I’ve always been pretty critical of Hollyweird, but I’m beginning to think that there may be some method to their madness. As you may have noticed over the past month or so, I’ve been rather annoyed by the slate of horrible movies that we’ve been bombarded with lately (Alpha Dog, Norbit, etc…). But it suddenly occurs to me that there might be a reason why Hollywood’s been slinging so much shit at us recently. Perhaps it’s because we’ve all been so busy catching up on all of the great Oscar-nominated films that we probably wouldn’t have been spending our money on new movies even if they weren’t complete crap.

Indeed, this is probably the exact reason why on the first weekend after the Oscars, we get two of the most interesting movies that have come out since, well, before the Oscar nominations. I just love that on the on the first week that I find myself craving some fresh, non oscar-related, blood, I find none other than Zodiac and Wild Hogs waiting for me to bite into.

Now, I understand that not everyone will agree with my including Wild Hogs in the same category as Zodiac, but let me explain my reasoning.

There was a time in the movie biz when successfully “packaging” a film meant simply putting together a huge Hollywood star with a huge Hollywood director. But more and more, it seems like a really good movie has to have three or four great actors all working side-by-side (this year’s best picture winner is a perfect example). I’m not sure how these movies are able to pull this off financially, but I don’t really care. I think it’s a wonderful trend, and I hope it continues.

Which brings me to Zodiac and Wild Hogs. To be honest, I would have seen Zodiac no matter who was starring in it, because I love David Fincher and I’d watch his home movies if he let me. But the fact that this film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo…hell, I’d sell my first born child to see that.

And as for Wild Hogs, I realize that the whole roadtrip thing has been done to death (as has the mid-life crisis thing), but I’m too focused on this odd collection of actors to really care. I mean, John Travolta, William H. Macy, Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence?? Are you serious? Normally, I would say that a studio should fire any casting director who makes decisions while under the influence of narcotics, but in this case, it’s so ridiculous that it works…perfectly. While the actors in Zodiac are the perfect collection for the seriousness and intensity of that movie, the collection of actors in Wild Hogs is absolutely perfect for the ridiculousness of a movie about four middle-aged guys who become bikers.

As you may have guessed, I’m going to say SEE IT for both Zodiac and Wild Hogs. I’m so happy we’ve finally got some good movies coming our way, and I think that these two films were the perfect choices to lead the pack. Good job, Hollywood. You’re not as dumb as I thought.

Zodiac (rated R) and Wild Hogs (rated PG-13) both open on March 2. (Official Sites: Zodiac, Wild Hogs)

It’s Tuesday, and you know what that means–new DVDs! Today is the DVD release date for one of my favorite movies of 2006, Stranger Than Fiction. In Stranger Than Fiction, Will Ferrell did something completely out of the ordinary for him–he played a normal, nondescript guy. Specifically, he portrayed Howard Crick, an analytical tax man who starts hearing a voice in his head. The voice is narrating Howard’s life, and it tells him his days are numbered.

Stranger Than Fiction is an ingenious, thought-provoking, original comedy. The strength of the film comes from Ferrell’s performance and Zach Helm’s script, which was nominated for a Writer’s Guild Award. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, and Queen Latifah round out the cast in an unusual combination that works. Put it on your Netflix queue immediately.

Also out this week are Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, Alexander - The Final Cut, and Don’t Look Back, a film of Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of England. Check out DVD Talk for the full list.

The Departed cleaned up, Marty got his Oscar, and Alan Arkin and Melissa Etheridge pulled off the evening’s upsets. The complete list of winners is here.

Best Dressed: There are so many to choose from, so I am not going to choose just one. My votes go to Cate Blanchett, Queen Latifah, Djimon Honsou, Reese Witherspoon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Jodie Foster. Who are your picks? E! Online has a complete gallery.

Live-blogging ain’t easy, but there are plenty of other gluttons for punishment out there. For the complete fashion assessment, there’s no one better than The Fug Girls. For industry gossip, turn to Defamer and Nikki Finke. And then, there’s David Spade.

