The Artist and The Descendents won Golden Globes "Best Motion Picture" in the  Comedy and Drama categories respectively. I saw The Descendents this week and feel confident it will win the Oscar for Best Picture. I highly recommend you see it in a theater. Hawaii is part of the story and it's beautiful. George Clooney and Shailene Woodley are excellent as father and daughter. I loved their family evolution. Sometimes when it looks like you're digressing, you may just be going around "an island".

We saw two good films on DVD: Beginners, a Golden Globes winner, and Director Tom Shadyac's spiritual documentary I Am, which is available at the Fairfield Public Library. Jan Carey shows the monthly free films there and we're encouraging her to consider this one. Quite fulfilling for those who resonate with the knowledge of Oneness and Love. [Click on "Read more" below.]

The world of movies is moving into the awards season. Sunday evening the Golden Globes gets things rolling toward Oscar night. The Artist leads the contenders with six nominations. This silent film has charmed critics, including our own Chris Busch and is the Oscar frontrunner. We'll alert you of films you may want to see by Oscar time, February 26.

The Los Angeles Times predicts Martin Scorsese's Hugo will win the Golden Globes Best Picture Drama. I hope so because we're hoping to bring Hugo 3-D to the wonderful State Theatre in Washington (photo by Craig Swift). As said before, Hugo 3-D's a diamond of a film which may be getting away before you’ve had a chance to experience it in 3-D, as it must be, to be fully appreciated. [Click on "Read more" below.]

Holidaytime is a happy time of year for movie fans, with oodles of splendid films released in anticipation of the award season, culminating with the Oscars on February 27th. We have lots to tell you about. Intrepid co-host Chris Busch has been on family holiday and has seen no less than 8 films. Among them: A Dangerous Method; The Artist (current Oscar buzz leader); Carnage; Mission Impossible 4 (perhaps the most entertaining); Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (perhaps the most difficult to follow) and Steven Spielberg's epic War Horse. Shane and I just returned from Spielberg's other major release- The Adventures of Tintin, which indeed is "Indiana Jones on steroids".

We also want to alert you to Hugo 3-D. A diamond of a film which may be getting away before you’ve had a chance to experience it in 3-D, as it must be, to be fully appreciated.  It’s at once a marvelous homage to the history of film and a dazzling experience of the latest film technology. After a screening that James Cameron attended, he called the film a "masterpiece" and told (recently initiated) Director Martin Scorsese it was the best use of 3-D he had seen, including his own films (Avatar)."  Hugo 3-D's a magical and emotionally fulfilling experience, especially for those of us who resonate with “the 100-year-old tribe of watchers in the dark”. - Ty Burr; Boston Globe.

We’ll talk  about that and more, Friday at 12:30 PM, rebroadcast Sunday at noon. We’re The Filmosophers where “we give our filmosophy of the movies and have filmosophical discussions.”  
We wish you the Happiest of Holidays, we’re your teetotaling beer brothers: Miller & Busch.

If you ever wonder where your dreams come from, look around: this is where they're made. - Georges Méliès; Hugo

Aces are wild on Friday, 11-11-11. Bet the high road and win-win-win. It's also time to check out films releasing this holiday season. We talked with Ottumwa 8 Manager Vickie Schleif about the new movies. We'll play sound bites from that interview and pass on her thoughts about the state of the movie industry, including the latest trend of film companies making available recently released films as pay-per-view at home. 

Also hear about holiday films The Filmosophers are anticipating, this weekend's new releases, what we've seen and more. We're The Filmosophers Movie Talk show, with Chris Busch & Bruce Miller- "where we give our filmosophy of the movies and have filmosophical discussions." Friday during lunch at 12:30 PM, rebroadcast Sunday at noon. Live stream @kruufm.com

As we learned last week in the Fairfield Weekly Reader, the State Theatre in Washington, Iowa had been closed for over a year due to fire. They first opened in 1893 with live entertainment. In 1930 it became The State Movie Theatre (photo: Craig Swift). Thanks to the passion and dedication of Dick Shepherd, who's managed the State for over two decades, it's been beautifully remodeled and is open once again. It retains much of it's historical splendor, including a ceiling light that Dick saved from the dumpster that is now valued at $15,000. They also have the latest 3-D digital projection and sound, floor lighting, and continental seating with spacious leg room- as comfortable as I've ever experienced. We visited the State and highly recommend it to all film fans. We'll talk about that, new releases in theaters, what we've seen, and continue our fall move previews.

