Our pick of the 10 all-time greatest actor-director pairs.

Shutter Island (released last week) is the fourth collaboration between director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Cinema has benefited from some great long-term collaborations between directors and actors. Here is our list of the greatest (minimum of four films together).

* Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock and Grace Kelly, Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood, Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood,  Pedro Almodovar and Penelope Cruz, Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen, Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman, Billy Wilder and Jack Lemon, Marcello Mastroianni and Federico Fellini – all great collaborations that didn’t make the list. Before you start throwing tomatoes at the screen, relax: Some of the above simply didn’t meet the four-film requirement.

10. Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe

Collaborations: Gladiator, A Good Year, American Gangster, Body of Lies, Robin Hood

Typical Moods: Suspenseful, Rough, Captivating

What brings them together? They’re both kind of divas.

This pair started really strong with Gladiator, which won five Oscars (and an additional six nominations), including one for Russell Crowe. Then came A Good Year: A really nice film, but definitely not great. American Gangster was also good, and was nominated for two Oscars and three Golden Globes. Body of Lies put me to sleep although I wasn’t tired. The upcoming Robin Hood looks promising; I hope it will be comparable to Gladiator and not Scott’s latest Middle Ages attempt, Kingdom of Heaven…

9. Spike Lee and Denzel Washington

Collaborations: Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, Inside Man

Typical Moods: Captivating, Thought Provoking

What brings them together? Both basketball fans

Mo’ Better Blues wasn’t especially good. Malcolm X got Denzel the Best Actor award at the Berlin Film Festival and nominations for a Golden Globe and an Oscar. Both Scorsese and Roger Ebert called it one of the greatest movies of the 90s. I loved He Got Game, but it’s not a cinematic masterpiece. Inside Man was one of the best movies of the 2000s, in my opinion. Their next collaboration is alarming: Inside Man 2?! And I thought Spike was immune from sequels’ spell.

8. Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio

Collaborations: Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island

Typical Moods: Captivating, Stylized

What brings them together? After seeing Titanic, Scorsese fell in love with him.

Only seven years in the making, this one might move ahead in a few years to the list of the best collaborations of all time. Strangely, there’s a conflict between the awards this collaboration won, and the quality of the movies. Gangs of New York got 10 Oscar nominations, The Aviator won 5 Oscars and was nominated for 6 more, The Departed won 4 Oscars including best director for Scorsese, who also won the Golden Globe for it, while DiCaprio was nominated for a Bafta and a Golden Globe. However, none of these three were Scorsese’s finest (can’t say the same about DiCaprio, as his acting is basically always the same, and not too superb, to put it mildly).

Will Shutter Island finally combine awards with quality? From reviews so far, it appears yet again not to be Scorsese’s greatest effort, though definitely a fresh attempt at a different formula.

7. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp

Major Collaborations: Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland

Typical Moods: Atmospheric, Offbeat, Humorous, Stylized

What brings them together? Opposites attract / weirdoes attract.

Seven collaborations so far: They must like each other very much. Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd were all nominated for or won an Oscar. Alice in Wonderland, their up-coming, highly anticipated new collaboration, this time in 3D (coming out March 5th), is expected to be a great success.

6. Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune

Major Collaborations: Rashomon, Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo

Typical Moods: Suspenseful, Atmospheric, Bleak, Stylized

What brings them together? They both liked swords and black-and-white movies.

A little bit of international flavor is added by the greatest Japanese director who ever lived – Kurosawa, and the greatest Japanese actor who ever lived – Mifune. Together they made no less than sixteen films, including three classic masterpieces: the groundbreaking Rashomon; Seven Samurai, which was nominated for two Oscars, and of course Yojimbo, which also inspired Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood’s A Fistful of Dollars. Kurosawa even helped Mifune in his love life: Mifune and a girl called Sachiko Yoshimine fell in love, and wanted to get married. The girl’s parents were opposed to the marriage because of the social differences between the two. Kurosawa convinced the Yoshimine family to allow the marriage.

5. John Huston and Humphrey Bogart

Major Collaborations: The Maltese Falcon, Key Largo, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, The African Queen

Typical Moods: Clever, Tense, Suspenseful, Rough

What brings them together? Whiskey, vodka, gin, rum and brandy.

