2008, the year of death, decay and the wisdom of the beautiful loser. The year movie stars examined their own mortality and fading beauty via their on-screen personas (Brad Pitt, Mickey Rourke and Clint Eastwood, who managed to be as cute as Sarah Silverman while delivering his racial humor -- I'm still wondering if that was his point -- and I'm still fond of his weirdly toned movie.) 

The year Heath left us and Mickey came back and Robert Downey Jr. became a superhero. The year that actually made me examine the deeper implications of Quiet Riot's "Bang Your Head" (real and appropiate title, "Mental Health"). Here's my top ten movies of 2008: 

Starting with... 

The Wrestler

I never gave up on Mickey Rourke  --  ever.  One of my favorite actors, the mysterious, seductive American exotic with that whispery voice that was at once sexy and conspiratorial, the actor who always leans into his conversation, as if you were the only person in the world, never left my viewing. He's an odd guy, a tortured soul, but one of the screen's most exceptional players, an actor who can funnel his uniquely soulful strangeness into any part -- even opposite the Marlboro Man (not kidding) and especially in underrated movies like the surrealistic Double Team or the sublime Bullet (a movie everyone must see -- junkie Rourke drowning his inner city blues to the swooning sounds of Barry White is not to be missed). And let’s not forget his bravura performances in The Rainmaker, Animal Factory and The Pledge in which (in his only scene) he gives us the most soul crushing moment of the entire picture. Sure, he’s back, but he was still great. His first born again splash was Sin City, the good Frank Miller movie that gave the actor terrific reviews. But we couldn't really see him. After all, this is the same beauty who at one point was deemed the next Brando (with Diner, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Rumble Fish and Barfly), so I yearned to watch that face again, no matter how much older and odder it may appear these days.

Enter Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. And there’s that face again! Nothing can take away inner charisma, and The Wrestler proves it. Rourke is the picture, and though there are many scenes I could discuss -- there's one that remains my favorite --  one that's so overwhelmingly touching, so disarming, you're a little amazed by how hard it hits you -- and it doesn't occur in the wrestling ring. It's a sequence showing Mickey Rourke's washed-up, stuck-in-the-'80s wrestler, Randy "The Ram" Robinson working at a supermarket deli. He hides his bleached-blond lion's pride underneath a plastic cap while doling out pasta mixes and specific slices for the purpose most of us can understand: to keep a roof over his head. But it's not simply the sadness of Randy's past glory submerged in a soul-crushing job that moves us -- it's because he's actually good at it and, even better, so sly and charming and entertaining to his customers, that you see both the innumerable possibilities for a man who chose bloody smack downs, self-inflected razor cuts and the fearsome folding-chair treatment as his life's work, and exactly why he was so great at it. And bless him for it. It's the kind of sacrifice that makes Rourke's character (and real-life persona) deserve every ounce of our love, even if he considers himself a "broken-down piece of meat." But then every moment in Aronofsky's raggedly beautiful, extraordinarily wistful, perfectly nuanced and wonderfully acted picture lifts itself above easy sentimentality and tired fallen champ axioms. This is partially for the director's gritty artistry and genuine soulfulness -- never once do we feel like he's mocking wrestling or Rourke's Randy, or rendering either as a pitiful joke. But it's mostly because of Rourke's naked, heart-wrenching, art-imitating-life performance. This is blood, sweat and tears (quite literally) on a whole other inspired level.  I don’t take the Oscars too seriously, but I swear, if he doesn't get nominated for The Wrestler, I'll ... I don't know ... take a cue from the movie, crank up "Sweet Child O' Mine" and start crying.

Read my entire list here.

--posted by Kim

I've always loved Santa Claus, but not only for the supposed gift giving and seasonal sweetness (which is wonderful of course.) No, I love Santa, in part for frequently appearing so...disturbed. Santa Claus is just inherently creepy. Any guy who knows when you’ve been sleeping, when you’ve been awake and when you’ve been bad or good is going to create a little tension in your life. And though one usually thinks of Santa as that jolly old fat man in a red suit riding a sleigh stuffed with presents, in world history, he’s quite a bit darker. For instance in Austria, Santa used to partner up with a devil figure named Krampus who would beat the naughty kids with switches. Santa and Satan? (Come to think of it, that would make for a really good movie -- Krampus sounds scary or...really pretentious).

