-approved, although that's kind of hard to do when you are unconscious. There are others with more catastrophic consequences. A couple with insurance has to sell their house and move in with their daughter, when the husband has three heart attacks and the wife gets cancer. Even though they are insured, the co-pays and deductibles are so high they can't pay them and the rent at the same time. He also shares and astonishing stastic that I later learned was accurate: 18,000 Americans die each year because they don't have healthcare. Moore then investigates the universal healthcare of Canada, Britain and France, and finds that, not surprisingly, the people who live in those countries really like their coverage, because...it's for free! And contrary to what the health lobby will tell you, it's really good, too. So far, so good, but its here that Moore starts to overplay his hand. My friend Magali, who is from France and is doing an internship at St. Mary's hospital, told me that she was glad that France has universal coverage, but that the government is having trouble paying for it, as there are more old than young in the country. Moore presents France as some kind of paradise, where everyone loves each other and there are no problems, at all. Things get worse when Moore takes some uninsured 9/11 veterans to Cuba, which also has universal healthcare. While Cuba undoubtedly has a better healthcare system than the US, the average American's standard of living is so much better than the average Cuban the comparison somewhat muted, especially when Moore fails to come down on Fidel Castro. I am certain that people of Cuba are no better or worse than any other nation, but their government, is well, a dictatorship, and a really bad one that. Why didn't Moore point this out? Still, Sicko will play a positive roll in the national dialogue, which much needs to comes to grips that there are basically no real alternatives to the healthcare crisis other than socialized medicine. I know a guy who once had a minor stroke, paralyzing one side of his face, but didn't go the hospital because he was uninsured. I will be on my father's health coverage until next May, and if by then I don't have a job with benefits, I will be in real trouble if I get another infection, which will, of course, make finding a job (or doing much of anything even harder). Opponents argue that universal care means more inefficiency and longer wait times, but studies have shown that's only true for elective or non-essential procedures. I had a stroke in Britain; I could go to the hospital immediately and not worry about my mortgage or putting my (hypothetical) kids through college. Although Moore paints overly rosy picture of some other countries solutions to the problem, he dead right about one thing: it is my right to be has healthy as I can be. It is my obligation to work and pay into the system. But if I am having trouble finding work, or work with benefits (as I am now in this horrid Michigan economy) the people who are doing well have an obligation to help the people who are doing their best, but still cannot make enough to pay the astronomical insurance rates. It's not a free ride, as everyone pays in, but simply the right thing to do. _______________________________________________________ Here's an article that points out that the movie is basically accurate: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/06/28/sicko.fact.check/index.html# Sicko (2007) Spout Post: Michael Moore’s Documentary “Rescue Action” http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/2/25/25563.aspx

Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 2/25/2008 11:01:28 AM
Body: Michael Moore did not win an Oscar last night for Sicko, which may only mean that the Academy’s overwhelmingly left-leaning voter base are, like most rich people, far more concerned with the moral and historical implications of the current wars (and, particularly, the way we’re fighting them) than they are with the everyday lives of poor people here at home. But that’s okay, because even Michael Moore has stopped working the health care issue, at least temporarily. He’s too busy trying to Save Documentaries. Moore made a speech at last week’s International Documentary Association awards, in which the filmmaker announced a plan to declare Monday nights Documentary Night at theaters across America. Mondays are traditionally the weakest night of the week for exhibitors, so, says Moore, with the right marketing small non-fiction films could match the typically low numbers produced by most studio films on that night. He’s essentially calling on studios to devote resources to, as the indieWIRE story on the matter puts it, “a consortium of PR and marketing people at the studios who would support and promote documentary, bolstering the work of smaller companies with limited resources.” When this story broke last week, it was generally reported without comment, positive or negative (although AJ Schnack did take a small swipe at Moore for showing up at the IDA reception when he had something to promote, after failing to make an appearance when the body honored his career last year). But Agnes Varnum is now asking some real questions about the plan, in this post. She suggests that a plan such as this might in effect marginalize documentaries further: (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » karina
