The End of the Year/The Start of a New One (Other Things too)

Well I haven't posted anything in a while so I figured I'd just make a new thread and BS a bit about this year and some things for next year. It's been a pretty busy year for me for the site. I've put a bait in every month and I believe besides January I sent in the maximum amount of baits we're allowed certain months for a full year. I'm greatly appreciated for all the support I've gotten for all my baits and more recently my December bait "Reminiscence", which in my mind is one of the best baits I've written, definitely my best Press Section for sure, I can only hope it makes some noise by the end of this month. There have been some fantastic baits this year, ones that continue to inspire to come back each month and create more baits for others to read. Some of my favorite baits this month have included The Valley of Ashes, Border Man, Behind Closed Doors, A New Agenda, Jackrabbit, The 7,000 Mile Screwdriver, Native Son, Sweet Black and Blue, Sixty Days, The 27th Victim, Rehab, The Guy Who Owned the Store, Lucky Clover, and among many others. I can only hope that the fellow baiters have enjoyed my baits as much as I've enjoyed reading all of yours.

So, now that people are campaigning for the overall Year awards, I suppose I'll go back in time and remind everyone of my baits.

January
Veil of Sin - A Coen brothers film about a washed up cop Weemer, along with his psychotic friend Barney, go on a killing rampage creating a serial killer. Weemer takes the case to ressurect his career.

February
Somerset - A prequel to the film Se7en that focuses on Detective William Somerset and his chase to catch a demented killer that murders families, but never the mother.

March
Flashes - An imagative Arronofsky story about an artist that kills himself and is trapped inside his coma.
Clouds of Red - The true story about pilot Mick Mannock during WWI, starring Christian Bale.

April
Around the Horn - A film about a talk television show that focuses on 4 controversial debaters about obesity, steroids, abortion, and the war at Iraq.

May
Dominion - A story about a tormented man with unanswered questions that hears voices inside his head.

June
Dark Night of the Soul Based on true events about a group of satanists in Norway and their disturbing, unethical behavior.

July
Batman: Scars of Tomorrow - The start of the new Batman epic starring Billy Crudup as Batman as he battles the notorious Two-Face (Ralph Fiennes) and crazed Black Mask (Benecio Tel Doro).

Dr. Death - The true story on Dr. Jack Kevorkian, known for his unusual ways of medicine, death. Staring Peter O'Toole.

August
The Winter Sun - An Ang Lee film about a man with werewolf syndrome.

Blackwater Park - Clive Owen stars in a bait about a man with a mysterious obsession with a park outside his home.

September
To Dwell in Evil - An epic approach at the story of Cane and Abel.

Exposed - A bait about a pornstar that returns home to visit her dying father and back road family.

October
Tabula Rasa - The story about a priest in medieval Europe that believes he is the anti-Christ.

The Good Guy - The biopic on Jimmy Stewart.

November
Ike - A story about two writers that write a book on a man with a split personality.

Under God - A team bait, along with zgamer, based on a town with religious conflicts.

Batman: End of All Hope - The sequel to SoT about Batmans road to recovery and his new found rivalry with the brilliant Riddler.

December
Reminiscence - A bait about a man prisoned in Indonesia by the British in 1688 that records his events by tattooing them on himself.

Well, there you have it, my 2007 year. It was a long road with some close calls for myself, still havent won the big one yet, Best Author/Best Picture award, I believe I'm the writer that's sent in the most baits without winning those awards, quite honestly it's kind of cool I have that "Martin Scorcese of Baits" name to my resume, as Zgamer put it, meaning I've put out some baits that were well received and were close to winning best picture, just never got there. Regardless of what has happened, I feel no animosity towards it nor failure, I try to do my best each month and writers have done better, comes with the territory. I hope everyone enjoyed them and I look forward to making more next year. I hope to continue to be the dark and twisted writer everyone has come to know haha. Maybe sometime by the end of next year I'll have a best author/picture award on my shelf, lol.

And finally to close this out, just like probably everyone on this site, the news that a baiter has passed away really took me off guard. For those that don't know, Anwar, the writer of Warner Girls, passed away a few days ago as a result to a drunk driver. I never would have imagined one of the authors on this site would pass so young, but life comes at you fast sometimes and the unexpected can happen any time. I knew when I read the title of the thread that someone was either in critical condition or died, and was quite hesistant to read the thread. I'm truly sorry for the friends and family of Anwars and my condolences are with them. He was on his way to becoming a very known writer after his success with Warner Girls. He was a good author and will be truly missed. I believe the way we can honor his death is by continuing this brilliant competition where we've all made a name for ourselves and where we've come to know one another through our hard work and dedication to baiting.

Thanks for reading.

"The Mist" Review

Well here we are, my first movie review on my blog. I decided to do it on the new acclaimed horror/mystery fiesta known as "The Mist, Frank Darabonts version of the novella from Stephen King. First thing is first, if anyone is going to do a film based on King material, it HAS to be Darabont. Shawshank, Green Mile, now The Mist. I've been waiting for this film for as long as I can remember. I did read the novella in high school and was a big fan, the characters are some of Kings best, but this new ending that Frank Darabont has created completely crushes Kings ending, in my opinion. Many won't agree with this, then again many will.

In my opinion, this is a perfect horror film. Yes they could have found a better lead role for Thomas Jane, I've never been too impressed by him as an actor, but to give him some credit he did do a good enough job and took on a pretty difficult role. I love Andre Braugher as an actor, think he is highly underrated and underused. And I'm glad the kid actor didn't suck. There are few things I hate more then a kid being cast because he is either cute, or because he is the directors nephew. And I liked that he wasn't talking like a 40 year old guy trying to write children's dialog, he talked like a kid. Marcia Gay Harden, wow, what more can be said? As soon as I heard she would be cast as Mrs. Carmody I pointed my finger and said now THAT is a great casting, she can anything as far as I'm concerned. This role took ruthlessness and aggression, she has to make us absolutely despise her? Does she? I certainly hope she did because when I'm on the edge of my seat while hearing Carmodys rants my mind is seriously twisted.

Now, onto the plot/book comparisons. Could the creatures have turned out any better? No way, Darabont NAILS the creatures compared on the novella. How they are described in the book is exactly how they look on screen. Although, like many have pointed out, the scene with the ENORMOUS creature that could make a blue whale seem like a trout was only described in the book as being legs with little bugs covering it. In the film you can see the whole body, which is fine by me but that's about its only flaw. The creatures are terrifying, and pretty damn cool at that. The use of the mist involved with some of these creatures make them even more creepier. When you're not scared by the insanely good CGI of the creatures you have to be scared of the people involved in this incident. It really captures the realistic human likelihood in such conditions, people need answers to the things surrounding them, they need comfort, and they'll do anything to get with their backs against the wall. Us humans fear anything that could dominate our species and they'll go through drastic measures to fix it. Very, very scary situations.

I must start another paragraph about this. Aside from the marvelous ending there is one scene in this film that people should take note of. The "Pharmacy Scene". To the viewers who havent seen this film yet and are planning on seeing it, brace yourself for the pharmacy scene, for it is one of the most well crafted horror scenes I've EVER seen, period. Without giving away too much I'll just say that from the start to end of this scene gave me chills down my spine, all the horror elements you look for in a film are just piled into this scene, the use of sounds, the environment around them, lightening and camera angles, then it gets insane. I'm not an easy person to scare and hardly ever get scared during film....but this scene scared the hell out of me.

The ending, well, some people say it took guts for Darabont to do this ending, and quite frankly it did. Not only is it way more riskier, but people almost ALWAYS choose the book over the movie. I don't know why, but maybe it makes people feel smart, because they are choosing reading over just seeing. If King wrote the movie ending, and Frank Darabont wrote the book ending, there would not be a single person saying Darabont's was better. They'd be calling Darabont a pansy, catering to Hollywood, afraid to make a really horrific ending like King. Not only did I believe this ending was better for the story but I do think it lives up to the hype and IS one of the best endings to a horror film I've ever seen.

Bottom line is if you want a break from all the baity Oscar films out there, I highly suggest you go see The Mist. It's as entertaining and shows a great deal of film talent as a film that's in Oscar contention right now. One of the best films of the year. Come to think about it, Wednesday I had a damn good day, pulled a double feature and saw No Country for Old Men and The Mist, I was one happy boy scout I'll say that. Both films lived up to my expectations and then some. Wow.