The award for most boring Academy Awards telecast goes to the 2007 show. (Sorry, Laura Ziskin.) If you didn’t make it to the end, or even to the beginning, here are the bits that you should watch on YouTube.

Jack Black, Will Ferrell, and John C. Reilly singing about being lowly comedians at the Oscars:

Melissa Etheridge’s speech:

Al and Leo being very serious and then actually pretty funny:

Jennifer Hudson’s speech (it turns out she can act):

The silhouette dancers:

Forest Whitaker’s speech:

The best of Ellen (this one’s a bit long):

Martin Scorsese’s speech:

(Photo via Carpetbagger. Photo credit: Mark J. Terrill for the Associated Press.)

Previously: TrailerSpy live blogs the Oscars
The 79th Annual Academy Awards: Let the Drama Begin
TrailerSpy’s Oscar Predictions
Which Best Picture Nominee Has the Best Trailer?

This entry will be updated throughout the night, with the newest entries at the top of the post. Refresh your browser to see the updates. In case you haven’t seen our Oscar predictions, they are here. By the way, these time stamps (all EST) are really useful if you recorded the Oscars on your DVR or TiVo.

UPDATE: Check out our Oscars wrap up, complete with the essential videos from YouTube.

12:12am: Jack and Diane (Keaton) present Best Picture. Finally. The Oscar goes to… The Departed! Yay! Nice shot of Marty watching from the wings. Good speech from Graham King. I’m all Oscar-ed out now.

12:07am: The three amigos, Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg, are up to present Best Director. Please let Marty win. Please. He won! This is going to be one hell of a speech and one hell of a standing ovation. They better not start playing music, even if he goes on for five minutes. Good speech, Marty.

12:01am: Reese Witherspoon is hot again. Divorce agrees with her. Best Actor goes to Forest Whitaker. I was rooting for an upset just so that something interesting would happen. Whitaker thanks the people of Uganda and his ancestors.

11:52pm: Philip Seymour Hoffman is going for the Nick Nolte look. Wtf is up with his hair? He has dreadlocks! Best Actress time, finally. Helen Mirren wins, and we are all shocked.

11:45pm: Jodie Foster introduces the memorial montage. Will Anna Nicole Smith be included? Nope. The memorial fittingly ends with a tribute to Robert Altman. Is this the longest Oscars ever? Or is it just especially boring? Where is Roberto Benigni when we need him?

11:41pm: After yet another montage (it’s 11:40 already!) Kate Winslet is presenting for Editing. This award could decide many pools. The Oscar goes to The Departed. I think this is going to foreshadow Best Picture. Marty is crying at his editor’s speech. Aww.

11:30pm: Queen Latifah and John Travolta present Best Original Song. Latifah presented this award last year and sang, “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp…” when she presented the award. Melissa Etheridge pulls off the huge upset for An Inconvenient Truth! Best speech so far. She is truly touched and humble, and she is seriously thanking Al Gore. Dreamgirls is really getting the bitchslap, except in the one category that I was hoping for an upset.

11:23pm: Dreamgirls song montage. Beyonce gets my vote for Best Actress when she looks at J. Hud and says “you’re the best…” Beyonce is singing her heart out, and nearly busts out of her dress.

11:12pm: Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire present Original Screenplay. They really don’t look happy to be on the stage together. The Oscar goes to Little Miss Sunshine! Yay! For a second there, I was starting to worry that LMS would be shut out. [Ed: Duh, Alan Arkin won already.] Writer Michael Arndt gives one of the better speeches so far.

11:09pm: Hugh Jackman and Penelope Cruz present Best Original Score. I picked The Queen, but I’m wishing I’d picked Babel. The Oscar goes to Babel.

11:02pm: Ennio Morricone accepts his Lifetime Achievement Award, and only the people in Italy understand him. Clint Eastwood is acting as his interpreter. I know Clint can do anything, but interpret Italian? Who knew?