]]>Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:01:28 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog2/25/2008 11:01:28 AMMichael Moore did not win an Oscar last night for Sicko, which may only mean that the Academy’s overwhelmingly left-leaning voter base are, like most rich people, far more concerned with the moral and historical implications of the current wars (and, particularly, the way we’re fighting them) than they are with the everyday lives of poor people here at home. But that’s okay, because even Michael Moore has stopped working the health care issue, at least temporarily. He’s too busy trying to Save Documentaries. Moore made a speech at last week’s International Documentary Association awards, in which the filmmaker announced a plan to declare Monday nights Documentary Night at theaters across America. Mondays are traditionally the weakest night of the week for exhibitors, so, says Moore, with the right marketing small non-fiction films could match the typically low numbers produced by most studio films on that night. He’s essentially calling on studios to devote resources to, as the indieWIRE story on the matter puts it, “a consortium of PR and marketing people at the studios who would support and promote documentary, bolstering the work of smaller companies with limited resources.” When this story broke last week, it was generally reported without comment, positive or negative (although AJ Schnack did take a small swipe at Moore for showing up at the IDA reception when he had something to promote, after failing to make an appearance when the body honored his career last year). But Agnes Varnum is now asking some real questions about the plan, in this post. She suggests that a plan such as this might in effect marginalize documentaries further: (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » karina Spout Post: Michael Moore’s Documentary “Rescue Action” http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/2/25/25562.aspx

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 2/25/2008 11:01:17 AM
Body: Michael Moore did not win an Oscar last night for Sicko, which may only mean that the Academy’s overwhelmingly left-leaning voter base are, like most rich people, far more concerned with the moral and historical implications of the current wars (and, particularly, the way we’re fighting them) than they are with the everyday lives of poor people here at home. But that’s okay, because even Michael Moore has stopped working the health care issue, at least temporarily. He’s too busy trying to Save Documentaries. Moore made a speech at last week’s International Documentary Association awards, in which the filmmaker announced a plan to declare Monday nights Documentary Night at theaters across America. Mondays are traditionally the weakest night of the week for exhibitors, so, says Moore, with the right marketing small non-fiction films could match the typically low numbers produced by most studio films on that night. He’s essentially calling on studios to devote resources to, as the indieWIRE story on the matter puts it, “a consortium of PR and marketing people at the studios who would support and promote documentary, bolstering the work of smaller companies with limited resources.” When this story broke last week, it was generally reported without comment, positive or negative (although AJ Schnack did take a small swipe at Moore for showing up at the IDA reception when he had something to promote, after failing to make an appearance when the body honored his career last year). But Agnes Varnum is now asking some real questions about the plan, in this post. She suggests that a plan such as this might in effect marginalize documentaries further: (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:01:17 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com2/25/2008 11:01:17 AMMichael Moore did not win an Oscar last night for Sicko, which may only mean that the Academy’s overwhelmingly left-leaning voter base are, like most rich people, far more concerned with the moral and historical implications of the current wars (and, particularly, the way we’re fighting them) than they are with the everyday lives of poor people here at home. But that’s okay, because even Michael Moore has stopped working the health care issue, at least temporarily. He’s too busy trying to Save Documentaries. Moore made a speech at last week’s International Documentary Association awards, in which the filmmaker announced a plan to declare Monday nights Documentary Night at theaters