Over at Hollywood Elsewhere, Jeff Wells goes off on an eHarmony article about movies that make guys cry, specifically for including Love Actually, which Wells calls "repulsive." Leaving aside for the moment the more pressing question of why Wells happened upon an article on eHarmony to begin with, the list actually does include a few films that are definite tearjerkers, but some of them are over-the-top obvious -- Brian's Song, The Natural, Rudy, The Pride of the Yankees, Rocky (Seriously? Who cries at Rocky?) and Old Yeller, the most stereotypical "it's okay for guys to cry over this one" film ever.

The list loses some credibility points with me for including sapfests like Love Actually and Terms of Endearment, but overlooking Once -- when they play "Falling Slowly" for the first time, I bawl my eyes out -- but moderately redeems itself with the inclusion of Schindler's List, To Kill a Mockingbird, and my all-time fave cry-your-eyeballs-out flick, The Iron Giant. I guess it's true (however much it may be a stereotype) that guys and chicks are moved to tears over different things.

You know how it is on Valentine's Day, if you're not involved with (or married to) anyone. You try to avoid those annoying radio and TV commercials about how the men need to show their love by buying the women in their lives all kinds of fancy things. You attempt to make plans with friends, but they're all hoping for something romantic or planning to mope about their lack of romance. Maybe you join the Anti-Valentine's League, maybe you just try to ignore it all until the hype is over.

But there you are on Valentine's Day night with no plans, and naturally you gravitate toward the time-tested entertainment method of sitting in front of the TV with a good movie. Pizza and/or ice cream might also be part of the viewing process. For years, I liked to curl up with a thin-crust pizza from the local pizza joint, a pint of that Ben and Jerry's ice cream with the chunks of brownies in it, some Dr. Pepper (to be tres Agnes Gooch about it) and my favorite Valentine's movie, Some Like It Hot. After all, it is set around the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, so it's a delightfully sideways hat tip to the holiday. Plus, that glorious last line. But maybe you're in a different mindset on February 14. Here's a list of movies to cover whatever kind of mood might strike you that night, as you ponder which movie you want to spend St. Valentine's Day with.

The story of filmmaker and actress Adrienne Shelly's murder is coming to a close, as the murderer has copped a manslaughter plea and escaped justice with a paltry 25 year sentence. Diego Pillco told prosecutors that Shelly, who was known for her Hal Hartley movies around the early 90s and who most recently directed the Sundance hit, Waitress, walked in on him while he was rummaging through her purse for money. She threatened to call the cops and so he strangled her to death and then staged a suicide. When police broke him down, he told them that the reason he went to such an extreme and killed Shelly -- the mother of a two year-old -- was because "I was having a bad day." And for this, he gets 25 years? Considering he's barely out of his teens, expect to see him back on the streets before he's middle-aged, probably. No matter what position you take on the death penalty, you have to agree that it's some kind of world where this guy isn't slated to walk the green mile.

Some small measure of good comes out of this tragedy, with the establishment by Shelly's widower of the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, which is dedicated to helping young female filmmakers and actresses pursue their careers through scholarships and grants. From the site: "In carrying out our mission, we've partnered with the industry's finest academic and filmmaking institutions to assist women in this journey with film school scholarships, production grants, finishing funds, and other invaluable resources." Details on how to apply and the rules and regulations are available on the site.

The Golden Globe nominations were released this morning, and I take it you first read all about it right here on Cinematical, right? Because you love us, right? Anyway, there weren't any major surprises to be found. I'm happy to see The Simpsons Movie land a nod for best animated feature, and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story came away with two nods ... which should help bolster its box office take. Same goes for the other films on the list that still haven't arrived in theaters; most notably Sweeney Todd, The Great Debaters, There Will be Blood and Charlie Wilson's War. Thankfully, Amy Ryan was thrown a bone for her excellent supporting performance in Gone Baby Gone (though the film as a whole was missing from the other, larger categories) and -- whaddya know -- Juno got a whole lotta love.