Lay off of October...and more stuff

Alright, so today I had a lot of free time on my hands and decided to finally read the October baits. Now, after reading all the negative buzz about the October baits, I just want to say right now that October was, in my opinion, a fairly good month. Sure, there was no bait will be looked at as one of the best ever, and maybe there were none that was so mesmorizing, but OVERALL this was a strong month with a hat full of good baits. How many were great? Well, not many, but there were some great baits, followed with a bunch of good baits that I enjoyed reading.

I'll just say right now my favorite bait this month is Behind Closed Doors. I don't normally get chills when I read baits, but this one gave me slight chills. It has a perfect cast and a very intriguing plot. Now, follow that up with baits like For Pay, The Dead President, Harvey Black, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Criminal Origins, Field of Desire, Switching Time, Zeppelin 2020, The Cloud, Home Sweet Home, Welcome Back....you can honestly tell me this was a BAD month? Sure, it wasn't a GREAT month, but a GOOD one. Will some of these baits make the top 20 of all time? No, but to say this was a bad month is kind of pushing it. So, I for one say that this was a good month with a hand full of good baits.

With that being said, I'd just like to say I apologize for "The Good Guy" being a disapointment to some. Like I said in the forum, I wasn't too confident with it when I sent it in and I completely expected the reviews it recieved. I would also like to thank everyone who supported my bait Tabula Rasa, which was obviously my "baby" this month and I thank you for its nominations this month. I'll try to come back strong next month and not disappoint anyone.

So, once again, October is not as bad as the buzz made it out to be. Congrats to all the nominees and I'll see ya in November.

November is almost here.

So since November is almost here I figure now is the best time to get some early buzz.

My first bait will be entitled "Ike", directed by Cameron Crowe, director choice may change. It will star Steve Buscemi, Greg Kinnear, and Robert Downey JR. JR and Kinnear play two crafty authors that search for their career spark, each of them decide to do a biography on a man, Steve Buscemi, with multiple personalities, they dig into his life that will change their look on life completely.

My second bait will not be revealed yet, but expect a teaser coming very, very soon.

Tabula Rasa Poster

New poster for my new bait "Tabula Rasa", coming this month. I have a few other versions of it, 2 were posted on the forums. Click on the picture for a bigger image.

End of the Month Comments

Hi all. So it's the end of yet another month and I have some things to comment about considering I havent posted on here for a while.

- First off, I have officially decided to cancel my "Honoring the Authors" segment on my blog. I realize that you guys are very busy with school and among other things, which is why I didn't receive any nominations for August, so it's all good. I would like to apologize to Josh P for canceling the segment since he was the next baiter to be authored. Although the segment will not continue, your legacy to being a great and notable writer in the contest will continue Josh P, especially after your great month of August.

- We are shortly near this months competition being 10 days away, and quite honestly I'm a bit afraid. Two biopics have won back to back Best Picture in 2 months, which to say the least is why I'm quite hesitate to send in "The Good Guy" for October. Now, I know most of you, and myself, would say that it doesn't matter what genre it is but the quality of the bait. I can agree with this, but I guess you could call me a supersticious man. I know a few people have been looking forward to it, and it has been put back for a few months now, so I'm just going to let the chips fall where they may and send it in. I hope you all enjoy it.

- Next, as many of you know, the awards for September were announced a short time ago, I would like to congratulate all the winners and nominees this month, it was yet another good and developing month for the contest. The new writers are becoming monthly vets, new stories keep being told, and I would just like to say it's been an honor to associate myself with everyone in the contest and to compete as well. Speaking of the authors, I just wanted to give major "props" to the baiters that give more to the contest then their own baits. I'm talking ceremonies, award shows, blog segments, golden globes, the festival, the sag awards, everything. Your creativity and dedication to the contest is a big part of what makes this internet activity what it is, and that is the best activity on the internet that I've ever been apart of. Great job guys.

- And finally, Hugh Jackman is one of those actors that always puts my ass in a movie theater. The guy does nothing but entertain me. He's a fantastic actor and sincerely underused in the contest. The point of this paragraph is to simply ask this.....what the hell was up with Van Helsing? I remember seeing it in the theater and wanting to leave. Honestly the actors that play Frankenstein and Dracula could not overact any more, it really brings my blood to a boil. Now I'm watching it on TV as I type this blog and I'm trying to answer myself the same question I asked when I saw it in theaters. Shame on you Hugh.

Until next time baiters, also don't forget to tune into my October baits, "Tabula Rasa" and "The Good Guy".

My Top 20 Horror Films

Here we go, my first top 10 list, therefore I shall begin with my favorite genre, horror. To me, horror doesn't get enough recognition, then again, horror is the easiest genre to hate on. It may be the only genre where people get the idea of screaming at the character, telling him to do this or that. The brainless teenager that always seems to trip, the cheesy dialogue, and in many instances it relies on its gore for it's scare value. Although this can work sometimes, most GREAT horror films do not rely on gore, but rather then the psychological aspect of it. The usage of the score, lighting, the atmosphere, a desired villian, and a creepy good story. As I said, there are the few exceptions where gorefest horror can be used, some of those exceptions being zombie flicks, Audition, and one of my personal favorites, Cabin Fever. So without further ado here are my top 20 horror films. I chose 20 because I couldn't narrow my list down to 10, that's just not fair to my favorite genre. Some of these may contain spoilers.

#20. Cabin Fever

- I know what some of you may be thinking, "not a good start to the list", well this is where opinions differ. Cabin Fever is the third most recent horror flick that's on this list. To me it was one of the best that was released in the last decade. A newcomer to the horror genre was Eli Roth at the time, he directed and wrote this film. One reason I liked this one is because of the REAL old school horror vibe to it. You have your cliche teenagers looking for a good time so they rent out a cabin in the forest where a flesh eating virus has occured. The make-up and more importantly gore effects are brilliant. The scene where Jordan Ladd touches her leg under a blanket and we hear a disgusting, vile sound is one of the best recent scenes in horror that I've seen. You squinch when you hear it and it sticks with you throughout the rest of the film.

#19. An American Werewolf in London

- My favorite werewolf film ever made. This is one instance where Nicholson can't compete. David Naughton solidified his place in film with this role. It is one of the best horror/comedy films ever made, a true classic. Don't believe me? Check out the subway scene.

#18. Henry: Portait of a Serial Killer

- The only serial killer film that graces my list, although there have been some good ones, Dahmer (with Jeremy Renner, a brilliant performance), and Bundy, but none can compare with Henry, and I wouldn't consider Zodiac a horror flick (but it remains as one of the best films of 2007 if you ask me). Michael Rooker is as eery as a killer can get. He's no movie magic monster because unlike those, he's for real. A sick and twisted look at a real life man, one of my favorites.

#17. Candyman

- We all remember this one. This is the film that drove us to the bathroom mirror, daring our friends to say his name 5 times, Candyman. Tony Todd has one of the best voices in the movie business. It's incredibly frightening, deep, and down right disturbing. It also helps that the film stars talented actress Virginia Madsen, who really wasn't even noticed until Sideways. Her performance in Candyman was great, overlooked because of its genre.

#16. The Re-Animator

- The Re-Animator, what else can be said about this cult classic. Jeffrey Combs is the king of b-rate, period. He plays a crazy-fun scientist that re-animates human tissue to bring the dead back to life. This is quite honestly a graphic piece of film, but it just has that unique quality, especially at the time, to catch our attention and laugh at all the madness that's before us. Also, fun note, the story was written by H.P. Lovecraft, and just recently BaO writer D.W. sent a bait about the man behind the madness.

#15. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

- Just to clarity, I don't consider this a serial killer movie, although it was loosely based off one, and also to clarify, I'm not talking about the WB casted remake. Simply put, low budget horror, and great horror at that. The film almost has a documentary vibe which adds more to the scare factor. At the most unexpecting moments we have our scare scenes, a true quality in horror films. It's a very unsettling film, that defines the true meaning of "dysfunctional family".

