Coming Soon

It's the time of the month when I get to plug my next bait(s). This December, just as last year's, we are only allowed to submit one bait for the contest. It has taken me a very long time to decide which one to submit. I usually come up with my baits usually the day before the festival deadline, but I seem to have hit a little writer's block. I've decided to take a project I've had shelved for about 6 months, rewrite it, and submit that to the contest. Here is a brief overview:

"The Killer Eagles"
Directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring Clint Eastwood, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, and Martin Sheen.

"The Killer Eagles" is the story of a widowed hotel owner who is forced to confront her estranged father when he stumbles into her establishment while on the run from a group of angry bandits. That group is the Eagle Brothers. They find their way to the hotel and the woman is forced to hide her father until things start getting out of hand. It is a Western in case you haven't figured that out.

If anybody wants to read/review it, send me an email at smartboy242006@aol.com.

November Big 8

Best Picture
Cartel
Havana Dreams
**The Nights that Roll Over White**
Sex Advice
The Unseen War

Best Director
Kenneth Branagh-The Madness of Lady Macbeth
Curtis Hanson-The Abstinence Teacher
**Lawrence Kasdan-The Unseen War**
James Mangold-Havana Dreams
Steven Spielberg-The Nights that Roll Over White

Best Actor
Gerard Butler-Dubai
Ed Harris-The Unseen War
**Ethan Hawke-Earshot**
Michael Pena-Cartel
Rainn Wilson-Sex Advice

Best Actress
Emily Blunt-Warner Girls
Cameron Diaz-Dubai
**Kelly Macdonald-The Madness of Lady Macbeth**
Mary-Louise Parker-The Abstinence Teacher
Hilary Swank-Under God

Best Supporting Actor
Oded Fehr-Dubai
**John Leguizamo-Cartel**
Jude Law-The Madness of Lady Macbeth
Seth Rogen-Sex Advice
Paul Rudd-Sex Advice

Best Supporting Actress
Isla Fisher-Sex Advice
Vivica A. Fox-Conceiving the Truth
Heather Graham-The Unseen War
Leslie Mann-Sex Advice
**Rita Moreno-Havana Dreams**

Best Adapted Screenplay
**The Abstinence Teacher**
A Density of Souls
Fiddler on the Roof
The Killers
Rainbow Six

Best Original Screenplay
Cartel
Dubai
**The Madness of Lady Macbeth**
The Nights that Roll Over White
The Unseen War

November Reviews Part 2

Dubai- B+

Earshot- B-

Fiddler on the Roof- B

Green Grow the Lilacs- C

Havana Dreams- B+

Ike- C

CCBAC Presents: I'm Not Missing You- C

The Killers- B-

The Lead- C

The Life of Mr. Willow- C-

The Madness of Lady Macbeth- B+

Make a Memory- B

The Maldonado Mansion- C

The Nights that Roll Over White- A-

On Her Laurels- C

The Phoenix- C

Rainbow Six- B

Recreating Jonah- C-

Rhythms of Passion- C-

Salvations End- C-

The Scarlet Ibis- C-

Sex Advice- B+

Shamus III: The Case of the Lonely Cabaret Singer- C+

True Story- C

Under God- B-

The Unseen War- B+

Warner Girls- B+

Welcome Thy Neighbour- D

The Winter War- C-

November Reviews

Excluding my baits: "The Kings of Baghdad", "The Resurrection of Groucho Marx", and "Under the Banner of Heaven"



840 Maple Street- C-


The Abstinence Teacher- B+


Across the River- C


Batman: End of All Hope- B-


Before She Sleeps- C+


Buzzed- B-



The Cabin- C+



Cartel- A-



Conceiving the Truth- C



Dancing with Auntie- C-



The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands- B-



Dem Berenstein Bearz- F



A Density of Souls- C+


The rest should be up either later tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who voted for "The Dead President" to win Best Picture!!! I know I've been kinda harsh to everyone lately but I've just been so frustrated with the competition and my own personal problems. This doesn't mean I'm gonna stop complaining about quality or anything, but it just signifies a change of heart. Thank you, again.

Well, November is already here and so are the next baits. Johnny surprised us all by allowing for 3 baits this month and I am definitely going to use that to my benefit. Here are my three baits for November.

"The Resurrection of Groucho Marx" Directed by Zach Braff. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Eugene Levy, and Kate Hudson. A man loses his family in a gruesome home invasion and returns home to deal with his grief. He looks to Groucho Marx, his childhood hero, for support and decides to become his greatest impersonator. With the aid of his father and publicity of a television reporter, he slowly begins to rise to fame and come to terms with his loss.

"The Kings of Baghdad" Directed by Terry George. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Gosling, Michael Biehn, and Mickey Rourke. A documentarian travels to Baghdad to make a movie about two brothers who are monopolizing the Iraqi tire market, but learns that their intentions run much deeper than capital gain. They are humanitarians hoping to restart the Iraqi economy, causing the military to become jealous.

"Under the Banner of Heaven" Directed by David Cronenberg. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Kiefer Sutherland, and Natalie Portman. Based upon the Book by Jon Krakauer. A journalist investigates the murder of a woman by her Fundamental Mormonist brothers-in-law. The story is told through interviews with the murderers and a dramatic reenactment of the situation.