across America. Mondays are traditionally the weakest night of the week for exhibitors, so, says Moore, with the right marketing small non-fiction films could match the typically low numbers produced by most studio films on that night. He’s essentially calling on studios to devote resources to, as the indieWIRE story on the matter puts it, “a consortium of PR and marketing people at the studios who would support and promote documentary, bolstering the work of smaller companies with limited resources.” When this story broke last week, it was generally reported without comment, positive or negative (although AJ Schnack did take a small swipe at Moore for showing up at the IDA reception when he had something to promote, after failing to make an appearance when the body honored his career last year). But Agnes Varnum is now asking some real questions about the plan, in this post. She suggests that a plan such as this might in effect marginalize documentaries further: (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog Spout Post: Oscar Picks (WOOOOOO!!!) http://www.spout.com/blogs/the1theonlyjp/archive/2008/2/24/25544.aspx

Post By: The1TheOnlyJP
Post To: The Paxton Log
Post Date: 2/24/2008 7:33:42 PM
Body: No lengthy explanations as to why, just short and sweet; here are my picks for tonight's 80th Annual Academy Awards.- Best Visual Effects: Diana Miao for 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'- Best Sound Mixing: Alan Meyerson for 'Transformers'- Best Sound Editing: Skip Lievsay and Joel Dougherty for 'No Country for Old Men'- Best Original Song: 'Falling Slowly' from 'Once' written and performed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova- Best Original Score: Dario Marianelli for 'Atonement'- Best Makeup: Liz Dann for 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'- Best Costume Design: Colleen Atwood for 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'- Best Film Editing: Tatiana S. Riegel for 'There Will Be Blood'- Best Art Direction: Gary Freeman for 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'- Best Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey for 'Atonement'- Best Documentary: 'Sicko'- Best Animated Picture: 'Ratatouille'- Best Foreign Language Film: 'The Counterfeiters'- Best Adapted Screenplay: Ronald Harwood for 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'- Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody for 'Juno'- Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett as Jude Quinn in 'I'm Not There'- Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck as Robert Ford in 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'- Leading Actress: Ellen Page as Juno MacGuff in 'Juno'- Leading Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview in 'There Will Be Blood'- Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson for 'There Will Be Blood'- Best Picture: 'No Country for Old Men'
]]>Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:33:42 GMTThe1TheOnlyJPThe Paxton Log2/24/2008 7:33:42 PMNo lengthy explanations as to why, just short and sweet; here are my picks for tonight's 80th Annual Academy Awards.- Best Visual Effects: Diana Miao for 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'- Best Sound Mixing: Alan Meyerson for 'Transformers'- Best Sound Editing: Skip Lievsay and Joel Dougherty for 'No Country for Old Men'- Best Original Song: 'Falling Slowly' from 'Once' written and performed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova- Best Original Score: Dario Marianelli for 'Atonement'- Best Makeup: Liz Dann for 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'- Best Costume Design: Colleen Atwood for 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'- Best Film Editing: Tatiana S. Riegel for 'There Will Be Blood'- Best Art Direction: Gary Freeman for 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'- Best Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey for 'Atonement'- Best Documentary: 'Sicko'- Best Animated Picture: 'Ratatouille'- Best Foreign Language Film: 'The Counterfeiters'- Best Adapted Screenplay: Ronald Harwood for 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'- Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody for 'Juno'- Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett as Jude Quinn in 'I'm Not There'- Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck as Robert Ford in 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'- Leading Actress: Ellen Page as Juno MacGuff in 'Juno'- Leading Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview in 'There Will Be Blood'- Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson for 'There Will Be Blood'- Best Picture: 'No Country for Old Men' Spout Post: Come drink my milkshake: This year's Oscar picks http://www.spout.com/blogs/usesoap/archive/2008/2/10/24944.aspx

Post By: usesoap
Post To: usesoap Blog
Post Date: 2/10/2008 9:20:58 PM
