If you're like me and love movies but don't relish the thought of going out to the theater all that much, then you most likely have some sort of home theater setup. And if you're also like me, you probably have a High Def TV so you can maximize your viewing experience by watching as many of your favorite movies and TV programs in High Def as possible.

At the moment, as you probably already know, there are two competing types of High Def DVDs -- HD-DVD and Blu-ray. For me, HD-DVD is the way to go so far because every Blu-ray to HD-DVD comparison I've seen has shown me HD-DVD is, in many ways, superior. So, I use HD-DVD at home in my personal home theater setup. If you don't have some sort of HD-DVD or Blu-ray player, you can also download content from sources such as Microsoft's XBox Live Service. But how can you maximize the High Def viewing experience and make sure you're getting the best possible picture quality?

Well, an article over at Jake Ludington's site is a great place to start. In the article, the author enlists expert advice from video professionals and compares HD-DVD programming downloaded from the XBox Live service to HD-DVDs rented from places like Netflix. The article goes into great depth and the conclusions are well thought-out and very interesting -- especially if you're considering the purchase of an XBox 360 with attached HD-DVD player or other HD-DVD purchases this holiday season. So, check it out -- you might learn something ...

Having penned films adaptations like Raging Bull and Mosquito Coast, it wouldn't be a jump to assume that writer and director Paul Schrader would have his hand in the adaptation of Israeli writer Yoram Kaniuk's Adam Ressurected. However, he hasn't picked up the pen this time around. Instead, he is settling into the director's chair to head the adaptation, which was written by new screenwriter Noah Stollman. His great track record bodes well for this interesting story, and the cast is making it all the better.

Adam Ressurected centers on Adam Stein, a man who was once a leading clown in Europe. During World War II, Adam is captured and taken to a death camp, where he survives by taking on the job of entertaining victims as they are sent to the ovens. After the war, he travels to Israel and enters an asylum for Holocaust survivors. Adam will be played by Jeff Goldblum, which will be a nice change of pace for the actor who has had recent delightfully quirky roles, but none very challenging. Now, Variety reports that Willem Dafoe has signed on as Goldblum's co-star. His role has not been released yet, but it would be interesting if he takes on the role of Adam's asylum friend -- a man who thinks he is a dog.

While no further word on the cast has been released, there is a big discussion amongst Helen Slater fans on imdb. You might remember her as Supergirl, the legendary Billie Jean, or more recently in a number of stints on television. Maybe the filmmakers will visit the message board and make some fans' dreams come true before the movie begins filming next Spring.

The passing of Richard Pryor was the loss of one of the greatest comedians in history. Pryor made a huge impact on the comedy business with a blend of justified rage and heartfelt humor. Pryor's first attempt at a biopic, Jo-Jo Dancer Your Life is Calling might have raked his personal life over the coals, but a new biopic is taking a different approach, albeit at the advice of legal counsel.

Back in 2005, Mike Epps was signed to portray the comedian in a film about Pryor's life. Unfortunately, in a recent interview with VH1, Epps admitted that the production might be delayed. In the interview, Epps says that a dispute between Pryor's ex-wives over the comedian's assets had caused pre-production to shut down. The film has signed Kasi Lemmons (Eve's Bayou) to direct and the new script is being written to include information from the memoirs of Pryor's daughter Rain. Epps explained the changes by saying the new film "is coming from the perspective and eyes of the kids, Rain and Elizabeth, and so forth. So I think people are gonna get a whole other view of Richard Pryor through this story."

Luckily, an agreement has been made which should allow for the film to begin shooting later this year. So barring any more family squabbling, pic should be set for release sometime in 2007.

It's not the type of role you would expect to find Brittany Murphy in, but I suppose the girl is set on trying some new things. Apparently, the actress is in negotiations to star in The White Hotel, an adaptation of the D.M. Thomas novel. It's taken a whole lot of time to finally bring White Hotel to the big screen -- at one time, folks like Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep, Isabella Rosellini and Nicole Kidman were in talks to star. Just the fact that Murphy has now entered the equation (after all those fantastic names disappeared) goes to show that either folks were desperate for a female name (any name!) or Murphy really really impressed the right people. Which one do you think is most likely true?

Story follows an opera singer (Murphy) who looks to Sigmund Freud for help in post-World War I Vienna after she's haunted by dreams of a white hotel. Together, they begin to decipher those dreams, which include premonitions of the future and the Holocaust. Simon Monjack will direct off his own script, and there's currently no other casting announcements. Since Murphy grew up in New Jersey, her Jersey/NYC accent usually cuts through her dialogue and, more often that not, it takes away from the performance -- except when it's intentional. However, I had the chance to see a different side of Murphy recently in The Dead Girl. Although she once again took on a tough-girl role, her accent was gone and thus I enjoyed her on screen presence more than I have in the past ... even if her performance was a little too much. With that said, I have a feeling the girl has something special in her -- but will we ever see that special something? That's the question.