#14. Hellraiser

- The cenobites, one of the most terrifying species that has ever graced film. Wow, I really don't know what else can be said. This film is very bloody, violent, and down right disguting. The story, however, is quite unique in a sense. The story is about Larry who has discovered a doorway to hell, yet he gets more then he bargained for and is captured by the dreaded cenobites, more importantly, Pinhead. He escapes their hell and tries to return to his wife Kirsty, while being hunted down by the cenobites. Larrys decomposed body is so disturbing it's hard to look at. A true underrated classic.

#13. The Hitcher

"I want you to say 4 words....I....want...to...die."

- No, not that whale dick of a remake. This film is another case where you don't need blood and guts to make a horror film. In fact, one of the most disturbing scenes is a death scene, and not one ounce of blood shown, where our hitcher John Ryder ties poor Jennifer Jason Leigh between two trucks as he proceeds to rip her body in half, the death isn't shown, the scene fades out and the next scene tells us what happened. A true landmark in horror. Speaking of landmark, this film has one of the best opening scenes in a horror film that I've ever seen. Rutger Hauer's lines are truly bone chilling, the Academy could have easily given this demented psycho a Best Supporting nomination, that's how convincing and brilliant he was. Of course this is one of the many horror films that is taken advantage of these days to attract boys and their simple minded girlfriends to the movie theaters to see a full frontal gorefest with more violence and less dialogue. No real "creepy" factor to it. Truly sickening.

#12. The Fly

- Truthfully I saw this film a few years ago and I wondered why I didn't see it earlier. This film is disturbing, period. If you havent seen it I recommend it to the fullest. Goldblum, while having a distasteful acting style (in my opinion), does a fine job in this film and his transitions as a fly throughout the film is groundbreaking. This film isn't "gory", but it's more disturbing, and disgusting. Put it this way, it won best make-up at the Academy Awards, that should tell you how good of a job they did. There are so many memorable scenes in this that it's hard to name them all. A few however cannot go unmentioned. The scene where Goldbum picks off his finger nails, the "acid" scenes, and the "birth" scene, all of which will make you squirm at any age. Cronenberg rules.

#11. The Omen

"Look at me, Damien. It's all for you."

- Yikes, you know the scene I'm talking about, not only was that scene great shock value, but basically an "omen" of things to come. I'm usually not one to buy into the whole "kids are creepy", angle. It doesn't work for me, however this film is different. The kid, played by Harvey Stephens, is the creepiest looking kid I've ever seen in film. This film has a strong cast and strong performances, led by Gregory Peck, he brings such devotion to his character that it was definitely "Oscar worthy" for sure.

#10. Death Proof

"Because it was a fifty fifty shot on wheter you'd be going left or right. You see we're both going left. You could have just as easily been going left, too. And if that was the case...it would have been a while before you started getting scared. But since you're going the other way, I'm afraid you're gonna have to start getting scared...immediately"

- Perhaps the other wild card that you didn't expect. I'll tell you know, I'm so high on Tarantinos "Death Proof" that I had to put this in my top 10. This is just another case that Tarantino can do anything he puts his mind too. In general, this film is brilliant. Tarantinos bread and butter is creating real life characters and real life dialogue, this film is no different. We're introduced to the first 4 girls and get a feel for them, we see what their like, how real girls talk. Then they are introduced to Stuntman Mike (an absolute BRILLIANT performance from Kurt Russell), and we get a sense that Stuntman Mike is just a regular guy, but continues to get ridiculed by his hideous scar and ridiculous outfit. He takes all his aggression out in his ride and this is where the fun begins. Russell is clever, funny, scary, disturbing, and masterful. Not to mention this film has one of the best car chase sequences I've ever seen....yes, I mean that. I do believe this was one of the best horror films ever made with a true Grindhouse effect, unlike Planet Terror.

#9. Last House on the Left

- One of the most disturbing films I've ever see. This film was truly before its time and opened the door for many, many horror films. This was Wes Cravens hay day, and this was one of his masterpieces. Here we have real life torture, forget that shit you see in the Saw movies, some of their brilliant fans like to say Saw is unique because it's "realistic", no kiddies. A man decomposing from cancer who apparently has an engineering degree cannot make those stupid, unrealistic devices that all end in bloodshed to keep your simple minded audience entertained. Last House on the Left is the true meaning of real life torture and captivity. David Hess plays one of the villians, his expressions are flawless, hollow, and deeply demented. Our atmosphere is simple, yet terrifying.

#8. Black Christmas

- In my opinion this is the most underrated horror film ever made. This is one of those films where we don't need a story on our notorious villian. Simply put, the guy is insane, and we don't know why. All we know about this man is he refers to himself as "Billy". He calls a sorority house, leaving obscene and haunting comments. His cries, screams, moans, and pig noises leave chills down your spine. The worst part about this is, he's calling from the upstairs attic. Logically, he murders the girls one by one. The tension can't get any better and it's supported by great acting as well. One of the best horror films ever made, period.

#7. The Devil's Rejects

- My final surprise. I can honestly guarentee no one thinks as highly of this film as I do, atleast out of all of the authors. "#7? That's pushing it", well, no. I don't think I'm pushing it at all. This film had all the elements to be a great horror classic. It's gritty, disturbing, dirty, vulgar, comical, and quite frankly a brilliant portrayal on character development. We have our deadly trio, the Fireflies, Captain Spaulding, Otis, and Baby who go on a killing spree to escape the law and the people that want them dead. One of those people include Sheriff Wydell, played by William Forsythe. Truthfully, there is no protagonist in this film, you just sit back and watch utter HELL break out in front of you. The killers, while horrible human beings, were unique, interesting and fun to listen to. Even though we hated them, we were intrigued by them. Rob Zombie wrote and directed this modern day masterpiece and shows great directing skills. It has quite the 70's style to it. More importantly, the last 10 minutes of this film is some of the best film making I've seen in the genre, and honestly it's one of my favorite endings of any film, ANY film. Not many people have given this movie a chance, hence I remind everyone that Roger Ebert himself gave this film 3 Stars. It is what it is, but more. One of my favorite films of 2005.

#6. Nightmare on Elm Street

"This....is god"

- This is where the poll begins to become quite standard. These last 6 films probably grace about 63% of horror fans top 6. So I begin with Nightmare on Elm Street, Cravens best film and masterpiece. One of the best monster villians (my favorite actually) and a decent story makes this film one of the cream of the crop. The story is about a child killer that gets burned alive by the parents of children of the neighborhood. He comes back as an evil demon that haunts the dreams of children on the street he was killed on, Elm Street. Not only does he haunt them, he kills them. The film starts with the very scary theme music in the background and you see a mutilated pair of hands create a glove with sharp knives attached to it. This is just the beginning of whats to come. While the sequels made Freddy a more humorous killer (pretty much making him a joke), this is the film that started it all. There is no nonsense with Freddy, he's as evil as a villian can get, and a frightening one at that. The make-up is astonishing. A classic slasher with a good story and frightening elements.

#5. Halloween

And the award for best horror theme music goes to.....Jaws. Just kidding, it's actually Halloween. Put that music on when you're by yourself in the dark, you're in for a rude awakening if you believe you can't be scared by anything. Halloween is a rare movie. First, it is rare because of the effectiveness of the shots. Nowhere else will you find such amazing and terrifying shots in a movie. The suspense is perfect and performances from Jamie Lee and Donald Pleasence could have been up for some Academy nods but unfortunately, yet again, the Academy doesn't see these things. Bottom line, Halloween is a must see horror film. Watch "the night he came back".

#4. The Exorcist

- There is a reason why this horror classic was one of the few that was nominated for Academy awards. It is THAT good. Great cinematography darkens the atmosphere and a superb screenplay enhances the dialogue. The ensemble is classic. Jason Miller excels as Karras, a man who must defeat his own demons before battle the external evil. To this day this film still scares me. For me, I have to be by myself and in the dark for any movie to truly "scare" me, and when I watch this film with that atmosphere it's almost difficult to watch. No matter what your beliefs are to the subject matter, this film should stand as one of the best horror films ever made to ANYONE.

