My friend, Rachel Dickinson, has a wonderful new book out called "Falconer on the Edge: A Man, His Birds, and the Vanishing Landscape of the American West." Check it out on Amazon.com.
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 …read more

Today is National Pot Smoking Day! Aren’t you glad you know that now? I can just imagine a bunch of potheads sitting around deciding that we all need an annual day to celebrate the magical madness of pot.
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 …read more

Chocolate bunnies, colorful eggs, frilly dresses, and happy kids scampering through the house looking for hidden baskets of treats. Nothing rivals the pure joy of Easter, as shown in my top five movies celebrating Easter and Passover. Check out my list, and feel free to add your own in the comments:
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 …read more

Believe it or not, Ellen Ripley – a.k.a. Sigourney Weaver – has been voted the No. 1 action hero of all time!
Yeah, I believe it. She rocked in the “Alien” movies, and that’s a pretty awesome achievement when you consider that she beat out Arnold Schwarzenegger (2nd place), and Sylvester Stallone and Chuck Norris (tied for third place) in a poll conducted by British cable channel Sky Movies.
Matt Damon, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Steven Seagal also made it into the top 10. Each star was judged on five categories: weapons, one-liners, kill count, creative ass …read more

There are some fantastic movies coming up in 2009, and while you never know how a movie will fare until you actually see it, I’ve picked out 16 movies that I think will knock us out with their awesomeness. See if you agree, and add your own in the comments!
1. Watchmen (March 6). “Who watches the Watchmen?” That’s the question in this graphic-novel-turned-movie directed by Zach Snyder. Vigilantes, murders, superheroes, and lots of good and bad karma populate this movie, along with stars Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jackie Earle Haley. [Trailer] [Film Gecko Links] [Official Site]
2. Sunshine …read more

In honor of Valentine’s Day tomorrow, I’m doing a series on Top Romantic Movie Moments. Check out Part 1 and Part 2, and see if you agree with my choices in Part 3 below. And add your own favorites in the comments section!
1. An Officer and a Gentleman. Zack (Richard Gere) is a commitment-shy Naval trainee who’s afraid of love. Paula (Debra Winger) is a world-weary factory worker whose Naval officer father loved and left her mother 20 years earlier. It looks like this relationship is headed for NoWheresVille, too, but then…Zack strides through the factory in his white …read more

Valentine’s Day is nearly here (two days away!), so I’m continuing my theme of Top Romantic Movie Moments. Read Part 1 of this series here, and feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section.
Notice how some people keep showing up on these lists? Like Patrick Swayze, Renee Zellweger, Julia Roberts, Richard Gere … I guess some people are just more romantic than others. I hope you’ll take some time to revisit some of these feel-good favorites!
1. Pretty Woman. As Vivian (Julia Roberts) gets ready to leave town and start a new life, we weep …read more

In honor of Valentine’s Day (this Saturday – are you prepared?!), I’ve compiled a list of top romantic movie moments. Since there’s no way I can put them all into one post, I’ll probably do another post or two. Let’s start with…
1. Dirty Dancing. "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." You tell ‘em, Johnny! And then the street-wise dancer grab’s the young girl’s hand and pulls her on-stage for "their" dance. Could there be a better ending to this nostalgic movie about young love at a 50’s-era summer resort? I think not.
2. Bridget Jones’s Diary. Daniel (Hugh …read more

In my top five Mickey Rourke movies, I mentioned that “The Wrestler” included plenty of bloody scenes, as well as a few outright sex scenes. Emil called me out on it in the comments section, noting that just because a movie has sex and violence doesn’t make it bad. So true, Emil! Thanks for the reminder.
And thanks for my next Film Gecko Five – Bloodiest Movies. But I need your help, Geckos, because I don’t watch a lot of the blood and gore. What are your favorite bloody movies?
I’ll start with a poll, but feel free to add …read more

I’m starting a new feature called “Film Gecko Five” – Top Five Movies in various categories. Feel free to email me at jane.boursaw@b5media.com with your ideas! Today’s list is my Top Five Sexiest Movies. See if you agree, and if not, what are YOUR favorite sexy movies? Tell me in the comments section below!
5. Gone With the Wind. What could be sexier than stepping over bodies strewn about the streets of Atlanta? Ok, maybe that’s not the sexiest scene of this classic 1939 film, but the banter between Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable more than makes up for it. …read more