SXSW 2009: Day One

The marquee at Downtown Austin's Paramount Theatre illuminates the night sky.

I have less than two days left in Austin and here I am posting only my second piece of SXSW coverage, about Day One of the festival. And yet I'm pretty exhausted regardless of the lack of writing-- you folks have no idea how Herculean a task it can be to watch 20 movies in five days! Without further adieu:

I Love You, Man is the latest comedy from Judd Apatow’s famous “frat-pack,” and it’s so assuredly entertaining and funny that it’s hard to believe Apatow himself didn’t so much as produce. Instead, it’s the brainchild of writer/director John Hamburg and co-writer Larry Levin, who have fashioned a distinct film that falls tonally somewhere in between the family dynamics of Knocked Up and the broad gags of Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

The movie stars Paul Rudd as the about-to-be-married realtor Peter, who realizes he doesn’t have any strong male relationships when unsuccessfully trying to find a best man. This becomes an issue after he eavesdrops on his fiancée (Rashida Jones) gossiping about his lack of pals with her girlfriends. Desperate to find somebody to fill the role, Peter seeks the help of his extroverted gay brother (Andy Samberg) to shore up the perfect “bromance.” But buddy-love finds Peter on its own when Sydney (Jason Segel), a laid-back guy’s guy from Venice, shows up at Peter’s open-house looking for a rich cougar. The two hit it off immediately, Sydney goofily complimenting Peter on his choice of Paninis—he’s clearly been to a lot of similar functions in his quest—and obnoxiously speculating on attendees. Typical male bonding ensues, but it’s handled with such a refreshingly unique truth and sense of humor that the audience never remembers they’re watching formula.

The movie’s superior understanding of male relationships lies in the writing and in the lead performances by Rudd and Segel. It hits the right notes out of the gate, never falling for the cliché temptation to make Peter a miserable guy. In real life, the character indeed wouldn’t be outright depressed because he boasts the two defining traits of masculinity—a challenging career and a woman—as scribes Hamburg and Levin perceptively understand. Instead, it isn’t until said woman takes pity on him that he realizes what’s missing in his life, a rational male response. Furthermore, Peter responds in a proactive, almost self-competing way to rectify the issue and prove his masculine worthiness in subtle shame. This unexpectedly real emotional development earns I Love You, Man the frat-pack signature: a comedic story with authentic human emotions.

When the bromance takes off, Rudd and Segel attain buddy chemistry more affectionate and exhilarating than anything moviegoers have seen from Hollywood in awhile. In a second act full of bonding, the leads play into the “opposites attract” mold perfectly, as Paul’s introverted desires are brought out by Sydney’s willingness to act as wildly as reason will allow. The two actors perform on high-wire and their chemistry is insatiable as the movie provides surprisingly fresh takes on set-ups like the buddy jam-session—capped by a funny affection for Rush—and the “man-date” by the beach. It would be inappropriate of me to spoil the jokes themselves, but rest assured: they’re hilarious.

I Love You, Man does have a few problems at the end when the exurbanite amount of time Paul and Sydney spend together inevitably begins to take away from Paul and fiancée Zooey’s relationship. While this is not bothersome for its clichés—given the plot-structure Hamburg and Levin attempt, it’s pretty much necessary—it drags attention to the fact that Paul and Zooey’s bond was never really developed in the first place. The viewer accepts that they love each other at the beginning, but as the relationship continues unsubstantiated, their purportedly perfect pairing seems more like an artificial plot device than a believable union. Yes, Sydney’s intrusion is forcing them apart, but the couple’s initial lack of basic chemistry makes it hard to believe they care enough about each other to not break up completely, especially having only known each other for eight months. It would’ve been nice to see more of Paul and Zooey together in the first act. But the contrived strength of their relationship can ultimately be chalked up to good ole movie magic, and it admittedly provides for one of the movie’s most riotous sex-related gags. (When you see the movie, you’ll know what I’m referring to.)