When screenwriter Steve Oedekerk and comedian Jim Carrey get together, very profitable things happen. True that they only worked on two movies together (Ace Ventura 2 and Bruce Almighty), but they were pretty solid moneymakers. So I suppose it's pretty good news that Paramount has hired Oedekerk to give a facelift to the screenplay for Ripley's Believe It or Not, which was originally penned by the writing team of Alexander & Karaszewski.

Obviously this bodes fairly well for the project as a whole, because when Paramount back-burnered the thing a few months back, nobody really knew if the project would wither away or come storming back. With Variety reporting an intended late-2008 production date, and the pretty-much-guaranteed involvement of director Tim Burton and leading man Jim Carrey, it looks like Ripley will live once Sweeney Todd gets wrapped.

Gotta love that nutty Tim Burton stuff. (That's not sarcasm; aside from his misguided Apes remake, Burton's a pretty admirable filmmaker, and a consistently good one at that.) And anything that keeps Oedekerk distracted from his intended Kung Pow: Enter the Fist sequel, well, that makes me very happy indeed.

What's that joke about the talking farm animal who gets caught in a web and can't seem to move anywhere? Turns out I was way off on my predictions this week, as The Pursuit of Happyness held on to its early lead and finished with a very respectable $27 million. Sure, it's not the biggest opening for a Will Smith film, but you have to hand it to the guy (and his son) for beating two highly anticipated kids films. (Was Charlotte's Web highly anticipated? I don't even remember.) Oh, but Smith and Smith Jr. weren't the only ones who had a marvelous weekend ... and, for those of you who have friends at Sony, you might want to act really nice towards them this holiday season seeing as their bonuses will be ginormous.

With its 13th number one opening this year (the most ever for a studio in a single year), Sony has grossed $1.573 billion at the domestic box office -- yes, the most ever for a studio in a single year. What's that joke about the guy at Sony with a drug habit who was just awarded a ginormous holiday bonus? With that said, Eragon managed to pull off a decent $23 million landing it in sole possession of second place (But is it enough to continue the trilogy?). And what the hell happened to Charlotte's Web? $12 million? A lousy $12 million? Dakota? Are you there? Do you see this girl? Did you not smile enough during the film? Heck, your smile alone should guarantee at least $17 million. Those Happy Feet ($8.5 million) penguins and The Holiday ($8.2 million) rounded out the top five. And, although curiosity and Braveheart fans helped it walk away with last week's number one spot, Apocalypto dropped down to sixth place this week, finishing with $7.7 million.

Full numbers after the jump.

On October 20 of this year, Roger Ebert published a glowing, four-star review of Sofia Coppola's third film, Marie Antoinette. It was matched by unvarnished praise from The Times' A.O. Scott -- "What to do for pleasure? Go see this movie, for starters" -- and The Los Angeles Times' Carina Chocano, who declared it "startlingly original." The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday went further, attacking the film's critics for having "missed the point." Entertainment Weekly, Salon.com, The Hollywood Reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Rolling Stone and others raved. My own review on Cinematical was one of the only times this year that I actually lavished praise on a film, and rightfully so. Now, both main critics for Slant Magazine have stepped up, each declaring the film to be among the best of the year. So, the question asks itself -- what gives? Why is the film absent from nearly every recently released end-of-year list from the gilded halls of cinematic officialdom?

Obviously there were some substantive critics who simply disagreed with those I noted above, but a quick look at Rotten Tomatoes also reveals a lot of shin-kicks from websites I've never heard of and lazy quotes from other non-opinion makers like Richard Roeper, who dully declares the film to be "dreadfully dull." Did they poison the well? If you are a critic or a serious film fan who disliked the film, please humor me by summarizing one or two points in the comments section below. Do you really think a film like Marie Antoinette should be shut out while dreck like Bobby receives the highest praise from the Golden Globes? Also, if Marie supporters want to turn this post into an ad hoc petition, feel free.

Probably one of the reasons that people admire a director like John Sayles so much is that he really is an independent director. Sayles has sometimes been referred to as one of the original "DIY Filmmakers" and always managed to make films his way and with his own distinctive style.

Production has just wrapped on Sayles latest film Honeydripper. The announcement came from the film's producer on the official production blog last Friday; Maggie Renzi posted that the film had just wrapped the 100-person crew in Alabama. Sayles must have run a tight ship, as the film only began shooting last September ... and the director has been aiming for a 2007 release. The film stars Danny Glover as the owner of a floundering "Juke Joint" in rural Alabama with a serious clientele shortage. Glover's character hires a new guitar player in the hopes of drumming up business. (I wonder if that counts as a mixed metaphor?) The film also stars real-life musicians Keb' Mo and R&B singer Ruth Gordon Brown.