What a collaboration! Bogart is probably the greatest man who ever lived (alongside Nelson Mandela and Hulk Hogan), and Huston not only gave birth to spectacular films, but also to the spectacular Anjelica Huston (with some help from his wife). The Maltese Falcon is regarded by many as the best Film-Noir ever made. Key Largo won an Oscar, The Treasure of Sierra Madre won three Oscars including Best Director, and the unforgettable The African Queen earned an Oscar for Bogart and was nominated for three more.

4. Alfred Hitchcock and James Stewart

Collaborations: Rope, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo

Typical Moods: Tense, Mind Bending

What brings them together? They both loved blondes.

I had to make a choice: It was either Hitchcock and Grace Kelly, Hitchcock and Cary Grant or Hitchcock and James Stewart. I believe I made the right choice: Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much and Vertigo are three of cinema’s most known, quoted, loved and theorized about films. Hitchcock brought out the best of Stewart and vice versa.

3. Woody Allen and Woody Allen

Major Collaborations: Sleeper, Love and Death, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Zelig

Typical Moods: Humorous, Witty, Clever, Contemplative

What brings them together? They’re the same person.

There is only one person here, so where is the collaboration? The collaboration is between Woody Allen the director and Woody Allen the actor. Allen directed himself in no less than 28 films! 28 films that won three Oscars and were nominated for twelve; that had six Golden Globe nominations, seven Bafta awards and nine more Bafta nominations. An amazing record (and I didn’t count awards or nominations from movies in which Allen was only the actor or only the director). I think that the crowning glory of Allen and Allen’s partnership are Annie Hall and Zelig.

2. Clint Eastwood and Clint Eastwood

Major Collaborations: High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino

Typical Moods: Suspenseful, Rough, Exciting, Bleak

What brings them together? They were inseparable from birth

Like Woody Allen’s, here’s another case of collaboration by a person who directs himself. Clint Eastwood was director and actor in twenty-two films. It won him two Oscars and two Golden Globes (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby). As in the case of Alfred Hitchcock, I had a conflict here too: Clint and Sergio Leone is a great collaboration, but they only did 3 movies together, and Clint and Don Siegel did six movies together, but only three of them were really good. So I went with Clint and Clint.

1. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro

Major Collaborations: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Casino

Typical Moods: Rough, Captivating, Disturbing, Suspenseful

What brings them together? They both love Tagliatelle Alla Boscaiola and Tortelloni Ricotta and Spinaci

These two made eleven movies together, in which they achieved the following amazing record: three Oscar wins and twenty-one nominations!!! Two Golden Globes and another twenty-two nominations!! No competition. Jordan and Pippen, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Pele and Garincha, Magic and Kareem and even Laurel and Hardy: They all pale in comparison to the partnership between Scorsese and De Niro.

When I first heard that one of the secrets to their success was that Scorsese and De Niro used to go out and drink together, I decided as an amateur director to take the stars of my movies out for a drink. It didn’t really help cinematically; we either ended throwing up, or made obscure phone calls in the middle of the night.

Today, it seems that Scorsese has dumped De Niro for a younger model, the more popular yet less talented Leonardo DiCaprio, and De Niro is stuck with Meet The Parents sequels. I wish they would make at least one more movie together to enter in cinema’s hall of fame. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas already did.

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Christian Toto is a veteran journalist and film critic whose movie reviews are heard on WTOP radio and “The Dennis Miller Show.” He blogs on film at What Would Toto Watch?

Horror fans can’t be pleased about the state of the blood-soaked genre. Hollywood seems more interested in cranking out tepid remakes and reboots of classic horror movies (see the upcoming Nightmare on Elm Street) rather than surprising us with something original.

The shock success of Paranormal Activity in 2009 stands as a rare - and welcome - exception.

Plenty of smart and creepy horror films have come out in recent years, but there’s a good chance they never played at a theater near you. No matter, since the DVD shelves are a fine place to discover some buried horror treasures.

Consider these 10 films the next time you’re in the mood for a good fright and want to steer clear of another mindless slasher film.

1. Splinter (2008)

The setup is simple. Two couples seek shelter in a convenience store after someone - or something - attacks them. The dynamic between the couples provides its own sense of danger, but so, too, does the mysterious creature slamming itself against the store’s window front trying to break in. The clever visual effects leave audiences unsure exactly what’s trying to gobble up the protagonists, and you’ll be rooting for the film’s heavy, played with gusto by Shea Whigham.