#3. Jaws

- Duh-num......duh-num....duh-num duh-num....NNNUUUUUUH. Ugh, still gives me chills to this day. This film is the single reason why I'm afraid of the ocean. And that's not joke, I'm terrified of it, and quite frankly I'm traumatized by this film. The score is brilliant, the performances are perfect, the humor is clever, and the horror is real. Quints speech is somewhat more terrifying then the shark itself! And that's what makes his and the other performances basically perfect. An edge of your seat horror film that with witty dialogue. A weak story turned into brilliance.

#2. Alien

- Oh my. The suspense, the element of surprise. The mysteries of the unknown, all great additions to horror films. "Alien" has it all. Of course, by now everyone knows what the alien looks like, but when he inadvertently started the series Scott made the wise decision of keeping it mostly unseen: the ghastly creature is almost never shown in its entirety, preferring to lurk in the shadows as the unaware human characters gradually realize what's happening. It's freakish art direction increase the tension and terror. Like Spielberg with Jaws, Scott realizes that what is unseen is always more terrifying. Most of us have seen the scene...the supposively "rape" scene. We don't see this happening, but we hear the screams. Also give credit to Ridley Scott, this was one of the first horror films that had the main character a woman, the hero. Simply put, this film is not about a crew in space that team together to fight off a monstrous creature, but it's more focused on true fear, they're tired, stressed out, rude and bitchy and they spend a good lot of time griping and snapping at each other. A defining film of its time and it still holds strong.

#1. The Thing

In my opinion, the grand daddy of them all. Director John Carpenter earned a place in history when he directed Halloween, where suspense and atmosphere were above gore and shock. "The Thing" could be seen as an evolution of that style, as even when Carpenter makes great use of Rob Bottin's special effects (which were labeled by critics as "repulsive" on its day), the film still focuses more on atmosphere and suspense rather than in the violent (and very well-done) displays of gore. He crafts a suspenseful guessing game that grows more complex and more frightening with every new twist, and it helps to have some very cool effects and a very scary creature. The cast is very effective, and their performances as a whole so effective that one can almost feel the bad feelings between their characters as real. As a dog lover, the dogs scene is so difficult to watch, sometimes I have to fast forward it depending on my mood, regardless it's effective. The feeling of paranoia, helplessness, brutality and tense and original score by Ennio Morricon makes The Thing one of the most intense and entertaining movies ever made. In my opinion, THE best.

Now is the time where I get to answer questions that I'm sure some of you viewers have.

#1. "Where is Psycho?" or "No Hitchcock?"

- I'll just be frank with you, I'm not a fan of old horror. In my opinion, Psycho is not a great horror film. But again, this is because of how old it is. To me, an old, black and white style horror film is not suspenseful, nor tense. While the acting is great in Psycho, I just didn't see the suspense in it. At the time it was risky and great I'm sure, but to me, overhyped. Also, I don't think it can hold a candle to Rear Window, which in my opinion is Hitchcocks best film, and one of the best films ever made.

#2. "Where is The Shining?"

- The honest truth? I hated this film. I just couldn't get into it folks. The film is way too long for it's own good, creating a boring and dry atmosphere. Nicholsons is HUGELY miscasted, while he okay when he's insane, it's his sane performance that is not acceptable, considering he LOOKS INSANE before he even turns insane. And just to add on to the mess, I don't know how anyone could watch this film and not be irritated by Shelly Duvall, one of the most annoying characters I've EVER seen in film, and this is going up against Ginger from Casino. Her performance alone takes away the suspense and tension this film didn't even have to begin with. It's overrated and a stinker. And it's a shame, I love Kubrick, I love Nicholson, but this was just a mess.

#3. "No George Romero?"

- Romero is a good filmmaker and basically launched the zombie genre, however, in my opinion he cannot hold a candle to Craven or Carpenter (in their prime of course). But if I were to make a top 25 horror list then the original Dawn of the Dead probably would have graced that list, unfortunately it's only 20 and no Romero film made the final cut. I am sorry for this.

#4. "No Vincent Price, Lon Chaney, Boris Karloff, or Max Schreck"?

- As I've stated before, while I'm aware films that included these acclaimed famous people in film were inspirational to the horror films we have today, does not make them suspenseful, tense, and especially scary. I do not enjoy them, nor can I get into them.

#5. "Where is Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, and The Sixth Sense"?

- While all good films, (Silence and Se7en being brilliant), I don't consider them horror.

On that note, I have one more thing to say. I've noticed that most the films on my list have been remade into a modern day, new age travesty. Shitty directors that want to make some extra dough by taking someone elses idea and making it into a senseless piece of garbage that is only appealing to meatheaded teenagers that don't appreciate great film. I'm not talking about films such as The Thing, The Fly, etc that were remade in the 80's, at this time there was still taste in films and they provided actual HORROR, I'm talking Black Christmas, The Omen, The Hitcher, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and just recently, Halloween, all films that have been taken advantage of by these new age assholes. They think if you add excessive gore and less intelligent dialogue you get a more scare factor, yeah, maybe if you're 12.

Now, let me clarify what I'm sure you're thinking now. "The remake of Halloween? Didn't you just praise Rob Zombies film making skills?". Yes, I did. And yes, Rob Zombie falls into the category of the assholes that take advantage of classics. However, to Rob Zombies credit it wasn't his idea to make the film, the company had the idea, proposed it to Zombie, and he did it, it is also his favorite horror movie of all time. Who could resist? However, it's not Zombies STYLE. Halloween was based off its suspense, while Zombies thing is taking advantage of the REAL gore factor, making over the top films. It's just not his style.

And you know, it's not only the films I have in my list, there are countless others. When a Stranger Calls, The Fog, The Amityville Horror, The Wicker Man (hysterical though), The Hills Have Eyes, among others have also been robbed of their own respectful dignity. It's sickening, truly sickening. There are also rumors that Last House on the Left is going to be remade, more low standards in todays horror genre. I think there is one last thing to be said about the people involved with these movies...and excuse the language...FUCK THESE PEOPLE AND FUCK THEIR MOVIES.

Honoring the Authors - DANIEL

Well the results are in, and here the are. The first ever Honoring the Authors segment has been complete and I must say I'm pleased with the response it has gotten and all of the people that voted.

With legendary baits such as Ironic Nonfiction, Steamboat Disney, I, Bergman, E.L, Bloodshed, and just recently A New Agenda, Daniel has solidified his position as to being one of the best authors in the contest. His first bait was released in June of 2006, a crafty veteran who is known for his well rounded skills and baits with heart. He is only the second author in BaO history to have won Best Author twice. 10 baits of his have been elected in the top 10 in their respective months, 2 of which have been #1. With all of these credentials, Daniel has now made more history, being the first author to be honored on my site, and it has been a true honor to read your baits.

Without any further ado, here are the nominations for Daniels "All-Star" ballot, and the winners.

Best Picture

A New Agenda
Ironic Nonfiction
Steamboat Disney
Dali
E.L.

Winner: A New Agenda

Best Director

Jonathan Demme (Bloodshed)
James L. Brooks (A New Agenda)
Alexander Payne (Ironic Nonfiction)
Tim Burton (Dali)
George Clooney (Steamboat Disney)

Winner: Tim Burton (Dali)

Best Actor

Chris Cooper (Bloodshed)
Carl Reiner (A New Agenda)
David Strathairn (Steamboat Disney)
Tim Robbins (Ironic Nonfiction)
John Turturro (Dali)

Winner: David Strathairn (Steamboat Disney)

Best Actress

Betty White (E.L)
Felicitiy Huffman (Ironic Nonfiction)
Lily Tomlin (Steamboat Disney)
Parker Posey (I, Bergman)
Michelle Yeoh (Broken Frames)

Winner: Betty White (E.L.)

Best Supporting Actor

Al Pacino (A New Agenda)
David Bowie (Ironic Nonfiction)
Tim Curry (Ironic Nonfiction)
Kevin Spacey (Blank)
Bill Nighy (E.L.)

Winner: Al Pacino (A New Agenda)

Best Supporting Actress

Parker Posey (A New Agenda)
Thora Birch (Bloodshed)
Catherine O'Hara (Blank)
Natalie Portman (I. Bergman)
Julie Andrews (Foils)

Winner: Parker Posey (A New Agenda)

Best Screenplay

A New Agenda
Dali
Ironic Nonfiction
Steamboat Disney
E.L.

