It took a while for us to narrow down all the entries in our A Prairie Home Companion DVD giveaway to five winners (actually, it didn't take that long, I was just being terribly lazy over the weekend). When we decided to use the above shot of Lindsay Lohan for this Caption This contest, we knew we'd get some good ones -- and you didn't disappoint us! Here are our winning entries:
"You can fix that in post, right?" -- submitted by reader Eric Blair
"What do you mean they can't see me. Radio? WTF?" -- submitted by reader Chris Muir
"I don't know where you got it, but this bong isn't working" -- submitted by reader Jeremy Parker
"We have a great show tonight... Lindsay Lohan is here! Yeah!!!! Wait... I'm Lindsay Lohan... I mean... Gwen Stafani is here!" -- submitted by reader Dorv
"Would the owner of black lacy panties claim them in the back... oh wait, those are mine." -- submitted by reader Ryan
Congrats to our winners! Official winner emails are winding their way to you through cyberspace even now; make sure you get us your mailing address so we can get your DVD to you!
Okay, we told you we wouldn't put up the official post about our Second Annual Halloween Costume Contest until closer to the 24th, but what can we say? We're so excited about it we just couldn't wait another day to give you the official rules -- and tell you what the prizes are. We want you to have plenty of time to plan for and prep your fabulous costumes, because if last year's entries are any indication, the competition is going to be stiff! Jack and Sally, pictured above, were just one of the many fabulous entries in last year's contest.
Okay, you know the drill. We show you a photo from a movie -- in this case, Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion -- you provide us with a brilliantly witty caption for the pic, and we shower you with prizes. Well, maybe not shower, exactly, but in this case we actually have five -- that's right, FIVE -- DVDs to give away, in honor of the release of theA Prairie Home Companion DVD tomorrow. The DVD features special audio commentary with Robert Altman and star Kevin Kline, deleted scenes, and a behind-the-scenes "featurette."
The best five caption entries, as judged by our crack Cinematical caption contest staff, will win. So take a good, hard look at the still from A Prairie Home Companion above and get those brain cells working, Cinematical readers! You have until Thursday, October 12 at 5PM EDT to submit your entry in the comments.
Alright, Cinematical readers. Last year, you blew us away with the amazingly creative movie-themed Halloween costumes you submitted to our first Halloween Costume Contest (that's last year's winner at the right!) We had some truly impressive entries from a lot of dedicated movie fans. In fact, it was such a hit that we've decided to do it again this year, so it's time to put down that bag of Cheetohs and get those brain cells into high gear. Here's the scoop:
So you've completed that short film, and now you don't know what to do with it. Submit to festivals? Sure, but everyone does that. Now Delta Airlines is partnering with Gen Art to give you a chance to have your film seen by thousands of captive audience members strapped into their seats at 25,000 feet. Plus you can win cash (and what filmmaker can't use some of that to pay off those credit cards maxed out in completing that film?), travel, and a trip to Sundance 2007!
If you want to enter, you have until October 31, 2006. Five finalists will be chosen by "industry professionals" ( I assume by industry they mean the film industry) to have their short shown both online and on Delta's domestic transcontinental flights. All finalists will receive a pair of round-trip tickets good for any domestic Delta flight. The five finalists will be voted on through audience balloting (both online and on Delta flights) and the winner will receive (drum roll please) $10,000 cash (!), a pair of round-trip tickets valid for international travel on Delta, AND a trip to Sundance with a guest, where he or she will be feted at a celebratory party, where the winning film will be shown.
Geez, what are you waiting for? Official rules and entry form can be found right here. So dust that short off and get it in already. And if a Cinematical reader happens to have their film chosen as a finalist, let us know!
We interviewed Red Doors director Georgia Lee and producer/actress Mia Riverton back at Sundance and now, at long, long last, their hard-fought indie film is getting a theatrical release. The film opens in New York September 8, in San Francisco Sept 22, and in Los Angeles on a date TBD. If the film does well at NYC, it will expand to other cities, maybe even one near you! The film tells the tale of the three daughters of an Asian family, whose father is suffering from a debilitating depression as his family grows older and needs him less. We've put together a great swag package for you for this contest: A poster autographed by the cast, and a copy of the script autographed by the writer/director. You know how it works: Enter your very clever caption in the comments below. You have until Thursday, Sept. 7 at 5PM EDT to enter. Winner, as selected by Cinematical (or maybe even by the director herself!) will get the swag. So what are you waiting for? Off with you, write something brilliant.
Had Simone been able to see what her aunt Maggie was pointing at through the binoculars, it would have driven her to drink. Sadly, she could see it pretty clearly without the binoculars...and even worse, the binoculars weren't real. They held a few shots worth of Jack Daniels. Simone took a swig, then took another. It was going to be one of those days...