Is the movie socially significant in the ways that Knocked Up and Superbad were? No, but it isn’t trying to be. Instead, I Love You, Man is a consistently engrossing, silly romp with a keen understanding of the male mind. At the end of the day, that’s about all you can ask of a great March comedy. 3 ½ Buckets out of 4.

John Inwood’s ExTerminators would, I think, like to be described as a mix of Callie Khouri and the Coen Brothers. This review may be the only time you’ll encounter that comparison, however, because the movie doesn’t even measure up to the former filmmaker’s lacking skills. It’s essentially a low-rent Lifetime movie getting the festival-treatment because it’s headlined by a few notable actresses. Most widely known are Heather Graham and Jennifer Coolidge, who play two of three central characters bonding in anger-management group-sessions that judges ordered after they committed assorted violent acts against men. (Amber Heard rounds out the trio.) The therapy goes awry, however, when they wind up indulging each other’s sadistic compulsions, resulting in more than a few male deaths. What’s most troubling about the movie is its celebration of violence, which seems to result from failed attempts at dark comedy that actually come off as somewhat disturbing in their lighthearted treatment of death, however inadvertent this may be. I’m not sure I’d call ExTerminators offensive in this regard as it shows no signs of malicious intent, but the fact that it ultimately reflects no implied satire results in an unsettling, regressive depiction of females in general as anti-male goons. All the while, the comic acting is thoroughly unremarkable—Graham plays suppressed and nerdy, Coolidge indulges in her usual shtick, and Heard is barely noticeable—not supporting the black-humor and thereby making director Inwood and writer Suzanne Weinert’s core content miscalculations all the more pronounced. A failed attempt at the crime and comedy genres, ExTerminators ultimately doesn’t offer much to any viewer, no matter what type of movie they like. 1 Bucket out of 4.

SXSW 2009: Day Zero

Day Three of the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas is winding to a close—some folks are still watching the final minutes of a midnight showing of the early cut of Sam Raimi’s latest as I write—but I’ve yet to post a word of coverage.

Why, you ask? Well, even though I’m already 15 movies into the fest, before this post I had not a spare moment in which I felt like opening my laptop and banging out reviews. If you’re in Austin, chances are you’ve already decided on what you’re seeing, so the only purpose my coverage will serve is to offer recommendations to the masses when the movies are released theatrically. Given this, I’m content in finishing the reviews up at my own pace as the festival progresses and, as necessary, after it’s over. (After all, this is my Spring Break vacation.)

I’ve already caught a few of the festival’s big offerings—I Love You Man and Sin Nombre to name a couple—but you’ll have to wait for my reviews of those because I’m going to write about the movies in chronological order.

To start, I’ll post capsules on the five movies I caught on screener DVDs before leaving Los Angeles. They’re already quite relevant to you, the reader abroad, because distributor IFC is innovatively releasing them to cable OnDemand systems while the festival is on. Even if you aren’t in Austin, you’ll be able to play along with the rest of us and get a small taste of SXSW.

It’s easy to dismiss Joe Swanberg’s Alexander the Last as the kind of pointless exercise in anti-narrative moviemaking that only film-school students drool over, but I’ve never actually met a film-school student that might fall for such a dull effort. Swanberg, known for inconclusive and meandering micro-budget stories (Hannah Takes the Stairs, Nights and Weekends), here turns his camera on love he conveys to viewers as complicated by using a lot of long stretches without dialogue. Alexander (Teeth’s Jess Weixler) is a stage actress rehearsing for a racy play with co-star Jamie (Barlow Jacobs). Jamie doesn’t have a place to stay and bunks on Alexander’s couch while her husband (Justin Rice) is away playing in his band. This gives way to sexual tension, which is further complicated by the love triangle established when Alexander tries to set her sister Hellen (Amy Seimentz) up with Jamie.