Body: Even though the writers have apparently settled on a deal to end the strike, there is still a great deal to fear on the Oscar broadcast set for Feb. 24, that can be summed up in three simple words (two if you hyphenate correctly):Oscar-winner 'Norbit'.That's right. While many wrestle with the fact that their favorite films have been left off the nominee list (I understand, though don't agree with, the love-fest called Juno, but even my friends who are the most ardent supporters of the film agree that it has no place in the Best Picture and Best Director category) a film that was universally loathed like 'Norbit' has a shot at earning the most coveted trophies in the biz.Here to give you an edge on the office ballots, I have opted to fill this column with a handy guide to this year's nominees, chock-full of winner predictions. (Plus, you can check out some of the shorts on your computer, links provided, free of charge. You're welcome!)Best picture“Atonement”“Juno”“Michael Clayton”“No Country for Old Men”“There Will Be Blood”Winner: “No Country for Old Men. A sweeping 86 wins from various awards programs, coupled with the Academy's love for the Coens, means the “Old Men” should have a lot of life in them on Oscar night. Best Director“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Julian Schnabel“Juno” Jason Reitman“Michael Clayton” Tony Gilroy“No Country for Old Men” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen“There Will Be Blood” Paul Thomas AndersonWinner: The Coens again will be awarded, not only for this film, but for their decades of impressive contributions to cinema, whereas the runner-up, Anderson, seems to be just beginning his remarkable run.Best ActorGeorge Clooney in “Michael Clayton”Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood”Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah”Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises”Winner: Daniel Day Lewis. Of the film's 45 award wins, the majority have gone to Lewis, whose Daniel Plainview could have easily been the embodiment of evil, were it not for the actor who shades the character with the tiniest sliver of humanity. Best ActressCate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”Julie Christie in “Away from Her”Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose”Laura Linney in “The Savages”Ellen Page in “Juno”Winner: Christie. Winning nods from coast (New York, D.C.) to coast (San Francisco, San Diego), to all parts in between (Arizona, Houston, Phoenix), as well as a BAFTA from overseas, Christie is a lock. Best Supporting ActorCasey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men”Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War”Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild”Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton”Winner: Bardem. Who knew a bowl-cut could be so bad-ass? Bardem's emotionless killing machine is the embodiment of evil in “No Country.” Best Supporting ActressCate Blanchett in “I’m Not There”Ruby Dee in “American Gangster”Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement”Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone”Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton”Winner: Blanchett. Unless her two nominations this year cancel each other out, Blanchett is the best thing in an otherwise decent, but rather convoluted movie. Best animated feature“Persepolis”“Ratatouille”“Surf's Up”Winner: “Ratatoille.” Unless the Academy chooses to show its indie credibility with selecting “Persepolis,” the little guy should go to Pixar's latest masterpiece, and one of its most technically lavish and emotionally mature works in its canon. Best documentary feature“No End in Sight”“Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience”“Sicko”“Taxi to the Dark Side”“War/Dance”Winner: “No End in Sight.” My only hope is that an Oscar win will bolster this film's chances of being seen, since it is far and away one of the most insightful documentaries concerning the war in Iraq out there. Art direction“American Gangster”“Atonement”“The Golden Compass”“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”“There Will Be Blood”Winner: “There Will be Blood.” Only because “No Country for Old Men” didn't make it, the Academy will toss “Blood” a bone here. Cinematography “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” Roger Deakins“Atonement” Seamus McGarvey“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Janusz Kaminski“No Country for Old Men” Roger Deakins“There Will Be Blood” Robert ElswitWinner: “There Will Be Blood.” For true cinema geeks, this is the most exciting category of the evening. Deakins, whose work in “Jesse James” is nothing short of poetic, adequately captures the harsh dust bowls in “No Country.” But in “Blood,” there are entire stretches of time where not a word is uttered and we can drink in the sumptuous images captured by Elswit. Costume design“Across the Universe” Albert Wolsky“Atonement” Jacqueline Durran“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” Alexandra