Winner: A New Agenda

Thank you

So the nominations were announced and I am deeply honored and appreciated to see The Winter Sun have a good month in August. Honestly this has been one of the craziest months for me, and it just shows that even if the Igloo Festival is a great and unique idea it can be misleading at times. At first I was campaigning for Blackwater Park due to its Igloo recognition and future best actor win, Clive Owen wasn't nominated for anything else. As the days went on Blackwater Park faded and The Winter Sun rised, no pun intended. Very strange month for me but thank you all for yet another good month in the contest and I'm honored to be apart of it.

Congratulations on the nominees this month and good luck to everyone next month.

Daniel's Official Nominations

Sorry for the delay everyone. I've finally tallied the nominations for Daniels "Honoring the Author" segment (thank you so much to the people that voted), and without further ado here we are.

Best Picture

A New Agenda
Ironic Nonfiction
Steamboat Disney
Dali
E.L.

Best Director

Jonathan Demme (Bloodshed)
James L. Brooks (A New Agenda)
Alexander Payne (Ironic Nonfiction)
Tim Burton (Dali)
George Clooney (Steamboat Disney)

Best Actor

Chris Cooper (Bloodshed)
Carl Reiner (A New Agenda)
David Strathairn (Steamboat Disney)
Tim Robbins (Ironic Nonfiction)
John Turturro (Dali)

Best Actress

Betty White (E.L)
Felicitiy Huffman (Ironic Nonfiction)
Lily Tomlin (Steamboat Disney)
Parker Posey (I, Bergman)
Michelle Yeoh (Broken Frames)

Best Supporting Actor

Al Pacino (A New Agenda)
David Bowie (Ironic Nonfiction)
Tim Curry (Ironic Nonfiction)
Kevin Spacey (Blank)
Bill Nighy (E.L.)

Best Supporting Actress

Parker Posey (A New Agenda)
Thora Birch (Bloodshed)
Catherine O'Hara (Blank)
Natalie Portman (I. Bergman)
Julie Andrews (Foils)

Best Screenplay

A New Agenda
Dali
Ironic Nonfiction
Steamboat Disney
E.L.

There you have it, Daniels "All-Stars" so to speak. Now, the next and final step for us authors is to send your winners to me, at stinkyturtles@hotmail.com. The deadline will be next week on the 29th. Make sure to get your votes in, every vote counts. Thanks again to the authors that sent in nominations.

August Reviews

Well, they are finally here, my reviews for the month of August. Lets go..

El Baile Amor - The story didn't really go anywhere that kept my interest. Perez is a nice choice though and she's definitely underused. C-

Bat Out Of Hell - Looked forward to this one. Don't like any of the casting and I didn't see the reason in bringing Machete from Grindhouse in this. As always, your bait is well written and the director choice is nice. B-

Bee-Bee's Funhouse - I like these characters, very creative bait. What would have made this bait better is if you made it into a comedy, I personally could never take a film like this seriously and I don't see how anyone else could. But overall a good bait. B

Cartoon Wars - Got rather bored reading this one. Miller's not really the director for this and the characters/script are far from fresh. C-

Cocker Spanchovy - Another bait about the main character being involved with children, eh. Well, I must say this is your best bait to date Kwame, it's just the story doesn't attract me that much, but you're getting better, keep it up. C-

The Courtroom - There can never be too many courtroom dramas. However, I would have liked more details on the case, maybe some twists and turns. I think it has a great cast and crew but it just needed a spark. C+

Deep Secret - A very good political bait, normally I'm not attracted to political baits, The Justices and now this one being a good exception but this one strikes me as being one that could contend for serious contention. The casting (besides Cox) is the weak spot in this though, but very good. B+

Diary of an Adopted Child - Nothing really new with this one. Love the tagline though. C-

Equality - Well written and good execution in this one. Weaver seems like a typical choice but the bait is solid, but dragged a bit. B-

Everyday - The casting and crew is there, however the characters are uninspiring and the script is just rushed and flawed. If it were a different accident then I could see the father looking for answers, but car crashes happen all the time and I doubt Baldins character would turn detective over it. C

Fahrenheit 451 - Truthfully I'm tired of this story. I don't think Speilberg would touch this, just a story that's too well known and a story that has spawned so many other films that is just doesn't intrigue me as a bait. C-

The Final Days - Has been done way, way too many times. However, the writing style definitely shows you have the potential to become a good writer, just a bit more creativity and you'll be set. C

Foggy London Nights - This is a good story, one of your best Josh. I guess I'm in the dark in this one but I just don't like the Radcliffe casting, he hasent proved anything aside from taking on the Harry Potter role to a tee, I'm not giving him that kind of leeway but the bait itself is solid. B

Fallout - Well executed writing, solid story and I dig it. Vintage zgamer here and it definitely doesn't disappoint, quite interesting bait. B+

Grey Gardens - A boring read for me. It's not the length but this story just isn't sexy to me. C+

Hard Candy: The Last Stand - A very interesting idea. Don't think it could compare to the first though, there was just way too many good things in that film for it to be overshadowed by a sequel, but it was a good story. B-

House Of A Shattered Soul - At first I'm reading this and I'm saying I really hope this isn't a typical, new age ghost thriller, but this is a different approach to that. A very interesting view on what seems to be a bland script but you made it waaay more than that. I really digged this bait. B+

In Between - Not too bad, a great casting and the perfect director makes this a fairly good bait that kept me entertained throughout. B

Indigo Prophecy - Hooked me in and never let me go. I really want to play this game though. Though I don't think it touches Ghost Recon it's definitely your second best VG adaptation. B+

The Legend of Zelda: The End of Forever - I don't really dig the style, it's different, very different, but a synopsis is a synopsis, not a poem. I truly do admire your admiration and dedication to this bait considering you probably put a lot of time into this. I'm basically with Pat on this one though, it was a nice effort. C+

My Life in Jokes - Doesn't really tell a story, just a bunch of quotes. Much like Zelda I admire your originality with this, but this one really didn't go anywhere. Don't like having one cast member too, I think if you would have wrote a story it could have been something special. C

Like Beauty - Cuarón? Don't like that choice. An average adaptation. C

The Lonely Life of Martin Ziggle - This has some nice originality and I always dig that. I really didn't mind this bait at all. Title could have been better but it's an intriguing story for sure. B

The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson - Not crazy about this one, story is average and the casting doesn't blow my mind. I truly believe Foggy London Nights is your baby this month and I'm probably in the dark with that as well. This is a well written bait but just doesn't interest me. Singer seems like an odd choice for director as well. C

The Munsters with Yvonne De Carlo - Wow, better then I thought it was going to be. Very original bait and something I could have never thought of. Casting is spot on. B+

No More Smiles - My opinion Crudup is leading canditate for best leading male. The story is remarkable with great characters and the front runner for best comedy. A-

Off to Rome - Funny bait that screams Brooks. I'm not crazy about the casting but I dig the rest. This has been a good month for comedies thus far, this being one of them. B+

The Picture of Dorian Gray - One of the best adaptations of the month. I'd rank Fiennes ahead of McAvoy in the best actor department though. Your writing was truly missed last month and deeply glad to have you back Harry, this is a gem. A-

Quiet Room - Kind of saw the twist coming but that doesn't matter. This is a great bait. In my opinion, Sergio has gone from a writer who started off with mediocore baits and now has turned into a baiter who has consistently gotten into my top 5 baits each month. Well written, perfect storytelling and great character depth makes this one of the best of the month. Very nice job. B+

Rabbit Hole - See "Rabbit Hole Review"

Reset - Just way to many questions that needs to be answered in order for this to be a good bait. Why do the women change? Karen Blacks character has no story or no real purpose. Would be a very repetitive film. I doubt all those acclaimed actresses would take a role in this considering they'd probably get 10 minutes on screen. Just needs more. C-

Shipwreck'd - There needs to be more Nolan baits. Anyway, not one of your best. I just couldn't keep interest and wasn't feeling any of the characters. A well written adaptation but I just couldn't get into it. This being an average bait and No More Smiles being a brilliant bait definitely equals out to another consistent month for DW. Nice work. C+

Six Days in 67 - A story that is always well received but there just wasn't no real spark that made this different from any other film or bait that has had the same theme. Casting is brilliant but the plot just doesn't stick, needs to be thickened. C

The Truth Lies Within - Renolds would never be able to take on a role like this, which is a shame because his character is great and the story is superb, enjoyed it very much. B+

The Witching Hour - A movie I would definitely go see but I think Thurman is miscasted. I don't know why but I got chills reading this bait, which rarely happens for me, and that is definitely a good thing, nice job James. B

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown - I've never been a fan of the Peanut gang so it really didn't fascinate me much. I do like the writing style and would definitely make a cute little film, don't know if Bird would take it though. Overall it was decent. B-

Friendly Enemies - It's well written but is just way to cliche and bland. Drags on too much, but I have faith that you're going to nail a great bait some day with your well rounded writing skills. C-

That'd be it, hope you enjoyed. Also don't forget to send me your nomination ballods to stinkyturtles@hotmail.com for Daniels "Honoring the Authors" month. Deadline is Sunday.