The above description reflects far more narrative cohesion than anything you’ll see in the film itself. Yes, its skeleton is essentially what I’ve described, but the plot moves from Point A to Point B without any clear sense of purpose. Characters embody everyday situations that are painful to watch because they don’t provide the viewer with any insight into these people’s personalities. Generally, the reason to abandon a traditional narrative in the first place is to explore emotions outside the confines of an expected arc. Swanberg, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to show any regard for story or feeling, leaving Alexander the Last quite the empty experience. The one positive: it runs only 72 minutes. 1 Bucket out of 4. Screenings remain on Thurs., Mar. 14 at 11 a.m. at the Alamo Lamar and Sat., Mar. 21 at 11:30 a.m. at the Austin Convention Center.

In the first scene of Medicine for Melancholy, Micah (Wyatt Cenac) and Cassandra (Melissa Bisagni) wake up next to each other on the floor of a party where they apparently shared a drunken one night stand. She tells him a fake name and tries to push him away, but he still pursues her, talking her into coffee and then a cab ride home. She leaves her wallet in the cab. He finds out she’s made up the alias when he peaks at her I.D. He scours the streets of San Francisco to find her, and he does. She begins to take an actual interest in him, or is she just confused? They may end up spending another night together.

Medicine for Melancholy is ultimately held together by the connection between its leads. Wyatt Cenac and Melissa Bisagni make their characters’ ongoing episode—it seems inaccurate to call it a romance, although there are moments of supreme sexual tension—highly believable. And it’s this authenticity that keeps the viewer captivated by the characters, neither of whom is particularly likable or admirable. (Micah whines about class-oppression in native San Francisco while he voluntarily wastes away as a fish-tank installation-man and Cassandra freeloads off her always-out-of-town boyfriend.) The movie merely conveys a moment in time and catches the viewer up in said moment, resulting in a connection with the material that’s as unexpected as it is indefinable.

The only time the movie falters is when director Barry Jenkins indulges Michah’s socio-political beliefs too much, implying that he agrees with the character’s fringe viewpoints and thereby bringing the viewer out of the moment in making Medicine for Melancholy a statement-piece. Other than that, the experience is supremely captivating and, with beautiful grayscale cinematography infused with traces of color, a pleasure to gaze at. 3 Buckets out of 4.

Anchored by a virtuoso lead performance from newcomer Jeanne Kaspar, Joe Maggio’s Paper Covers Rock is such an effectively raw, intimate drama that you’ll never realize it was shot over a mere ten days for only $6,000. It opens shockingly—perhaps signaling a more exploitative movie that it thankfully never becomes—by showing a young girl getting herself ready for school in the morning, only to go to find her assumedly late-to-rise mother (Kaspar’s Sam) with a plastic bag taped around her head, barely alive. Fast-forward months later: Sam, still largely a mystery to the viewer, is leaving suicide-watch at a mental hospital to move in with her sister Ed (Sayra Player). She reveals many obsessive tendencies, namely folding saran wrap and storing it in her pockets. (Her sister manifests some of the same compulsions in different ways: her loft is in immaculate condition and she freaks when anything is dirty or out-of-place, providing Sam detailed instructions on how to fold up and store her pullout-bed sheets every morning.) The rest of the movie tracks Sam as she reintegrates into the world, sometimes encouragingly and sometimes painfully—trying to get along with Ed, to build relationships, and more than anything to reunite with her daughter on terms she can handle. Kaspar doesn’t provide any easy answers as to why Sam acts the way she does, but as viewers we can’t help but try to understand out of want for her to succeed. This sense of sympathy isn’t merely a trivial response to a woman in pain, either; Sam is depicted in complex fashion by Kaspar and the script and we can connect to the inherent authenticity because we know people like Sam are grappling with similar problems in the real-world. While Paper Covers Rock is technically proficient for a picture with such a small budget—certain shots are strikingly textured for digital—viewers will remember the film for its riveting central character. 3 Buckets out of 4.