Atonement looks to be this year's "Best Film That No One Will See," while it almost sickens me to see John Travolta (for his drag performance in Hairspray) listed in the same category as Javier Bardem (for No Country for Old Men). The best motion picture drama category features a whopping seven films, though Michael Clayton and The Great Debaters probably could've been left off. Shockers? How about Don Cheadle coming away empty following his terrific performance in Talk to Me? Personally, and I know a lot of people will argue against this, I thought Joaquin Phoenix in Reservation Road was better than Viggo Mortenson in Eastern Promises. How many lines did Viggo actually have in that film? Seven? I imagine Across the Universe hypnotized people into believing it belonged in the best motion picture (musical or comedy) category, with all its wacky colors and what not. Once is not even mentioned, well, once. And where is the nomination for Waitress? Did I miss it. Oh wait, it's not there. But Cate Blanchett is there -- twice -- for both I'm Not There and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. You're telling me both Hairspray and Across the Universe were better than Waitress? And where's Zodiac? Do you agree with this? Should we write a letter?

So, what do you think?

And for much much more on this year's Golden Globes, be sure to check out Moviefone's official Golden Globes page.

I was going to headline this post with something about 'being there in spirit,' but I decided that's a lame way to start things off. Obviously, I'm being lame anyway by pointing out that I wasn't going to begin that way, while in effect beginning that way. So, why don't we just get to the news about the Independent Spirit Award nominations, shall we?

Todd Hayne's I'm Not There received four nominations, including one each for Cate Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin, who are up for supporting actress and supporting actor, respectively, for their semi-portrayals of Bob Dylan. The film was also recognized in the Best Feature category, in which it's competing against Juno, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Paranoid Park and A Mighty Heart, and Haynes was nominated for Best Director, going up against Jason Reitman (Juno), Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Gus Van Sant (Paranoid Park) and Tamara Jenkins (The Savages) -- meaning A Mighty Heart's Michael Winterbottom was shut out despite his film's receiving the Best Feature nomination. I'm Not There is already the winner of one Independent Spirit Award, the newly conceived, and appropriately titled Robert Altman Award, which honors the film's director, casting director and ensemble cast. Because of that win, I'm Not There has been labeled the leader of the nominated films, although Juno, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and The Savages all received the same amount of actual nominations as Haynes' film.

Since I haven't seen any of the major nominees (yet), I will take this opportunity to celebrate a few films, which I have seen, that have been deservedly recognized in other categories. First, I'm excited to see that Adrienne Shelly is up for Best Screenplay for Waitress. I doubt she'll win, unless enough voters want to further highlight her posthumous success, but I'm happy to see her included. I'm delighted to see Jennifer Jason Leigh nominated for Margot at the Wedding, considering Nicole Kidman, who wasn't nominated, has been receiving most of that film's accolades. And finally, I am ecstatic to see that Vanaja, which I loved, has been given two nominations, one for Best First Feature and one for Best Cinematography. Overall, we should all be glad that this year's crop of nominees includes few huge stars, Angelina Jolie being the one major exception, in the acting categories. The 2008 Independent Spirit Awards will be presented on February 23.

Have you recovered from your holiday eating binge? Are you ready for some pie? Reviewing Waitress at Sundance earlier this year, Cinematical's James Rocchi described it as "a light, breezy romantic comedy with a crackerjack cast and a certain degree of faux-Southern charm that never descends to cornpone mawkishness, and also has a whip-smart comedic sensibility in every scene." The late Adrienne Shelly wrote, directed, and co-stars with Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion and Andy Griffith. The DVD includes several featurettes and an audio commentary with Russell and producer Michael Roiff.

The Namesake very much impressed our own Kim Voynar, who called it "a deeply felt look at the ties of family and birthplace, the loneliness of living far from your home, and the connections that hold everything together, sometimes in ways we don't appreciate until much later." Mira Nair directed; the film stars Irfan Khan, Tabu, Kal Penn and Sahira Nair. The DVD features an audio commentary by director Nair and several featurettes, plus deleted scenes.

Critics gave high marks (83% positive, per Rotten Tomatoes) to documentary Manufactured Landscapes. It's said to be an "investigation of photographer Edward Burtynsky's legacy, with its aesthetic studies of industrial landscapes. ... It uses the topic of Burtynsky as a springboard." Jennifer Baichwal directed. The DVD includes additional scenes, a stills gallery and a discussion with Baichwal and Burtynsky.

We can never get too many rebellious child prodigy dramas, can we? Vitus fairly well divided critics: 34 positive and 21 negative, according to Rotten Tomatoes. The veteran and versatile Bruno Ganz is the most recognizable name in the cast. The DVD features an interview with Ganz, a "making of" feature and an audio commentary by director Fredi M. Murer.

