DIRECTORS THAT GET MY DOLLARS

I’ll tell you right off the bat, Marty didn’t make THE LIST!!!

Let’s face it, Ladies and Germs, going to the theaters these days is getting more and more difficult. Ticket prices are getting so high, especially with all the IMAX and 3-D screenings (3-D tix in New York have risen to over $20 per), that for some movies I have to decide what I’d rather do… See a film or pay my electricity bill. A recent screening of Up, in 2-D mind you, with a moderate amount of snacks for my wife, kids and myself cost us about a hundred bucks. Even if my wife and I want to go alone, to see something with more mature content, we pay for a sitter and end up eating the cash either way.

This is part of the reason that I don’t do reviews on this site… well, that and the fact that I’m just such a film fan that I have a hard time disliking even poor films. So, I have resigned myself to seeing most films, in fact almost all films, when they come out on DVD. From time to time, a CG driven explosion fest, an interesting or critically acclaimed indie or a new vehicle for an actor I admire will get my butt in the seats. However, most of the time I don’t waste the time because I don’t really expect much from the films.

However, there are a few Filmmakers out there (under 10 probably) whose catalogue of work is so impressive that I know I can count on them to leave me feeling satisfied after shelling out a healthy lump of coin to see their films. For that, I thought they should be honored here, on what some are calling the greatest blog ever written (and by “some” I mean “ME”), with this week’s list: DIRECTORS WHO GET MY DOLLARS.

Here they are (in order):

YOUR PICKS: CELEBRITY ANIMATED PERFORMANCES

Here you go… based on Facebook, Comments and E-mail, I present your picks for Favorite Celebrity Animated Performances. Here they are in order:

5. ALBERT BROOKS as MARLIN.

FAVORITE CELEBRITY ANIMATED PERFORMANCES

If there’s one thing Hollywood is good at, it’s leaving the general population dazed and confused with their decision making. One area that has always left me completely bewildered is the casting of major stars as the voices of Animated characters. Dreamworks is NOTORIOUS for this! Look at the voice cast for a film like Antz or Shark Tale and you’ll see what I mean. The amount of A-List celebrities lending their names to these films would drive a live-action film’s budget over 100 million just to pay the cast. And the problem is, this doesn’t always make for the best voice performance.

Pixar has worked with A-Listers over the years but has proven that they are always looking for the best voice and not necessarily the biggest name (Albert Brooks in Nemo, Craig T. Nelson in The Incredibles). That’s to be commended. I always figured why not save on budget and look for a great voice in the world of up-and-comers or has-beens… Judd Nelson for Scar in The Lion King anyone… maybe not. But you get my point.

Still, every now and then, an actor comes on board that not only suits a character but, one could argue, was born to voice the role. This is no small task, which makes for a short list. However, a list is what we must make so I present you with this weeks: FAVORITE CELEBRITY ANIMATED PERFORMANCES.