The top of my list of films

Annie Hall has long been at the top of my list of films. It combines a sense of classic New York, a bonkers Woody Allen and really good clothes. For whatever reason I’ve re-visited Annie Hall several times in the past few weeks, and continually noticed the quality of the wardrobes. It then comes as no surprise that the one and only, Mr. Ralph Lauren (no secret to film fashion fame, see Redford in The Great Gatsby) was behind all the stitches. Firing on all cylinders, Annie Hall is filled with tweed, military jackets, summer whites, Paul Simon, and female neck wear; all paired with narcissism, vintage cars and a complete disdain for Los Angeles.

People are quick to forget Annie Hall, the major turning point in Woody Allen’s long, storied, and ever-growing career. They’re quick to forget that it won four of the big five Oscars (winning best director, actress, writing, and picture), the one loss coming in the best actor category. They’re quick to forget it beat Star Wars for Best Picture. No, not the crappy prequelStar Wars, the freakin’ Star Wars. They’re quick to forget that Allen revolutionized humor, romance, and storytelling in one quirky swoop. But if you actually take the time to sit down and watch this amazing film, you would never be quick to forget it.

It’s honest, it’s depressing, and it’s hilarious. I chose this film as my favorite not just because it’s an outstanding film, but it is largely a representation of Allen’s whole career and what he would do after this. Annie Hall is more than just Annie Hall, it represents films such as the gorgeously shot Manhattan, the character-driven Purple Rose of Cairo, the dark, philosophicalCrimes and Misdemeanors, and the family-drama, Hannah and Her Sisters. You could argue that Woody Allen has done better since Annie Hall, depending on what film you chose to make your case, I might not argue. But there’s no denying that without Annie Hall, we would not have gotten the filmmaker and films we have today and that is why the tie-wearing, naive, arachnophobic, Grammy Hall-loving, Annie Hall tops my list.

The most Adventure and Romance Film In Africa - The African Queen

In The African Queen, you get Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, their little boat, and a very hokey—but very enjoyable—mismatched romance as they careen downriver toward a German gunship. World War I has broken out in Europe, and Hepburn’s spinster is determined to strike a blow for England. Bogart’s drunken river captain wants nothing to do with heroics—he’s like Casablanca’s Rick gone to seed (the part earned him an Oscar). But wouldn’t you know he gradually softens to Hepburn and embraces her cause? Director John Huston shot the 1951 Technicolor picture on location in Africa, where Hepburn got very sick while Huston and Bogart got very drunk.

One fascinating aspect is the ripples of war that have touched even the shores of Africa after the outbreak of World War One. The central premise of the plot - at least the part that will contain more action than character interplay - involves traveling the river into its mouth, a large African lake. Charlie has told Rose about a German warship, the Louisa, which has been carried overland in sections and assembled, and now with its big gun controls the region. Quickly Rose questions "Mr. Allnut" about the supplies aboard his own craft, and arrives at a scheme in which they will do their part for the crown, and sink the German gunboat! This serves as a singular goal for the plot, and assists in highlighting the development of the love story: after all, Charlie and Rose are alone for most of the film, going through their ups and downs. A reminder of the importance of the romance is the motivation it supplies to Charlie. Would he have straightened the shaft and rebuilt the propeller, had it not been for his love of "Rosie"? Would he have shot rapids and braved rifle fire?

Much has been written about the making of The African Queen, the seeming high adventure and romance of Huston and Bogart and Hepburn filming in Africa. The whole shooting smacks of the hyped atmosphere of a Hemingway safari. But judged purely by what we see on the film that's been passed down to us, the story holds up well and the acting holds up as almost flawless. Perhaps the far ending is a bit abrupt, but the climax has been reached, and the viewer has a good idea where the characters are headed. After watching Bogart and Hepburn, it is hard to disagree with the 1999 American Film Institute poll that placed them as the number one male and female actor in the first fifty years of film history.

I Like The Movie Kung Fu Panda

Did you see the movie Kung Fu Panda? I can honestly say that I have yet to see the movie. I don’t know why. It looked really cute and I think Jack Black is funny. For some odd reason I never got the chance to see it, until now. My family has the DVD and I was able to watch it. I’m glad I had the opportunity. It wasn’t a type of movie I would normally go for but it was a lot of fun.

Soon Kung Fu Panda 2 will be in theaters across the country. To celebrate the movie’s release General Mills is offering a Kung Fu related toy in specially marked packages of cereals including Cocoa Puffs (11.8 oz.), Trix (10.7 oz.), Golden Grahams (12 oz.), Reese’s Puffs (13 oz.), Cheerios (14 oz.), Apple Cinnamon Cheerios (12.9 oz.), Cookie Crisp (11.25 oz.), Lucky Charms (11.5 oz.), Cinnamon Toast Crunch (12.8 oz.) and Honey Nut Cheerios (12.25 oz.). We ♥ Honey Nut Cheerios and regular Cheerios. I love Lucky Charms too. I love to pick out the marshmallows and eat them first, then the cereal.

