Movie News and More...

So what makes a movie a success, Oscars- or box office-wise? Psychology professor Dean Simonton thinks he knows the answers. He says most critically-acclaimed movies are R-rated and based on a true story or a novel. You can read more about the article here . I should mention a funny thing (for me at least) that was mentioned in the article. Tom O'Neil of theenvelope.com expresses his rather not so positive thoughts on movie critics and why they usually give bright reviews to fairly obscure movies. I tend to agree with him.

Video formats are in another war. It's like the VHS-Betamax battle of the past, but this time, it's Blu-ray vs HD DVD. It's a catch-22 situation: manufacturers want the consumers to decide once and for all which format will win by letting them buy which DVD format they want. Consumers, however, don't want to shell out money on something that they're not even sure will be supported after a few years. There are players that support both type of DVDs, but they're expensive. Right now you can say it's a fairly even battle. HD DVD players are generally cheaper so many people buy them, but many film companies have decided to sell only Blu-ray DVDs. Personally, I'm sticking with my old DVD and wait until a winner emerges.

Michelle Pfeiffer who stars as a villain in the new musical comedy Hairspray gets her own Hollywood Star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Pfeiffer thanked her mother and father for giving her support when she decided to become an actress. Pfeiffer Honored With Hollywood Star

Forbes magazine's new chart says that film star Matt Damon brought in $29 of gross income for every $1 that he was paid for his latest films, making him the "best valued" Hollywood star. Other stars who made the list include Jennifer Aniston, the highest-placing female on the list at #5, and celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, both making the list at #2 and #6 respectively. Here's the rest of the list and their value according to Forbes magazine. 1 Matt Damon ($29 / dollar) 2 Brad Pitt ($24 / dollar) 3 Vince Vaughn ($21 / dollar) 3 Johnny Depp ($21 / dollar) 5 Jennifer Aniston ($17 / dollar) 6 Angelina Jolie ($15 / dollar) 7 Renee Zellwegger 8 Reese Witherspoon 9 Ben Stiller 10 Sandra Bullock Hollywood star Damon 'best value' Forbes: `Bourne' Star Is a Moneymaker

A day after Spice Girls member Melanie Brown filed court papers in the US to legally establish the Dreamgirls actor as the father of her child, Eddie Murphy has publicly announced that he is indeed the father. Mel B. and Eddie Murphy dated a few months in 2006. Murphy filed for divorce from Nicole Mitchell Murphy in 2005. Eddie Murphy confirms paternity Murphy says he fathered Brown's daughter

This is one of those "weird news" (just my opinion) that you hear once a week. Disney has announced that "it was banning smoking from all its family-oriented films and cutting back on the practice in its adult-themed divisions, Touchstone and Miramax." I am a non-smoker myself, and I do agree that smoking is bad for your health and that it's comparable to using drugs, but this move seems a bit ... silly? I don't think it's the word I'm looking for. Hopefully, this decision by Disney will have some benefits in the future. Disney Kicking the Habit

Welcome to my new blog. I've decided to start this blog so that I'll have a place to share you news about movies that interests me. Said news will most probably be taken from other sites. I may also write a few reviews of movies I've seen recently. Feel free to post comments!