10:47pm: Documentary Feature time. If Al Gore loses, Tipper better keep him away from sharp objects. The Oscar goes to…An Inconvenient Truth! Al Gore, Oscar winner. Screw the White House. Dubya is totally jealous right now. Two points for global warming movies. Al uses his speech to motivate people to actually do something about global warming. Good speech.

10:43pm: Documentary short goes to The Blood of the Yingzhou District.

10:35pm: Best Supporting Actress time. Come on, everybody except Jennifer Hudson! Clooney is looking especially yummy. And the Oscar goes to…. Jennifer Hudson. Crap. Girl, you have officially peaked. Good thing you took off that hideous jacket.

10:31pm: Two of my favorite actors, Clive Owen and Cate Blanchett, are up to present Best Foreign Film. The award goes to The Lives of Others, in an upset. So much for the Pan’s Labyrinth sweep.

10:21pm: Pirates wins for Visual Effects, beating two huge flops, Superman Returns and Poseidon.

10:14pm: Cinematography goes to Pan’s Labyrinth. Darn, looks like Children of Men will go home empty-handed, but Pan’s Labyrinth is indeed on its way to a sweep.

10:08pm: Tom Cruise awards Sherry Lansing an honorary Oscar for humanitarian work. As the former head of Paramount, she is one of the few women who has had real power in Hollywood. Tal asks a good question: has the Academy ever given this award to a studio executive?

10:03pm: Love Emily Blunt’s dress. Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway are recreating their roles from The Devil Wears Prada, and Meryl is playing along. Costume Design goes to Marie Antoinette. Why is the woman who won wearing a hideous tuxedo? Shouldn’t she, by definition, have the most fabulous outfit?

9:49pm: Best Adapted Screenplay time. I wish Sacha Baron Cohen would win, just for the speech. But it won’t happen. The Oscar goes to The Departed. Could this be the first of many awards for The Departed?

9:43pm: Cameron Diaz is presenting for Best Animated Feature. Our group is split on how well her overall look is working. Consensus is that she’s a little too orange. The award goes to Happy Feet. Has Pixar ever not won this award? One point for global warming movies.

9:36pm: Omg, Al Gore and Leo DiCaprio are so boring. But wait, what is Al Gore announcing? And then the music starts. That’s hilarious!

9:21pm: The first high profile award is up. Best Supporting Actor goes to Alan Arkin!!! WOO HOO!!! Upset alert!! I CALLED IT! Eddie Murphy’s non-win means Dreamgirls has no steam and Jennifer Hudson could very well be upset. (Fingers crossed!)

9:18pm: Please let Kevin O’Connell of Apocalypto win for Sound Mixing. He’s been nominated 18 times, for crying out loud. The award goes to Dreamgirls. Kevin O’Connell is the Susan Lucci of the Oscars. Poor guy. Is it because people won’t vote for anything that Mel Gibson is involved with?

9:14pm: Our entire group picks Letters From Iwo Jima for Sound Editing. The award goes to Letters From Iwo Jima. Yay! The Marine Corps gets a shout out, which has to make my dad happy.

9:05pm: Is Jack playing a cancer patient? Is that why he’s bald? (Update: Yes, he is. Check the last item on R&M.)

9:04pm: Live Action Short goes to West Bank Story. David Edelstein, you’re my hero. Ooh, the West Bank Story director is gorgeous.

9:01pm: Abigail Breslin and Jaden Smith are too cute. Best Animated Short goes to The Danish Poet. Thank you David Edelstein for the hot tip.

8:57pm: Jack Black, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly = best Oscar skit ever. Make-up Oscar goes to Pan’s Labyrinth.

8:50pm: Don LaFontaine appears and we all shout, “It’s the movie trailer announcer guy! From the Geico commercials!”

8:45pm: Art Direction: My money’s on Pan’s Labyrinth. Woo hoo! The Art Director woman is scary skinny and needs cheeseburgers. Our little party is forecasting a Pan’s sweep in its categories.

8:41pm: Jack is bald. And now he looks kind of creepy. Ellen, you can have a box of chardonnay at my house anytime you want.