Honoring the Authors - Daniel (August Edition)

Hello everyone. This is the first month that will have the segment "Honoring the Authors", which will honor the winner of Author of the Month the month before, in this case in July. That author was Daniel, who released his brilliant comedy "A New Agenda", making him the first author on this site to be honored.

The links below are to all of Daniels baits he has released. To participate all you need to do is email me your Big 7 nominations using his baits only. In order to vote you need to include your name and username on the Bait an Oscar site, and remember only email me your nominations because once the votes are counted I'll have the official nomination list where then we will vote for winners. The deadline for voting is this Sunday. Email me your noms at stinkyturtles@hotmail.com The big 7 include:

Best Picture (5)
Best Director (5)
Best Actor (5)
Best Actress (5)
Best Supporting Actor (5)
Best Supporting Actress (5)
Best Screenplay (5)

Articles - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2006/bait/june/articles.html

Flying Circus - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2006/bait/june/flyingcircus.html

Helix - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2006/bait/june/helix.html

Broken Frames -http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2006/bait/july/brokenframes.html

I. Bergman - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2006/bait/august/ibergman.html

Steamboat Disney -http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2006/bait/august/steamboatdisney.html

Foils - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2006/bait/september/foils.html

Ironic Nonfiction - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2006/bait/september/ironicnonfiction.html

Animal Farm -http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2006/bait/octbaits/animalfarm.html

Dali -http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2006/bait/octbaits/dali.html

trois nouvelles - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2006/bait/december06baits/trousnouvelles.html

E.L. - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2007/january/el.html

Blank - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2007/baitoscar/february/blank.html

The Dirty Dozen -http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2007/baitoscar/march07/dirtydozen.html

The Mousetrap - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2007/baitoscar/april/mousetrap.html

Assassins - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2007/baitoscar/may/assassins.html

Bloodshed -http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2007/baitoscar/june2007/bloodshed.html

A New Agenda - http://www.theoscarigloo.com/2007/baitoscar/july07/newagenda.html

Please involve yourself in this honoring for a great author, thanks and hope to see your votes.

Shelved Bait - "Predators"

I have had this bait shelved for several months now. I'm just curious to see how the other baiters would take to this bait.

Name: Tony

From: Pittsburgh

"Predators"

Directed by Gus Van Sant

Written by Larry Clark

Principal Cast:
Tim Blake Nelson as Patrick Camps

Owen Kline as Edward Hall

John Robinson as Toby

Ashley Benson as Pam

Sandra Bullock as Marisa Camps

Miranda Cosgrove as Stacy Ferguson

Rob Morrow as Ken Hall

Vera Farmiga as Michelle Hall

Philip Baker Hall as Sam Kessler

Robert Forster as Dr. George Hanssen

Jasmine Jessica Anthony as Christine Camps

Tagline: Ones legacy is fulfilled, the others is about to begin"

Patrick Camps is a loving family man, husband of Marisa, and father of Christine, both of which trust and love him dearly as well. A wealthy man Patrick was, a math teacher at a private school for kids with higher intellect. Camps was looked at as a rolemodel for most, but there's more to Patrick Camps then meets the eye.

Camps is secretly a long time sexual predator. For over decades now he's sexually harassed over 20 prostitutes while maintaining to keep a low profile. A disease that he could never rid of, tormented by living in an orphanage most of his childhood with no guidance, no help. Now, Camps is moving into the final stages of his condition, teenagers. Several girls around the school have noticed that Camps is showing quite a bit of affection towards them, odd hand movements, glaring eyes. It would be apparent when Camps was assigned to home tutor young Stacy with her math. After weeks of tutoring and knowing the family, Patrick was always welcomed at the Ferguson residence, until his real mission would be complete. Weeks go by and several students have reported strange behavior to Principal Kessler about Mr. Camps. Stacy missed days of school. He's losing family trust, student trust, everything is falling apart. With his job and livelihood on the line, the people of the town convinced themselves that the caring and compassionate Patrick Camps that they once knew would never result to that. The last shot of Camps in his bed with his wife as he holds her in his arms. Comfortable is Marisa, knowing in her mind the false and dark times have past, and everything was resolved.

Just 300 miles away lived Edward Hall, quiet boy with a heart on fire. Recently Edward has been experiencing strange urges, a chronic masturbator, takes pleasure in hurting small animals, and more random acts of violence. Ken and Michelle Hall are highly concerned for their only son. He attends his appointments with Dr. George Hanssen twice a week, but his condition would only worsen. His fetish with his next door neighbor Pam increases day after day, spying on her through the windows, glares at school. Pams highly unstable brother Toby takes notice. Edward cries for help, he realizes his obsessions have taken over him. The words freak and retard have never hurt worse. With the love and support from his parents they intend to give him the best treatment possible. Days go by, and everything is going great, until Toby takes actions in his own hands, and captures Edward after school, bringing Ed in his backyard. After begging for his life, Edward receives several beatings from a steel baseball bat to the stomach area. Edward would later die of internal bleeding.

What the press would say:
"Predators", the new film from Gus Van Sant is a mesmorizing, haunting cinematic gem. An unsettling, strange, and beautiful film with the Van Sant symbolism included. A story of what could be a typical day in the household of others, the phrase "that could be anyone", comes into mind many times while sitting down and watching this film. The duo of director Van Sant (Elephant, Good Will Hunting), and writer Larry Clark (Kids) is as powerful as it gets. The combined masterminds of human behavior, reality situations, gives us the frightening truth of the country we live in. The script is remarkable, and dare I say "unfortunate", the films morale is ultimately low, it's very dark, depressing, and has a creepy vibe to it. The film focuses mainly on 2 characters, Patrick and Edward. Tim Blake Nelson has hit home with this naturally disturbing role of a family man with the slicked back hair, glasses, and tie with an evilness that is screaming to be let out. You can see the eagerness in his eyes when the youngens are in his presense, a performance that will never be forgotten. Next to him is son of Kevin Kline, Owen Kline. Owen is developing into a fine young actor and this role will only solidify his place as the top of the food chain with "child actors". Young Owen has the second half of the film on his shoulders, he's the lead role, and it's a big responsibility to take, but he does it to perfection. His cries are real, the pain looks real, the performance is real. The end scene where Edward is pleading, only to get brutally battered (an ending that will be remembered) is Klines road to glory and should land him an Oscar nod. Supporting stars are gold as Sandra Bullock plays surreal house wife with a love for her husband that's so strong, you want her to know the truth because she's so inspiring as a mother, but she never does. Miranda Cosgrove pulls off the realistic performance of a happy school girl turned troubled and mentally paralyzed victim of a sexual assault. Though we never see what goes on, it's evident from Cosgroves role that it wasn't the normal home tutoring.

Take a deep breath before you watch Predators, although the film is slow paced, your heart is racing, it's a vision-altering experience that pushes the boundaries of the medium and takes us to a place, emotionally, that we have never been before.

FYC:
Best Picture

Best Director - Gus Van Sant

Best Leading Actor - Tim Blake Nelson

Best Leading Actor - Owen Cline

Best Supporting Actress - Sandra Bullock

Best Supporting Actress - Miranda Cosgrove

Best Original Screenplay - Larry Clark

Best Film Editing

FYC: My August Baits

Just thought I'd advertise my award compaign on my blog since the baits are going to be posted shortly I assume. Good luck to everyone this month.