Byrne“La Vie en Rose” Marit Allen“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” Colleen AtwoodWinner: “Atonement.” After sweeping up at the BAFTA awards last weekend, the period piece that is perhaps more notable for its costume over its content. In particular, Kiera Knightly's green dress in act one may cinch the prize alone.Best documentary short subject“Freeheld”“La Corona (The Crown)”“Salim Baba”“Sari’s Mother”Winner: “Sari's Mother.” Look for director James Longley's tale of a mother in Iraq trying to get health care for her young AIDS-afflicted son to take the prize. It helps that he's earned such prior praise with his doc “Iraq in Fragments.' Editing“The Bourne Ultimatum” Christopher Rouse“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Juliette Welfling“Into the Wild” Jay Cassidy“No Country for Old Men” Roderick Jaynes“There Will Be Blood” Dylan TichenorWinner: “No Country for Old Men.” Perhaps more than any other technical category, “No Country” earns its stripes for its near-perfect slicing. Foreign language film“Beaufort” Israel“The Counterfeiters” Austria“Katyń” Poland“Mongol” Kazakhstan“12” RussiaWinner: “Beaufort.” In a rather weak field, “Beaufort” is the only film that seems to be making any critical waves. And if Borat had done enough to sully the name of Kazakhstan, “Mongol” has been doing a bang-up job on its own. Makeup“La Vie en Rose”“Norbit”“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”Winner: “Pirates.” So help me, Rick Baker has been a pioneer in real-life visual effects, but if he walks with one for transforming Eddie Murphy into a gargantuan shrew, I'm out, man. Game over. Original score“Atonement”“The Kite Runner” Distributed by Paramount Classics) Alberto Iglesias“Michael Clayton”“Ratatouille”“3:10 to Yuma”Winner: “Michael Clayton.” Where the hell was Jonny Greenwood's eclectic, haunting orchestration for “There Will Be Blood”? Because of some lame technicality, it was left off. None of the other candidates here are even in the same league, but Clayton's is the only score that I can still recall after seeing the film, so it gets my vote. Original song“Falling Slowly” from “Once”“Happy Working Song” from “Enchanted”“Raise It Up” from “August Rush”“So Close” from “Enchanted”“That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted”Winner: “Falling Slowly.” Sure, there's overwhelming odds that “Enchanted” could pick it up here, and it deserves some love, but more for a nomination for its lead Amy Adams, not in its cheeky, but slight, soundtrack. Best animated short film“I Met the Walrus” (trailer)“Madame Tutli-Putli” (full film)“Même les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)” ( full film)“My Love (Moya Lyubov) for Natalie” (Channel One Russia) (full film, part 2's link is provided after film)“Peter & the Wolf” (BreakThru Films)Winner: My Love. Like a Renoir painting come to life, this is one of the most lavish 2-D animated films in quite some time.Best live action short film“At Night” (clip)“Il Supplente (The Substitute)” (full film)“Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)” (full film)“Tanghi Argentini”“The Tonto Woman” (trailer)Winner: “Il Supplente.” Comic gold and a great punchline.Sound editing“The Bourne Ultimatum”“No Country for Old Men”“Ratatouille”“There Will Be Blood”“Transformers”Winner: “No Country for Old Men.” It could be a toss up with “There Will Be Blood,” but I have a feeling that the cold thud of Javier Bardem's pneumatic air gun gives it a slight edge. Sound mixing“The Bourne Ultimatum”“No Country for Old Men”“Ratatouille”“3:10 to Yuma”“Transformers”Winner: Transformers. Kevin O'Connell and Greg P. Russell have a combined 32 nominations in their career. It's time Oscar paid them for their labor for their work literally making heavy metal. Visual effects “The Golden Compass”“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”“Transformers”Winner: Transformers. Was there a part of this film that was not a visual effect? “Compas” flopped, “Pirates” sailed off with the trophy last year, plus, wouldn't it be cool to have a statue that morphed into a robot that would blow up screenwriter Diablo Cody's prize?Adapted screenplay“Atonement” Christopher Hampton“Away from Her” Sarah Polley“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Ronald Harwood“No Country for Old Men” Joel and Ethan Coen“There Will Be Blood” Paul Thomas AndersonWinner: “No Country for Old Men.” This one will be swept up in the Coen fever that will take hold on Oscar night, though I think “Blood” will have a longer shelf life with repeated viewings. Original screenplay“Juno” Diablo Cody“Lars and the Real Girl” Nancy Oliver“Michael Clayton” Tony Gilroy“Ratatouille” Brad Bird“The Savages” Tamara JenkinsWinner: Diablo Cody for Juno. I think the Academy members have a stake in the merchandising of the T-shirts, since the entire script seems ready to be ironed on to the front of clothing, line by agonizing line.