8:33pm: The first montage of all the nominees speaking directly to the camera looks very much like the Mac vs. PC commercials. Where is Justin Long?

8:27pm: Andre Leon Talley of Vogue reminds us all why he works at a magazine and not as a television commentator.

7:47pm: Naomi Watts is sporting a bump and is officially pregnant. Congrats, Liev Schrieber. Nicole Kidman–what is up with the ginormous bow around your neck? Even Tal’s reaction is “Why?”

7:32pm: Gwyneth Paltrow has redeemed herself for her black Goth emsemble from a few years ago. Daniel Craig’s date is wearing a gorgeous dress, but she needs to eat many cheeseburgers.

7:24pm: Cate Blanchett hath arrived. She is a fashion goddess and can do no wrong. Oooh, Sacha Baron Cohen. Yum. What is Kirsten Dunst wearing on her top?

7:04pm: We heart Maggie Gyllenhaal. You can never go wrong with old Hollywood glamour. Love Penelope Cruz’s dress, but it is almost identical to the one that Charlize Theron wore the year after she won.

6:58pm: Jennifer Hudson has arrived dressed for her role in the next Star Wars sequel.

6:43pm: All two of TrailerSpy’s writers are in the same room, so we have extra security at the door and another blogger squirreled away for safe keeping.

3:18pm, EST: We’re getting an early jump on this live-blogging thing. Last night, TrailerSpy’s Los Angeles correspondent attended the dress rehearsal at the Oscars. She asked to remain anonymous, so let’s just call her J. Here are J’s notes from the dress rehearsal, but be warned, they CONTAIN SPOILERS.

“Some great stuff…Ellen DeGeneres is going to be hilarious! John C. Reilly, Jack Black and Will Ferrell do a little skit (too funny). Celine Dion is so full of herself it is scary (and if she wears the same dress she wore tonight she needs to hire a new stylist!). Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce and the other girl (forget her name) are AMAZING. Some really cool stages - mostly gold and silver metallic tones - and there are at least 10 different set-ups. They have some GREAT montages (Producer Laura Ziskin LOVES montages). Tonight, sitting in the 3rd row, center stage, in the seat behind where Rachel Weisz and Cameron Diaz will sit, so just a few seats away from Robert Downey Jr., George Lucas, Mark Walhberg, John C.. Reilly, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard will sit tomorrow night, I felt like a star. OH! Not sure if you heard it or not, but ALL of the major awards will be during the last hour. ALL of them. Kinda cool. Great presenters - Al Gore with Leo DiCaprio. John Travolta with Queen Latifah. Jennifer Lopez. Maggie Gyllenhaal. Helen Mirren. Cate Blanchett. George Clooney. Cameron Diaz. Rachel Weisz. Tom Cruise. Clint Eastwood. Abigail Breslin with Jaden Smith. Anyways, from what I saw tonight, I will still watch tomorrow night. Alot of the reason is because if Ellen goes with what she did tonight, I want to hear it again and laugh all over again.”

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.

As you may have noticed, Julie and I are both pretty excited about this year’s Academy Awards. Say what you will about Hollyweird and our culture’s obsession with celebrities; the reality is that the Academy Awards ceremony is damn entertaining. Indeed, the Academy Awards is often just as entertaining as the movies that are being awarded.

Actually, I think in a way, the Academy Awards ceremony is a bit like a movie itself. Just think about it: you’ve got your lead actor (Ellen Degeneres), your story line (who’s gonna win?), a whole lot of interesting subplots (will Marty finally get his Oscar?, will Al Gore announce his candidacy for president on the grandest stage of all?), and you’ve got one hell of a supporting cast (um, every major actor alive today). In fact, you can even expect a few dramatic plot-twists (who the hell thought Crash was gonna beat Brokeback last year?) and you’re always guaranteed to see some stellar acting performances (Halle Berry’s best actress acceptance speech comes to mind).

