Time to introduce David Poland to those of you not in the know.
The prickly, but very readable, Mr. Poland writes a daily online column, called The Hot Button (available as the second to last link under Cinema) covering Hollywood, industry shenanigans, the cinema, and everything and anything related to the movie industry, each day Monday to Friday.
Written from an insider’s perspective, but never seeking to curry favour with the movers and shakers down Tinseltown way, Mr. Poland’s enthusiastic but still reasoned take on Hollywood has been must reading for many, dating back to the column’s début Friday, August 22nd, 1997.
In recent years, Mr. Poland has sought to expand the forum for his writing, the main result of which is Movie City News.com, which sports up-to-date links to important stories concerning Hollywood, and analysing trends in the industry and their impact on the rest of us.

Scarlett Johansson

British Film Awards With the Oscar ceremony less than two weeks away, the question is being asked, “Are the British film industry awards a precursor to what will occur in Hollywood come Academy Awards night?”
Lord of the Rings was the big winner at the annual BAFTA awards, picking up five statuettes: Best Picture, Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay and Special Effects, as well as film of the year as voted by the British public.
The BAFTA Best Actress award went to 19-year-old Scarlett Johansson (pictured above) for Lost in Translation, while co-star Bill Murray surprised, winning the award for Best Actor, besting competition including Sean Penn.
For the rest of the awards info click on the British Film Awards link above.

21 Grams: Oscar nominees Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio del Toro have all been brilliant before, and if we’re lucky they’ll be brilliant again. But to watch these three – working alone and in tandem – is to experience the strange, immensely satisfying alchemy of great screen acting. Mind-bending and startlingly crafted, 21 Grams is absorbing drama that’s as much about loneliness, retribution and redemption as it is about the (literal) heart.

The House of Sand and Fog: A heart-wrenching, gripping, pure-human thriller, The House of Sand and Fog paints an unforgettable portrait of decent, well-meaning, conflicted people moved to frustration, helplessness and grief.
Lending his expatriate Iranian army colonel a bit of the stark fury he brought to bear in Sexy Beast, Best Actor Oscar nominee Ben Kingsley’s performance is riveting from beginning to end. How it came to be that Jennifer Connelly was overlooked for a Best Actress Oscar nod for her powerful portrayal of a damaged, uncomprehending recovering alcoholic, beggars belief. At least Shohreh Aghdashloo, as the flinty colonel’s self-deluded émigré wife, received a Best Supporting Oscar nomination.