That's right one of my favorite shows on TV, Psych, returned to USA last night with all new episodes. And last night's episode kicked the Winter Season off in style with guest star John Cena, from the WWE. Cena played Juliet's big brother, who is apparently a kick arse military man. Last week I had the pleasure to sit in on an interview with series star James Roday and John Cena, and although it was supposed to be a joint interview, the two were never able to make it on the phone at the same time. Cena was waiting on a flight to take him to the set of a movie he's filming and Roday couldn't get into the call. Roday finally joined the exact second that Cena had to leave to get on his flight.

Although the duo never got to speak at the same time, it was a great interview and it was a revelation to me how nice of a guy Cena is, and how much he's done besides wrestling. Who knew the guy was not only a wrestler and actor, but also has a gold record for a hip-hop album he released.

Cena mentioned that while he hadn't been a big fan of the show before he had seen bits and peices of the show before, since its on the same network as WWE RAW and that he saw could tell that it was his sense of humor and that he knew he'd fit in with the cast. He went on to discuss Roday and co-star Dule Hill and what he thought would happen when the guest hosted Raw (it aired this past Monday) saying "I’ll tell you what, Dule’s energy is second to none and James, believe it or not, whether you’re going to get him to admit this online on the phone is one of the biggest closet wrestling fans I have ever come across in my life. There are many intricate professional wrestling references in the kick off Psych episode. It was a pleasure to see those guys pay homage to the sport and to the industry fantastically well with their clever way of writing material."

Unfortunately, for those of you who didn't see it, Roday had to have an emergency appendectomy on Monday and was only able to call in briefly to the show, but Dule did a fantastic job of guest hosting, and got a chance to do some comedy with Cena as well.

Cena also noted that he was glad that his character's exit from the show was left a bit open ended as it allows him to come back at some time. He said "I would certainly love to come back if, let’s hope we get some good ratings for the premier episode and if we do then hopefully I’ll be seen again."

While Cena spoke about wrestling, guesting on the show, and his career, the talk didn't really begin to focus on the upcoming season of Psych until Roday joined the call. Roday began by discussing the theme song and who he'd like to have perform it after this past years wonderful rendition by Boyz II Men. Roday's dream covers would be performed by The Chipmunks and David Bowie. (Funny enough within minutes someone on Twitter had poster a link to a Chipmunks version which you can find here.) He went on to explain "For me selfishly I would want it to be Bowie so that I could hang out with Bowie and I would actually request that he come dressed as the character from Labyrinth and I would hang out with him while he did it and then I don’t know, who doesn’t want to hear their theme song sung by the Chipmunks? Am I crazy? Am I wrong on this?"

When asked about being the longest running original series on USA, now that Monk has wrapped Roday said " I feel older and my knees feel older. You know what, it’s a testament I think to, to the sort of little engine that could mentality that we’ve had from the very beginning with the show, that we have sort of stuck around long enough to be anybody’s flagship. USA does such a great job sort of branding and packaging their shows and you know, they move and they sort of you got to keep up, you’ve really got to keep up with the train. And we’ve managed to sort of kind of continuously reinvent ourselves and become this sort of hybrid show that can stick around hopefully no matter what else is going on around it. So it feels good for us, I’m not sure if it makes any difference to anyone else, but it, but it feels good to have lasted, to have lasted this long and still be standing for sure."

One thing that Roday mentioned that I would love to see is a musical episode, which is his dream storyline. "Now that Glee has sort of, you know, captured the countries sort of attention and is in everyone’s subconscious I think it’s probably the best time ever because they do it so well that I think the expectation for us would be to just do it, and I know we can pull that off." Other than that he'd like to see an episode where we get to go into Gus' dreams.

I got to talk to Roday for a second and ask him about the potential for him and Juliet getting together and he said that "Well, I can tell you that our, our dear show creator Mr. Franks has sort of ambiguously informed us that he does have, sort of definitive plans for Shawn and Juliet in season five, which we haven’t started yet. As far as the stretch run here in season four, I think it’s a little more tangled up and there’s lots of different moving pieces and like you said Abigail’s floating around in there and we’re going to, well it’s complicated you know, it’s, it’s complicated for a little while longer."

