Few leading male actors have followed the roundabout career trajectory of Josh Hartnett. Though indisputably tall, dark and handsome, Hartnett still manages to avoid the pratfalls of typecasting by landing roles in strange projects with questionable appeal. While this choice comes at the expense of a quality resume, his performances can lend barely competent films at least one redeeming ingredient: I could give or take Wicker Park, Resurrecting the Champ, and even the good intentions of The Black Dahlia, but each benefits from Hartnett's expressive glare, furrowed brow and whispered delivery. He's an instant generator of gravitas.

Although August, director Austin Chick's second feature after the relationship drama XX/XY, doesn't qualify as Hartnett's best movie, it's certainly one of his meatiest roles – right up there with his work in the unfairly maligned Lucky Number Slevin. As the crudely pompous CEO of the mysterious start-up company Landshark in New York City during the summer before 9/11, Hartnett offers a maddened, garrulous anti-hero replete with dark humor and sustained by a surge of baseless confidence. The movie follows the audacious entrepreneur, Tom, as his fifteen minutes begin to run out – and it concludes with him facing off against a freakishly powerful David Bowie as the icy corporate foil. Despite the age gap, both men exude an eerie amount of restraint – which is not the case for the film. August adds up to less than it aspires to be, but it's populated with enough curiosities to keep you watching.

Today YouTube launched a new section of its site titled The YouTube Screening Room, which it calls a "platform for films from around the world to find the audiences they deserve." Here, they will showcase four short films every two weeks and will even offer an occasional feature. Some of the films have been previously screened at film festivals and some have been nominated for or have won an Academy Award. But others will be premiering on the site. Apparently, the filmmakers will be paid a percentage of YouTube's ad revenue based on views and each film will also feature a "Buy Now" button so that you can purchase that film or other films.

Today's debuts include Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?, a 2005 short written by Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know), directed by Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl) and starring John C. Reilly, Mike White and July. I've embedded it above for your viewing pleasure. The other three are The Danish Poet, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Short in 2007, Love and War, which is a stop motion opera from Sweden, and Our Time is Up, which was nominated for Best Live Action Short in 2006 and which stars Kevin Pollak.

There's nothing quite like watching two people break up. When it's not us, and when it's not someone we care deeply about, then watching two people break up is almost as exciting and adventurous as jumping out of a plane strapped to a hungry lion. Later on tonight, we're going to go over some of our favorite on-screen breakups in honor of this week's new release, Forgetting Sarah Marshall -- but what about those humiliating off-screen breakups? I'm not talking about a celebrity, their spouse and the nanny; I'm talking about real life people.

Like the woman who decided to air her and her soon-to-be ex-husband's dirty laundry all over YouTube in an attempt to ... I have no idea. For those who've seen this gal's video, the entire thing just screams "Adapt me!" At one point she actually calls her husband's office, gets the secretary on speaker phone and tells her, first, that her and her husband don't have sex, and then says to interrupt the guy and ask what she should do about his collection of porn and condoms. Seriously, one of the funniest scenes I've watched all year -- and it's real! On YouTube!

Who knows what this gal was thinking when she made this, but I bet screenwriters everywhere are studying that video today; searching for the next great on-screen breakup idea. After all, when it comes to movie breakups, we've been there, seen that. It's tough to be original these days. So thanks Tricia Walsh-Smith -- we look forward to seeing this video parodied in the next rom-com.

Oh, and if you missed it, catch the video after the jump.

Animated short films have been eligible to win Oscars since the 1931/32 ceremony. Check out the list of winners on the Academy Awards Web site: all kinds of cartoonish and gorgeous animated styles have taken home awards (although Disney films won all the first eight years). The Three Little Pigs is one of my favorites, but other winners range from the notorious wartime short The Fuehrer's Face to Tom and Jerry in Yankee Doodle Mouse to the Pink Panther and Bugs Bunny. I never thought of Mr. Magoo as an Oscar winner, but he's got two of them, in 1954 and 1956. It's a treasure-trove of fabulous animation, all the way through the years to contemporary winners like Creature Comforts and Harvie Krumpet. Wouldn't it be fabulous to have all these winners on one DVD someday?