2. Eden Lake (2008)

This British chiller follows a couple eager for a romantic camping trip. What they stumble onto is a pack of unruly teenagers who terrorize them at every turn. Lake doesn’t need monsters or vampires to leave us breathless. It’s the thought of everyday kids running amok that does the trick.

3. Rogue (2007)

A killer croc movie? Pass. Not so fast. This Aussie import provides some beautiful scenery and expertly crafted thrills. The attractive cast doesn’t hurt, including Michael Vartan of Alias fame and the under-rated Radha Mitchell (Melinda and Melinda)

4. The House of the Devil (2009)

This 2009 film paid homage to the early ’80s horror movies with one big difference. It’s actually smarter and more satisfying than the films from the time period it’s emulating. A broke college student decides to take a babysitting gig in a creepy old mansion. Bad move. Fun movie. Just be patient. The film starts very slowly and takes some time before it reaches the boiling point.

5. Shuttle (2008)

This shocker is less a pure horror film than a nail-biting thriller, but there’s enough blood spilled to qualify for the genre. A group of travelers make their way onto an airport shuttle to deliver them back home. The shuttle bus driver has other plans. You might not believe some of the twists that soon unfold, but the film barrels forward at a breakneck pace.

6. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

The slasher genre gets skewered in this sly horror comedy. A wannabe serial killer named Leslie Vernon hires a documentary crew to shoot the dawn of his killing spree. This no-budget affair offers some funny observations on the horror genre and manages to be creepy as Leslie goes to work.

7. Wolf Creek (2005)

This one is unsettling, plain and simple. Three travelers, lost in the Australian Outback, run into a charismatic local who knows the lay of the land. That’s all that can be shared about the film without giving too much away. Director Greg McLean, who is also responsible for Rogue, takes his sweet time before unleashing the evil. But when it comes … it hits about as hard as a horror film can. Not for the squeamish.

8. Pontypool (2008)

This sleeper might be the most cerebral shocker on this list. It’s the tale of a wizened disc jockey trying to maintain his cool as a zombie-like outbreak spreads across the town. Don’t expect blood and guts mayhem, just psychological terror anchored by a great lead performance from Stephen McHattie.

9. The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

Horror fans couldn’t wait for this feature, an adaptation of one of author Clive Barker’s creepier tales. But the film’s studio rushed it into but a few theaters before it raced to DVD. Train isn’t a classic by any means. The ending is a bit bloodless, dramatically speaking, but it’s one of the more brutal horror films in recent years, should that be your cup of joe. Vinnie Jones provides a terrifying screen presence as a passenger to be avoided at all costs.

10. Slither (2006)

Think horror-comedy and films like Shaun of the Dead and An American Werewolf in London rush to mind, and for good reason. But this no-nonsense thriller is a perky blend of laughter and gross-out moments. A meteor crashes to earth, bringing with it a creature eager to infiltrate a small Midwestern town. Firefly’s Nathan Fillion finds the right tongue in cheek groove to make this romp a guiltless pleasure.

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From Paris with Love (February 5) and Cop Out (February 26) are two new movies from John Travolta (age 55)and Bruce Willis (age 54), respectively. Two new action comedies from two veteran actors, who have seen many ups and downs in their careers.

Who’s the better actor/man of the two? Below is a comparison based on our Movie Genome, to answer this question once and for all. Who’s had the better career so far? Who’s worked harder? Who has more friends? And even – who gets laid more often?

Who made more blockbusters?
We start with a tie: 14 blockbusters each. Willis can be proud of Die Hard, Sin City, The Fifth Element and 12 Monkeys; some of Travolta’s money-makers are Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Face/Off and Phenomenon. And of course they were together in Pulp Fiction.

Who made more rubbish?
Here we have Willis as the winner, or more accurately, the loser. He’s done 14 critically panned movies, while Travolta has only 13. Travolta is really ashamed for doing Wild Hogs and Battlefield Earth, and Willis confined himself indoors after The Whole Ten Yards and Perfect Stranger. They can comfort each other for being in Look Who’s Talking Too together.

Who’s more violent?
Both Travolta and Willis are male idols, symbols of manliness and machismo. So, who’s the more violent of the two? Who’s more likely to pick a fight? Well, the answer is clear. Willis is almost twice as violent as Travolta. 35 of Willis’ movies are violent, whereas only 18 of Travolta’s are. What will you do when Bruce tries to beat you up, John? Will you trade faces with him too? Will you try to dance him away?

