1. Why did you make this film?

There is now a foreclosure filed in the U.S. once every seven and a half seconds. I’m gonna show you the stuff the nightly news will rarely show you. I’ll show you a pilot pilot for American Airlines who’s on food stamps because his pay’s been cut so low, a judge who gets kickbacks for sending innocent kids to a private prison, and a Wall Street Journal reporter who states on camera that he doesn’t much care for democracy and that capitalism should be our only ruling concern.  You’ll meet all these guys in “Capitalism.”

2. I heard you talk about ‘sweetheart’ loans on Larry King the other night. What are those all about?

Well, another person you’ll meet in the film is a whistleblower who, with documents in hand, tells us about the million-dollar-plus sweetheart loans he approved for the head of Senate Banking Committee — the very committee that was supposed to be regulating his lending institution. People need to know what’s going on.

3. What about the people running things in Washington?

You’ll also hear from a bank regulator why Timothy Geithner has no business being our Treasury Secretary. And you’ll learn, from the woman who heads up the congressional commission charged with keeping an eye on the bailout money, how Alan Greenspan and company schemed and connived the public into putting up their inflated valued homes as collateral — thus causing the biggest foreclosure epidemic in our history.

4. Are you ever afraid to name names?

No, these are men who’ve ransacked the pensions of working people and plundered the future of our kids and grandkids. Somehow they thought they were going to get away with it, that we’d believe their Big Lie that this crash was caused by a bunch of low-income people who took out loans they couldn’t afford. And it’s no wonder Wall Street thought they could pull it off, because much of the mainstream media has bought into this story.

5. So the bad guys are wearing the suits?

Yes, it’s a tragicomedy crime story, a cops and robbers movie, only this time, the robbers are wearing suits and ties. And the cops?  If you’re willing to accept a guy in a ballcap with a high school education as a stand-in until the real deal shows up to haul ‘em away, then I hope you’ll come out to see this film at your local theater. It’s in New York and Los Angeles this weekend, and across the country next Friday, October 2.

Image: INF; Overture Films

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So in the realm of remake possibilities, “Dirty Dancing” is probably a good bet, not only for viewers, but also for the studio – in this case, Lionsgate. I’m not talking about a lame sequel like “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” but rather, a full out remake with the original story and new actors.

And, yes, there’s one in the works. But who to cast? Who would YOU cast in the Patrick Swayze role? A young break-out star or someone who’s been around a while?

Image: Amazon.com

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Image: INF

Post from: Film Gecko

The book tells the story of falconer Steve Chindgren, as well as the fascinating subculture of falconry and the people who participate in it. Rachel also goes into the forces that threaten this ancient sport: mining, gas industries, and agriculture.

Of course, all this has me thinking of movies about birds. Here are five that spring to mind. Tell me YOUR favorite bird movies in the comments below.

1. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003). This award-winning documentary features Mark Bittner, the self appointed caretaker of San Francisco’s flock of wild Cherry-Headed Conures. It tells the story of his journey to preserve the flock and its home. Buy it on Amazon.

2. Ladyhawke (1985). Rutger Hauer plays Captain Etienne Navarre, a man cursed for loving the beautiful Lady Isabeau (Michelle Pfeiffer). The curse: he becomes a wolf by night, while she becomes a hawk by day. Together, with a thief named Philippe Gaston (Matthew Broderick), they must try to overthrow the corrupt Bishop and break the spell. Tops in fantasy tales. Buy it on Amazon.

3. The March of the Penguins (2005). Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this doc takes a keen look into the lives of of the Emperor Penguins. These birds have it rough! But despite their harsh conditions and tragic lives (sitting for months on end with a precious egg between their feet), they continue to miraculously survive. Buy it on Amazon.

4. Birdman of Alcatrez (1962). It’s a prison movie about a bitter convict named Robert Stroud (Burt Lancaster), who nurses a feeble sparrow back to life that he found in the prison yard. There’s no happy ending here, but it’s a fascinating look at a real-life killer who manages to redeem himself through his power to heal birds. Buy it on Amazon.

5. The Birds (1963). Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren star in this Alfred Hitchcock film about birds … bad birds, birds who terrorize people on an island. One of Hitchcock’s best, this classic is filled with great effects and eerie quiet scenes intermixed with pecking birds. Buy it on Amazon.

Images: Amazon.com

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Just click to XFilesNews.com and scroll down for the campaigns. There’s a number of things you can do, including send a postcard (which will then be mounted onto a 10′ x 13" banner; hardly seems big enough, though!), participate in a Skype marathon, and purchase a single disc DVD of "I Want to Believe" during July 18-5, 2009.