To end I'll leave you with this bit of conversation between Roday and myself, I had just told him I was rewatching the old episodes on DVD with my 2 year old son and how much he loves Psych:

James Roday: Trav, I love the fact that your two-year-old son watches our show. I challenge anyone on cable at 10:00 to say that their fan base casts that wide of a net.

Travis: Well I have a video from last year when he was one dancing to the theme song so he’s been a fan for awhile now.

James Roday: He’s the star, he’s a rock star and it’s time we put him on a shirt of something.

Travis Tidmore: I agree.

James Roday: Thanks Travis.

Labels: Psych, USA

With Lost returning on February 2 I thought I'd take a moment to spotlight a brilliant Lost related shirt. The above design was created during the Obama campaign and is clearly a takeoff on the now infamous Obama: Hope image. But it's also brilliant on it's own, highlighting Lost's resident Villain? (Hero?) and his desire to be a leader and the fact that he always has a plan.



And yes that is Sterling Bueamon, the actor who played a young Ben Linus, holding one of the shirts in the image above. The shirt was included in an auction at the fan convention Lost Weekend last May and was one of the most desired auction items of the event. Sadly Sterling did not win the shirt. Instead the shirt went to Madeline Carroll who played Annie in flashbacks.

Did I mention the shirt pictured above was one of three bought by Lost mastermind Damon Lindleof himself? So somewhere in the Lost universe there's two more of these shirts floating around with production/cast members.

And it just so happens that the shirt was designed by my best friend and sometimes contributor/webmaster Jon Grubbs. So full disclosure yes, I'm shilling for a friend, but I'm also a fan of the product! And this was my idea, not something he solicited.

You can buy the shirt for yourself here in various designs. Be sure to tell him The CineManiac sent you when you buy it.

Labels: Gear, lost

On Monday I brought you guys a giveaway for White Collar and today I bring you gifts from Burn Notice. Starting tomorrow night at 10/9c you can catch back up with Micheal Weston and his crew as they go about saving people and trying to get Micheal back in the spy game. The give-away is open to U.S. Residents only who are over the age of 18.

So get ready to get BURNED! The #1 show on cable returns with all new episodes. Don’t miss Tyne Daly & Clayne Crawford guest-starring in the Burn Notice winter premiere – "A Dark Road" – airing Thursday, January 21 at 10/9C. Become a Fan on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, and visit the Official Site to play Covert Ops: Vegas Heist (beginning 1/21) for a chance to win an all-new Hyundai Genesis Coupe!

To win the sweet swag listed below you just have to send me an e-mail with your name, address, and I'll pick a winner at random from the entrants. You have until Friday, February 12 at midnight to get in your entry. I will pick a winner over the weekend and announce on February 15.

Enter to win a Burn Notice tote filled with:

– Season 1 & Season 2 DVDs

– Burn Notice Branded Flashlight

– Burn Notice Book: The End Game

– Burn Notice T-Shirt

Labels: Burn Notice, Giveaway, USA. Contest

If you read a lot of 'Best of' lists every year like I do, one film you probably saw on many of the lists was Fantastic Mr. Fox. While I never saw this movie, I really wanted to. It's just one of those that fell through the cracks. But good news if you like me missed it, it's coming out on DVD & Blu-Ray on March 23.

Labels: Blu-Ray, DVD releases

Well technically it premieres on Starz this Friday, Jan 22 at 10/9c, but starting at midnight (EST) tonight you can watch the entire first episode online at Starz website. The series follows Spartacus (duh!), a Roman gladiator (played by Andy Whitfield), who later became the leader of a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic.

