Miscellaneous Movie Information

Fans of Jeffrey Dean Morgan celebrate his birthday by donating money to help support homeless dogs. Find out more about the Donate JDM.org charity drive organized by Jeffrey Dean Morgan fans.

Kevin Smith was thrown off a Southwest Airlines plane because the airline felt he was too overweight.

If you think film festivals are strictly for art house films or under-represented communities trying to showcase their causes, think again. The New York Asian Film Festival has something altogether different on its mind.

Why are some comedy movies labeled a black or dark comedy? Find out what makes a film a black comedy.

What do the movie ratings really mean? Find out what earns films G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 ratings.

(Feb 2009) It appears the partnership between DreamWorks and Universal has fallen apart, according to reports in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

(Nov 2008) Joaquin Phoenix went out of his way to confirm that he's leaving acting behind for music while at the November 1st premiere of "Two Lovers," a romantic drama that finds Phoenix torn between two women.

(Oct 2008) Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson and her family suffered an incredibly tragic loss on Friday, October 24th. Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson (57) and brother, Jason Hudson (29), were shot dead in their Chicago home and Jennifer's nephew, Julian King (7), who should have also been in the residence, was reported missing by his mother, Julia.

After a few weeks of rumors and speculation, Stacey Snider and Steven Spielberg confirmed today that a deal has been brokered between DreamWorks and Universal Studios. According to the facts disclosed, DreamWorks committed to a 7-year distribution deal. The new relationship will add about six films a year to Universal's distribution schedule.

(Sep 2008) Filmmaker Zack Snyder ("300," "Watchmen") has signed a deal with EA to develop three games.

(Sep 2008) After months of speculation, DreamWorks will be pulling away from Paramount Pictures. DreamWorks has made a deal with Reliance.

(Aug 2008) Paula Wagner announced she'll be leaving her position as Chief Executive Officer of United Artists to return to producing.

Biography of writer/director Guy Ritchie, the filmmaker behind "Snatch," "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels," and "RocknRolla."

Comedian/actor/family man Bernie Mac has died at the age of 50 from complications due to pneumonia. Mac was admitted to a Chicago hospital on August 1st. His death on Saturday, August 9, 2008 came as a shock as it had been reported his condition was not life-threatening.

(June 2008) The 2008 New York Asian Film Festival includes screenings of "Then Summer Came," "United Red Army," and "L: Change the World."

(June 2008) A huge fire destroyed movie sets including the Courthouse Square set featured in Back to the Future as well as the King Kong exhibit seen on the Universal Studios tour.

Walt Disney Studios is apparently very serious about getting into the graphic novel/comic book-inspired film business. The studio has just entered into a deal with Ahmet Zappa, Harris Katleman and Christian Beranek to oversee a brand new venture: Kingdom Comics.

(May 2008) Oscar-winning director Sydney Pollack has passed away at the age of 73. Pollack passed away at his Los Angeles home after losing his battle with cancer.

Oscar winner Charlton Heston died on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at the age of 94. Heston had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2002.

(March 2008) Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella has died unexpectedly at the age of 54. His publicist confirmed the news but did not issue any details. However, according to a report in Variety, the acclaimed filmmaker was undergoing an operation at Charing Cross Hospital in London when he suffered a brain hemorrhage.

(Jan 2008) Actor Brad Renfro was found dead in his home by his girlfriend. Police don't believe foul play was involved.

The Writers Guild of America has voted to go on strike effective November 5, 2007.

Reviews of selected films at the 2007 CineVegas Film Festival including "Malos habitos" (English Title: "Bad Habits").

The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) announced a major change to the movie rating system today. In order to better provide parents with information on smoking in films, the MPAA has expanded their current system of ranking movies in which characters are shown smoking.

(May 2007) Warner Bros Pictures has taken the dramatic step of cancelling all further movie screenings in Canada in an effort to stop piracy.

(Jan 2007) The Motion Pictures Association of America announced a few changes and tweaks to the movie ratings system while making a presentation at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

Dwayne The Rock Johnson suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon injury while filming the Disney comedy, "The Game Plan."

Actor Chris Penn was found dead in his Santa Monica home on January 24, 2006.

Comedian Richard Pryor passed away on December 10, 2005 from a cardiac arrest after battling Multiple Sclerosis for 19 years.

Marvel and Paramount Pictures make a deal for Paramount to distribute a slate of feature films produced by Marvel. First up, "Captain America" and "Nick Fury."

Al Pacino lends his likeness to the video game, Scarface: The World is Yours, which captures the ruthlessness, intelligence and thrill of being the one and only Tony Montana, forced to carve out his drug empire for the second time.