When epicurean delights hit the big screen, magic fills the air. The color is often magnified, and there's always a shining gleam in the eye. But you don't need faerie dust and magical spells to make this happen -- it's all within the food -- the hard, yet giving crunch of a piece of chocolate, the melting creaminess of aged cheese, the glistening slice of a fresh roast turkey, and even the refreshing bite of wine, or the calming warmth of tea to cap it off.

Although foodie movies are without their two greatest allies -- the sense of smell and taste -- some still manage to portray the enchanting spirit of fine feasts. Many films have food in them, but not as many delve into the passion of it -- the appreciation of flavor and texture, as well as the art. Stranger than Fiction has some tasty treats, but they're a side benefit of the film. Ying Ning's Perpetual Motion taps into it a little more -- detailing the creation of a feast, as well as the sensuality inherent in appreciative eating. But then there are others where it is all about the cuisine. It may seem picky, but in a world where we want the best of everything, is it really that snobbish to love a delectable piece of food?

The nibbles might bring people together, or drive them on the path of their lives, but either way, the films would be lost without it. In the wake of the holiday that makes gourmet gluttony a national celebration, here are seven films for foodies. They only tap into a small portion of both the world of cinema and culinary delights, but they hit many aspects of it, from the real drama of tea to the magic of chocolate. Nibble on these, and be sure to share your own.

It's the first day of November and time to start thinking about Thanksgiving. But more importantly it's time to be thinking about food. And cooking. And Julia Child, of course. So, what better time for news that a Julia Child movie is on it's way? According to Variety, Columbia Pictures is adapting Julie Powell's book Julia and Julie: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, about the author's year-long attempt to cook all the recipes in Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and detail it in her food blog (and then book). In the movie, which will simply be titled Julia and Julie, Powell will be portrayed by Amy Adams and Child will be played by Meryl Streep. Chick-flick queen Nora Ephron, who needs a comeback following Lucky Numbers and Bewitched, is writing the script and will direct.

Now, Powell never met Child, so the latter character will have to be some kind of apparition for the former. Like a culinary guide. This makes sense, because it just wouldn't be cinecomatic to show Powell simply reading a cook book and then making dishes. But will it still just be a bunch of cooking scenes in a tiny apartment with Amy Adams and a distinctly accented Meryl Streep chatting in the little kitchen? Even with Streep overdoing the part -- a la Dan Aykroyd -- that can't be too interesting. Then again, between Waitress and Ratatouille this year, and movies like Big Night in the past, I do get excited about films showcasing great food. Amazon.com describes the book as being a "masterful medley of Bridget Jones' Diary meets Like Water for Chocolate," so if that sounds good to you, look for Julia and Julie sometime in late 2008 or early 2009.

Time flies, and we've almost approached the first anniversary of Adrienne Shelly's murder. Since then, Waitress has hit both the festival circuit and local big screens, charming audiences as a bittersweet cherry to her career; however, Waitress wasn't the only material she was working on. Variety reports that another Shelly screenplay is heading towards production. Cheryl Hines, who co-starred with Keri Russell in Waitress, is going to make her feature directorial debut with a project called Serious Moonlight -- which Shelly's husband, Andy Ostroy, will co-produce along with Michael Roiff.

Moonlight is a dark comedy about a "high-powered female attorney who learns that her husband is about to leave her for another woman, then prevents him from doing so by binding him to the toilet with duct tape." I guess she didn't see 9 to 5, which has a much more creative means of binding the pesky man. Anyway, things get more tricky when the home is invaded by robbers.

Ostroy says: "I felt compelled to continue her work for her after her death. I think she was just hitting her stride with Waitress. I tried to put together a team that was part of the Waitress family to re-create the vibe and the success of that film and honor Adrienne and get her work out there with a group of people who really cared about her and (understood) her spirit and vision." The comedy will head into production this December in LA, and considering Ostroy's plan, there's probably a decent chance Russell will also get involved, since there has been no mention of new projects. We should know soon -- Roiff, Ostroy, and HInes are currently casting the film.

For those of us who'll never get enough Andy Griffith, it was a real treat seeing him in this year's Waitress. In the film, he's a crotchety but lovable old diner-owner and guide to Keri Russell's "with child" pie-making protagonist. The best part about his role was how subtly crass he could get at times. If you haven't seen it (do it!), just picture Ben Matlock saying the following line: "I saw that look on a woman's face before. Her name was Anette. I made sweet sweet love to her all through the summer of 1948, and she had that look on her face all through the fall." Well, now we don't have to settle for stories from youth, because in Griffith's next movie he plays a guy on the prowl. The indie pic is titled Play the Game, and it casts the 81-year-old opposite Battlestar Galactica's Paul Campbell, who will play his grandson.