Our winning caption this time around comes from the lovely Heather C, who somehow managed to resist the clearly powerful pull to mention either Jack Valenti or someone's penis her caption. As a result, she gets her very own "Censorship Gets F*cked" tshirt, as well as a hat that will allow her to both look like a badass AND help director Kirby Dick advertise the just-released This Film Is Not Yet Rated. Heather, please send your mailing info to kim.voynar@cinematical.com. The rest of you, sit tight: Another contest is coming tomorrow.
Let's play the question game again. I'll ask you a series of questions. If, at any point, you answer no to one of the questions, you can probably stop reading this post, as it will no longer interest you. I'll doubt you'll do that though, because really, who stops in the middle of a 200 word article? That's like stopping halfway through a piece of toast. You could do it, but ... why? It's not like it's a big commitment. Ready? Good.
Do you enjoy alcohol? (not an actual requirement, just a bonus for those of you who do)
Do you have 20 spare bucks?
Will you be in or around Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 6th?
If you answered "yes" to most of these questions, you might want to make your way to Cinespace sometime around 6pm this upcoming Wednesday and join Kevin Smith and a collection of other fans for the big Movies Askew Film Festival. The 12 films that will screen have been culled from thousands of shorts collected by Smith and company over the last year, and the big winner will be announced after the final flick screens -- sometime around midnight. The prize includes a fancy camera, a fancy TV and sound system, and a position working on the next View Askew film. You can read more about it here, if you happen to be interested.
It seems like just a few days ago that we offered you the opportunity to answer a few questions aboutIdlewild for a chance to win some spectacularIdlewild swag. Actually, it was just a few days ago, but who's counting? The questions -- this time with their answers, were:
1) Idlewild was sold to Universal after OutKast's 2003 double-album became a smash success. What was that album called? Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
2) The film features some rousing dance numbers. What is the signature dance style created by choreographer Hinton Battle for the film called? Swop
3) What is on the flask that Rooster always carries with him? A talking rooster (rooster was also an acceptable answer)
4) What does Percival's father do for a living? Mortician (undertaker, funeral home director, etc, were also fine)
5) What is the ironic name of the speakeasy where Rooster and Percival perform? The Church
6) What was director Bryan Barber best known for prior to directing Idlewild? Music videos
7) Barber drew inspiration for Idlewild from which period musical by Vincente Minnelli? Cabin in the Sky
8) One of the songs on the soundtrack is titled "Chronomentrophobia". Chronomentrophobia is the fear of what? Clocks
Eight Cinematical readers submitted correct answers to all eight questions. Their names went into a hat (a pink University of Oklahoma hat, if you must know), and the winner is ... Dale! Yes, reader Dale wins the fantabulous Idlewild swag pack, which includes a very cool t-shirt, mini-poster AND a CD of the amazing soundtrack. Congratulations, Dale! We'll be in touch to get your address, and your swag will be on its way! If you didn't win, don't fret. You still have until 5PM EDT Thursday to enter the Caption This contest for some very nice This Film Is Not Yet Rated swag.
This must have been a tough one -- we had less fewer* entries than usual on our Lonesome Jim DVD giveaway. Nonetheless, we did have some creative attempts. The winner of the Lonesome Jim DVD, though is Alex D, for his entry: "With only 2 hours left in their 5 o'clock shadow contest, Steve knew he would have to do something drastic if he hoped to triumph over Jim."
Congratulations, Alex D. Email me at kim.voynar@cinematical.com with your shipping address, and we'll get your prize out to you. If you didn't win this time, don't be sad; we already have a new contest up and running for Kirby Dick's This Film Is Not Yet Rated, so give it a shot!
*In the midst of a flurry of spreadsheet preparations for Telluride and Toronto, I apparently forgot the rule that "less" is used when you can't count something, and "fewer" when you can (although my ability to count yesterday was indeed questionable by the time I banged out this post). Fortunately for Cinematical readers everywhere, the grammar police were on the case in our comments, and brought the tragic error to my attention. The world is now a safer place. Carry on.
Boy, we here at Cinematical are just swimming in swag for you folks lately. Write the best caption for the above still from Kirby Dick's This Film Is Not Yet Rated, and you'll win some cool promo items from the film: A t-shirt (black with white ink) that says on the front "Censorship Gets F*cked" (the back has the film's logo) and a military style hat with the film's logo. Please note the nature of these items, and if you are likely to be offended by a shirt bearing the "F" word, well, don't enter this contest.
The film delves into the murky waters of film ratings, examining whether Hollywood studio films and indies are rated equally for comparable content, whether gay-themed content is judged more harshly than similar heterosexual content, the always fun issue of extreme violence (which often gets a pass) versus sexuality (which tends more to end up on the cutting room floor), and -- most of all -- why the MPAA keeps its process such a deeply-guarded secret, and whether this allows the MPAA a free hand without being held accountable. The film has made the rounds of the fest circuit and is opening September 1in New York and Los Angeles, with wider release over the coming weeks. Rules are the same as always, folks. Enter your best caption in the comments. You have until 5PM EDT on Thursday, August 31 to leave your entry, and winner will be announced on Friday, September 1.