But speaking of movies (and what else would I be speaking of?), cinema well understands not only the goodwill and joy that the holiday’s can bring but also the anxiety and terror. Bob Clark's brilliant sorority house slasher/masterpiece Black Christmas, a movie I've written about numerous times, put me in a morbid mood, so I thought I'd look at the darker side of Christmas via, who better? Santa Claus himself. Be them drunks, sociopaths or green Grinches, here’s my seven screwy (and in the case of Popeye Doyle) sexy Santas.

Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa (2003)

I know this comparison is rote but...is Terry Zwigoff’s Bad Santa the Citizen Kane of Santa movies? I think so. It's certainly more the true re-make of How the Grinch Stole Christmas than Ron Howard's horrid attempt. The story of a thieving, drunken, lecherous, cantankerous, no good son of a bitch (etc. and so on) Department Store Santa is one of the most subversive Christmas movies ever made and also, surprisingly, one of the most touching. Billy Bob Thornton carves out a role that is now iconic -- stumbling through the movie with such assured misanthropy that at a certain point, you’re actually impressed.

And if any of you have felt cranky during Christmastime, you can relate. As for me, I might not get busy in a dressing room with an extra large lady (so great), but I understand the nastiness. And yet, crude humor aside, Bad Santa truly does examine the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas with a foul mouthed message that’s strangely powerful.

Robert Brian Wilson in Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Thank God for outraged mothers -- if not for their, uh, valiant (and successful) efforts to ban Silent Night, Deadly Night from movie theaters, we might have forgotten this 80’s slasher milestone. Because the controversy (and poster of Santa coming down the chimney with an axe) is honestly the only thing that makes this film at all memorable. That and the unusually good looking Robert Brian Wilson (who looks like he’s pissed he didn’t get that Calvin Klein contract) as a sociopathic Santa. The filmmakers had something with the story -- that of a little boy who, after witnessing the brutal killing of his parents by a homicidal, rapist Santa Claus, grows into a murderous department store St. Nick -- but they botch up their premise with horrid technique, zero tension and un-clever sleaze. Still, the film remains required viewing (you’ve got to see it once) for both the anti-Christmas classic crowd and those sanctimonious mother’s who banned it in the first place. And you know at least half of them rented it eventually....and liked it.

Read my entire list here.

And Merry Christmas!

--posted by Kim

I realize there are probably multiple reasons why Sean Avery was kicked off the Dallas Stars and yes, his comments regarding ex girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert ("sloppy seconds") were on the far side of classy but...come on. All of these people need to sit down and watch the hockey classic "Slap Shot" for a little foul mouthed reflection.

From Puck Daddy:

"Falling on his sword in front of his teammates and attempting to convince them that, like Michael Richards and Mel Gibson before him, the issues that motivated his detrimental behavior had been medicinally addressed.

"The problem, however, was that the Stars made it publically and perfectly clear they weren't going to listen. Mike Modano, who is the Dallas Stars, said Avery had tarnished the franchise. Coach Dave Tippett, whom Avery directly insulted by calling his 'sloppy seconds' press conference, told the media that 'I find it hard to believe that Sean could come back in that dressing room and we could find that continuity again.'

"The bridges still smoldering, Dallas management made it official today that Avery would not return to the team; although they'll still pay him and continue to support his therapy. "

Two words -- Jack Robinson.  "Slap Shot" fans know what I'm talking about.

--posted by Kim

Craig Gets 'Smelly and Wet' in 'Defiance'

Watch my interview with Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell for their upcoming picture, "Defiance."

--posted by Kim

Looks like teen vampires could not contend with the contentious glamour of family (dysfunctional family) over Thanksgiving holiday.

Reese and Vince topped the box office with "Four Christmases" (yes, we're all on a first name basis here).