According to Variety, the plot centers on the inter-generational duo as they go out and pick up girls, the younger teaching the widowed elder how it's done. But of course the kid's game plan fails to work for grandpa, according to a synopsis from a 2003 script reading of Play the Game, and even causes problems for the old man when it ruins his chances with the woman of his dreams. The cast includes Everybody Loves Raymond Emmy-winner Doris Roberts, who I assume plays Griffith's love interest, and The Practice's Marla Sokoloff, who probably plays Campbell's -- though wouldn't that be an interesting twist if it was the other way around? Will we at least see him attempt to woo a girl who could be his great-granddaughter? Or hear some more naughty talk from ol' Andy Taylor? We'll just have to wait and see. The indie rom-com was written and is being directed by Marc Feinberg, and shooting began in Los Angeles this week.

Though we're still a few months away from the Academy Awards ceremony, folks are itching to wipe off that summer fog and start buzzing about this fall's most anticipated (and Oscar worthy) films. Yup, now is the time studios like to release their "important" flicks -- the kind that feature big-name actors who tackle topics that make you think, make you debate, make you feel good and, occasionally, make you smarter. Right now is the time to get excited -- because once those "For Your Consideration" ads begin crowding your computer screen, and once those end-of-the-year top ten lists start slapping you upside the head, you'll want to run for cover. It's kind of the way I feel about Christmas; one month out it's the sweetest holiday of the year. Once it's over, however, you vow never to look forward to it again.

That being said, Moviefone has gotten the ball rolling with a gallery that takes a look at those early Oscar contenders. Which films are the front-runners for Best Picture? Which actors or actresses have the best chance of walking away with a golden statue come February 28th? A few folks I'm personally stoked to see on that list include John Cusack (who's getting lots of praise for his starring role in the tear-jerker Grace is Gone), Keri Russell (who was absolutely delightful -- and delicious -- in the indie hit Waitress), Casey Affleck (who out-shined Brad Pitt in The Assassination of Jesse James and is also about to show-up his brother Ben big time in bro's directorial debut Gone, Baby, Gone) and, of course, how can I leave out the Coen Bros' No Country for Old Men and Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd -- three filmmakers who I'd love to see pick up an Oscar this year. There's plenty more to debate, so head on over to Moviefone to check out the gallery, then come back here and tell us where they went right and where they went so, so wrong.

The 2007 Oscars were held on Feb. 25, which means the studios started thinking about the 2008 Oscars right around Feb. 26. But all that thinking -- the strategizing, the planning, the conniving -- didn't go public until this week. Now the Los Angeles Times reports that Fox Searchlight has fired the first shot in the upcoming Academy Awards battle by sending screeners of three of its biggest contenders to the people who vote for the Oscars and Golden Globes.

Once, Waitress, and The Namesake are the titles, and DVD copies of them arrived today on the desks of everyone in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (that's the Oscars) and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (that's the Golden Globes).

In case you didn't notice, it's barely September. Studios usually don't start sending screeners out until November. So why the hurry? Well, Fox Searchlight struck gold last year with Little Miss Sunshine, which opened in July (not typically an Oscar-friendly month) and went on to earn four Academy Award nominations and one Golden Globe nod. The studio credits that at least partially to its early screeners -- the film went out to voters in early October -- and figured what they heck, let's try it again.

It might work, too. Once and Waitress both had their U.S. premieres at Sundance in January, earning ecstatic reviews from critics and festival-goers alike. More acclaim followed when they were released theatrically in May. I haven't talked to anyone who's seen either film who didn't at least like them, if not love them. Personally, I adore Waitress more than anything I've seen all year, and I liked Once quite a bit.

The Namesake, on the other hand, hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire since its bow at Telluride a year ago. You don't hear people talking about it nearly as much as they do the other two. Yet it's quietly built up credibility, currently scoring an impressive 85 percent at Rotten Tomatoes. (Waitress is at 88 and Once has a whopping 97!)

But that raises a question: If the movies are so good, does Fox Searchlight really need to send out screeners this early? The answer is probably yes. Releasing Oscar-friendly movies in November and December, when voters are more likely to remember them, is commonly understood as being a wise, even necessary strategy. These three films all came out in the first half of the year, and none of them were financial blockbusters. There's a good chance that voters haven't seen them. So it makes sense to give them the opportunity now, before they get inundated with dozens of other contenders. In Hollywood, the cream doesn't necessarily rise to the top. Sometimes it needs a little push.