October Big 8 Predictions

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Cloud
Criminal Origins
**The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger**
The Gold of Cajamarca
Thoroughly Modern Millie

This category is relatively easy to predict due to little options. "Dark Tower" and "Criminal Origins" are locks because of buzz and quality. "Millie" has had a lot of attention in the precursors, as is "The Cloud". Even though I doubt it, "Cajamarca" is vulnerable to the other "Dark Tower" bait because I think it fell into some category confusion. Expect "Dark Tower" to win because it probably won't be honored elsewhere.

Best Original Screenplay
Behind Closed Doors
Field of Desire
**For Pay**
A Modern Tale
Tabula Rasa

This one always offers some surprises. "For Pay" is a lock and, after its GG win, "Behind Closed Doors" seems on its way to recognition. I don't think it's going to be as well received as it was in the precursors because most of the voters for those cannot vote for the Oscars. "Field" is really baity (even though I feel its unoriginal). "Tabula Rasa" is unique and creative, it will be nominated. "A Modern Tale" will probably surprise. There usually is a comedy in there and it is the most well-received original one. "For Pay" will win, I'd be very surprised if it didn't, but if it lost to anything it would be "Tabula Rasa".

Best Supporting Actress
Maggie Gyllenhaal-Behind Closed Doors
Lisa Kudrow-The Curious Savage
Megan Mulally-Thoroughly Modern Millie
**Dominique Swain-For Pay**
Patricia Wettig-The Dead President

Gyllenhaal has won both the SAG and GG, but I don't fully believe all the hype for the bait. Mulally will probably get in because she's the best in a well-received, but not great, bait. Swain and Wettig enjoyed a lot of forum and precursor attention and both baits will be BP noms. Kudrow is the surprise. Her character is extremely baity and she is well cast. I feel voters will recognize that. Swain will win with Mulally being a potential spoiler.

Best Supporting Actor
Richard Chamberlain-For Pay
Colin Farrell-The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
**Dennis Haysbert-Criminal Origins**
Jeremy Piven-The Dead President
David Strathairn-The Cloud

Chamberlain and Strathairn have very baity roles and in this weak category that's enough to score a nom. Haysbert has been widely buzzed and praised despite losing to Piven twice. Piven will get in on "Dead President" love. Farrell will get the fifth slot because the second "Dark Tower" will have to be rewarded somewhere. Haysbert will win on overwhelming buzz, but never underestimate the power of Piven.

Best Actress
Sutton Foster-Thoroughly Modern Millie
Jennifer Hudson-Mr. & Mrs. Woods
Natalie Portman-The Cloud
Meryl Streep-A Modern Tale
**Kerry Washington-Field of Desire**

Washington and Streep are locks. Portman and Foster are balancing on the edge, but this month is so weak it doesn't really matter. Hudson will surprise some, but not all. Susan Sarandon might get in for a very baity, but familiar, role in "Things We Lost in the Time of War". Washington will probably win, but watch out for Streep, she's sneaky.

Best Actor
**Jeff Bridges-The Dead President**
Macaulay Culkin-For Pay
Jude Law-Tabula Rasa
Daniel Day-Lewis-The Gold of Cajamarca
John Goodman-Behind Closed Doors

Bridges and Culkin are locks. No question about it. Goodman is riding enough support to get it. Law is a strong possibility, but could easily be knocked out by Mortensen. Day-Lewis steals the fifth spot on pedigree and an amazing role in an amazing bait. This race is somewhat similar to July 2006, in that a serial killer loses to someone completely unpredictable even after garnering unbelievable attention before the awards. Bridges fits that mold. He is predicted to be nominated but not to win.

Best Director
David Fincher-Criminal Origins
Marc Forster-The Cloud
David Lynch-The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
Mike Nichols-The Dead President
**Gus Van Sant-For Pay**

Van Sant is a lock and will win. Nichols and Fincher have been liked all around. Forster just won the GG. Lynch is Lynch. He always gets in even if it's undeserving, which in this case it isn't. Van Sant wins because I'll never win Best Director and he's the best of the 5.

Best Picture
The Cloud
**The Dead President**
For Pay
The Gold of Cajamarca
Thoroughly Modern Millie

"For Pay" and "The Dead President" are locks and will battle it out for the win. "Cajamarca" and "Millie" have good enough buzz to get in during the weakest of months. "The Cloud" is the surprise fifth nominee that is lucky to be acknowledged. "The Dead President" will win because I'm ready for it and it has gotten great buzz, despite losing the GG. "For Pay" has a great chance as well.

An Update

Thanks to everyone who voted for Jeremy Piven for Best Supporting Actor at the SAGs. It was very surprising. But more importantly, thanks for the Best Ensemble win for "The Dead President". I was shocked at how well received the bait was. I thought it was the weaker of my two but I guess the subject matter of "The Road We Traveled" turned a lot of people off. Oh well.

On another note, I will give a brief statement about my baits for November. The first will be a Zach Braff comedy called "The Resurrection of Groucho Marx", which stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a man who loses his family and decides to become the greatest Groucho Mrax impersonator there ever was. Eugene Levy and Kate Hudson co-star.

The second is tentatively going to be a Terry George-directed film named "The Kings of Baghdad". It tells the story of a reporter (Reese Witherspoon) who's making a documentary about two brothers (Michael Biehn, Mickey Rourke) who monopolize Baghdad's tire market. Ryan Gosling also stars.