The first season will reportedly follow Spartacus' rise to power within the ranks of the gladiators. Starz has already announced a second season which will reportedly be titled Spartacus: Vengence. Personally I think the series sounds interesting and below you can see the main reason I'll be watching (hint: It's Xena!) and a preview of the show.

Labels: Spartacus, Starz

If you've been watching USA's White Collar, then you're probably like me and have been eagerly awaiting to see the resolution to the cliff hanger that ended the fall season. Having seen the first new episode I can say that their is a very satisfying resolution. What that resolution is I can't reveal, because I've been sworn to secrecy by USA, but you can see for yourself tonight at 10/9c on USA.

What I can say is that this week caper is another great one, with the gang investigating a 'Boiler Room'-esque brokerage firm that may be up to no good. In order to catch the companies CEOs, one of whom is played by the criminally underused Jonathan Tucker (Hostage), Neal must go undercover as a young stock broker. While the con to get Neal (Matthew Bomer) undercover and into the group is good, its when Peter (Tim DeKay) goes undercover that things get really interesting. And when Neal and Peter must work together and trust one another things really come to a head.

As always it's the chemistry between the characters that really makes this series work. We get some great scenes with Neal and Mozzie (Willie Garson) trying to solve the mystery surrounding Neal's lost love Kate and the man with the ring. And Tiffani Thiessen is welcome as always as Peter's wife, who has a great chemistry with both Peter and Neal and gets to show that off nicely in tonight's episode. Personally I think White Collar is one of the best shows on television right now and I can't wait to see what they throw at us next.

Earlier this week I not only got to check out that Winter Season premiere, but I also got to join in on an interview with both Bomer and DeKay, and besides being very nice guys they had some great things to say about tonight's episode, the rest of the season, and working together.

One of the first questions asked was how the twist effects the show going on and how they felt about that twist. While I can't talk about the effects of the twist without ruining it I can tell you that DeKay said he loved the scene and "the continuation of the scene as well. I think it’s some great writing and some great storytelling and very exciting and it’s a perfect cliffhanger. That’s all I’m going to say about it"

The duo also spend a lot of time discussing the chemistry between their characters and the fact that Peter is really the first person in Neal's life that he's really been able to trust. Bomer went on to say that "it’s an interesting dynamic that’s always kind of liquid between the two of them given their history and given the fact that Neal’s not really ready to jump over to the other side of the moral spectrum immediately. It’s something that he’s struggling with and it’s kind of his journey on the second half of the first season to figure out if I’m going to buckle down and be with the FBI or am I going to do whatever I have to do, legal or not, to find Kate. I think the trust thing is sort of everything in the relationship, but as opposed to normal relationships where it can be a little bit more black and white, in this particular relationship, it can be more liquid. He has more trust for Peter than he’s ever had for anybody else."

DeKay added that while Peter was originally protective of Neal just to save his own butt, since her was the one who decided to take Neal out of prison, that's changed. He said "[A]s time has gone on he’s gotten to know Neal in a different way and is now protecting him because he sees a great potential in this guy. He’s protecting him on more than just a professional level."

DeKay and Bomer also discussed working together and how much they just enjoy being a part of a cast they really enjoy. Bomer explained "[W]e both have been in the business long enough to appreciate what we’ve got going on this show and the fact that we like to work with each other so much and the fact that we have a network behind us. Thankfully so far people have been watching so I think we realize; we’re grateful for every day we get to work together. That’s certainly how I feel. It’s just been easy and fun from day one for me."

Finally when asked about the rest of the season the guys joked that there would be "even more car crashes, lots of violence," and "the Martians come back." Bomer also said that "my character really starts having to make the decision, is he going to operate for the law or is he going to do whatever it takes, against the law, operating outside of the legal system, to find Kate. That’s his struggle in the second half. He starts to push those boundaries a little bit more."

So it sounds like the rest of the season will be great with Neal deciding what to do about finding Kate. So do you think we'll finally see Neal cut off his ankle tracker and take off on his own, or will he finally decide to let her go and continue working for the FBI. Personally I kind of think he'll end up running, but I'm sure it will all work out in the end.