In the meantime, LiveJournal blogger Jhayne Holmes (aka porphyre) has found 46 of the Oscar-winning short films available on YouTube, and posted a list with all the links. I have to wonder if some of those shorts will stay online for long, but hopefully you'll have a chance to watch at least a few of them if you act quickly. Her entry also includes links to some of this year's Academy Award nominated shorts, which Jeffrey Anderson reviewed for Cinematical recently. This is a great resource, but be warned -- you can easily waste a whole afternoon watching these wonderful animated shorts.

[Thanks to my friend and longtime blogger Karen M. for the link.]

When I started at Cinematical, I had never conducted an interview before. I bought my first digital recorder with trembling hands, and in my first interview I stuttered more than Michael Palin in A Fish Called Wanda. But I pulled through it, didn't embarrass myself, and got smoother with practice. What I've learned is that no matter how intimidating the interviewee may be, as long as you are reasonably pleasant, professional, and well-prepared, the discussion won't go totally off the rails.

For an example of an interviewer not being well prepared and a discussion that does go totally off the rails, I direct you to this hilarious clip of a young woman (judging by the youtube comments, she's a communications student at USC) starting an interview with John Cusack. I won't spoil it for you, I'll just say it's safe for work, it's brief, and it's as cringe-inducing and awkward as anything on The Office. You will be screaming at this reporter to just...stop...talking. Enjoy! And friends, please, do your research!

Yesterday I posted my probing piece of investigative journalism: "Blood n' Babes: Cinematical's Trip to the 2007 Miss Horrorfest House." Today I was offered a spot on Nightline. OK, not really, but I hope that those of you who read the piece enjoyed it. I think it is safe to say that readers were expecting photographs of the candidates that were a little more...explicit. But to be honest, those weren't the ladies I met. They were all attractive and provocatively dressed, sure, but for the most part, these were just nice, normal women who happened to be covered in blood and gore. Plus, c'mon, I'm no Hugh Hefner, and there's something unseemly about asking girls you've just met to show a little more skin. Good thing for you guys, I didn't even have to ask! I was just sent a new batch of photographs of the eight finalists, and they are definitely worth checking out.

You've got Sweet Dead Sara, rocking a slit throat. You've got Chieko coming out of her shell...and a coffin. Mistress Malice is sporting taped nipples and a whip, and I think it's safe to say votes for her are about to skyrocket. It's sad but true -- show some skin, you always win. Countess Elizabeth Bathory is, um, sitting in a chair. That's sick! The Morbid Sisters look mighty guilty in their photo, although I'm not sure why they didn't perform some of their acrobatics for the shoot. Nixon Suicide is getting in touch with her wild animal. And Shannon Lark manages to look seductive even with a chainsaw in her hand. Remember, to cast your vote and track the results, head over to the Horrorfest YouTube page. They've just given you more time to vote -- the top three finalists will now be announced on October 24th. Check out the photos in the gallery, and to learn more about my wild experiences with the Miss Horrorfest girls, be sure to check out yesterday's post.

After Dark Horrorfest is a week of "8 Films To Die For" -- 8 new horror flicks released in theaters for one week only, November 9th through the 18th. Over the last month, contestants have performed at live auditions or submitted 90-second YouTube videos in the hopes of being crowned Miss Horrorfest 2007. The competition is now down to eight finalists. The chosen ones lived in a house together for days, Real World-style, and each competed in "chilling competitions" to win "$50,000, fame, glory, and a year of exotic travel as the reigning Miss Horrorfest!" The videos are on YouTube -- last year's contest proved to be the most successful in the site's history. The final three candidates should be announced tomorrow.

Of all the assignments I've had and interviews I've conducted, none have filled me with as much unease as my trip to the Miss Horrorfest House. I have a difficult time talking to girls as it is. It certainly doesn't make things any easier when they're covered in blood and holding chainsaws. These ladies are hardcore! I was concerned that I'd feel a bit out of place. 1) I'm not a big horror enthusiast. If I want to see people screaming and trying to stab each other, I'll go home for Thanksgiving. 2) Although I do own volumes one and two of The Cure's greatest hits, I am not at all comfortable in the Goth lifestyle. 3) My taste in erotica does not involve whips, chains, or ball gags.

Was I going to be able to find common ground with these people? Luckily, I was partnered for my interviews with the editor-in-chief -- excuse me, DEADitor-in-chief -- of a magazine called Girls and Corpses. Yes, girls and corpses -- together at last! As you can imagine, he was extremely familiar with the horror chick world, and he put me at ease very quickly. If you get a free second and don't mind getting fired from your job -- check out his site! The two of us spoke briefly with each of the eight finalists, discussed after the jump. It was a trip.