Kung Fu Panda (Gongfuxiongmao, Gongfu Xiongmao, is an animated film about a panda Po who is a kung fu fanatic whose shape doesn't exactly lend itself to kung fu fighting. In fact, Po's defining characteristic appears to be that he is the laziest of all the animals in ancient China. That's a problem because an evil Warrior named Tai Lung has escaped from his prison, and all hopes have been pinned on a prophesy naming Po as the "Chosen One" to save the day. A group of martial arts masters are going to need a black belt in patience if they are going to turn this slacker panda into a kung fu fighter before it's too late. The film stars the voices of, among others, Jack Black as Giant Panda Po, Angelina Jolie as Master Tigress,Dustin Hoffman as shifu,Jackie Chan as Master Monkey, Lucy Liu as Master Viper. Kung Fu Panda is directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne and produced by Melissa Cobb. The idea for the film was conceived by Michael Lachance, a DreamWorks. Animation executive. The film is due for release on.

The spin fighter actually spins in the air. I’m not sure how you get it to hit the targets from the General Mills cereal boxes. We had a hard enough time trying to get the spin fighter from not hitting the ceiling fan.

Who Is Hollywood's Highest-Paid Actor

From Johnny Depp to Ben Stiller, the stars who command a couple more zeroes than everyone else in Tinseltown.
Before 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean, no one would have pegged Johnny Depp to become the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. The quirky leading man was best known for starring in offbeat movies like Tim Burton's Ed Wood and the film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

But it turns out mixing Depp's oddball performance tendencies with a big-budget Disney ( DIS - news - people ) concept is a recipe for success. The first Pirates movie earned $654 million at the global box office. The franchise has gone on to earn a total of $2.7 billion, and a fourth film is slated for 2011 (in 3-D, natch). Depp's most recent star turn for the studio, a 3-D update of Alice in Wonderland, has brought in $1 billion at the box office.
His ability to almost guarantee a big box office (even Public Enemies earned $214 million) means studios are willing to pay whatever it takes to get a bit of the Depp magic. Between June 2009 and June 2010, Depp was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, earning a total $75 million.
This year's top 10 highest-paid actors banked a total of $349 million between June 2009 and June 2010. To figure out earnings, we talked to agents, managers, producers and lawyers to determine what the stars earned as upfront pay on movies they are currently shooting, as well as back-end pay earned after a movie hit theaters. We also looked at any money actors might have earned from doing ads.

Ranking second behind Depp is Ben Stiller with $53 million. The comedian earns big bucks for films like Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and the upcoming third installment in the Meet the Parents franchise because those films pay out at the box office. But Stiller has also started doing smaller, more personal films. This year's Greenberg, about a lonely man rapidly approaching middle age, earned only $6 million.
In third place: Tom Hanks. Between June 2009 and June 2010 the actor earned $45 million. Much of that came from movies like Angels & Demons and the upcoming Larry Crowne, which co-stars Julia Roberts. But Hanks also earns from films and TV shows he produces. He was behind HBO's recent mini-series The Pacific and produced 2009's Where The Wild Things Are.
Adam Sandler ranks fourth with $40 million. His most recent film, Grown Ups, started slow but is now Sandler's third-highest-grossing film of all time at the box office with $230 million in ticket sales worldwide. The fact that his humor can bring in fans over time, in the U.S. and abroad, means studios are willing to pay him a hefty salary.

Leonardo DiCaprio ranks fifth with $28 million. The star went through a period with underperforming films like Body of Lies and Blood Diamond, making it increasingly difficult for DiCaprio to justify his large payday.
But he's recently turned that around with Shutter Island and Inception. The latter (which hit theaters after our June deadline) is now DiCaprio's second highest grossing film, behind Titanic, with $700 million so far. DiCaprio will end up making at least $50 million from the film, which should rank him much higher on next year's list.

Roland Topor's Three Favorite Reasons to Endit

Before anyone out there begins to worry: a little back story. I was tooling around the Web site of the Dalkey Archive Press, a great, tiny nonprofit press, and found the new issue of their literary review, “Context.” One of the articles has the too-good-not-to-click-on-it title “100 Good Reasons to Kill Myself Right Now.”
Here are my three favorite from the list:
2) It’ll throw off the last census.
78) To watch the movie of my life at a very exclusive screening.
89) Because I’ve read all the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
The author is Roland Topor, a French writer and illustrator I’d never heard of. (I was reassured that I am not alone in this by his appearance on the Tumblr blog, “Writers No One Reads.”) Apparently, Topor helped found something called the Panic Movement in the 1960s. According to the British blogger Jonathan McCalmont, the Panickers were famous for “slitting the throats of geese, covering naked women with honey, attaching snakes to their chests and, most famously, re-staging the conquest of Mexico by the Spanish using toads and lizards for Jodorowsky’s film ‘The Holy Mountain’ (1973).”
Personally, I prefer the lighter stuff. Read the rest of Topor’s reasons to end it all here. I’m not sure if he was riffing on Camus, but his list certainly reminded me of that famous line from “The Stranger”: “Should I kill myself, or have a cup of coffee?”