In my opinion, that’s the real reason why so many people tune in to the Oscars every year. Yes, I’m sure that some people just want to see who’s wearing what, and plenty of other people are just curious who’s gonna win and who’s gonna lose. But in my opinion, the reason most of us watch is to see the drama that unfolds during the awards ceremony itself. For example, imagine the shock that will vibrate through Kodak Theatre if Cate Blanchet wins best supporting actress instead of Jennifer Hudson (as Julie has so bravely predicted). And for christ’s sake, who the hell is going to win the best picture this year? Plus, let’s not forgot the interesting study in human nature that occurs when a person is simultaneously handed the biggest award of their lifetime and then asked to give a speech in front of an audience of millions.

The truth is that the Academy Awards ceremony really is a movie unto itself. Which is why it may not be surprising that the Academy Awards has its very own trailer. Take a look if you’re interested. It was directed by Spike Lee. In my opinion, it kinda sucks, but I’m still pretty certain that the awards ceremony is going to be excellent. That’s why I’m gonna take a risk and say SEE IT.

The 79th Annual Academy Awards airs Sunday at 8pm eastern time on ABC. (Official Site)

Oh, and tune in during the ceremony when Julie is going to be making TrailerSpy’s first ever attempt at live-blogging.

It’s Oscar Weekend, so tomorrow is the Oscar Movie Marathon at AMC Theatres across the country. For $30 bucks you can sit through all five of the Best Picture nominees during AMC’s Best Picture Showcase. AMC’s official info is here.

If you live in the New York City area and are interested in seeing all the Oscar nominated short movies, the IFC Center is showing them. Buy one ticket and you can see all the live action shorts or all the animated shorts. These are the toughest categories to handicap and here is your chance to gain a real edge in your Oscar pool. Showtimes are here.

(Side note: We’ll be live-blogging the Oscars on Sunday, starting around 7pm.)

On a non-Oscar topic, if you live in the NYC or NJ area, a trip to the Loew’s Jersey is a must. This is an old movie palace, the kind that most of us have only seen in films. If you can imagine the grand cinemas where old movie premieres were held, then you are on the right track. The screen is several stories tall, and there are ornate paintings on the ceiling, crystal chandeliers, and grand staircases. Built in 1929, the theatre fell into disrepair and it is now being painstakingly restored by volunteers.

Loew’s Jersey only shows films one weekend a month, and this weekend they are screening their top 3 most-requested movies. If you’ve ever wanted to see one of these classics on a five-story screen, here is your chance.

Friday, 8pm: Back To The Future
Saturday, 2pm: Gone With The Wind
Saturday, 8pm: Casablanca

Adult tickets are just $6 and all proceeds benefit the theatre’s restoration. Snacks are cheap too. The Loew’s Jersey Theatre is surprisingly easy to reach from Manhattan, just steps away from the Journal Square PATH stop.

I can’t tell you how much I recommend visiting the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre, at least once. Their official site is here.

Whether you want to win your Oscar pool or just sound informed at a party on the big night, we’ve got you covered. Here are my Oscar picks, with lots of help from the experts at Oscar Watch.

Supporting Actress
Ok, I’m going to begin with a doozy that may start some arguments. If you want the safe bet, pick Jennifer Hudson, but I’m going to bet that she won’t win. There is no freakin’ way that Academy members, who are elitist overachievers, are going to give an Oscar to an actor in her first acting job. That doesn’t happen unless the actor is 12. The Academy is tired of Dreamgirls (remember, it wasn’t nominated for Best Picture) and frankly, Hudson’s been completely over-hyped. Anybody who saw Dreamgirls after mid-January walked away from her performance thinking, that’s it? I mean, the girl can sing, there’s no denying that. But the award is Best Supporting Actress. And let me tell you, every other nominee acted circles around Jennifer Hudson, even 10-year-old Abigail Breslin. However, Breslin won’t win. Both Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi were amazing in Babel, but they will split votes from Babel fans. All of which leaves Cate Blanchett to swoop in for her second Best Supporting Actress Oscar in three years. Her performance in the climactic scene of Notes on a Scandal was a work of art (as was Judi Dench’s, but it’s not her year). Furthermore, Blanchett has worked with a good percentage of the Academy, and the Academy votes for its own.
Safe Bet: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
My Pick: Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal

