Last week, we started a new feature here at Scene-Stealers called Overlooked Movie Monday. The inaugural post was an appreciation of a little-seen 1999 movie called “Detroit Rock City,” which most people seemed to write off as a cheap teenage comedy. Phil Fava contends that it’s a fun and authentic tribute to friendship and shared experiences.

This week, I took a long, hard look (emphasis on the long) at “Starship Troopers,” a misunderstood satire of the original source novel by director Paul Verhoeven. At first glance, the film may seem like a cheesy 90210 in space, but that’s on purpose. There is a lot more going on than dazzling special effects. Don’t believe me? Read my long-winded tirade on the messy parodic masterpiece that is”Starship Troopers.”

John Travolta has been on a roll. Or maybe you’d call it sleepwalking.

Either way, he turns in another over-the-top performance in “From Paris With Love,” a Euro-style action buddy flick from producer/co-writer Luc Besson.

It’s a brainless flick for sure, but are Travolta’s hammy shenanigans enough to rescue the movie from Slumberland?

Find out here in Eric’s review of “From Paris With Love.”

Because we realize that Scene-Stealers readers are the coolest movie-obsessed weirdos on the Internet, we know you’ll be up for this one. We have some really cool prizes and 50 passes to the advance screening of THE CRAZIES on Thursday, February 25 at the AMC Mainstreet Theatre at 8pm. Enter now.

Take a picture of yourself acting crazy. Photograph yourself with a crazy look in your eyes! Do something crazy and take a picture of it! Just be crazy and email the jpeg to eric@scene-stealers.com. (Please make sure its re-sized small enough that you can send it!) The 50 craziest photos get the passes. The Top 3 get prizes such as:
- 2 reserved seats at the February 25th promotional screening at AMC Mainstreet
- $15 gift card for concessions the night of the screening
- Official movie poster of THE CRAZIES
- The Crazies comic book set
- $25 gift certificate for Vintage Stock (Lee’s Summit location - 626 NE 291 Highway, Lee’s Summit, MO 64086)

The 82nd Academy Awards nominations were announced this morning and there aren’t many surprises. Here is the complete list of 2010 Oscar nominees.

Avatar and The Hurt Locker lead the pack with nine nominations, followed by eight for Inglourious Basterds. Up in the Air and Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire have six each.

I’m glad that Leona Lewis’s “I See You” from Avatar (essentially the sequel to Titanic’s “My Heart Will Go On”) was snubbed for Best Original Song. But nominating The Blind Side for Best Picture? No Costume Design for Where the Wild Things Are? Yikes. Anyway, here’s the complete 2010 Oscar nomination list. What do you think?

In the wake of J.D. Salinger’s death last week, one of our favorite list writers–the esteemed Warren J. Cantrell–emailed me with an idea for a movie-themed Top 10 list.

“How about Top 10 Literary Eccentrics?” he wrote.

At first, I didn’t think there were enough tortured-writer characters in movies, but boy was I wrong. Mr. Cantrell came up with a great list of authors in movies and filled it with the kind of explicit prose we’ve come to expect from the man. If there’s one character type writers know how to write, it’s writers. What better way to celebrate that than by writing about it?

Here’s Warren’s Top 10 Literary Eccentrics in Movies.

Today we are starting a new feature here at Scene-Stealers. The best thing about the digital revolution is that movies last forever and are almost immediately accessible from anywhere. It’s our job to see as many as possible, but with the high turnover rate in the theaters, its sometimes easy to miss a great film.

Overlooked Movie Monday will feature an impassioned article about a movie that has either gotten a bad rap or nobody seems to talk about anymore. We’re talking about gems that may be collecting dust at the video store or on an online rental shelf somewhere. Inspired by the popularity of the two Top 10 Overlooked Movies, Top 10 Overlooked Scary Movies, and Top 10 Overlooked Movies of the Last Five Years lists, we’ve decided to do this every Monday.

Today’s movie is the overlooked teenage rock n’ roll party flick “Detroit Rock City” and your host is Phil Fava. Check it.

Last night I went to the Riot Room in Kansas City to see a live performance by the stars of the best documentary of last year.

Their names are Robb Reiner (no, not him) and Lips and they are the founding members of Anvil, a heavy metal band that is still slogging it out outside of the mainstream almost 30 years after their formation.

It was nice to see that the guys were just as they came off in the movie–humble, dedicated, and enthusiastic. “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” made my Top 10 Films of the 2009 list and got a full review here. The movie is out on DVD now. Rent it if you haven’t seen it already and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how inspiring it is.

This weekend Mel Gibson stars in “Edge of Darkness,” a revenge thriller that struggles to also maintain its theme of a doting father dealing with grief.

Eric saw the movie this weekend with Scene-Stealers contributor Trevan McGee. Since we didn’t have our cameras handy, however, we thought it would be cool to approximate a video review in the form of a conversation anyway.

What we came up with was a review by way Instant Messenger. So enjoy all the insight you would normally get without having to look at our ugly mugs…or Mel’s, for that matter. Click here to read the IM review of “Edge of Darkness.”

Face it.

You knew it in your heart before you saw “The Passion of the Christ,” the South Park parody, or heard about his Dad’s statements or his drunken arrest when he called a female cop “sugartits.”

Mel Gibson (whose “comeback” film “Edge of Darkness” opens Friday) is a unique individual.

Well, that certainly rubs off in his films, and Scene-Stealers contributor Phil Fava has come up with a gloriously entertaining Top 10 this week that compiles all of the man’s craziest moments on film.

So sit back, crack a Foster’s, and enjoy the Top 10 Craziest Mel Gibson Movie Moments. And don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Jeff Bridges’ new movie “Crazy Heart” is about a down-and-not-quite-out country singer. Bridges’ performance is the favorite to win Best Actor and the reason to see the film, and having already won the Critic’s Choice Award and Golden Globe, its theme song is sure to win the Oscar as well.

While I’ll spare you a link to that song, I will instead give you a link to its spiritual cousin and an excerpt of its lyrical genius: “This is my music, it makes me proud, these are my people and this is my crowd. These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights!”

Anyway, if you’re actually interested in “Crazy Heart,” here’s my review of the movie. Have a great weekend!