For more on This Film Is Not Yet Rated, read James Rocchi's review from Sundance, and keep an eye out for Martha's new one, coming on Thursday.
As The Pin's & Tugger's attention became increasingly fixed on the cock, Ducky slowly moved in for the cookie kill.
Readers, you are officially brilliant. Not only did we get over 100 entries for this contest, but almost all of them were clever and hilarious -- and to think, we almost dismissed this pic as "too weird" and chose another. Never will we underestimate you again!
The winning caption comes from Dan (Dan, send your mailing info to Kim (dot) Voynar (at) cinematical (dot) com, and we'll get the DVD out to you ASAP), but there were so many good entries that a few other deserve recognition, as well. (And, just so we're clear, when I say "recognition," I mean "no material goods," but you do get bragging rights and the glory of everyone seeing your cleverness.) Check out some of the runners-up:
Grace Kim: "Much of Stephen Hawkings' youth was kept secret from his colleagues."
Shawn McGuan: "Neither one of them was willing to admit that even for a petting zoo, this one was particularly lame."
Sam: "The rare rooster-eating duck patiently hides out of sight, silently stalking its prey, waiting for right time to strike."
You may not have noticed, but everyone and his brother had something nice to say about Rian Johnson's directorial debut, Brick, when it was released earlier this year. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (AKA The Kid from Third Rock Who It Turns Out Is a Really Good Actor) as a high school gumshoe, the movie pushed all the right smart, hard-boiled, creative buttons, and pleased audiences and critics alike, even winning a Special Jury Prize at Sundance in 2005. Plus, the thing cost only $500,000. I don't think Michael Bay can even tie his shoes on that kind of a budget.
If you're someone who a)loved the movie, or b)hasn't seen it, we're here to help: Just give us the best caption for the above photo, and we'll send you a brand, spanking new copy of the just-released DVD. Who says we never did anything for you?
Put your entries in the comments; the contest closes at 5pm ET Friday.
In a controversial liberal teaching style, Dan teaches his class that no matter how hard they fight, a white man will always be there to put them down with a smile.
A round of applause, if you please, for Justin, this week's unhealthily cynical winner. Justin, when you recover enough from Friday night's debauchery to turn on your computer and do a bit of surfing, please send your snail mail address to James (dot) Rocchi (at) cinematical (dot) com, and we'll get that CD right out to you. The rest of you, go see Half Nelson -- everyone's doing it. Stay away, though, from the crack. You'll thank me later.
Okay, here's the deal, William Shatner is looking for the official geek spokesperson for his fledgling sci-fi DVD club, and he's willing to consider you as a candidate. Shatner has put out a call for "the most talented sci-fi geek" in America, and he is (wisely) leaving it up to you to determine exactly what that means. The instructions are -- and I quote -- "be wacky, be wild, go where no Shatner fan has gone before." Do your thing in under 90 seconds, record it on video and upload it to Shatner's DVD site, and you've entered in the contest. Or if being on camera isn't your bag, you can swing on over to the site, enjoy all the entries and vote for your favorite. The top ten (as chosen by the fans) will join five picks made by a panel of respectable geek judges to round out the finalists field. And from said field Mr. William Shatner will choose his own personal favorite. The lucky winner will receive $1000 in cash, and will be featured as a spokesperson on ShatnerDVDclub.com. Happy filming!
Alright, Cinematical readers. Last year, you blew us away with the amazingly creative movie-themed Halloween costumes you submitted to our first Halloween Costume Contest (that's last year's winner at the right!) We had some truly impressive entries from a lot of dedicated movie fans. In fact, it was such a hit that we've decided to do it again this year, so it's time to put down that bag of Cheetohs and get those brain cells into high gear. Here's the scoop:
So you've completed that short film, and now you don't know what to do with it. Submit to festivals? Sure, but everyone does that. Now Delta Airlines is partnering with Gen Art to give you a chance to have your film seen by thousands of captive audience members strapped into their seats at 25,000 feet. Plus you can win cash (and what filmmaker can't use some of that to pay off those credit cards maxed out in completing that film?), travel, and a trip to Sundance 2007! 
Let's play the question game again. I'll ask you a series of questions. If, at any point, you answer no to one of the questions, you can probably stop reading this post, as it will no longer interest you. I'll doubt you'll do that though, because really, who stops in the middle of a 200 word article? That's like stopping halfway through a piece of toast. You could do it, but ... why? It's not like it's a big commitment. Ready? Good.
Okay, here's the deal, 