Supporting Actor
Eddie Murphy, unlike Jennifer Hudson, is actually an actor, or at least a comedian. I did walk away from Dreamgirls pleasantly surprised by how good he was in the role. Then again, this is also the man behind Norbit, and those Norbit ads were unmissable during the entire voting period. Of the other nominees, Alan Arkin has the most momentum. Jackie Earle Haley is the other upset candidate, but he is playing a pedophile in Little Children, which few people saw.
Safe Bet: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
My Pick: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

Lead Actress
The Academy has already started engraving this award with Helen Mirren’s name on it. She simply was Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, and it is impossible to imagine anyone else in the role.
Safe Bet: Helen Mirren, The Queen
My Pick: Helen Mirren, The Queen

Lead Actor
Reese Witherspoon has presented so many awards to Forest Whitaker this season that by now they are old friends. Oscar night will be no different. Ryan Gosling will get another shot, and sentiment isn’t enough to carry Peter O’Toole to the podium.
Safe Bet: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
My Pick: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Director
This is Martin Scorsese’s sixth Oscar nomination for Best Director, and eighth nomination overall, but every year he has gone home empty-handed. (He was nominated for Adapted Screenplay for Goodfellas and The Age of Innocence.) He was supposed to have won in 2005 for The Aviator, but Clint Eastwood stole his thunder with Million Dollar Baby. The Aviator was a good, but long, movie, and The Departed is brilliant. This is Marty’s year, plain and simple.
Safe Bet: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
My Pick: Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Best Picture
This year’s Best Picture race is so close that Fox Searchlight has hired people to give cupcakes away in Los Angeles on behalf of Little Miss Sunshine. It has devolved into a high school popularity contest, but with much larger stakes.

If I were an Oscar voter, I would look at the Best Picture category as a question of legacy. Which film is going to leave the greater legacy? Which film has a greater legacy: Dances With Wolves, or Goodfellas? Goodfellas, of course, but Dances won.

Prognosticators and bookies have The Departed, Babel, and Little Miss Sunshine in a dead heat. Letters From Iwo Jima is a masterpiece, but hardly anybody saw it. Plus, Clint won for Best Picture twice already. The Queen is a really good television movie. Many people are predicting gold for Little Miss Sunshine, and as much as I would love for that to happen, comedies simply don’t win, especially not zany comedies about a family of losers.

The real contenders are Babel and The Departed. Not many people saw Babel, but those who did either loved Babel or they really hated it. There was a fair amount of frontal female nudity, which will turn off notoriously conservative Oscar voters. Numerous websites are saying that Babel is this year’s Crash, since they share similar themes. All those people who were heartbroken that Crash took the big prize over Brokeback Mountain last year are not going to be voting for Babel.

So I am going to go with The Departed. At two and a half hours long, I was expecting to be bored and antsy, but I barely blinked. The box office winner has a definite advantage in the Best Picture race, and the sentiment for Martin Scorsese will be a huge factor.
Safe Bet: Babel or The Departed
My Pick: The Departed

Agree? Disagree? Let’s hear it…

For analysis and picks on the rest of the categories, click here.

Previously: Which Best Picture nominee has the Best Trailer?

The Best Picture race is unusually tight this year, and movies are looking for any advantage they can get. Which Best Picture nominee has the best trailer? You be the judge. Here they are, in alphabetical order.

Babel:

The Departed:

Letters From Iwo Jima:

Little Miss Sunshine:

The Queen:

Click here for TrailerSpy’s Oscar predictions.

Here at TrailerSpy, we mostly review the movie trailers. Sometimes, though, one of us will talk our way into an advance screening, and we’ll get to write a movie review before most reviews are released.

Last week, I was lucky enough to find myself at the premiere of Amazing Grace. As I had already reviewed the trailer, I was anxious to see the finished product. I am happy to tell you that the film is much, much better than the trailer would have you believe.