Renzi is currently working with emerging pictures to get distribution for the film when she posted "And I'm damned if after all this work we're going to see another movie sacrificed to the Petty God of Bad Distribution". So if you are a fan of Sayles, stay tuned as Honeydripper fights it's way to a screen near you.

[via The Hollywood Reporter: Risky Biz Blog]

For some odd reason (and this has everything to do with my own weird idiosyncrasies), I could never tell the difference between the stage plays Proof and Doubt. Both of them were on stage in New York City at the same time and, even though they're two completely different animals, I would always confuse them. Oh, and it doesn't help that Miramax is involved with the big screen adaptations of both Proof and Doubt.

However, when Proof finally came out in theaters (after getting somewhat lost in the post-Weinstein fall out with Miramax), it was one of the last Miramax films to have Bob and Harvey listed as executive producers. Now, the new Miramax has teamed up with producer Scott Rudin to bring John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Doubt to the big screen. The play is set in 1964, and revolves around a nun who confronts a priest she suspects is abusing a black student. While the play doesn't even feature said black student, the film will apparently include the character, as well as other students, and utilize several locations throughout Bronx, New York -- not just the school. Currently, there's no word on casting -- in the play, Cherry Jones played the nun and Brian O'Byrne played the priest. Miramax and Rudin also teamed up on The Queen which, as you're already aware, is nominated for everything this year.

I'm curious, is there some sort of unspoken Hollywood rule that if Scott Rudin doesn't have at least one film nominated for Best Picture every year, the entire world will somehow collapse? (Oh, and ladies -- I specifically chose the above picture of Rudin just for you. Enjoy the weekend!)

With two major films appealing to the younger crowd opening this weekend, as well as a feel-good dramedy starring Will Smith, no one knew exactly how the three would line up at the box office -- except for the fact that most expected all of them to end up with $20 million or higher when all was said and done. Obviously, Charlotte's Web probably has the biggest built-in audience; it's based on a classic book, features the always lovable Dakota Fanning and should attract those parents looking to occupy the kids for a couple hours.

On the other hand, Eragon goes right after the pre-teen and teen market, is based on another very popular book and, with its dragons and sword play, looks to attract a Lord of the Rings-type crowd. But what about Will Smith? Although his last four films have opened with $40 million or more, The Pursuit of Happyness is a bit more low-key and hasn't had as much hype (save for Smith's Best Actor nominations) as the other two. Well, with Friday in the books, The Pursuit of Happyness has jumped out to a small lead over Eragon ($8.6 million) and a larger lead over Charlotte's Web ($3.4 million), taking in an estimated $9 million. Granted, these numbers are largely based on the Friday night crowd, and we still have all day Saturday and all day Sunday for those desperate parents to help Charlotte's Web climb back into competition.

This one is definitely hard to predict, but I'm going to go ahead and say Eragon will end up in the top spot -- let's give it an even $22 million. I think those farm animals will give Will Smith and his kid a run for their money, but in the end I predict The Pursuit of Happyness to take second with $21.5 million and Charlotte's Web to finish third with $20 million. Care to make your own picks?

Face it, the majority of films that screen at even the most popular film festivals never find distribution. That's just a fact. Usually, there's a window for a film that debuts at, say, Slamdance or SXSW ... and let's say that window is one year. If the film cannot find distribution within one year of its first screening at a major festival then chances are it's not going to happen. The filmmaker(s) who promoted their project at the festival, online and through various other sources will most likely use their festival film as a calling card to land other gigs -- or, they'll just simply make another film, use their prior festival buzz to get into future festivals and keep working their way up into the spotlight.

Of course, there are always exceptions. Four Eyed Monsters first premiered at Slamdance back in 2005, then went on to screen in over 20 festivals. However, before heading to Slamdance, directors Arin Crumley and Susan Buice decided to promote their film (which is about a couple who attempt to carry on a relationship through non-verbal communication) by documenting their journey -- not through words on a screen -- but through a number of video blogs (or podcasts). They called them 'episodes' and each one felt like its own mini-film, complete with conflict, adventure and fantastic music. Needless to say, the film (and the podcasts) quickly found an audience ... who told their friends, who told their friends and so on ...

Last year's best actor, according to almost everyone in America, was Philip Seymour Hoffman. This year's is Forest Whitaker. But who is the better of the two? Luckily in the U.S., critics don't have to damage their brains deciding. In London, however, critics do. Thanks to later release dates in the UK, Capote is considered a 2006 movie there. So are Good Night, and Good Luck, The Squid and the Whale and The Upside of Anger. All four are featured among the nominees for the London Film Critics Circle awards, which will be presented February 8.