The good folks over at UA/MGM were nice enough to give Cinematical an exclusive look at images from one of this fall's most anticipated films, Lions for Lambs. The images were released in conjunction with a brand new contest over on YouTube in which folks are asked to upload a 90-second video discussing an important social issue; one they're passionate about. The winning video will get the chance to help choose which charity receives $25,000. We're all passionate about something (personally, my video would have to do with autism) -- so here's your chance to speak your mind and, at the same time, help the lives of so many people. Lions for Lambs stars Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise, and the film is due to arrive in theaters on November 9. I've included the official synopsis below, as well as our exclusive photo gallery. Enjoy.

"Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise star in LIONS FOR LAMBS, a powerful and gripping story that digs behind the news, the politics and a nation divided to explore the human consequences of a complicated war.

Directed by Academy Award(r) winner Robert Redford, the story begins after two determined students at a West Coast University, Arian (DEREK LUKE) and Ernest (MICHAEL PENA), follow the inspiration of their idealistic professor, Dr. Malley (REDFORD), and attempt to do something important with their lives. But when the two make the bold decision to join the battle in Afghanistan, Malley is both moved and distraught. Now, as Arian and Ernest fight for survival in the field, they become the string that binds together two disparate stories on opposite sides of America. In California, an anguished Dr. Malley attempts to reach a privileged but disaffected student (ANDREW GARFIELD) who is the very opposite of Arian and Ernest. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C. the charismatic Presidential hopeful, Senator Jasper Irving (CRUISE), is about to give a bombshell story to a probing TV journalist (STREEP) that may affect Arian and Ernest's fates. As arguments, memories and bullets fly, the three stories are woven ever more tightly together, revealing how each of these Americans has a profound impact on each other and the world."

"Wait, so is she actually eating a dog?" I swear I said that to myself at one point while watching all these Miss Horrorfest videos. What is Miss Horrorfest? And how to I date her? Well, I can answer the first part for you -- Miss Horrorfest is an annual contest held by After Dark Films in which they award one lucky (and freak-ish) lady with the title of Miss Horrorfest in conjunction with After Dark's actual Horrorfest, which screens 8 new films between the dates of November 9-18, 2007. If you're a cool chick who digs horror and warped beauty pageants, then all you need to do is submit a 90-second video to YouTube with the words "Miss Horrorfest" and "Horrorfest, November 9-18, 2007" somewhere inside the Oscar-worthy masterpiece. However, the contest only runs through September 30, which is like four days from now, so you don't have a lot of time to get to it.

If you're not into the whole YouTube thing (and I don't blame you -- all those nasty comments would give me a complex in all of about two minutes), you can participate in one of four live auditions held in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and Dallas. I'm not sure whether any of the live audition dates have passed, but you can get all of the info over on Horrorfest's official YouTube page. Because I have nothing better to do with my time, I spent part of the morning watching some of these videos. While most of them are -- how do I say it -- friggin' awful, there are a few that I enjoyed. I've included the video that I liked the most after the jump, although the girl certainly pimps herself out -- and I hate people who say, "Look, I've done all these things, which means you simply have to pick me!" But so far it's the best I've seen, so head on over there and check out the rest. I think you vote for your favorite, and the winner is chosen that way ... or something. Also, stay tuned to Cinematical this October as we'll be shelling out more Halloween-themed content than you know what to do with.

And while we're poking fun at the MPAA today ...

... I remember catching the first two episodes (I believe) of the UK show The IT Crowd, and it was pretty hilarious stuff ... especially for those who actually work in the IT department. From what I hear, an American version of the UK show will hit NBC as a midseason replacement -- and based on the popularity of The Office, I don't blame them for looking to our friends across the pond for quality humor. That being said, a friend of mine pinged me with this video over on YouTube earlier today. Apparently it was created by the folks behind The IT Crowd, and it's a play on all those anti-piracy ads we've been exposed to lately. You know, the ones that start out with "You wouldn't steal from ... " And then it's at that point the ads get progressively stranger, and you're left asking yourself how in the world this relates to you downloading a crappy version of Live Free or Die Hard. Yeah, those. I've included the video above, enjoy.