Happy Thanksgiving! I choose to celebrate with some of my favorite food on film moments. Bon Appetit! 

Sugar High: "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971)
Though the much loved and romantic "Chocolat" will pop into many a sweet tooth's head, I find that film much too corny and not really all that scrumptious when it comes to whetting my appetite for candy. And yes, yes, I know the chocolate in said film is of a finer quality and, I presume, magically enhanced by the charm of Juliette Binoche, but please. When it comes to wishing Halloween came twice a week (or twice a day), it's all about "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." The story of five lucky kids winning a visit to the famous and magical candy factory run by the wild and weird Willy Wonka (a tremendous Gene Wilder) is a confectionary dream that turns nightmarish once the kids (sans Charlie) reveal their varied and insufferable personalities. But no matter how many of the children endure dire consequences for their gluttonous temptations, we still want, as the song goes, candy. And come on -- cut these kids a break. One of Wonka's rooms is entirely edible. Would you be acting normal after shoving your face in a river of chocolate?

Best Restaurant Order: "Five Easy Pieces" (1970)
Nope. Sorry. I'm not going with the obvious -- "When Harry Met Sally." First off, contrary to popular opinion, Meg Ryan's fake orgasm, "I'll have what she's having" -- diner display is the least funny moment in the otherwise charming romantic comedy. And secondly, no one beats Jack Nicholson in the inappropriate, though completely understandable restaurant behavior department. The masterful film (directed by Bob Rafelson) really has little to do with food, but it tops our list simply for Jack's iconic way of ordering a side of toast. Nicholson plays a slumming oil rigger/talented pianist who embarks on a trek to visit his dying father with a saucy girlfriend (Karen Black) and, at one point, two surly female hitchhikers in tow. The four make quite a tall order when a seen-it-all waitress won't bend the rules ("no substitutions") on a breakfast order of a "plain omelette, no potatoes, tomatoes instead, a cup of coffee, and wheat toast." When the waitress insists she can only bring Nicholson a roll or an English muffin, he asks the perfectly reasonable question, "You make sandwiches don't you?" and proceeds to order a chicken salad sandwich, hold the butter, mayonnaise and lettuce. But where to hold the chicken? "Between your knees," Jack famously and disdainfully coos. I never tire of this moment. And right now I'd really enjoy some wheat toast.

Prison Food: "Goodfellas" (1990)
From stirring the Sunday sauce just right (no matter if helicopters and cops are on your tail), to dinner with Joe Pesci's ma (actually Scorsese's), to shoving the mailman's head in a pizza oven, there's no shortage of delicious and murderous food sequences in Martin Scorsese's stylized "Goodfellas." But the primo moment has to be when the bosses go to a prison so cushy, not even Martha Stewart could have conceived it. As Ray Liotta genially narrates, we watch the delivery of a ridiculously plentiful assortment of food -- delicious, hearty Italian food -- to the delight of the drooling but discerning jailbirds. The topper is when Paul Sorvino slices strips of garlic with a razor blade to such thin, such translucent perfection that when you see it gently combine with the olive oil and sizzle in the pan, you can practically smell the delectability. Makes you want to go to jail...only as a mobster of course.

Another Reason You Shouldn't Eat at the Olive Garden: "Big Night" (1996)
"Big Night" is a filling, high calorie, good for you movie in more ways than one. The story of two Italian brothers, Primo (Stanley Tucci -- who directed the film alongside Campbell Scott) and Secondo (the poignant Tony Shalhoub), attempting to save their wonderful New Jersey restaurant is funny, touching, musical, heartbreaking, sexy and yes, absolutely, almost painfully mouthwatering. The brothers argue over just how to save their establishment in a greedy world that doesn't care for quality and artistry. But, after learning jazz great Louis Prima will be stopping by, they set out to create the ultimate multiple-course Italian meal. The centerpiece dish is Timpano, a layering of meat, pasta and pastry that requires two days of preparation, but all of the picture's food is staggeringly delicious. Though our favorite scene is the film's finale, a quiet moment where the fighting brothers wordlessly forgive one another over the simple act of making eggs and eating bread. If you think having an emotional response to food is a bad thing, then Big Night will remind you that it's exactly what makes us human. And happy to be alive.