Who’s funnier?
It turns out that Willis is way funnier: 40 humorous titles in comparison to 22 for Travolta. Sure, Hairspray and Michael were funny, but can you compare them to the much funnier The Whole Nine Yards and Moonlighting?

Who has more friends?
Once again, it’s a tie: 17 each. Travolta has his fireman buddies from Ladder 49, his middle-aged friends from Wild Hogs and his young friends from Grease. Willis is in good terms with Billy Bob Thornton from Bandits; with Tracy Morgan, his new friend from Cop Out, and with his young self, from The Kid.

Who has more sex?
20 movies flagged with sexual content for Willis and only 14 for John Travolta. No doubt, Willis is having way more fun. Travolta managed to resist sleeping with Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction; Willis, on the other hand, didn’t leave much room for imagination in Color of Night where he did all kinds of things with the beautiful Jane March.

Who works harder?
They are almost at the same age, yet Willis has 64 titles under his belt, while Travolta only has 49. John, stop messing with silly things like flying airplanes and spending time with the family, and start catching up with Bruce.

Who do the critics prefer?
Willis has made 15 critically acclaimed movies, The Sixth Sense being one of them; Travolta impressed the critics in 14 movies, including De Palma’s Blow Out.

Who’s got a bigger trophy cabinet?
Or in other words, who participated in more award-winning movies? Once again, the answer is Willis, with 17 award-winning titles compared to Travolta’s 12. Willis’ The Fifth Element won a Bafta and a Cesar; Travolta’s Primary Colors won a Bafta. They both share the Oscar-winning Pulp Fiction: the Oscar is in Tarantino’s house on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays, Willis has it on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Travolta has it on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Who’s more Hollywood?
You’re probably used to it by now: The answer is Bruce Willis, with 11 “Hollywood tone” movies. Travolta has 9. We’re not saying it’s necessarily a good thing, but we’d love to see both of them participate in more indie films (another tie, 9 for both). Hey, even in foreign ones: Wouldn’t it be cool to see Willis in an Almodovar flick? Or for his 80th birthday, Travolta in a Godard film?

Conclusion – As you can see for yourself, there’s no doubt that the better man and the better actor of the two is Bruce Willis! Willis wins more awards and works harder; he’s funnier and he has more sex. At least Travolta can say he spread less violence in the world and has made one less awful movie than Willis.

Let’s hope that Cop Out will be as good as Die Hard and Moonlighting. We already know that shaving his head didn’t work, and that Travolta’s From Paris with Love disappoints.

Technorati Tags: Travolta, Bruce Willis, From Paris with Love, Cop Out

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What kind of love are you in the mood for on Valentine’s day? Find what you feel like watching with Jinni’s “love” genes…

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The Berlinale is celebrating its 60th birthday - mazal tov!

Berlinale, or the Berlin Film Festival, is celebrating its 60th birthday this week. In the last decade, it’s steadily grown to be the second most important film festival and film market in the world, right after Cannes.

My Berlinale
The 2001 Berlinale was my first (working) visit to a major film festival. It began with a moving opening screening of Enemy at the Gates. Berlin has seen better opening films in its 60 years, but for me, as a Jew, it was a special experience to see this movie in the huge Berlinale Palast – although it’s not your “typical” Holocaust movie, or maybe because of that.

I tried to watch as much as possible, both festival and market films. And I watched a lot! If I didn’t like the first 10-15 minutes, I continued to the next screening (sorry filmmakers…). I tried to attend as many events as possible too and even do some sightseeing.

For me, the festival reached its grand finale in my hotel bed, where I lay with a high fever and other not-so-pleasant side effects of long nights, numerous parties, and consuming too many types of alcohol in a short period. (I’ve learned to hold my liquor better since…)

In sum, Berlin is an amazing city, and especially worth visiting during the festival.

Special Events This Year

As part of the special events for the festival’s 60th birthday, attendees will get the chance to see for the first time a reconstructed original cut of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis at the impressive and charged Brandenburg Gate, after the accidental recent finding of the full length 210min negative in the Museo Del Cine in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Another special event is the 4th Culinary Cinema event, this year with the motto of “In the Food for Love.” Eleven films revolving around the relationship between food and love, nature, and the environment will be presented, followed by large dinners inspired by the films and prepared by popular German chefs. And don’t worry, they will not screen a Saw-like movie before the meal… Guten appétit!

