Is this really a black man?

Check out this white brother

Believe it or not, this is a picture of Robert Downey Jr on the set of Tropic Thunder - somebody give that makeup artist a bonus.

Do you think it's offensive that a white man is playing a black character?

Rate this character - Is it offensive?

Are the Oscars lame: Yes or yes?

Rate the Oscars: Are they worth watching?

Do you watch the Oscars? Why? Is it just to see who is with whom on the red carpet? Is it just to watch the pretty people? Is it for the fashion?

Why do you watch the Oscars?

I was forced to watch the Oscars yesterday. OK, it was only for 10 minutes or so, then I was kicked out of the TV room for being "too negative". How can anyone be too negative about anything to do with celebrity and Hollywood?

Don't get me wrong. There some cool people in Hollywood, some. But is there a group of people in the world that thinks of themselves as more important - without merit - than those in Hollywood, especially those at the Oscars?

Why do you like or hate the Oscars?

You CAN'T see ONCE just Once!

The movie ONCE

One of the few good things to come of being sick for the last month was that I was able to see the movie ONCE.

I knew nothing about this movie, but I was mesmerized with the movie as soon as the opening song Say It To Me Now started.

Read more......

Do you hate Hollywood?

The people we love to hate?

I just finished reading Beware: Next comes the Oscars' 'smear campaign'? in the LATimes. I'm not sure why I read the article. I don't watch the Oscars. I frankly find them pathetic, and I think most of the garbage coming out of Hollywood is a waste of time.

When a movie as crass, obvious and stereotypical as Crash can win an Oscar for best picture with its John Grisham-eque expose of racism, then it's obvious the Oscars cannot be taken seriously. Just because a movie is about a serious subject does not make it a serious movie.

Certainly, many great movies do come out of Hollywood - diamonds in the rough. Nonetheless, the comments to the Beware story seem to display a deep hatred of Hollywood. If true, why even comment? Why pay attention to Hollywood?

Rate Hollywood: An institution we love to hate?

Do you care about movie accents?

Forget the accent?

Kevin Costner, Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Winona Ryder, Tim Robbins, Uma Thurman, Gary Oldman, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and Dick Van Dyke. What do they all have in common? These actors makes up the 10 all-time worst movie accents.

Ouch! Those are some big names, which makes me wonder, if some of Hollywood's biggest names act out some of the worst movie accents, do moviegoers really care about movie character accents?

Rate movie accents: How important is it?

Bambi: One of the top horror movies ever?

The death scenes in Bambi too horrifying?

TIME is running a special feature on the Top 25 Horror Movies of all Time. Obviously, cool movies, such as Halloween and Carrie are on the list. Shaun of the Dead takes the top spot, which surprised me a bit, although I really liked the movie. Still, the most surprising horror movie: Bambi.

Rate your favorite horror movies. Also, does Bambi belong on this list?

Hogwarts headmaster is gay? Does it matter?

Do fans really care?

Since J.K. Rowling announced that Harry Potter character Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, was gay, the blogosphere has been buzzing.

I say, whatever.

Rate the Harry Potter series: Does it matter that Dumbledore is gay?

Honk! Honk! Tired of car alarms, city noise?

Shut up already!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do "garbage trucks, horns honking, back-up beepers and worst of all, car alarms squealing at all hours", drive you crazy?

It drives me crazy. So much so that I buy cheap eggs to throw at such vehicles. Of course, I have to be careful because most of the a-holes whom make the most noise, whom honk endlessly at any hour, are the kind of ilk that just might pull out a gun.

Still........

Anyway, if this kind of stuff makes you as angry as me, then you might want to check out the new movie, NOISE.

Director Henry Bean was once arrested for breaking into a car to disable its car alarm, an act for which he wen to jail. Thus, he thought he'd make a movie about the issue, which Bean believes is a metaphor for power.

"For me, noise becomes a metaphor for power. The noise that I have to listen to, that I have no control over, that invades my house, my ears, my thoughts... in a way that's how our governments are," he said.

"We live in a world where the governments are extremely unresponsive to what the citizens want."

Rate urban noise - Is it out of control? Is there anything that can be done?

Rate Hotel Chevalier

If you like Wes Anderson, you'll love the short film Hotel Chevalier

I've been meaning to check out Hotel Chevalier since I saw the ad for the short rotating on Apple's QuickTime player (click here).

Well, I'm glad I did. Typical, bittersweet Wes Anderson - just the way I like him.

As the movie opens one might almost think that Jason Schwartzman was on the set of Rushmore II, at least until Natalie Portman enters the scene. It's great to see Natalie in such a role. I had begun to wonder if she could ever top her performance in the Professional, but now I'm confident that she can.

While this is a fantastic short film, it's really, probably, just a trailer to The Darjeeling Limited, which I'm going to see as soon as it starts playing in my neighborhood. I haven't been as excited to see a movie in some time.

Rate Hotel Chevalier