Matthew Newton’s Three Blind Mice offers the latest take on the anti-Iraq War movie, this time an Australian portrayal of Sydney seamen pledged to the conflict. Unsurprisingly, the film is just as tired and cartoonish as most of the American projects on the topic, ineffectively attempting to leverage a ludicrous plot-point as a means of emotionalism and statement-making. Writer/director Newton, who also stars, first humanizes the central trio of sailors about to ship off to the Persian Gulf with off-putting, humorous small-talk. He only does so to lull viewers and thereby heighten the shock of a later conflict that recalls a scandalous act these characters were involved in. The result is the opposite of what Newton clearly intended; the revelation is handled in such a miscalculated and overwrought manner that it verges on laughable. As such, the film built around it proves neither effective as a drama nor a statement on the dehumanizing nature of modern warfare. The only bright moments come from Aussie actress Jody Kennedy, who is luminous as the obligatory supporting love-interest. When Kennedy is onscreen, one wishes Three Blind Mice had been about her character, which I suppose is a better reaction than that one has when she’s not: hoping the film will end. 1 ½ Buckets out of 4. Screenings remain on Sun., Mar. 15 at 5 p.m. at the Alamo Lamar; Tues., Mar. 17 at 10 p.m. at the Alamo Lamar; and Fri., Mar. 20 at the Alamo Ritz at 3 p.m.

Unlike its comparatively-heavy fellow IFC offerings, Javor Gardev’s Zift represents disposable entertainment at its finest. Sleekly shot in black-and-white that’s at once gritty and beautiful, the movie tells a complicated, Bulgaria-set 1960s story about recently freed prisoner Moth (Zachary Baharov), whose long-ago participation in a botched diamond heist puts him in danger now that he’s on the outside. The plot is cohesive enough to gel with the audience as it plays, but it won’t leave much of a lasting imprint. Nonetheless, the narrative’s forgettable nature can be forgiven because the movie’s stylized action is so impressively distinct. (Note to Guy Ritchie: the reason I don’t say this about your films is because the stories are incoherent to begin with.) Zift resembles a noir film of the 1940s—not-so-coinsidentally the time when Moth was sent to prison—but has quite a few modern visual tricks up its sleeve, a striking infusion on the part of cinematographer Emil Hristo. Adding to the stylistic bravura is Baharov’s great physical lead performance, which is particularly engrossing in the extended chase sequences. The opening credits of the film inform us that the title is slang for “shit,” making Zift one of the few occasions in which a movie not living up to its name is a good thing. 3 Buckets out of 4. One screening remains the night of Thurs., Mar. 19 at the Alamo Ritz at Midnight.

* * *

It’s nearly three in the morning and in less than six hours, I’ve got to wake up for Day 4 of the festival, which for me begins with a “Super Secret Special Screening” at 11 a.m. Hopefully, tomorrow will allow me enough time to at the very least write about my first official day of SXSW, when I saw I Love You, Man and Exterminators. Until then, you’ve got Medicine for Melancholy, Paper Covers Rock, and Zift sitting on your cable-box to entertain you.

How 'Madea' Brings Us Together

Tyler Perry embodies his famous creation in Madea Goes to Jail.

In the era of Barack Obama--much as I shudder to think Obama will be remembered as his own "era"--the idea of unity seems to be the trendy tagline on all politicians' P.R.-handouts. Implementing those cornball "White, black, Asian, or Latino / gay or straight" campaign kum-bay-yah moments to appeal to the superficial acceptor in us all, the Obama campaign (and Administration) would certainly like us to think they were/are unifiers.

Most of us on the Right side of the aisle reject that notion.

But there is a man--an Obama supporter, no less--who is unifying people in droves. His name is Tyler Perry.

Perry's methods are not political in nature. His method is merely to do what he has done for the last several years: make popular movies.