]]>Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:20:58 GMTusesoapusesoap Blog2/10/2008 9:20:58 PMEven though the writers have apparently settled on a deal to end the strike, there is still a great deal to fear on the Oscar broadcast set for Feb. 24, that can be summed up in three simple words (two if you hyphenate correctly):Oscar-winner 'Norbit'.That's right. While many wrestle with the fact that their favorite films have been left off the nominee list (I understand, though don't agree with, the love-fest called Juno, but even my friends who are the most ardent supporters of the film agree that it has no place in the Best Picture and Best Director category) a film that was universally loathed like 'Norbit' has a shot at earning the most coveted trophies in the biz.Here to give you an edge on the office ballots, I have opted to fill this column with a handy guide to this year's nominees, chock-full of winner predictions. (Plus, you can check out some of the shorts on your computer, links provided, free of charge. You're welcome!)Best picture“Atonement”“Juno”“Michael Clayton”“No Country for Old Men”“There Will Be Blood”Winner: “No Country for Old Men. A sweeping 86 wins from various awards programs, coupled with the Academy's love for the Coens, means the “Old Men” should have a lot of life in them on Oscar night. Best Director“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Julian Schnabel“Juno” Jason Reitman“Michael Clayton” Tony Gilroy“No Country for Old Men” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen“There Will Be Blood” Paul Thomas AndersonWinner: The Coens again will be awarded, not only for this film, but for their decades of impressive contributions to cinema, whereas the runner-up, Anderson, seems to be just beginning his remarkable run.Best ActorGeorge Clooney in “Michael Clayton”Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood”Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah”Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises”Winner: Daniel Day Lewis. Of the film's 45 award wins, the majority have gone to Lewis, whose Daniel Plainview could have easily been the embodiment of evil, were it not for the actor who shades the character with the tiniest sliver of humanity. Best ActressCate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”Julie Christie in “Away from Her”Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose”Laura Linney in “The Savages”Ellen Page in “Juno”Winner: Christie. Winning nods from coast (New York, D.C.) to coast (San Francisco, San Diego), to all parts in between (Arizona, Houston, Phoenix), as well as a BAFTA from overseas, Christie is a lock. Best Supporting ActorCasey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men”Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War”Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild”Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton”Winner: Bardem. Who knew a bowl-cut could be so bad-ass? Bardem's emotionless killing machine is the embodiment of evil in “No Country.” Best Supporting ActressCate Blanchett in “I’m Not There”Ruby Dee in “American Gangster”Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement”Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone”Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton”Winner: Blanchett. Unless her two nominations this year cancel each other out, Blanchett is the best thing in an otherwise decent, but rather convoluted movie. Best animated feature“Persepolis”“Ratatouille”“Surf's Up”Winner: “Ratatoille.” Unless the Academy chooses to show its indie credibility with selecting “Persepolis,” the little guy should go to Pixar's latest masterpiece, and one of its most technically lavish and emotionally mature works in its canon. Best documentary feature“No End in Sight”“Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience”“Sicko”“Taxi to the Dark Side”“War/Dance”Winner: “No End in Sight.” My only hope is that an Oscar win will bolster this film's chances of being seen, since it is far and away one of the most insightful documentaries concerning the war in Iraq out there. Art direction“American Gangster”“Atonement”“The Golden Compass”“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”“There Will Be Blood”Winner: “There Will be Blood.” Only because “No Country for Old Men” didn't make it, the Academy will toss “Blood” a bone here. Cinematography “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” Roger Deakins“Atonement” Seamus