And one quick reminder, head on over here to sign up for my White Collar giveaway to win a prize pack worth $250!!!

Labels: White Collar

Since The CW was created from the ashes of UPN and The WB I haven't been too impressed with their newest series. Gossip Girl started out strong, but the 10 episodes on myDVR say I'm not into it any more. The exception to the rule is Vampire Diaries which I highly enjoy. So to say I wasn't expecting a whole lot when I sat down to watch the first 3 episode of Life Unexpected is an understatement. In fact I wasn't sure if I would watch anything past the pilot.

But I was unexpectedly surprised at just how much I liked it. With Life Unexpected The CW has brought back something it's old shows, such as Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars, had, something that has been missing from it's new shows: Heart. And Life Unexpected has heart in spades. There's a reason that many reviewers are comparing the show to Gilmore Girls, because it has the same feeling to it. It's about family and how much they can love and hate each other all at the same time.

The series follows what could be called a Modern Family, two thirtysomethings, Cate (Shiri Appleby) and 'Baze' (Kristoffer Pohlaha), are placed in charge of the daughter, Lux (Brittany Robertson), who they put up for adoption in high school after a one night stand. At the time of birth Cate thought her daughter would be placed in a good home, but instead she's been in and out of foster homes for her whole life.

I know the idea seems preposterous, but the writers have come up with a clever way to get them together. Lux, tired of the foster program, has filed for emancipation, but needs the signature of her parents. When both her parents show up to court, the judge places her in their custody instead of setting her free.

The heart of the series comes from Cate and Baze who clearly love this child, even though they've never met her. And it's their love for her that really makes the series work. Of course it doesn't hurt that theres some romantic tension between the two as well.

The series has something else that the old WB shows had, Dawson Creek's Kerr Smith and Roswell's Shiri Appleby and both do a great job playing the hosts of a local morning radio show, who are also secretly in love. The rest of the cast does a great job as well, especially the young Robertson on whose shoulders most of the series land on. Had she not been as convincing as she is, the series would have been a complete failure. As it is, the series works because of her.

After the pilot, my wife and I quickly watched the other two episode The CW sent over and we enjoyed all three. The second and third episodes keep up the quality set forth in the first episode and also add a lot of potential conflict to the plot. For my family this is one new series that will be making a place on our DVR.

With the winter premiere of White Collar tomorrow night on USA at 10/9c, the lovely people at USA have hooked my up with another amazing price pack to give away. I'm already jealous of my winner as I want the prize for myself. What's the prize you ask? Well look below for the list and a picture:

Enter to win a White Collar Gift Bag containing:
– Cashmere Scarf
– Links of London Leather Credit Card Case
– Thomas Pink Custom Collar Stays
– Stainless Steel Flask
– White Collar T-Shirt




Now the contest does have a few limitation: You must be a U.S. resident and at least 18 years old. How do you enter? Simply send me your name, address, and your favorite case the boys have been a part of thus far on White Collar. (The e-mail link is towards the top of the page under 'Contact Me') You have until Friday, February 12 at midnight to enter. I'll take the weekend to determine the winner and post their name on the following Monday. Also I'll have another give-away for Burn Notice coming up on Wednesday so make sure and come back to enter that one. And be sure to keep reading for info on tomorrow night's return of White Collar.

USA Network’s new hit series is back with all new episodes on an all new night. Don’t miss the return on Tuesday, January 19 at 10pm/9c! The season premiere picks up after December’s cliffhanger as Neal must infiltrate a company of corrupt Wall Street brokers to preserve his deal with the FBI. When Peter is forced to go undercover alongside him, a discovery is made that could change their partnership forever. Become a fan on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Visit The Official Website for your chance to WIN a new Taurus (beginning 1/19).