Top 5 Films to Watch

Unintentionally, it turns out that 3 out of the following 5 titles are fresh arrivals from last month’s Sundance. Do you also feel Sundance’s influence over Berlin in recent years?

Please Give
Screened out of competition, this is the fourth feature from the talented Nicole Holofcener. This indie director already created several urban relationship comedies (Friends with Money, Lovely & Amazing) and also directed several episodes in great TV series like Six Feet Under and Gilmore Girls.
Hopefully Please Give will display the same characteristics: The scene featured here proves Holofcener’s quirky sense of humor is present.

The Ghost Writer
This is Roman Polanski’s first feature since his 2005 adaptation of Oliver Twist, and already the center of a scandalous affair. Visiting the Zurich Film Festival last September, Polanski was arrested and work on the film had to be stopped. However, Polanski was eventually able to resume work from his house arrest in Switzerland (?!) and the film was finished in time to premiere at the Berlinale.

The trailer teases an atmospheric thriller with one of the most stellar casts at the Berlinale: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, James Belushi and many more. Scandals or not, this is still a Polanski film and therefore probably a strong candidate in this year’s competition.

Na Putu (On The Path)
Bosnia-Herzegovinia has one of the most rapidly developing cinema industries in the world. In this film, one of the country’s most celebrated directors, Jasmila Zbanic (Grbavica), deals with one of the most painful subjects Europe faces these days: religious fundamentalism.

This bittersweet dramedy portrays the relationship of Luna and Amar, as Amar begins to be drawn to the Muslim religion. Their relationship crumbles as Amar becomes more and more conservative. This could be the 2nd Golden Bear for Zbanic, who already received the award for her 2006 Grbavica.

The Killer Inside Me
This neo-noir adaptation of a pulp classic from the 50s has been in production hell since the mid-80s. Many directors undertook the project, including Quentin Tarantino and Andrew Dominik (The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), and mega-stars like Tom Cruise, Uma Thurman and Brad Pitt were supposed to star. But year after year the project was delayed until Michael Winterbottom took over.

Without revealing any spoilers, let’s just say the character of the patient, calm sheriff might change in the course of the movie…

WARNING: The following trailer contains R-rated scenes and spoilers!

Howl

Howl is a fascinating portrayal of counterculture creation, and an interesting exercise in filmmaking: it is in part a biopic of the famous poet Allen Ginsberg, in part a surreal animation adaptation of the poem itself and in part a courtroom drama following the controversy created around the poem, and the poet…, and all of this from directors who used to be documentarians till now.
Top all of the above with a strong cast: Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker, Jon Hamm and James Franco, and it promises to be one of the most intriguing indie films of the year.

Which screenings will you or would you book tickets to? Do you have any thoughts on the smaller films in the Panorama and Forum programs? Comment and let us know!

And are you about to see the long delayed and long anticipated Shutter Island? Watch for our upcoming post about it!

Technorati Tags: Berlinale, Berlin Film Festival

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We’re honored to have been voted Best Product Idea most likely to succeed during informal polling conducted as part of the Innovation Showcase at the CableLabs Winter Conference, which is being held this week in Denver, Colorado.

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The 80s and early 90s were a good time for deadly creatures, with franchises like Alien, Predator, Tremor, Species and many more. The Wolfman represents a revival of the mythical deadly creature, continuing the return of the genre with some new twists that we’ve seen over the past couple years, e.g. with Cloverfield and The Mist.

Which are the deadliest creatures on film so far? And will Wolfman enter the hall of fame?

10. Maritime Creatures: Jaws (1975)
Who doesn’t remember those few notes, which became one of the greatest suspense themes in the history of cinema?
Although Jaws was not the first deadly creature in cinematic history, it was one of the most popular and influential, and really pushed the genre of horror-thrillers to a new level.
Deadliness Level: 8/10

9. Monster-Type Creatures: Cloverfield (2008)
Based on a long tradition of monsters like Godzilla, who aren’t aliens yet aren’t based on actual animals either, Cloverfield refined the sheer horror such monsters cause us into one of the great successes of 2008.

