Being Hated Is All But an Art for Uwe Boll

Even Hollywood can make movies for the non-'lily-livered:' Nile Gardiner

(NEWSER) - "Hollywood may well be a bastion of liberalism, but it does continue to occasionally produce major films that advance conservative principles," Nile Gardiner writes in the Telegraph . His best of the aughts:

1. Master and Commander, 2003: The Peter Weir flick starring Russell Crowe is "an epic tale of heroism and love for country in the face of incredible odds, and a glowing tribute to the grit and determination that forged the British Empire."
2. Black Hawk Down, 2001: Critics may have called it an "anti-war film," but Gardiner doesn't buy it. Instead, it's "an extraordinarily powerful and deeply patriotic tribute to the heroism and bravery of the US military."

French first lady returns director's fawning with a 'yes'

(NEWSER) - French first lady Carla Bruni doesn’t have any delusions about her acting ability—“Perhaps I’ll be completely hopeless”—but when Woody Allen comes a-knocking, you don’t say no. The director has asked the former model to appear in an upcoming movie after meeting her earlier this year. “I don't know what the role would be, but I said yes,” she tells the AFP . “I go into everything blindly, or I'd never do anything at all.” Besides, "when I'm a grandmother I'd like to be able to say I made a film with Woody Allen.” More»

Roger Corman, Gordon Willis, John Calley share the spotlight

(NEWSER) - A mere 65 years after her unforgettable screen debut, Lauren Bacall has won an Academy Award. The honorary Oscar was a high point of a ceremony last night in Los Angeles that also celebrated the careers of filmmaker Roger Corman, cinematographer Gordon Willis, and producer John Calley. "I can't believe it, a man at last!" the 85-year-old Bacall joked as she hoisted her new hardware. More»

Alien-abduction mock-doc delivers lame premise with laughable framing device

(NEWSER) - The Fourth Kind attempts to combine dramatization of true events and fake-documentary alien abductions in Alaska, and falls horribly flat. Here's what critics are saying:

• The ludicrousness of the grainy archival footage, presented as "real," and a lousy performance by Milla Jovovich, whose "notion of serious acting seems to be speaking very slowly in a halting monotone," make it hard to suspend your disbelief, writes Stephen Holden for the New York Times.

One of cinema's greats shares his favorite scary movies

(NEWSER) - Martin Scorsese wants to give you a Halloween treat: The legendary director, writing for the Daily Beast, lists his top 11 fright-fests.

1. The Haunting: “You may not believe in ghosts but you cannot deny terror!”
2. The Isle of the Dead: "There’s a moment in this picture that never fails to scare me. let’s just say that it involves premature burial."
3. The Uninvited: "The tone is very delicate, and the sense of fear is woven into the setting, the gentility of the characters."