Labels: Giveaway, USA. Contest, White Collar

As you may now USA's Psych returns on January 27th on a new night. (Check out the Sweet new poster above!!) Now that it's on Wednesdays it'll be facing stiffer competition, but I'm pretty sure it will still be the funniest comedy/mystery show about a fake psychic detective on TV. (It's even better than that dramedy/mystery show about the fake psychic detective that airs on CBS!) I just know I'll still be watching it as soon as it airs!

What you may not know is that the folks behind Psych have just launched a contest that will send one grand prize winner to the set of Psych in Vancouver, British Columbia (that's in Canada!!) Now this trip is freaking awesome and it truly is the ultimate, once-in-a-lifetime experience for any true Psych fan. The Grand Prize winner and a Guest will enjoy a day on the set complete with lunch with the cast, a personal tour of the Psych office, autographed scripts and a video diary of their visit!

Yeah not only do you get to visit the set, you get lunch with the cast. That's pretty frakin' amazing if you ask me. I'd not-quite kill for that chance. If you want to enter you can head on over HERE.

Below to help get you in the Psych Mode I've included a couple of new promos for the show as well as a couple of my favorite promos from the past couple of seasons.

Labels: Psych

Now that we're a week into 2010 I've had time to think about all the movies I saw in the last year and I've added a few to the list I posted a couple weeks back. In addition to that list I've seen:

43. Avatar
44. Sherlock Holmes
45. (500) Days of Summer
46. Trick 'R' Treat (Which I forgot on the last list)
47. Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party


So based on what I've seen here's my favorite movies of the past year in alphabetical order, along with some honorable mentions.

As the poster says this is not a love story, it's a story about love. Yes Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Tom is in love with Zooey Deschanel's Summer, but that doesn't make their story a love story. In fact for a good portion of those titular 500 days Tom is pining for Summer from afar. It's a romantic comedy that doesn't follow the normal "RomCom" formula. And I think it's the fact that it's not a formulaic movie that allows '500 Days' to rise above the romantic comedy genre and be one of the most original films of the year.

The movie unfolds out of order jumping from the end to the middle to the beginning and all around. The movie includes a dance number, animation, and so much more that sets it apart from anything you've seen this year.

Add to all that wonderful performances from two of the best actors of my generation, Levitt and Deschanel, and you have a wonderful little movie about love and the joy and heartache it can bring us. (Rated PG-13 for sexual material and language)

This is one film that I think most moviegoers passed by without a second glance, and in doing so I think they (and possibly you) did themselves a great disservice, as this is a wonderful film that captures the feelings of adolescence and being a teen in the 80s. I truly feel it will hold up as the film that does for the 80s what Dazed & Confused did for the 70s.

It is rated R for a reason as it has quite a bit of profanity, but it is an excellent dramedy that combines the angst of youth with the hopeful longing of love. Jesse Eisenberg captures the feelings of a young man in love as he pines for Kristen Stewart. The movie also has great performances from Martin Starr, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Ryan Reynolds. Even though it was sold as being by Greg Mottola, the director of "Super Bad" it's not a straight comedy like that film, so by prepared for something very different. (Rated R for language, drug use and sexual references.)
I can't say much more about this movie that you haven't already read elsewhere. The story is unoriginal, in fact it's basically Dances with Wolves or Pocahontas (Here's one easy way to compare how similar). But that doesn't change the fact that this was easily one of the best movie going experiences of the last few years.

James Cameron has created a brand new world entirely from scratch and it is one of the most breath-takingly beautiful things I have ever seen on film. This truly is one movie that you have to experience in the theater, there's no way, even with a 60inch 3D HDTV, that you can match the experience of seeing this in 3D on a stories tall screen.

And I have to give credit to Cameron for using 3D in a way that is not a gimmick but instead makes you feel like your looking at something real. Do yourself a favor and see this one in the theater and in 3D it will literally blow you away. (Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.)