McGarvey“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Janusz Kaminski“No Country for Old Men” Roger Deakins“There Will Be Blood” Robert ElswitWinner: “There Will Be Blood.” For true cinema geeks, this is the most exciting category of the evening. Deakins, whose work in “Jesse James” is nothing short of poetic, adequately captures the harsh dust bowls in “No Country.” But in “Blood,” there are entire stretches of time where not a word is uttered and we can drink in the sumptuous images captured by Elswit. Costume design“Across the Universe” Albert Wolsky“Atonement” Jacqueline Durran“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” Alexandra Byrne“La Vie en Rose” Marit Allen“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” Colleen AtwoodWinner: “Atonement.” After sweeping up at the BAFTA awards last weekend, the period piece that is perhaps more notable for its costume over its content. In particular, Kiera Knightly's green dress in act one may cinch the prize alone.Best documentary short subject“Freeheld”“La Corona (The Crown)”“Salim Baba”“Sari’s Mother”Winner: “Sari's Mother.” Look for director James Longley's tale of a mother in Iraq trying to get health care for her young AIDS-afflicted son to take the prize. It helps that he's earned such prior praise with his doc “Iraq in Fragments.' Editing“The Bourne Ultimatum” Christopher Rouse“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Juliette Welfling“Into the Wild” Jay Cassidy“No Country for Old Men” Roderick Jaynes“There Will Be Blood” Dylan TichenorWinner: “No Country for Old Men.” Perhaps more than any other technical category, “No Country” earns its stripes for its near-perfect slicing. Foreign language film“Beaufort” Israel“The Counterfeiters” Austria“Katyń” Poland“Mongol” Kazakhstan“12” RussiaWinner: “Beaufort.” In a rather weak field, “Beaufort” is the only film that seems to be making any critical waves. And if Borat had done enough to sully the name of Kazakhstan, “Mongol” has been doing a bang-up job on its own. Makeup“La Vie en Rose”“Norbit”“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”Winner: “Pirates.” So help me, Rick Baker has been a pioneer in real-life visual effects, but if he walks with one for transforming Eddie Murphy into a gargantuan shrew, I'm out, man. Game over. Original score“Atonement”“The Kite Runner” Distributed by Paramount Classics) Alberto Iglesias“Michael Clayton”“Ratatouille”“3:10 to Yuma”Winner: “Michael Clayton.” Where the hell was Jonny Greenwood's eclectic, haunting orchestration for “There Will Be Blood”? Because of some lame technicality, it was left off. None of the other candidates here are even in the same league, but Clayton's is the only score that I can still recall after seeing the film, so it gets my vote. Original song“Falling Slowly” from “Once”“Happy Working Song” from “Enchanted”“Raise It Up” from “August Rush”“So Close” from “Enchanted”“That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted”Winner: “Falling Slowly.” Sure, there's overwhelming odds that “Enchanted” could pick it up here, and it deserves some love, but more for a nomination for its lead Amy Adams, not in its cheeky, but slight, soundtrack. Best animated short film“I Met the Walrus” (trailer)“Madame Tutli-Putli” (full film)“Même les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)” ( full film)“My Love (Moya Lyubov) for Natalie” (Channel One Russia) (full film, part 2's link is provided after film)“Peter & the Wolf” (BreakThru Films)Winner: My Love. Like a Renoir painting come to life, this is one of the most lavish 2-D animated films in quite some time.Best live action short film“At Night” (clip)“Il Supplente (The Substitute)” (full film)“Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)” (full film)“Tanghi Argentini”“The Tonto Woman” (trailer)Winner: “Il Supplente.” Comic gold and a great punchline.Sound editing“The Bourne Ultimatum”“No Country for Old Men”“Ratatouille”“There Will Be Blood”“Transformers”Winner: “No Country for Old Men.” It could be a toss up with “There Will Be Blood,” but I have a feeling that the cold thud of Javier Bardem's pneumatic air gun gives it a slight edge. Sound mixing“The Bourne Ultimatum”“No Country for Old Men”“Ratatouille”“3:10 to Yuma”“Transformers”Winner: Transformers. Kevin O'Connell and Greg P. Russell have a combined 32 nominations in their career. It's time Oscar paid them for their labor for their work literally making heavy metal. Visual effects “The Golden