It seems a whole two weeks have gone by without a single post. Let us just face the facts...I am a slacker. Needless to say, I am hear and I am writing. Within two more weeks, the Cleveland International Film Festival will be upon us. Within days, I should be receiving my Media Pass and I have already planned out a weeks worth of film viewing. Somewhere between 15-20 films actually. So what do I have up my sleeve you ask.

Here is a breakdown:

Ben X - Belgium

Big Man Japan (aka Dai Nipponjin) - Japan

Blind - Netherlands

Dead Time - Indonesia

Deficit (Gael García Bernal's directorial debut) - Mexico

Flash Point - Hong Kong

Flight of the Red Balloon - France

Gone With the Woman - Norway

Jar City - Icelandic

Jellyfish - Israel

Love Songs (aka Les Chansons d Amour) - France

Mongol - Kazakhstan

Otis - United States

Priceless - France

The Substitute - Denmark

The Teeth of Love - China

Timecrimes - Spain

The Trap - Serbia

What We Do is Secret - United States

You, the Living - Sweden

Okay, so I guess that is alot. 20 to be exact. I may or not see all them though. Probably about a good 11 or so are definite. But I would really like to make it to all of the above. My sidekick from last year, Aaron H, is only catching a a few this year. A few other friends as well plan to see a handful. I hope to drag Chiaki along to a some too. If you would like to attend something let me know. You will be more than welcome to join me. As with last year, I will report back during the fest with a little feedback on the flicks. I can't freakin' wait.

So I sat down the other day and watched 3:10 to Yuma on Blu-Ray the other night. Damn, was it a beaut. There is always one will each year that I see after I make my Top 10 list and this is it. I will admit a guilty confession. I haven't seen Unforgiven. Yes, I own it on HD DVD (my first purchase on the format actually). And yes I admit I am a very big fan of spaghetti westerns. 3:10 to Yuma has been marketed as the best western since Unforgiven which I sorta of took offense to. Have these people not seen the brilliant The Proposition or The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada not to mention this years The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford and No Country for Old Men. But yeah, okay. As far as rough and tough cowboys, the film definitely fits the true feel of a western. 3:10 to Yuma is nothing short of brilliant. I absolutely loved everything about it. Crowe's performance even brought me back to liking him as an actor again (it has been a while....um....The Quick and the Dead was the last I believe). Ben Foster though steals the f'n show. Amazing. Add Foster to the list of actors robbed from this year's Oscar nominations.

So I will be back in a day or two with my reaction to this year's Academy Award winners along with a review of the fantastic film Princess which has recently been distributed by the fine folks at Madman Entertainment.