When I was a kid there were movies that I saw, most of which were made for kids which were scary as hell. To name a few Gremlins, the Boat Scene from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, parts of The Neverending Story, and hands down the too scariest: Return to Oz and The Peanut Butter Solution. Return to Oz still freaks me out with the witch who can change heads and all kinds of scary creature running a terrifyingly rotten version of OZ. And The Peanut Butter Solution stuck with me so much that 20 years after watching it I could still remember scenes in vivid detail even though I couldn't think of the name of the movie or much of the plot. (it wasn't 2007 that I found the name in this wonderful article)

What does all this have to do with Coraline? Well it's a film in a similar vein it's made for kids and adults alike, but it's guaranteed to scare all but the toughest kids, especially with its final act when everything gets super creepy. But it's also a brilliant and beautiful movie with great stop-motion animation and a wonderful story based on the book by Neil Gaiman. I will admit the thrill of seeing it in 3D probably has something to do with it being on this list, but I think even in 2D it's probably still a great flick. (Rated PG for thematic elements, scary images, some language and suggestive humor.)

Yes HP6 was mostly set-up for the final two films, but so was the book. But this movie also adds so much to the characters as they all deal with blooming love and the death of one of the most beloved characters in the series. The movie also moves the Harry/Ginny relationship at a much faster pace than the books, which I honestly was thankful for as I felt the book didn't play enough with their relationship and then didn't give them enough time to be a couple. I also like the interplay between Hermione and Ron as their feelings grow. And I have to agree with one critic I heard talking about the film the other day who said that there's not many film franchises which have been around as long as HP and continue to get better or at least stay on par with the last film in the series. This one had me counting the days until Parts 7 & 8 hit screens. (It also got me to go back and reread the entire series!) (Rated PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.)

This movie blew me away, pun intended, it's a gritty, violent war movie, yet it's also a brilliant film from director Kathryn Bigelow, who transports you to the Middle East and makes you experience what it's like to be in that war torn area. From my review on July 26: "I'll be honest at times I didn't want to feel like I was there, because some of the movie is so intense and hard to watch. But it would be a cheat to only let us experience the good moments, we have to understand the loss and pain that they feel as well. And maybe that's one reason this movie works so well, it gives us the whole picture, not just the good parts. The Hurt Locker may not be the happiest movie going experience this year, but it certainly is one of the best." (Rated R for war violence and language.)

It's appropriate that this is the one movie that I couldn't settle on just one poster for, as it is quite possibly my favorite movie of the year. The poster's for this, both the ones that were used to promote it and those that weren't were all so brilliant that it made it impossible to choose just one, so instead I choose the 3 above.

Now I should say that I'm not a die hard Quentin Tarrantino fan, in fact I think Pulp Fiction is one of the most over rated movies ever made. But I have enjoyed some of his past work. So I went into this movie expected a good film, since I had heard so much praise over it, but not much more. Buy was I wrong.

All the praise this movie has received has been accurate, it truly is a wonderful film and quite possibly Tarrantino's masterpiece. In the final line of the movie even hits that Tarrantino himself agrees. As with all QT movies there a lot of scenes which simply feature people sitting around talking, but some of those scenes, two in particular come to mind, are the most nail-bitingly intense scenes I saw this past year.

QT has outdone himself making a film that it full of wonderful performances, some surely career defining, a well paced plot, and more than one commentary on society. All in all this is easily QT's best and the 2.5 hour running time flies by faster than you could ever expect. (Rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality.)

The one movie on this list that is so effective I may never watch it again. In fact I tried watching it again and about 25 min into it I remembered how much it effected me the first time and how I couldn't sleep for days and decided I didn't want to be that scared again. But it's still one of my favorite films of the year because it is the little movie that could and although I'm scared to death of it, I also really like it.


I grew up watching the original Star Trek films with my dad and then watching ST:TNG on television, so it was with somewhat sadness that I watched the entire franchise die a slow and painful death. And then it was announced that J.J. Abrams, the man behind some of my favorite shows Alias, Lost, heck even Felicity, was taking the helm and relaunching the series and I grew excited if a little anxious. But my fears were calmed a bit by the excellent casting and soon I couldn't wait for the film.