But before this weekend's release of his hotly anticipated Madea Goes to Jail, Perry was still described by many (including myself) as a filmmaker who made movies almost exclusively for Southern, Christian, African-American audiences.

While Madea Goes to Jail may indeed be a movie made for that demographic, it's playing to a broader range of folks. Perry made opening-day appearances on "The View" and "Dr. Phil" (in which he mentioned that Mrs. Phil's praises for Diary of a Mad Black Woman were what led Phil to appear in Jail), which are evidence that he's now pitching his pictures to a larger crowd.

It's clear that people are responding. Over the weekend, Madea Goes to Jail racked in $41 million, over 30 percent more than Madea's Family Reunion and double Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Perry couldn't get those numbers by his original target demo alone.

What is the resulting phenomenon? You have real diversity--not the kind Obama has coined--coming together to watch a movie. The number of blacks attending Perry films may still be disproportionately high, but this works perfectly. New Perry viewers can walk into the auditorium and feel welcome amongst his longtime audience, who they may have never seen at a movie before.

What's so special about different types of people sitting in a dark room together? If you have to ask this question, then you should go see Madea Goes to Jail today. Not knowing how the movie woud do, I intentionally went to a neighborhood I thought would have a strong Perry following to see it. I found myself in a long line, then in a near sold-out auditorium, laughing the whole time with strangers next to me, commenting on each part of the movie. In a Perry film, it's pretty much acceptabe to make comments at the screen.

But as I said before, you may not even have to go to certain theatres to find a big audience for Madea Goes to Jail. I believe my days of sitting in an empty auditorium in white, suburban North County San Diego may be over. It must've been the "Dr. Phil" plug that did it for the housewives.

Even if you don't like Perry's movies--they are essentially well-acted soap-operas--you can appreciate that they are restoring a sense of community to the otherwise-sterile multiplexes of America. Rarely does the idea of a shared-experience still permeate beyond word-of-mouth-supported art-house fare and soulless mega-blockbusters (which don't need it anyway). But Perry's latest film, another credit to his brand, is bringing people together in the way that all good art should.

Oscars 2009 Picks & Predictions

It's that time again. In less than five hours, the Academy will begin to hand out those golden statuettes. As I did with this year's Golden Globes, I'll live-'blog with the winners. For now, here are my picks and predictions:

Final Prediction Accuracy Count: 17/24 (71%)
Final Prediction Accuracy Count (Not Including Short Films): 16/21 (76%)

Best Picture - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire.
My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Director - Winner: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), Stephen Daldry (The Reader), David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Gus Van Sant (Milk).
My Prediction: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).
I Would Vote for: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).

Best Actor - Winner: Sean Penn, Milk. Boooooooooo -- I guess Mickey will just have to give another once-in-a-lifetime performance.
Nominees: Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk), Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).
My Prediction: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).
I Would Vote for: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).

Best Actress - Winner: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Nominees: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Melissa Leo (Frozen River), Meryl Streep (Doubt), Kate Winslet (The Reader).
My Prediction: Kate Winslet (The Reader).
I Would Vote for: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married).

Best Supporting Actor - Winner: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Nominees: Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt), Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight), Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road).
My Prediction: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight).
I Would Vote for: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight).

Best Supporting Actress - Winner: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Nominees: Amy Adams (Doubt), Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Viola Davis (Doubt), Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler).
My Prediction: Viola Davis (Doubt).
I Would Vote for: Viola Davis (Doubt).

Best Screenplay- Adapted - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire.
My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Screenplay- Original - Winner: Milk
Nominees: Frozen River, Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges, Milk, WALL-E.
My Prediction: Milk.
I Would Vote for: Happy-Go-Lucky.

Best Animated Feature - Winner: WALL-E
Nominees: Bolt, Kung-Fu Panda, WALL-E.
My Prediction: WALL-E.
I Would Vote for: WALL-E.

Best Art Direction - Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nominees: Changeling, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Duchess, Revolutionary Road.
My Prediction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
I Would Vote for: Revolutionary Road.