Adrienne Shelly's Waitress (116 screens) is a delightful little film, a yummy food movie and a romance with a dark, quirky, funny edge to it. Everyone seems to like it. It has made over $2 million so far in its brief run, and its IMDb ratings are high. Word of mouth should keep it running for a good long while. Certainly it's one of my favorite films this year so far, or at least one that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend or perhaps even see a second time. But there's another element to the film that permeates, yet comes from outside it.

On November 1, 2006, Shelly's husband found her body hanging by a bedsheet in her Manhattan bathroom. At first glance, it looked like suicide, but clues quickly led to the arrest of 19 year-old construction worker Diego Pillco, who confessed to the crime. Apparently, Shelly, 40, had complained about the noise he was making in the apartment below. Waitress had been completed and was ready to roll at the Sundance film festival just two and a half months later.

*A guest review today, from Nick Schager, of Slant Magazine


Regrettably but inevitably, Waitress's tenacious optimism is partially offset by the recent, tragic murder of its writer/director/co-star Adrienne Shelly, an actress who made her name in Hal Hartley's early indies and, with this funny, charming slice of Southern country life, appears to have found her voice as a filmmaker. However, the bittersweetness that accompanies the film's arrival is, coincidentally, in tune with its story's miserable protagonist, a young, pretty waitress at Joe's Pie Diner named Jenna (Keri Russell). Stuck in a loveless marriage to her controlling, abusive husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto), and prevented from running away by a lack of cash, Jenna is a forlorn woman who sees dreams of a bright future dissipating before her eyes. To cope, she pours all of her grief, longing and sadness for happier times-gone-by into her unique homemade pies, which – described, at one point, as "biblically good" – are concocted with an array of inventively combined ingredients, and named after the moods that inspired them (such as her "I Hate My Husband Pie" and "Falling in Love Pie").

Tending to her louse of a spouse, wasting time gabbing in the diner bathroom with co-workers Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (Shelly), and waiting on outspoken, lewd diner proprietor Old Joe (a consistently hilarious Andy Griffith) while decked out in her '50s-style blue-and-white uniform – Jenna's life is, at the outset, in a rut. Waitress is too, as its early attempts at establishing a mood are a tad shaky, vacillating unevenly between cutesiness and seriousness. That balancing act becomes much smoother, however, once Jenna – after learning that she's pregnant with Earl's baby thanks to an ill-advised drunken roll in the hay – goes to see her OBGYN and finds, to her surprise, that her lifelong doctor has suddenly semi-retired and been replaced by attractive Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion). Though she's been stashing money around the house for an eventual escape, Jenna makes clear to the married Pomatter that, while she isn't thrilled about the baby (who'll further tie her down), she nonetheless intends to keep it. Her plan to disappear into the night, however, is complicated by the almost immediate and overwhelming mutual attraction that blossoms between doc and patient.

Next week, Cinematical contributor Nick Schager will be bringing you a review of Waitress, a romantic comedy starring Keri Russell that's arriving in theaters on May 2 with a lot of unfortunate baggage. Waitress is of course the final film of indie actress and filmmaker Adrienne Shelly, who was murdered in her office apartment last November, reportedly before hearing that Sundance had accepted Waitress into its 2007 schedule. You may have seen her most recently as a player in Matt Dillon's much-liked barfly film Factotum, or you may remember her as the star of those Hal Hartley movies from way back at the dawn of indie wave, The Unbelievable Truth and Trust. If you want to read more about Shelly and her final film, you can pick up a copy of the spring issue of Filmmaker Magazine, which is featuring an article on that very subject.

The piece, which was penned by media blogfly and former Cinematical editor-in-chief Karina Longworth, is encapsulated thusly on the magazine's cover: "Premiering at Sundance following the sudden death of its writer-director, Adrienne Shelly's Waitress is a bittersweet success." I haven't read the article yet, since that would involve all kinds of complicated actions like leaving the house and catching a bus to the city, but if you're fortunate enough to live closer to a well-stocked newsstand than me, and you're looking for something interesting to read, you might want to go out and pick up a copy. Sarah Polley is the dressed-down cover girl, and the issue also contains articles on, among other things, Hostel: Part II and the Sundance films Once and Zoo.