Aardman has selected McFarlane Toys as the master toy partner for the family feature film "Wallace and Gromit – The Curse of the Were-Rabbit."

"Major Dundee," the first big-budget film directed by iconic filmmaker Sam Peckinpah, celebrates its 40th anniversary by returning to theatres in a newly-constructed version.

Sean Connery will provide the voice and likeness of James Bond in the "From Russia With Love" video game.

Walt Disney Studios and Miramax co-chairmen Bob and Harvey Weinstein have reached a mutual agreement concluding the Weinsteins current deal with The Walt Disney Company.

"Born Into Brothels" wins the Academy Award for Best Documentary and provides THINKFilm with its first documentary Oscar.

THINKFilm will be launching ThinkFilm Kids, a specialty division focused on the children’s Home Video/DVD market.

The Spielberg Family has made a generous donation of $1.5 million to help the victims of the tsunami which hit December 26, 2004.

George Lucas has been selected by the American Film Institute's (AFI) Board of Trustees to receive the 33rd AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film.

Actor Christopher Reeve passed away from heart failure on October 10, 2004 at the age of 52.

Courtney Cox and David Arquette became the proud parents of a baby girl on June 13, 2004.

Landmark Theatres, in association with Stella Artois, launched the Adopt-a-Short program, dedicated to supporting the independent filmmaking community.

2004 MTV Movie Awards winners and show highlights. Hosted by Lindsay Lohan, the MTV Movie Awards featured wins by Johnny Depp, Uma Thurman, and "Lord of the Rings The Return of the King."

Complete list of the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival winners. "Hotel Rwanda," "Omagh," and "In My Father's Den" are among the winners of the annual Toronto Film Festival.

Scoring 13 nominations, "Chicago" led the pack of nominees, followed closely by Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York," and "The Hours" directed by Stephen Daldry.

"Lord of the Rings" led the pack with 13 nominations, while "Moulin Rouge" and "A Beautiful Mind" pulled off 8 nominations each. Here's a complete list of all the nominees and winners.

"Pirates" tops the list of nominees for the 2004 MTV Movie Awards.

Topping my list of 2003's best movies is "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," followed closely by "Cold Mountain" and "Big Fish."

The American Film Institute joins the ever-growing list of organizations with televised award shows.

AFI issued their list of the top 50 movie heroes and to 50 villains.

Seven films took home two awards each at the Orange British Academy Film Awards hosted by Stepen Fry and held February 23, 2003 at the Odeon, Leicester Square. Here's a complete list of all the nominees and winners.

Here's my list of some of the best books about movies and the people who make them.

Blockbuster Inc. undertook a survey to determine viewer's choices of the most romantic scenes on film. Here's the list of winners, according to their June 2002 survey.

A newcomer took home the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for Feature Films in 2002.

You see their names listed on the credits of virtually every movie. But what do the people behind the titles actually do? Here's a glossary of key movie industry jobs.

The 2002 Golden Globe's list of nominees and winners reflects what romantic movie fans already knew; 2001 was an outstanding year for quality romantic films.

Complete list of all the 2003 Golden Globe nominees as well as the eventual winners.

Three movies filmed on the Isle of Man debut at the Toronto Film Festival.

Madonna and her hubby Guy Ritchie's film "Swept Away" should have been swept under the carpet - at least that's what the folks at the Golden Raspberry Foundation seem to be saying with "Swept Away's" numerous, dubious nominations.

The IFP announced the winners of the 2003 IFP Independent Spirit Award, dedicated to recognizing outstanding work in independent films.

Director Jim Sheridan's semi-autobiographical film "In America" leads the pack with 6 nominations including Best Feature and Best Director. The nominating committee viewed 190 films in six weeks, selecting films based on their uniqueness of vision and original & provocative subject matter.

Confused about the rating system? Here's a list of what the various ratings really mean.

Here's the list of nominees for the 11th annual MTV Movie Awards.

Complete winners list for the 2003 MTV Movie Awards, hosted by Seann William Scott and Justin Timberlake. MTV Movie Award winners and show highlights.

Put your knowledge of past winners to the test with this Oscar Trivia Quiz, courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Here's a list of the 8th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award nominees and winners in both film and television categories.

Check out these links to site celebrating the Sundance Film Festival! The 2001 Sundance Festival comes alive on the web.

How did the Summer romances do? Check out this article on opening weekend figures for some of the Summer of 2001's romantic movies.

Brief bio on guest writer Jeri Jacquin.