I was not disappointed as Abrams' Star Trek took a franchise which had been known for being more "logic" than action and made a great sci-fi action movie that not only pays tribute to the original, but has the nerve to be something completely different at the same time. I would have said this was the best sci-fi movie I've seen in a long time, but by the end of the summer District 9 had stolen that title. Instead I'll say it's my favorite Star Trek film of all time (yes it sits just above Wrath of Kahn in my book) and a great movie for Trekkers and Non-Trekkers alike. I should also mention that it is one of three movies this year that I remember bringing me to the brink of tears. (None actually made me cry, just tear up. On a side note the one thing that I can remember making me cry this year was the final episode of David Tennant's run on Doctor Who, although technically that was the beginning of this year.) For those wondering it's the opening scene that gets me every time. (Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content.)
I didn't see this one in theaters and apparently no one else did either. And it's really a shame too, because this is one of the best thrillers I've seen in a long time and it's also just a well rounded, well acted movie. With wonderful turns from all involved, including Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman, and many more.

It's a top notch thriller that keeps you guessing almost the entire way through, and even has something to say about the newspaper business! Put it on your netflix queue because its one you need to see. (Rated PG-13 for some violence, language including sexual references, and brief drug content.)
From My Review on Feb 26, 2009: "I love action movies, from Die Hard to Bad Boys to The Bourne films, I could watch good (and some bad) action films over and over. And Taken falls into this category. It's the best action movie I've seen in a long time and easily matches the last Bourne film and Casino Royale as far as action goes. It's got a good plot, that also shines light on an actual problem going on all over the world, and just great, great action." And that pretty much sums it up for me. Simply on of the best action flicks to come along in a long, long time. (Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language.)

I've been hearing about Trick 'r Treat for years now and based on what I had heard I was dying to see it. I've been waiting to see it at Halloween for at least the past 3 years but every Halloween would come and go without a mention of Trick 'r Treat. Finally this year Warner Bros. put the movie out on DVD and Blu-ray. While I wish the movie would have gotten a proper release I was just glad that I've been able to see it at all.

Trick 'r Treat is for all intents and purposes writer/director Michael Dougherty's love letter to halloween. He intertwines several short tales into one seamless narrative that is not only creepy but also hilarious at times. Maybe my favorite quote about the movie comes from Home Cinema Choice's Anton Van Beek who said "Trick 'r Treat is a film designed to delight rather than disgust its audience." It feels more like a throwback to the horror films of the 80s than today's "horror" movies which are more about torture and gross-out scenes than actual scares. Simply put this is the best Halloween movie to come along in years. (Rated R for horror violence, some sexuality/nudity and language.)

Up makes the list not because it's beautiful, it is, not because it's funny, it is, and not because it has a talking dog, it does. No Up makes the list because it has one of the most poignant and heartbreaking scenes of any movie in it's opening sequence, much of which involves almost no dialogue. For that reason alone it is one of the best movies of the year. This is the second movie of the year to make me tear up. (Rated PG for some peril and action.)

Strangely Zombieland is the third movie that made me tear up this year, (probably not so strange is that all three movies that caused me to tear up involved scenes that had something to do with being a father, a lot changes when you have a kid of your own) but this is also one of the most fun movies of the past year. The second movie on the list to feature Jesse Eisenberg, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors.

The movie is about one thing, killing zombies, and Zombieland does for killing Zombies what Inglourious Basterds did for killing Nazis, it makes it look fun. Sure it also makes it look like a terrifying world to actually live in, but when it's as fun as these guy make it it can't be that bad, right?

The movie also stars Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin and has a cameo so brilliant I don't want to ruin it, but I will say it was originally supposed to be Patrick Swayze. There's really not much more to say about the film, it's about killing Zombies and if you like that you'll have a blast with the movie, if you don't, you likely will hate it. (Rated R for horror violence/gore and language.)