And that’s just the beginning! Check it out, and maybe collectively, we can make "X-Files 3" a reality.

Photo Credit: TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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Well, it’s that time again! Michelle has organized the Second Annual WordCount Blogathon, so we’re off and running again. After the jump, check out the list of bloggers who’ve taken a solemn vow to post every day during the month of May, 2009. 

Shameless Plug for My Class: If you’re thinking about starting a blog, or want to kick your blogging to the next level, consider signing up for my blogging class. The next session begins in two days, Monday, May 4, 2009, so it’s perfect timing! Just think, YOU could be a participant in the next blogathon.

More info and sign-up is at the class site, Blogging For Passion & Profit, and feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Ok, check out the May Blogathon Bloggers after the jump (and some of them are my students! Sniff … I’m so proud …)

Vera Marie Badertscher – A Travelers Library – Books and movies that influence travel.

Heather Boerner – Serenity for the Self Employed – Advice for the self-employed among us.

Jane Boursaw – Film Gecko – May Movie Madness and other film-related stuff.

Danielle Buffardi – Horrible Sanity – Random thoughts of a mother and freelance writer.

Sona Charaipotra – Sona Charaipotra for entertainment topics and Ishq in a Backpack on travel and food.

Rosie Colombraro – Trust the Universe – There is always a Plan B.

Sue Dickman – A Life Divided – Food, gardening, travel, books and more.

Jackie Dishner – BIKE with Jackie – Improving your life with the B.I.K.E. spiritual navigation tool.

Kelly Estes – Big Government in Your Wallet – A political blog.

Jennifer L.W. Fink – Blogging ‘Bout Boys – With four boys between the ages of 11 and 3, Jennifer knows her subject.

Sydne George - I’ll Have What She’s Cooking – Good eats.

Debra Gordon – Wine on Tuesdays

Nancy Hall – Floating Ink – How to fit making art into your everyday life.

KT Hinderer - Write Beyond the Cubicle – Musings of a full-time freelance writer and editor.

Heather Holliday – Zazou Marketing – Putting your best words forward.

Elizabeth Humphrey – TheWriteElizabeth – Introducing creativity into daily life.

Leah Ingram – Suddenly Frugal – Tips for frugal living.

JoAnn Jagroop – This Dame Cooks – Recipes from Alaska to the South Pacific.

Sara Lancaster – No. 2 Pencil.com Blog – From a Boulder, Colorado freelance Web & marketing writer.

Lisa Mann – Sonoma on the Cheap – One of the …on the Cheap blogs, this one for Sonoma, California

Joy Manning – What I Weigh Today – A food writer reflects on weight and body image issues.

Amy Rauch Neilson – Amy Rauch Neilson – This blog’s official launch date is Monday, May 4 (woohoo, Amy!).

Jennifer Netherby – Jennifer Netherby – Musings of a freelance writer.

Sarah E. Ludwig – Parenting by Trial and Error

Michelle V. Rafter – WordCount: Freelancing in the Digital Age – Plugging into the online media biz (our fearless leader).

Kate Reilly – Polka Dot Suitcase – Finding fun in everyday life.

Melissa Sais – Digital Mom – Raising kids in a digital world.

Brette Sember – Martha and Me – One Martha Stewart makeover every day.

Kathy Summers – EcoPregnancy & Baby and Health Writing Hints.

Jodi Torpey – Western Gardeners

Sarah Webb – Webb of Science – Where science meets life.

Photo Credit: Scarlett Piedmonte, Photography by Scarlett (seriously, the best photographer in Northern Michigan)

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But “Harry Potter” is SUCH a good series with great characters, an interesting story, and awesome effects. We’ve got both “New Moon” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” coming up this year. It’ll be interesting to see how they compare at the box office. Will “Twilight” measure up in the long run?

Vote in my poll and tell me your reasoning in the comments below! n

Photo Credits: TM and (c) 2008 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc; TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved

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Anyway, it’s a perfect opportunity for me to expound on my favorite pot-smoking movies. Read on, and tell me YOUR favorite pot-smoking movies in the comments below. Or perhaps, favorite movies to watch WHILE smoking pot…?

1. Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke. Obviously, the granddaddy of all pot-smoking movies, the one that made it cool to smoke pot. Ok, maybe not cool. Ok, maybe cool. Anyhoo, watch it again, but not before you read my interview with professional pot-smoker himself, Tommy Chong.

2. Reefer Madness. Oh, the evils of the weed. How it destroyed lives, wreaked havoc, caused people to murder and go insane, especially in 1936 when this movie was made. Women cry for it! Men die for it! Watch it with drug-crazed abandon! It’s even a musical now!

