I know the SAG Awards were a while back, but Betty White’s acceptance speech for her Life Achievement Award was so adorable. Here it is, in case you missed it. She’s such a gem.

Hmmm, here’s some interesting news about ‘Breaking Dawn.’ Deadline Hollywood is reporting that it might be split into two movies.
Summit Entertainment isn’t talking at this point, saying only, “No decision has been made and as we have said all along, we are continuing to work with Stephenie Meyer to bring ‘Breaking Dawn’ to the big screen.”
Yeah, that’s not really saying anything, is it? The cynical part of me thinks that two films would make way more money than one, so that would be a reason for the powers that be to do it that way.
Those of …read more

There’s something about Luc Besson movies … they tend to have this “hang on for dear life” feel to them, and ‘From Paris With Love’ is no different. He also wrote and/or produced ‘Transporter 3’ and ‘Taken.’
The first 15 minutes sort of wanders along, a nice little French movie with Jonathan Rhys Meyers playing green-behind-the-ears James Reece, a man working as an assistant to a U.S. Ambassador, but playing a little spy game behind the scenes.
But then the movie suddenly kicks into high gear and it’s non-stop action until the end credits roll. John Travolta plays an American …read more

My friends over at Moviefone (full disclosure: I’m a contributor there) have put together a marvelous little mash-up in honor of Valentine’s Day. The actual day, not the movie coming out tomorrow.
Film Gecko’s blogging platform won’t let me embed the video (wah!), so I’m going to send you over to Moviefone to watch it, because it’s quite romantic and fun.
In case you need more incentive, it’s got Hepburn and Tracy, Pattinson and Stewart, Ford and Fisher, Roberts and Grant, Streep and Eastwood, Keaton and Allen, Bogart and Bergman, and oh, plenty more.
Regular Film Gecko readers know I’m all about …read more

Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan has signed on for ‘The Unblinking Eye,’ a psychological thriller directed and written by  Michael Bassett.
The story follows homicide detective John Callisto (Morgan), now a retired recluse after being nearly murdered by a serial killer, who’s tracked down by a relentless journalist. Dark secrets from both of their pasts come to light.
Hmmm, not a lot to go on there. I have to wonder if his character will end up dead, though, since he seems to gravitate towards “dead guy” roles. I just started watching The CW’s ‘Supernatural’ on DVD, and am wondering if …read more

I guess I can see Penelope Cruz in a ‘Pirates’ movie, especially if she plays a female pirate.
She’s in negotiations to join Johnny Depp and sail the seven seas in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,’ the fourth installment of the franchise being directed by Rob Marshall. It’s scheduled for a May 20, 2011 release date.
Depp, of course, will be back as Captain Jack Sparrow, and while plot details are buried deeper than Blackbeard’s treasure, we do know that the story revolves around the Fountain of Youth.
All we know about Cruz’s character – should the …read more

Ready for a sweet romantic movie? Me, too! I hope ‘Valentine’s Day’ delivers. It stars a whole bevy of actors, including Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Julia Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher, George Lopez and Hector Elizondo (thus continuing his deal to land a role in every film directed by Garry Marshall).
The story follows several intertwining couples and singles in Los Angeles as they make up and break up around the mystery that is Valentine’s Day. It’s rated PG-13 for some sexual material and brief partial nudity, and opens in theaters this Friday, Feb. 12, 2010. Here’s a …read more

Just getting caught up on a few DVDs that have been stacked in my office waiting for a review. ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ was released in several versions last year: Two-Disc Blu-ray with Digital Copy, Single Disc DVD, and Two-Disc Special Edition DVD with Digital Copy. The people who put these out must go nuts trying to keep up with all the new technologies. Glad I’m not them.
Let’s talk about the Two-Disc Special Edition DVD. This has a bunch of bonus features: 

Trailers: Night At The Museum 2, The Marine 2, Family Guy Presents: Something Something Something Dark Side, …read more

‘The Tiger’s Tail’ (2006) is a movie that you’ve probably never heard of, but was released on DVD Aug. 11, 2009 and is definitely worth checking out if you like crime thrillers.
It stars Brendan Gleeson (Prof. Alastor ‘MadEye’ Moody in the ‘Harry Potter’ series) as an Irish property developer of humble origins who has become rich and powerful as a result of the “Celtic Tiger,” a.k.a. Ireland’s economic boom. He’s involved in a scheme to build a national stadium, but a rival developer is planning on thwarting his plans.
Wildly over-extended, Liam finds himself struggling in a receding …read more

In case you need something to get revved up for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver (beginning Friday, Feb. 12), I suggest ‘Miracle,’ the movie starring Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks, the determined Minnesota hockey coach who managed to assemble a once-in-a-lifetime team and whip them into a victorious frenzy over their Soviet champion opponents during the 1980 Olympic Games.
One of my favorite actors, Patricia Clarkson, plays his wife, and Noah Emmerich plays his long-suffering assistant. Director Gavin O’Connor (‘Tumbleweeds’) and the producers of the similar sports movies ‘Remember the Titans’ and ‘The Rookie’ help bring this story to …read more