Honorable Mentions:


I have a long history with this movie, which you can read about here, so I was excited to see it in theaters. It wasn't one of the best movies of the year, but it's still one of my favorites, if only because we finally got the chance to see it. Yes it's not the cut I want to see, because I want to see Director Kyle Newman's cut of the film, but at least we got a sweeter story that includes a cancer storyline, than a crude movie with no heart. You can listen to Newman talk in depth at the battle that went on to get this movie made, and released here, and it's a great listen that I highly recommend.

But what did I think of the movie? Here's a quote from my review on February 17: "So I'm sure you're asking yourself, was it worth the wait? And I answer, Definitely! The movie is really a love letter to Star Wars, Fanboys, and friends. And I can honestly say if you're a fan of Star Wars you will enjoy this movie. The movie is basically Star Wars joke after Star Wars joke, with a few jokes at the expense of Star Trek thrown in for fun. And my friend and I had a blast, and from the sound of the people around us, they had just as much fun as we did." I'll add that even if you're not a Star Wars fan, it's a pretty great road trip comedy as well. (Rated PG-13 for pervasive crude and sexual material, language and drug content.)
The only reason this movie is an honorable mention is because, like the next film on the list, it wasn't released in 2009. Technically it was in limited release in 2008 so it's an honorable mention. Here's how I felt about it when I reviewed it on March 5: "I have to admit I avoided this movie for awhile, because while it looked good, it also looked like your typical drama, which can sometimes be tedious to watch. But not only is Gran Torino not tedious, it's pretty hilarious. The movie is one of the most genuinely funny movies I've seen in a long time. Who knew Eastwood was such a comedian. I throughly enjoyed this movie, and really think it's probably one of the better films to be released in 2008."

Gran Torino is also one of the best Eastwood movies I have ever seen. I'd put it up there with The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly in my book. It's moving and funny, and just an all around good movie. (Rated R for language throughout, and some violence.)

This year I discovered the SlashFilmcast, a weekly podcast devoted to talking about movies new and old. A couple of times this year they had character actor Stephen Tobolowsky on the show. Tobolowsky is one of those notorious "that guy's" someone you see in all kinds of TV and Movies, and although you may not know his name you know you've seen him countless times. Most people probably know Tobolowsky as Ned Ryerson from Groundhog Day. Anyways Tobolowsky told several wonderful stories on those podcast that eventually led to his own podcast from the guys behind the SlashFilmcast called The Tobolowsky Files.

The Tobolowsky Files is now my favorite podcast EVER, and is something I look forward to each and every week. Tobolowsky's tails range from the fantastic to heartbreaking, covering everything from young love to the life and death of his mother. His tails have made me laugh and they have made me cry, which can be a problem as I am usually driving when I listen to them. But there's another reason I love them, they lead me to the main reason the podcast exists, the 2005 movie Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party.

In STBP, Tobolowsky is preparing for his birthday party, cooking food, greeting guests, etc and as he does so he he regals the audience, and his guests, with tales from his many years of working in Hollywood. Again here his tails range the spectrum and made me both laugh and cry.

In both the movie and the podcast Tobolowsky proves himself to be a Master Storyteller the likes of which hasn't been seen in quite some time. That's why this movie gets an honorable mention, because it is one of the most touching and honest films I saw this year. By inviting us into his home and his life as he shares his tales Tobolowsky allows us to connect with him in a way that make his stories even more meaningful. It also doesn't hurt that Tobolowsky, in his podcast, gives out both his Twitter account and his e-mail address so that fans can contact him. And from everything I've seen he responds to each and every person who contacts him. In fact when I was having a hard time getting a copy of STBP, Stephen mailed me one himself, which is how I got an autographed copy made out to me personally. In doing this Tobolowsky has proven that he's not only a world class story teller and a wonderful actor, but also that he's also a classy one. (Unrated)


I hope you've enjoyed reading about my Favorite Films of 2009. If you haven't seen some of them on the list why not head out and check them out for yourself. And while you're here let me know what films you loved this past year and what you thought of my list.

Labels: best of 2009, favorite films 2009