The shaky-realistic camerawork, the viral buzz, and the fact that the actual monster is hardly visible throughout the movie, only enhanced the effect this movie had on audiences – who might previously have felt that the deadly creatures genre was dying from lack of new ideas in the 21st century.
Deadliness Level: 9/10

8. Subterranean Creatures: Tremors (1990)
Here’s something creepy: Worms!

If we thought deadly creatures could come from outer space, from isolated islands and from the bottoms of oceans, now we know they can also come from underground, which means they could be right below us even now…

This dark horror comedy quickly gained cult classic status, and became a franchise with no less than two sequels, one prequel and a TV series.
Deadliness Level: 6/10

7. Amphibious Creatures: The Host (2006)
Here we have, for a change, a creature that isn’t that huge: Basically it’s the size of a small truck. But the saying that size doesn’t matter proves itself once again in this movie. The creature’s relatively small size doesn’t prevent it from chasing, mutilating and eating everyone in sight.

The film garnered critical praise and selections as one of the best of 2006-2007, even in the high-brow magazine Cahiers du Cinema. Clearly, creature films do not have to be trashy or silly in order to be good.
Deadliness Level: 8/10

6. Extraterrestrial Creatures: Alien (1979)
It was either this, or Species. Would you believe that a gorgeous naked blond can lose, and to a slimy giant cockroach at that? It just goes to show that Alien is probably the most well-known and beloved franchises of deadly creatures, with the first Alien considered a masterpiece and a breakthrough in cinematic sci-fi-horror.

Its success spawned novels, toys, comic books, video games and several sequels/prequels. Not to mention a spin-off series in which the deadly creature from Alien battles the deadly creature from Predator, to the extreme joy (or sadness) of all who love this genre. There is a winner in this battle: while a prequel to Alien was rumored, a new sequel to Predator is about to be released this year, Predators.
Deadliness Level: 9/10

5. Cute, Fluffy Creatures: Black Sheep (2006)
A lovely green meadow. Fluffy white sheep eating grass. A sense of tranquility surrounds you… until you feel your leg being eaten!

That is, more or less, the new interpretation of deadly creatures that Black Sheep brings us.

Why use all sorts of weird aliens, underwater monsters and creepy mutants when you can use real-life, regular creatures like sheep? In this movie, it’s the contradiction between the “cute” nature and look of the sheep and the actual things it does that makes us laugh and be scared at the same time. Now how about a film about a manic were-poodle?
Deadliness Level: 5/10

4. Arachnid Creatures: Arachnophobia (1990)
Many housewives and housemen readers of this post will probably agree: Spiders and other domestic insects can be much more frightening than your average gigantic monster or evil alien.
The reason? Spiders actually exist!

It’s a lot easier to tell yourself “It’s just a movie” when it deals with creatures that you don’t meet in real life. But when you encounter spiders on a daily basis, it might seem a little too… well… plausible.
Deadliness Level: 7/10

3. Plant Creatures: Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Newsflash: A creature does not have to be animal-like or even mobile in order to be deadly.

The proof is in Little Shop of Horrors. The greatness of this particularly deadly creature is that it uses its psychological and persuasive abilities instead of its physical abilities. In this movie you will not see screaming people running from unrecognizable beasts, but rather the victims coming to the creature themselves.

Needless to say the movie is more sci-fi comedy than horror per se, but we can’t discriminate just because this deadly creature is a plant!
Deadliness Level: 6/10

2. Unidentified Creatures: The Smoke Monster (Lost, 2004)

“Watching Lost is what I imagine it might be like to be trapped inside Paula Abdul’s brain,” Jimmy Kimmel once said, and indeed, recent happenings in the opening of season 6 of Lost didn’t totally reveal the mystery that surrounded one of the most bizarre deadly creatures in TV history. At times it was even a little ridiculous to see a group of tough grownups running away from a black trail of smoke, but hey, that’s what made Lost so likeable, no? Actually no, but it is better than turning a wheel that removes an island. Anyway, it was definitely an original deadly creature, one I’m not sure will have a successor (nor do we really want it to have one…).
Deadliness Level: 10/10

1. Half-Human Half-Creature: The Wolfman (2010)
This upcoming movie is a remake of a horror classic from 1941, starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving.

The trailer indicates a stylized period piece that could really advance the genre on a few levels from what we’ve been used to in the recent years. Rather than a trashy horror flick created mainly for teens where bodies pile up as the story progresses, perhaps we’ll get something a bit more complex. Of course, we’ll have to wait until the movie is released to see if these guesses are correct.
Deadliness Level: ?

Did we miss your favorite deadly creature? And what do you think Wolfman will be like? Comment and let us know!