Compass”“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”“Transformers”Winner: Transformers. Was there a part of this film that was not a visual effect? “Compas” flopped, “Pirates” sailed off with the trophy last year, plus, wouldn't it be cool to have a statue that morphed into a robot that would blow up screenwriter Diablo Cody's prize?Adapted screenplay“Atonement” Christopher Hampton“Away from Her” Sarah Polley“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Ronald Harwood“No Country for Old Men” Joel and Ethan Coen“There Will Be Blood” Paul Thomas AndersonWinner: “No Country for Old Men.” This one will be swept up in the Coen fever that will take hold on Oscar night, though I think “Blood” will have a longer shelf life with repeated viewings. Original screenplay“Juno” Diablo Cody“Lars and the Real Girl” Nancy Oliver“Michael Clayton” Tony Gilroy“Ratatouille” Brad Bird“The Savages” Tamara JenkinsWinner: Diablo Cody for Juno. I think the Academy members have a stake in the merchandising of the T-shirts, since the entire script seems ready to be ironed on to the front of clothing, line by agonizing line. Spout Tag:brilliant http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/brilliant/MemberTagFilms.aspxbrilliant
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]]>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:11:06 GMT402127496Tag Spout Tag:france http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/france/MemberTagFilms.aspxfrance
Number of films tagged: 932

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]]>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:12:04 GMT9324297Tag Spout Tag:revolution http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/revolution/MemberTagFilms.aspxrevolution
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]]>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:32:33 GMT10364268Tag Spout Tag:oscar http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/oscar/MemberTagFilms.aspxoscar
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]]>Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:03:17 GMT11024103Tag Spout Tag:cannes http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/cannes/MemberTagFilms.aspxcannes
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]]>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:53:47 GMT9910Tag Spout Tag:michaelmoore http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/michaelmoore/MemberTagFilms.aspxmichaelmoore
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]]>Mon, 08 Oct 2007 05:25:05 GMT5910Tag Spout Tag:victim http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/victim/MemberTagFilms.aspxvictim
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]]>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:13:22 GMT1151910Tag Spout Tag:confrontational http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/confrontational/MemberTagFilms.aspxconfrontational
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]]>Mon, 26 May 2008 05:05:54 GMT277Tag Spout Tag:doctors http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/doctors/MemberTagFilms.aspxdoctors
Number of films tagged: 11

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]]>Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:59:40 GMT11612Tag Spout Tag:impressive http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/impressive/MemberTagFilms.aspximpressive
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]]>Tue, 07 Aug 2007 03:44:47 GMT656Tag Spout Tag:Mustseemovie http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Mustseemovie/MemberTagFilms.aspxMustseemovie
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]]>Sat, 02 Feb 2008 05:07:58 GMT244Tag Spout Tag:healthcareindustry http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/healthcareindustry/MemberTagFilms.aspxhealthcareindustry
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]]>Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:02:55 GMT133Tag Spout Tag:healthcare http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/healthcare/MemberTagFilms.aspxhealthcare
Number of films tagged: 140

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]]>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:07:44 GMT14024Tag Spout Tag:insurancecompany http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/insurancecompany/MemberTagFilms.aspxinsurancecompany
Number of films tagged: 19

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