French Kiss: "Babette's Feast" (1987)
Babette (Stéphane Audran) is some family cook. The French woman, who originally fled Paris after her son and husband were killed, has worked for a family in Denmark for 14 years, preparing food with little zest. But when she wins a lottery, she decides to use her winnings on crafting an elaborate "real French dinner" for her employers in honor of their deceased father's 100th birthday. What transpires is an overwhelmingly tasty, exotic and even, at one point, scary French meal (the sisters suspect Babette might be a witch in one scene). As a result of her luscious meal, filled with French delicacies that'll make even food philistines wish to sample the country's cuisine, all kinds of emotions are revealed, prejudices are broken and the family is bonded.

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Chicken but Were Afraid to Ask: "To Catch A Thief "(1955)
For most people who enjoy a good meal (and a good roll in the hay) food and sex are so inexorably linked, we're frequently uncertain what's more tempting. In simple terms -- which would you rather gorge on? The greatest sushi you'll ever eat in your life or the greatest sexual gymnastics you'll ever perform with ... let's just say a young Brigitte Bardot? I'd probably pick the sushi, but what if Bardot was the chef? That's where movies happily come into play. Though there are many classic food and sex films and moments, including the egg incident from "In the Realm of the Senses," the fridge raiding sequence from "9 ½ Weeks" and the "I can't believe it is butter!" milestone of "Last Tango in Paris," our favorite has to be Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief." Eating their chicken lunch picnic, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly are at their most sensual and human when the question of which piece of chicken arises. When he asks, "You want leg or breast?" and she answers "You make the choice," it's a true double entendre. She's flat out just telling him he can have both of...all of it.

Just As Good:

"Cool Hand Luke’s" Paul Newman eating fifty eggs in one hour.

Catherine Deneuve's rabbit insanity in "Repulsion."

The maple syrup moment in "To Kill A Mockingbird."

Charlie Chaplin eating his shoe in "The Gold Rush."

Mickey Rourke’s popcorn surprise in "Diner."

The great rare steak stand-off in "Mommie Dearest."

James Cagney shoving a grapefuit in Mae Clark's face in "Public Enemy."

Woody Allen and Diane Keaton attempting to cook lobster in "Annie Hall."

Chianti, Fava Beans and liver from "The Silence of the Lambs."

The drugged, demonic chocolate "mouse" served to Mia Farrow in "Rosemary’s Baby."

Read more from my Greatest Food Moments piece at MSN.

--posted by Kim

This may be one of the greatest pieces Roger Ebert has ever written.

Why this man has not penned an autobiography is beyond me, but his writing seems to get better the older and more wonderfully bemused he gets:

"What does it feel like to resemble the Phantom of the Opera? You learn to live with it. I've never concerned myself overmuch about how I looked. I got a lot of practice at indifference during my years as the Michelin Man.

"Yes, years before I acquired my present problems, I was not merely fat, but was universally known as 'the fat one,' to distinguish me from 'the thin one,' who was Gene Siskel, who was not all that thin, but try telling that to Gene:

"'Spoken like the gifted Haystacks Calhoun tribute artist that you are.'

"'He was loved by his fans as a charming country boy,' I observed."

Read his entire essay which also (bonus!) includes a hilarious outtake from the old show during which Roger and Gene riff off each other Don Rickles style. What pros. And what good, cynical sports.