Amazing Grace is the true story of William Wilberforce, who fought to end slavery in England in the 1790s. In a time when England’s economy was wholly reliant on slave labor, Wilberforce took on the slave trade, which had most of Parliament in its pocket.

Charismatic Ioan Gruffudd plays the lead role, and he is supported by effective turns from Michael Gambon, Rufus Sewell, Benedict Cumberbatch, Youssou N’Dour, Albert Finney, Romola Garai, and Jeremy Swift. At the helm is Michael Apted, who also directed The World Is Not Enough and Nell.

Amazing Grace rides on the charm of its lead actor, Welshman Ioan Gruffudd (pronounced YO-an GRIFF-ith, or as I call him, Yummy Ioan). Gruffudd is in nearly every scene and he carries the film completely on his impassioned performance. He spends much of the movie in powdered wigs and make-up that makes him look sick and tired, but you can never take your eyes off of him. (Or maybe that was just me.)

After the film, I found myself asking why Gruffudd is not a bigger star. You may have seen him in The Fantastic Four or King Arthur, and across the pond he is quite well known for his stint as the title character in the Horatio Hornblower mini-series. Between Amazing Grace and The Fantastic Four sequel, perhaps 2007 will be the year everyone knows how to pronounce Ioan Gruffudd’s name.

The film is a moving biopic that will have you rooting for Wilberforce and his compatriots. At almost two hours, Amazing Grace never feels slow. It would be difficult to watch this movie and not to root for Wilberforce—it’s another retelling of David vs. Goliath.

Amazing Grace trips only when the film tries to connect itself to the song. In one early scene, Wilberforce tries to prove a point about slavery to a bunch of poker players by standing up on the card table and singing Amazing Grace. Even in 1784, I highly doubt this would have happened.

So put Amazing Grace on the rental queue—you’ll be happy you did. (And trust me, guys, this isn’t a chick flick.) Amazing Grace is rated PG and opens nationwide on Friday, February 23. (Official site)

Previously: Amazing Grace trailer review

I’ve been around the block a couple times with the whole writing thing, so I’ve learned a bit about character devices. Indeed, one of my favorite character devices is the one where you use a character’s physical traits to subtly hint at the character’s inner personality.

For example, if your male lead has a very dependent personality, you might have him walking around on crutches for a some part of the story. Or if your female lead is completely oblivious to the realities in her life, it might be fun to fashion her with a really thick pair of eye-glasses.

The thing about this particular character device, though, is that it really does have to be done subtly. The point is that you’re trying to communicate with the audience on a subconscious level, not a conscious one, and if you make the connection too obvious, it just ends up being cheesy and stupid. A good example of this is Elisabeth Shue’s character in The Saint, who’s life-threatening “heart condition” mysteriously disappeared when her and Val Kilmer’s character fell in love (excuse me while I throw up).

This is why I find the new Christina Ricci movie, Penelope, so fascinating. When I first heard about the premise of this movie, about a girl whose family curse leaves her with a pig-snout for a nose, I immediately assumed that it would be a stinker. After all, you can’t get any more obvious than to put an actual pig-snout on a girl. However, when I finally saw this trailer, which just hit the internet a couple days ago, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only does this movie not look cheesy or stupid; it actually looks pretty good.

I guess the only explanation for this is that sometimes you can go to such an extreme that it ends up being interesting. Instead of trying to be clever about this girl resembling a pig, this movie just throws it in your face from the very beginning and you have no choice but to get over the lack of subtlety and focus on the rest of the story.

Indeed, Penelope seems to turn this character device on its head in more ways than one. Most importantly, instead of having Christina Ricci’s character be a bit of a slob or have an ugly personality, as the pig-snout would imply, her character is actually the exact opposite of these things. Thus, the character device is no longer being used to imply anything at all about the character’s actual personality. Instead, the pig-snout is there to prove a point, that a person’s physical traits often have absolutely nothing to do with the realities of who the person actually is on the inside.