Best Cinematography - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: Changeling, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire.
My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Costume Design - Winner: The Duchess
Nominees: Australia, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Duchess, Milk, Revolutionary Road.
My Prediction: The Duchess.
I Would Vote for: The Duchess.

Best Documentary - Winner: Man on Wire
Nominees: The Betrayal, Encounters at the End of the World, The Garden, Man on Wire, Trouble the Water.
My Prediction: Man on Wire.
I Would Vote for: Man on Wire. (Note: I haven't seen The Garden.)

Best Film Editing - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire.
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire.
My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: The Dark Knight.

Best Foreign Language Film - Winner: Departures (whoaaa... now I'm officially psyched to see this on Friday.)
Nominees: The Baader Meinhof Complex, The Class, Departures, Revanche, Waltz with Bashir.
My Prediction: Waltz with Bashir.
I Would Vote for: The Class. (Note: I haven't seen The Baader Meinhof Complex, Departures, or Revanche.)

Best Makeup - Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
My Prediction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
I Would Vote for: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Original Score - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Defiance, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E.
My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Original Song - Winner: "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire, "O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire, "Down to Earth" from WALL-E.
My Prediction: "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: "O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Sound Editing - Winner: The Dark Knight
Nominees: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E, Wanted.
My Prediction: WALL-E.
I Would Vote for: The Dark Knight.

Best Sound Mixing - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E, Wanted.
My Prediction: The Dark Knight.
I Would Vote for: The Dark Knight.

Best Visual Effects - Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Iron Man.
My Prediction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
I Would Vote for: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Short Film, Animated - Winner: "La Maison en Petits Cubes"
Nominees: "La Maison en Petits Cubes", "Lavatory - Lovestory", "Oktapodi", "Presto", "This Way Up".
My Prediction: "Presto" -- never doubt the power of Pixar.
I Would Vote for: Of the bunch, I've only seen "Presto". With the shorts available on iTunes and playing at a theatre near me, I have no excuse that I haven't seen them by now.

Best Short Film, Live Action - Winner: "Toyland"
Nominees: "On the Line", "Manon on the Asphault", "New Boy", "The Pig", "Toyland"
My Prediction: "Toyland" -- defaulting to Edward Havens over at FilmJerk.com.
I Would Vote for: With the shorts available on iTunes and playing at a theatre near me, I have no excuse that I haven't seen them by now.

Best Documentary Short - Winner: "Smile Pinki"
Nominees: "The Conscience of Nhem En", "The Final Inch", "Smile Pinki", "The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306"
My Prediction: "The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306", based on the sole criteria that it has the most intriguing title.
I Would Vote for: N/A -- to my knowledge, these aren't available for public viewing.

3rd Annual Muriel Awards Begin

I'm a bit ashamed that I haven't yet done my due diligence in promoting the 3rd Annual Muriel Awards (Oscar's greatest rival), hosted by Paul Clark over at Silly Hats Only.

The awards are handed out based on the tabulated votes of 37 Internet film luminaries, including yours truly (the only not-so-luminous member of the pack).

Categories range from the standard Best Picture and Best Director to Best Film-Related Website. As the above logo indicates, they're handed out over 17 days.

If your math was correct, you're right in realizing that 7 awards have already been handed out: "50th Anniversary for Best Film, 1958", "25th Anniversary for Best Film: 1983", "10th Anniversary for Best Film: 1998", "Best Film-Related Website, 2008", "Best Cinematic Breakthrough, 2008", and "Best Cinematography, 2008", to be exact.

But the Muriels are just heating up, with all the "major" categories left to be announced!

Last year, the Muriels were helped out big time by the plug of RogerEbert.com editor and new voter Jim Emerson. Let's work to make this year's awards even more widely circulated!

So what are you waiting for? Hop on over to Silly Hats Only now and get caught up on the winners so far!