3. Easy Rider. Smoking pot was just one of the wild and crazy things that Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson did on those choppers. Captain America was absolutely right when he said, "You’re stoned out of your mind, man."

4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It’s a simple premise: an oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer take a road trip to Vegas with a briefcase full of drugs. Lots of drugs. And with Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro in the car, they were definitely one toke over the line. Sweet Jesus.

5. Pineapple Express. Ok, I actually haven’t seen this movie, but from all the trailers and press I’ve read – and the fact that it’s helmed by Seth Rogen, Judd Apatow and James Franco – it looks like the ultimate stoner movie. Anyone see it and can comment on the stoner factor?

As always, I look forward to your mesmerizing comments below.

Images: Amazon.com

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“Eclipse,” the third movie in the “Twilight” saga, has already been confirmed by Summit Entertainment for release in North America on June 20, 2010. The fourth movie, “Breaking Dawn,” has been taken by Summit as an “optioned property,” which means that while they have the option to make the film, they haven’t given it the green light yet.

Obviously, there would be no problem with fans seeing the movie. That’s a given. But TwilightMania is speculating on a rumor that the issue would be with the character of Renesmee and the difficulty of casting a baby with a full set of teeth who grows at a rapid rate and can perform impossible feats.

I’m with TwilightMania in that this could be done well using CGI effects. Consider any of the “Harry Potter” or “Lord of the Rings” films, and you’ve got great examples of how it could work.

What say you, Film Gecko readers and Twilight fans? Could Summit create a believable film in “Breaking Dawn”? Should the movie be made, and if so, how? Vote in the poll and let your voice be heard in the comments below!

Image Credit: Amazon.com

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1. IT’S THE EASTER BEAGLE, CHARLIE BROWN. Easter is coming, and the gang is preparing for the spring holiday in their usual catastrophic way. Charlie Brown is frustrated over the Christmas pre-sales at the local department stores.

Sally wants a new pair of platform shoes (this movie was made in 1974!). Peppermint Patty is trying to teach a clueless Marcy how to color eggs. Snoopy is shopping for a new bachelor pad for Woodstock. And Linus is busy telling everyone about the Easter Beagle, who rises up on Easter morning to give eggs to all the children (sound familiar?). Buy it on Amazon.

2. YOGI, THE EASTER BEAR. When Yogi accidentally ruins the big Easter Jamboree at Jellystone Park right before hundreds of kids are set to arrive, he and Boo Boo go in search of the Easter Bunny to save the day, only to discover that he’s been kidnapped by a gang of criminals! The pair must work fast when they learn that Ranger Smith has arranged for them to join a circus in Siberia. Buy it on Amazon.

3. EASTER PARADE. Mention this 1948 classic and visions of Easter bonnets, snappy tunes, and sunny days spring to mind. It begins with the dance team of Don Hewes (Fred Astaire) and Nadine Hale (Ann Miller) breaking up because she wants to go it alone.

Determined to prove he can succeed without her, Hewes vows to pick any random chorus girl and make her a star. Fortunately for him, the girl he picks happens to be one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century, Judy Garland. Sure, you could drive a truck through the flimsy storyline, but Astaire and Garland’s great chemistry more than makes up for it. Buy it on Amazon.

4. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. This lively celebration of the Jewish spirit takes place in pre-revolutionary Russia and centers on the life of Tevye (Topol), a poor milkman trying to keep his family’s traditions alive while marrying off three of his five daughters. But times are changing and the daughters want to make their own matches and break free of the customs of Judaism.

In the background, Russia is on the brink of revolution and Jews are feeling more and more unwelcome in their villages. This must-see musical is filled with familiar songs like “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” and “Tradition,” where Tevye sings of trying to keep everyone and everything as it has always been. Buy it on Amazon.

5. PETER COTTONTAIL: THE MOVIE. In 1971’s Here “Comes Peter Cottontail,” the evil Irontail wanted the job of Easter Bunny for himself, but lost out to Peter Cottontail. This sequel, released on DVD in 2006, picks up with Irontail back for revenge, teaming up with the icy Jackie Frost in a devious plot to plunge the world into permanent winter. Now it’s up to Peter Cottontail’s son, Junior, to save the day.

Joining forces with food-loving mouse Munch and flight-challenged bird Flutter, these unlikely heroes set out on the adventure of a lifetime. Along the way, they’ll solve a mystery, travel to the edge of the Earth, and test their friendship. Christopher Lloyd, Roger Moore, and Molly Shannon provide voices. Buy it on Amazon.com.

Images: Amazon.com

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