Movie News: Sunday, October 15

"Scissors" sacrifices subtlety for broad laughs (Reuters)
   Reuters - The maxim that truth is stranger than fiction is carried to the nth degree in this adaptation of Augusten Burroughs' best-selling memoir of his dysfunctional childhood and adolescence.

"The Prestige" a great magic act, soon forgotten (Reuters)
   Reuters - Christopher Nolan's movies zero in on men in the throes of obsession, characters who desperately search for that one thing that will make their existence less compromised. From the great backward-moving thriller "Memento" to the sun-blinded film noir "Insomnia" and the philosophical epic "Batman Begins," Nolan has arrived quite naturally at "The Prestige," a movie totally dominated by obsession.

Neil Simon wins U.S. humor award (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Playwright Neil Simon, who drew on his New York upbringing to create such Broadway hits as "The Odd Couple," "Barefoot in the Park" and "Brighton Beach Memoirs," was honored on Sunday night with the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize as a uniquely American humorist.

"The Grudge 2" makes little sense (Reuters)
   Reuters - The last time we saw Sarah Michelle Gellar's Karen Davis, the spooked American exchange student was being hospitalized after trying to burn down the Tokyo house believed to be the source of a horrible curse.

'Grudge 2' scares up $22M at box office (AP)
   

AP - Early Halloween spirit gripped movie audiences as the fright flick "The Grudge 2" debuted at No. 1, taking in $22 million during its first weekend.

Chad Vader Parts 3 and 4
   

A while ago I posted up one of the funniest fan made shorts I've ever seen... Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager. It's follows Darth Vader's little brother who... you guessed it... is the day shift manager at a local grocery store. Parts 1 and 2 are a bit better than 3 and 4, but they're still great.

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT PARTS 1 AND 2 FIRST BY GOING HERE.

Now, here is part 3:

And here is part 4:

Kidman takes on U.N. Kosovo envoy role (AP)
   

AP - Nicole Kidman is playing a role that has nothing to do with movies, touring Kosovo as a United Nations goodwill ambassador to the tense province.

Gore's movie gets raves in Berlin, yawns in Bangkok (Reuters)
   

Reuters - U.S. critics swooned over "An Inconvenient Truth," the documentary film about global warming starring ex-Vice President Al Gore, but international response has ranged from raves in Oslo to yawns in Bangkok.

Scorsese says he wants a break from Hollywood (Reuters)
   Reuters - Despite the big early success of his new film "The Departed," Martin Scorsese plans to take a break from Hollywood blockbusters and focus on the adaptation of a Japanese novel for his next work, he said on Sunday.

"Grudge 2" thrills box office, Williams doesn't (Reuters)
   Reuters - The horror sequel "The Grudge 2" easily scared up the most business at the weekend box office in North America, while Robin Williams got a fright of his own as his new comedy bombed.

Murray parties with Scottish students (AP)
   AP - Actor Bill Murray created a small sensation in the Scottish town of St. Andrews, joining Scandinavian students at a late-night party and even helping to wash the dishes, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Tale of U.S. book scam wins over Rome film festival (Reuters)
   Reuters - One of the biggest literary scams hit the screen on Sunday with "The Hoax," the story of how a frustrated author conned America's publishing world into believing he had written the memoirs of Howard Hughes.

Suicide bomb film wins Woodstock award (AP)
   AP - Actors Matt Dillon and Rosie Perez handed out Woodstock Film Festival awards Saturday night, while a story about a suicide bombing in the heart of Manhattan won Best Feature Film.

Chan: Hollywood rules impede stunt work (AP)
   AP - Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan, famous for his daredevil stunts, says he's frustrated by Hollywood's safety rules.