My review on "Rabbit Hole", by Alex

Here we go. My first shot on doing a review. I just want to give out a fair warning my writing and reviewing skills can't even match such great reviewers such as DW, Pat, Zgamer, and Douglas, but I'll give it a shot.

My first review will be on Alex's bait "Rabbit Hole", an adapted screenplay from David Lindsay-Abaire. A tragic story on a family struggling to cope with the loss of their 5 year old child. Diane Lane (Becca) plays the broken down mother who refuses to move on with her life, a performance and casting that is probably golden for a Best Actress nomination. Greg Kinnear (Howie) plays the father who tries different methods to move on. By all means Kinnear is definitely not miscasted in this, his role in The Matador and Godsend he plays a father who has lost his child, can't recall any others, regardless it's a good role for him. Kathy Bates (Nat) is also casted well as the mother of Diane Lane who has also lost a child, she tries to comfort Becca by telling her the feelings never go away, but there's no sense in having it ruin your life. Her comic relief would definitely ensure her of a best supporting actress nomination.

All together, this bait is filled with emotions. You have a typical black and white angle in this bait, two different ways of trying to cope with the loss of a child. The metaphor at the end of this bait is what really seals it as a contender for best adapted screenplay. There are no flaws in the writing, however I would have liked to know more of Osments character to give him a bit more depth. Overall this is a solid bait, I could definitely see it ranking in the top 10 of the month for it's great writing and casting alone, very nice job.

Grade: B+

Possible Awards:
Best Cast
Best Awards Campaign
Best Casting Choice - Diane Lane as Becca
Best Director - John Madden
Best Actress - Diane Lane
Best Supporting Actress - Kathy Bates
Best Adapted Screenplay

Thoughts on July Winners

Hey all. Just thought I'd get my 2 cents on Julys winners and the month of July overall. This was easily the best month for baiting I've been apart of. I thought nothing would beat September or even November for that matter but this month has definitely made it's way to the best. From baits to "A New Agenda", "The Valley of Ashes", "Border Man", "Into Thin Air", "Rehab!", "The Madness of H.P. Lovecraft", "Kosmopolis", "Good Morning, Ladies", "Dear Mr. President", The last After Earth film, "Mad Love", "The Banality of Evil", "Under Fire", "Our Father", "In the Dead of Night", "Gathering Blue", "Dear Mr. President" and a laundry list of others has made this an amazing month. I congratulate every single person who entered a bait this month, you were part of this great month.

As for the winners, I must say I did pretty damn good with my predictions, mwaha. I figured A New Agenda would win, and though I thought Valley should have but there is no snub here. A New Agenda is a brilliant bait that will probably go down as the best of 2007 so far in the eyes of many. I would also like to thank everyone who supported both of my baits "Dr. Death", and "Batman: Scars of Tomorrow", the fact Batman was the 7th best bait of all the great baits that were out truly means something since I put a lot of time and effort into that one. I would also like to say I'm deeply grateful that Peter O'Toole got the Best Actor nod, it's only my second Big 8 award since being in the contest and my first Best Actor award. Thank you guys once again for the support.

Thoughts and Predictions on This Months Nominations

Well, what a strange month this is for nominations. Lots of questions, a few snubs thrown in here and there, in my opinion the craziest nomination list that I can remember. Anyway, my thoughts. I will discount my nominations when I choose the predictions and who should win.

Best Plot / Synopsis

The Banality of Evil
Batman: Scars of Tomorrow
Border Man
A New Agenda
Rehab!: A Contemporary Musical
Under Fire

Will Win: A New Agenda
Should Win: Rehab!: A Contemporary Musical

Best Awards Campaign

AFTER EARTH: The Dark Side of the Sun
Conquistador
Dear Mr. President
The Madness of H.P. Lovecraft
A New Agenda
The Valley of Ashes

Will Win: The Valley of Ashes
Should Win: Dear Mr. President

Best Online Awards Campaign

The Banality of Evil
Dark Ages
Good Morning, Ladies
Our Father
Under Fire

Thoughts: Right so I don't know how my bait Batman was left out on this. The fact that Batman didn't even get nominated is quite astonishing to me. Posters, FYC poster, trailer, I really don't see how Under Fire or even Dark Ages got nominated, amazing. Basically next month I'm just going to take 20 pictures and put a font on it if I want to get nominated for this. I went with Banality because it had some great quality while Good Morning, Ladies had more quanity.
Will Win: Good Morning, Ladies
Should Win: The Banality of Evil

Best Title

Crimes against a City
Eleven Weeks to Steal November
The Last Woman Standing
A Spoonful of Sugar
The Valley of Ashes

Will Win: Eleven Weeks to Steal November
Should Win: The Valley of Ashes

Most Likely Bait to Become a Box-Office Hit

AFTER EARTH: The Dark Side of the Sun
Batman: Scars of Tomorrow
Dark Ages
Final Fantasy X
Into Thin Air
Rehab!: A Contemporary Musical

Will Win: Rehab! A Contemporary Musical
Should Win: Into Thin Air

Most Likely Bait to Become a Cult Film

Divine Poker
Dr. Death
Gathering Blue
Mad Love
The Madness of H.P. Lovecraft
The Urge

Thoughts: Subtract Divine Poker and put in Go Ask Alice and this is a perfect list.
Will Win: The Madness of H.P. Lovecraft
Should Win: The Madness of H.P. Lovecraft

Most Original Bait

AFTER EARTH: The Dark Side of the Sun
Can't Stop the Press
Our Father
Kosmopolis
A New Agenda
Other World

Thoughts: Wow, this was the category that had me do a double take. I don't know why Other World is in this instead of Border Man. It's a combination of Scrooge and The Butterfly Effect while Border Man was much more original. And I don't know what Can't Stop the Press is in here instead of Rehab. Rehab has crazy originality.
Will Win: A New Agenda
Should Win: AFTER EARTH: The Dark Side of the Sun

Most Original Character

Dennis Fourman, played by Tom Berenger, in Border Man
Bradley Westerman, played by Kevin Bacon, in In the Dead of Night
Bill Fowler, played by George Clooney, in Eleven Weeks to Steal November
Josh Nervitz, played by Justin Long, in Listen and Hear
Edgar Suite, played by Al Pacino, in A New Agenda
Jack Martin, played by Alex Pettyfer, in Pressure

Thoughts: I really like Berengers role, I can't see nor do I really want anyone else taking this award.
Will Win: Dennis Fourman, played by Tom Berenger, in Border Man
Should Win: Dennis Fourman, played by Tom Berenger, in Border Man

Best Cast

Border Man
Eleven Weeks to Steal November
Good Morning, Ladies
A New Agenda
The Urge

Will Win: A New Agenda
Should Win: Border Man

Best Casting Choice

Peter O'Toole as Dr. Jack Kevorkian in Dr. Death
Kristin Chenoweth as Lily Anderson in Good Morning, Ladies
Nicolas Cage as H.P. Lovecraft in The Madness of H.P. Lovecraft
Tommy Lee Jones as Walker Madsen in Madsen Family Matters
Lindsay Lohan as Susan Michaels in Rehab!: A Contemporary Musical

Will Win: Lindsay Lohan as Susan Michaels in Rehab!: A Contemporary Musical
Should Win: Nicolas Cage as H.P. Lovecraft in The Madness of H.P. Lovecraft

Best Crew

The Banality of Evil
Conquistador
Gathering Blue
Kosmopolis
Our Father
Under Fire

Will Win: The Banality of Evil
Should Win: Under Fire

Best Tagline:

Batman: Scars of Tomorrow
Crimes against a City
Eleven Weeks to Steal November
Mad Love
The Ultimate Oscar

Will Win: Mad Love
Should Win: Crimes Against a City

Funniest Bait

Divine Poker
Eleven Weeks to Steal November
Good Morning, Ladies
A New Agenda
Rehab!: A Contemporary Musical