At least Hoffman hasn't been pit against Toby Jones, the other portrayer of Truman Capote, in Infamous. The former is in the Actor race while the latter is recognized in the British Actor category.

Neither Capote nor Good Night, and Good Luck, both of which were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar were considered by the London critics for Film of the Year. Their five picks were limited to more current releases, including The Queen, which received the most nominations, with seven.

Is it obvious that The Queen is recognized so well by the Brits? Well, considering it is a British film, it qualifies for more categories than other top contenders for the major awards. It is the only title to be listed in the Film of the Year and British Film ("The Attenborough Award") categories and Helen Mirren has been nominated for Actress and British Actress, an honor she shares with Judi Dench. Without the double mentions, The Queen would be tied with The Last King of Scotland for five noms.

Those with a good memory, or a penchant for Milla Jovovich, might remember Martha Fischer's initial word on Welcome to America in 2005. At the time, she was set to have a lead role in the film. However, since that time, the film has moved beyond its Jovo-origins and is now headed for release. Some things have stayed the same, and some things have had a little twist.

The film, now named Trade, seems to be centered more on the Mexican brother and sister, than on Kevin Kline's character, Ray. Briefly, after Jorge's 13-year-old sister is kidnapped by sex traffickers, he tries to find the kidnappers and retrieve his sister. Along the way, he meets Ray, who suffered a similar loss. Together, they investigate the sex trade between the US and Mexico, bringing the long-standing international problem right to US soil as the pair follow leads that bring them through an internet slave auction and then a "stash house" in New Jersey.

The film is looking to be the cogent answer to those disappointed with Teresa Villaverde's treatment of the sex trade in Transe. While she adeptly showed the horrors committed on women by focusing on one in the thick of it, the film seemed too detached, which made the movie hard to swallow and resulted in a number of people walking out during its screening at TIFF. However, Marco Kreuzpaintner's treatment seems to be a bit of both sides -- the disturbing inside as the young girl is protected by a Polish girl who was also kidnapped (probably who Jovovich was supposed to be?) and the outside struggle to break in and save her. CHUD has a more in-depth description of the film, along with its posters, which are indeed beautiful and heartbreaking.

Over a year ago we shared word of a psychological thriller that would star Rosario Dawson. At the time, the plot was simply "a college coed who turns into a vengeful seductress after a shocking act of violence." Now, the CEO of the film's City Lights distributor, Danny Fisher, brings some clarity to Descent as it gears up for a spring release. The film follows Maya, as played by Rosario Dawson, who suffers through a savage date rape. (While Dawson will be the biggest name in the cast, you might be surprised with the choice for Maya's rapist -- Chad Faust, who played the sweet, gay Christian boyfriend of Jena Malone in Saved!) As Maya slowly recovers, she decides to take revenge on the man who attacked her. Sound somewhat familiar?

Unlike Hard Candy, Descent is obviously a first-person account, one which Fisher describes as "equally shocking, controversial and graphic." Surprisingly, the distribution company is prepared to keep it as such, even if it means releasing the movie either unrated or with an NC-17 rating. Where initial news made the film sound like a revenge thriller, Fisher has asserted that it is not. City Lights' marketing plans will instead focus on those who have had similar harrowing experiences through an internet campaign that reaches out to support groups as well as women's rape organizations. Considering the dedication the backing companies have to Descent, this might just take the heat off of Dakota Fanning, since the film is looking to be much more graphic than Hounddog. Then again, Dawson isn't twelve.

Biopics are delicious filmmaker fodder. Why go to the trouble of concocting a story when reality can often out-weird, or out-drama fiction? The sea of history is a bio-pic maker's oyster, and moviegoers always seem to be ready for another helping. But for every long-dead icon that makes his or her way to the screen, there are still-living names who must watch themselves and a version of their life on film. It's one accomplishment to get the approval of a notable name, it's a whole other thing entirely to get a royal seal of approval.

Nevertheless, while the details are mired in fact and fiction, it seems as though Queen Elizabeth II is a fan of Stephen Frears' treatment of her life. While no specific word on the film has been released from the royal icon, Helen Mirren, Frears, screenwriter Peter Morgan and the film's producer, Andy Harries, have received "a discreeet invitation" to have lunch at Buckingham Palace in the New Year. Word isn't clear whether this is a lunch WITH the Queen, or just some tasty treats in the Palace. I guess that giving an un-said seal of approval is much different than face-to-face recorded approval. However, according to some buzz at the Daily Mail, the Queen has claimed the film is her favorite of the year. We'll have to wait until the lunch happens to see if Queen's filmmakers get approving validation straight from the source, or if their contact with the Queen will be restricted to word from her private secretary, Sir Robin Janvrin.