Technorati Tags: Wolfman, deadly creatures

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And the Oscar Goes To… (Find Out Here First)

The Oscar nominations have been announced! But here at Jinni, we got our hands on the list of winners!! It wasn’t that difficult, we just told the guy with the envelope to look over there. While he was busy looking for something extraordinary, we opened the envelope, took out the list, copied it with our cell phone (smart and slick, we know) and put it back in the envelope. He never noticed.

So there you have it. More than a month before everyone else, we give you the list of winners:

Best Movie: Avatar

The Academy went with the people and chose Avatar as Best Picture. Saying that Avatar is not a good movie these days is like saying that Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts aren’t tasty. Avatar is about to receive, or maybe already received, the status of sacred cow. Nevertheless, I dare to say The Hurt Locker is a way better movie and so are Inglourious Basterds, Up in the Air and The Blind Side. I think that Avatar is a genocide movie in 3D, visually amazing but with too-obvious political criticism and a general lack of plot and acting.

Best Actor: Morgan Freeman

I disagree with this pick too. Freeman is a great actor, one of the best ever, but he wasn’t at his best in his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in Invictus. It’s like he did us a favor and made a really slight effort to make a decent South African accent. It could be his most unconvincing acting to date. I guess it’s a Scorsese-type Oscar: He deserved one for many of his previous works (The Shawshank Redemption, Driving Miss Daisy), so the Academy is giving it to him this time as a compensation prize. The winner should have been George Clooney for his excellent role in Up in the Air.

Best Actress: Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep was brilliant in Julie and Julia. Some say she resembled Julia Childs even more than Julia Childs, but I think it’s a real shame that the Oscar didn’t go to Sandra Bullock, who might have to content herself with a Razzie . Bullock gave the performance of her life in The Blind Side. I fell in love with the character she played. And while Streep will probably receive more nominations and prestigious awards in future, this was kind of a one-time opportunity for Sandra Bullock. Meryl Streep is becoming the Michael Jordan of the best actress category: She is nominated almost every other year. So I guess that makes Sandra the Karl Malone of this year: Truly great, but Streep (Jordan) is the greatest.

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker

The Academy members didn’t miss the chance to make history, and Kathryn Bigelow is the first female director to receive the Oscar for best achievement in directing! She managed to create a truly tense, realistic and captivating movie with The Hurt Locker. Of the many movies that dealt with the Gulf war (Jarhead and The Messenger, to name just a few), The Hurt Locker is indeed the best.

Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

For many, Inglourious Basterds marks the return to form for Quentin Tarantino. Who can alter history in such a way and get away with it? Only Quentin the mad-genius / movie-geek / child-trapped-in-an-adult-body Tarantino. You can be offended by Inglourious Basterds, you can say it’s cruel and too violent, but there is one thing you can’t do: You can’t take your eyes off the screen. Also worth mentioning: The Coen Brothers’ A Serious Man. The dialogue is really clever, and I enjoyed their dark, mean humor.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious

This is a good choice. Precious is a brave movie that talks about “the other,” the social misfit. Precious deserves the win – and it’s quite a surprise, with Up in the Air the obvious favorite in this category.

Best Animated Feature: Up

We all knew Up was going to win. The announcement that it actually won is just for protocol, like election results in Iran. Fantastic Mr. Fox was well-received critically, but financially it pretty much failed. With no Oscar in hand, Wes Anderson’s movie can be considered something of a flop.

Best Foreign Film: The White Ribbon

I started watching this movie and stopped after three minutes and seven seconds. It’s in black-and-white and just too German and slow for me (at least the first three minutes and seven seconds). Ajami, my favorite in this category, is a captivating, rough movie about a poor urban neighborhood in Israel called Ajami. It’s up there with City of God, Amores Perros and Tsotsi.

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz

Bingo! No competition here. A brilliant performance by Waltz as the most charming Nazi villain (saying “Nazi villain” is kind of like saying “fat overweight guy”) of all time. You know you have to hate him – he’s a Nazi – but you just can’t.

Best Supporting Actress: Vera Farmiga

At the age of thirty-six and after superb roles in Running Scared, The Departed and Up In the Air, it’s now safe to say that Vera Farmiga is a big Hollywood star. She has quality written all over her.

P.S. Note that in the competition between the ex-couple Cameron and Bigelow, (each had 9 nominations), Bigelow wins, but not with a knockout (More wins to Bigelow, but Avatar did get the best pic prize).

Think the Academy was wrong? Think we’re bluffing and don’t really possess the list of winners? Comment and let us know.

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