Will Win: Divine Poker
Should Win: Rehab! A Contemporary Musical

Best Poster Design

The Banality of Evil
Batman: Scars of Tomorrow
Dark Ages
Kosmopolis
Dr. Death

Will Win: Dark Ages
Should Win: Dark Ages

Best Author of the Month
Special Achievement on Writing and Creativity

Daniel (A New Agenda)
James Somerton (Dear Mr. President & AFTER EARTH: The Dark Side of the Sun)
Josh P. (Eleven Weeks to Steal November & Madsen Family Matters)
Ryne (Under Fire & "Crimes against a City")
Tony (Batman: Scars of Tomorrow and Dr. Death)
Zgamer (Rehab! & The Valley of Ashes)

Thoughts: I thought D.W. should have definitely gotten a nod for Madness and Love. A New Agenda was a masterpiece and a great bait, but both Madness and Love were very good, so I do think someone with 2 baits should be nominated. I really do think James should win though. If Rehab wasn't a team bait I would have said Zgamer but I think the fact that it's a team bait takes something away from it.
Will Win: Daniel
Should Win: James Somerton

::: THE BIG 8 AWARDS :::

Best Picture

The Banality of Evil
Border Man
A New Agenda
The Valley of Ashes
Under Fire

Will Win: A New Agenda
Should Win: The Valley of Ashes

Best Actor

Tom Berenger, Border Man
Billy Crudup, Into Thin Air
Nicolas Cage, The Madness of H.P. Lovecraft
Peter O'Toole, Dr. Death
Carl Reiner, A New Agenda

Thoughts: No Pepper could be the biggest snub of all time. Although I don't think GG and SAG awards should be accounted for when it comes to opinions but Pepper did have a lot going in this. SAG award, GG award, plenty of fan support on the forums, it's a big shocker for sure, I was even for sure he'd win. Now it looks like Berenger is the lead runner but I believe anyone could pull the upset.
Will Win: Tom Berenger, Border Man
Should Win: Nicolas Cage, The Madness of H.P. Lovecraft

Best Actress

Juliette Binoche, Audrey's Girls
Ellen Page, Go Ask Alice
Susan Sarandon, Dear Mr. President
Michelle Williams, Under Fire
Evan Rachel Wood, Devil on my Heels

Thoughts: I believe this is the one that will have people shocked. Sarandon is obviously the leading runner but nearly every month there is always an upset, I'm taking Binoche to win it even if Sarandon deserves it.
Will Win: Juliette Binoche, Audrey's Girls
Should Win: Susan Sarandon, Dear Mr. President

Best Supporting Actor

Jay Hernandez, Our Father
Daniel Day Lewis, Night
Christopher Lloyd, A New Agenda
Gary Oldman, The Banality of Evil
Al Pacino, A New Agenda

Thoughts: Christopher Lloyd? Where the hell did he come from? He wasn't even in Daniels FYC nominations and basically wasn't even mentioned. I'm also sad to see Fiennes or Del Toro didn't get a nod. I figured one would due to most of the past winners had one or the other in their nominations. I guess it was overruled. I have a feeling Patch will get snubbed in this.
Will Win: Gary Oldman, The Banality of Evil
Should Win: Al Pacino, A New Agenda

Best Supporting Actress

Claire-Hope Ashitey, Audrey's Girls
Helena Bonham Carter, The Banality of Evil
Kristin Chenoweth, Good Morning, Ladies
Bette Midler, Good Morning, Ladies
Maribel Verdu, Border Man

Will Win: Maribel Verdu, Border Man
Should Win: Maribel Verdu, Border Man

Best Original Screenplay

Border Man
Dr. Death
Madsen Family Matters
A New Agenda
Rehab!: A Contemporary Musical
Under Fire

Will Win: A New Agenda
Should Win: Rehab! A Contemporary Musical

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Banality of Evil
Batman: Scars of Tomorrow
Conquistador
Gathering Blue
Into Thin Air
Night

Will Win: The Banality of Evil
Should Win: Into Thin Air

My second bait for August

Well, I'm in quite the pickle with deciding which bait I'm going to send in with my bait that's already been confirmed that I will send it for August, "The Winter Sun", which already has a good review from a well acclaimed author in Harry. Now, I have 3 baits and I can only choose one to send. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

First bait: "The Good Guy"

Plot: Obviously, a biopic on one of films most wonderful actors of all time. I'm thinking this would be the choice of you fellow writers considering it does involve film. But perhaps you're mroe interested in the next two, which is the point of this blog.

Second bait: "To Dwell in Evil"

Plot: The story of Cain and Abel, the events that occured before and after the first murder on Earth. I'm looking for an "epic" approach with this bait, along with a dark atmosphere. No casting has been deciding however I think I've narrowed it down to two actors for the role of Cain, which will be either Heath Ledger or Christian Bale.

Third bait: "Blackwater Park"

Plot: A man who has a secret and haunting memory as a child in a park one mile from his house is now having sinister ideas in life which resolves to him returning to the park, where the evil began. Judging from the poster it's going to be another one of my "dark baits", maybe not the baitiest, but what I have instored could possibly make this the creepiest bait I've written.

Guitar Hero: Rock the 80's Review

Well, one of my most anticipated games has finally came out. Guitar Hero: Rock the 80's. I've been a big fan of the series, though I can't stand the makers of it the game is insanely addicting. Basically "Rock the 80's" is nothing more than a small spin-off of Guitar Hero II. It has no different characters (and in fact less), no different guitars (also less), and the places you play are made to look more 80's, that's it. Judging from that you might not think it's a good game. However, this game, like the rest of the Guitar Hero games, are addicting.

The songs are exactly what I expected. Fairly simple verses, memorable choruses, and kick ass solos. My first run through of all the songs (which was on expert) I had 5 stars in every one except for 2. This should tell you how easy this game is compared to the first 2. I do think of all 3 of the games this game has the weakest song list as far as I'm concerned. Don't get me wrong, I love 80's music, especially 80's rock. If it were up to me I would have made this game a lot better with better songs, and more importantly better guitar oriented songs. I'm sorry but I'm never going to be able to get myself to play "Only a Lad" again. Not only that, they once again butchered a few good songs. "Heat of the Moment" is a damn good song, but how the sound quality is terrible and not a song that needs to be on guitar hero. Anyway, let's get to my top 5 favorite songs on the game, favorite songs to play, worst songs, and worst songs to play.

Top 5 Favorite Songs
1. "Wrathchild" - Iron Maiden
2. "18 and Life" - Skidrow
3. "I Ran" - Flock of Seagulls
4. "No One Like You" - Scorpions
5. "Heat of the Moment" - Asia

Top 5 Favorite Songs to Play
1. "Wrathchild" - Iron Maiden
2. "Play with Me" - Extreme
3. "Synchronicity II" - The Police
4. "No One Like You" - Scorpions
5. "What I Like About You" - The Romantics

Bottom 5 Worst Songs
1. "Only a Lad" - Oingo Boingo
2. "We Got the Beat" - The Go-Go's
3. "Police Truck" - Dead Kennedys
4. "Bathroom Wall" - Faster Pussycat
5. "Los Angeles" - X

Bottom 5 Worst Songs to Play
1. "Only a Lad" - Oingo Boingo
2. "(Bang Your Head) Metal Health" - Quiet Riot
3. "Heat of the Moment" - Asia
4. "Balls to the Wall" - Accept
5. "Radar Love" - White Lion

"To Dwell in Evil"

"To Dwell in Evil" is nothing more then an experimental bait I have in mind. It's undecided whether I will send it in for August or September, or even at all. No casting or crew is set yet although I do have some ideas.



The bait will take place after Adam and Eve left the garden of Eden and had two children, Cain and Abel. The film will focus on the two brothers before and after the tragic fallout between the two. Hopefully if you judge it by the poster you'll take it as the dark version of the story. Once I finish it entirely I'll decide whether or not to submit it.

Thanks for the read and perhaps look for this one in the near future.

Honoring the Authors

So one thing this blog is going to have each month is a segment called "Honoring the Authors".

How this works is the winner of the Best Author title this month will have a special tribute set up for them the next month. How it'll go is I'll post each of that authors baits and we vote for the big 7 awards (Big 7 because we're combining best original and adapted screenplay) only using that authors baits. After a certain deadline I'll put the nominations on my blog and then we will vote for a winner in each one, just like the real contest in honor of that writers achievements and accomplishments. Anyway, the winner of July will be honored in August, and so on.

Until then, keep on reading lads and have a good one.