--posted by Kim

I love the drama of teenagers. Even the over the top, bad apple, Ritalin popping insanity of them  -- sometimes especially for this (I can relate, I wasn’t exactly an angel). And lately it’s been hard to not think about teenagers with all of these hysterical girls lining up for the newest teen sensation, "Twilight." I haven’t seen the movie yet but so far I’m staunchly defending the hype simply for the fact that teenage girls are wandering the streets, not paunchy fan boys. As I've said before, teen girls were the original fans after all (Frank Sinatra bobby-sockers, Elvis, The Beatles) and I am both in awe of and a bit terrified by their primal screams of ear-splitting rapture (but at least they let it go). And though it's safe and nice that girls are reading novels and nutting out over a vampire movie, I do hope they get their noses out of the books and bodies out of the theater to at least experience a little bit of trouble (only a little). With that, here’s a brief history of some of my favorite troubled teens on screen -- a genre that as every teen wishes, never gets old.

"Dead End" (1937)

The first in the series of pictures that depicted that rough and tumble group of depression-era youths, The Dead End Kids (later known as The Bowery Boys) is also one of their best. Though "Angels With Dirty Faces" is their finest film appearance ("They Made Me A Criminal" with John Garfield is a strong contender as well), "Dead End" was our first glimpse of the wise-acre bunch that included Billy Halop, Huntz Hall and Leo Gorcey (you really should read his autobiography--a total gas). Beautifully directed by William Wyler, the picture stars Humphrey Bogart as a gangster returning to his old neighborhood, a slum where the boys fight, steal and generally run amuck to the concern of the nice young woman Sylvia Sidney (gorgeous) who’d like better for them. Though the boys are snarly little jerks at times, they're often very funny and touching. The film offers a sensitive look at what its title states—a dead end—and how the poor are fighting for survival. As the nice architect Dave (Joel McCrea) states about the boys: “What chance have they got against all this? They gotta fight for a place to play, fight for the likes of something to eat, fight for everything. They got used to fighting. ‘Enemies of Society,” it says in the papers. Why not? What have they got to be so friendly about?” Indeed.

"Rebel Without A Cause" (1955)

“You’re tearing me apart!” As the misunderstood, sensitive, red-jacket wearing, bad boy teen practically forced to contend with violence, James Dean became the ultimate symbol of teen rebellion in Nicholas Ray’s stunningly beautiful "Rebel Without a Cause." Boys wanted to be like him, women wanted to date him (or save him) and parents understood some of what their kids were going through -- perhaps. We know how the story goes -- Dean, new to his California school, tries to fit in but ends up facing off with the bad kids via that famous deadly chicken run. Showing his bond with a confused Natalie Wood and a deeply troubled, puppy killing Sal Mineo (who is clearly in love with Jim), the film remains a touching portrait of alienated kids acting out mostly because they’d like just a little more love, attention and understanding from their (gulp) parents -- especially if one of your parents is Jim Backus wearing an apron.

Read my entire list here.

--posted by Kim

Is the newest Bond a bore?

"Quantum of Solace," director Marc Forster's follow-up to the terrific "Casino Royale" (helmed by Martin Campbell) has opened to mixed reviews. Could someone else have "done it better?" Perhaps.

From Variety:

"The shortest and certainly the most action-dense Bond ever, 'Quantum of Solace' plays like an extended footnote to 'Casino Royale' rather than a fully realized, stand-alone movie. Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, possibly knowing they couldn't immediately top the previous pic's sheer stylishness, have radically reshuffled the series' traditional elements, but also allowed incoming director Marc Forster to almost throw the baby out with the bathwater. Played with a cold, mechanical efficiency that recalls the 'Bourne' movies, with almost no downtime or emotional hooks, 'Quantum' will find some solace in beefy initial returns but looks unlikely to find a royale spot in Bond history or fans' hearts.

"Though the pic is the first in the series in which the action follows directly from the previous film, the differences in tone, look and tempo are instantly apparent. As the camera zooms across northern Italy's Lake Garda to pick out Bond (Daniel Craig) being chased in his Aston Martin by armed villains, it's clear that the elegance of the franchise that 'Royale' director Martin Campbell resuscitated is already a thing of the past. Even David Arnold's music seems to punch the clock rather than elevate the visuals."

Not so good. But -- don't take Variety's word for it. Plenty of critics loved the movie. Check out more positive (and negative) reviews here. And...you know you're at the theater tonight regardless.

--posted by Kim