We're the Filmosophers, with Chris Busch and Bruce Miller "where we give our filmosophy of the movies and have filmosophical discussions."

"Courage sometimes skips a generation. Thank you for bringing it back to our family." - The Help

Friday night is free film night at the Fairfield Public Library. For "contractual reasons" they cannot tell you the film's title- but we can. It's The Music Never Stopped starring the wonderful character actor J.K. Simmons as "an overly critical father who gets a unique opportunity to reconnect with his estranged son, if he can only embrace the music that once divided them in this uplifting family drama inspired by Dr. Oliver Sacks' case study "The Last Hippie." It's a "Touching story about the emotional uplift of music, the tenderizing of a family member's heart, and a father-son reconciliation like nothing you've ever seen before; one of the best films of 2011. - Spirituality And Practice "This is the kind of warm, uncluttered, feel-good film that you take your parents to see, and I absolutely mean that in a good way." - Film.com There's free organic popcorn and you're welcome to bring in your own street-legal bottled drink. Say "Hi" and "Thank-you" to the delightful Jan Carey, who volunteer's her time to show these films and pop the popcorn. She'll gladly take your suggestions for future films. Fairfield Library Director Rebecca Huggins will join us on the show to talk about the film, the new music display now available at the library and more.

Also hear about new theater and DVD releases, what we've seen and more. We're The Filmosophers Movie Talk show, with Chris Busch and Bruce Miller: "Where we give our filmosophy of the movies and have filmosophical discussions" Friday over lunch, at 12:30 Central. Live stream @kruufm.com

"Caesar is home" - Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

Script writing is the topic for this week's Writers' Voices with guest John Rainey. John started out as a professional actor, but worked his way into becoming one of the industry's most sought after script consultants. Voted #1 script analyst in the country by Creative Screenwriting, John has professionally analyzed and consulted on thousands of scripts. He has worked as script consultant on such films as Invincible, Vacancy, Holes, and many more. He has several screenplays of his own currently in pre-production. John currently lives in Redondo Beach, CA.

Don't miss this insightful look into what it takes to create a successful screenplay!

There's lots to talk about on Friday's Filmosophers. We're thrilled to tell you that Writer/Director Tom McCarthy's (The Station Agent, The Visitor) highly rated indie film Win Win opens in Fairfield July 8th. There are currently 145 reviews for this on RottenTomatoes.com. 137 are "thumbs up", for a dazzling 94% rating, making it the 11th highest reviewed film of 2011. If you're fatigued by the slew of big-budget soulless blockbusters, consider this small gem created by major talent. "Rich, wonderful characters and strong performances lead by Paul Giamatti populate Win Win, with writer/director Thomas McCarthy continuing to emerge as a great American humanist." "This movie wins you over, head and heart, without cheating. It's just about perfect." - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone "Written and directed with an impeccable feel for off-center human comedy at its funniest and most heartfelt, its low-key qualities are so relaxed and unforced every moment feels like a gift." - Kenneth Turan, L.A. Times

We've finally seen one of our most anticapted films of the summer, Terrence Malick's The Tree Of Life. Also, Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris, the horse whisperer documentary Buck, the inspiring gem Le Concert, the "intriguingly low-key Cold War thriller" Farewell and perhaps more by showtime. We're The Filmosophers, with Chris Busch & Bruce Miller "Where we give our filmosophy of the movies and have filmosophical discussions." Friday over lunch, 12:30.

Burt Chojnowski will join us Friday with the latest news about Stage Door Cinema. If you love film and film fans, this is for you.  

"Fairfield and surrounding communities lack an alternative cinema venue.  A place where people can gather around film and ideas.  Where a passionate, informed and engaged community can get digitally connected to great cinema, live-streamed events and the world’s leading thinkers. 

Think: art cinema meets social club meets global digital media. " - StageDoorCinema.com

We'll also talk about new releases, an upcoming film we're very excited about (Life In A Day) and films we've seen. We're The Filmosophers, with Chris Busch & Bruce Miller "where we give our filmosophy of the movies and have filmosophical discussions."

Someday we'll fall down and weep. And we'll understand it all, all things. - The Tree Of Life (Terrence Malick)

Happy spring, film fans. We know the blockbuster movie season is on it's way. We're seeing more and more releases every week, some 14 or more today. Unfortunately the one we've anticipated the most- Sucker Punch from 300 director Zach Synder is "getting KO'd by the critics. It's technically impressive and loaded with eye-catching images, but without characters or a plot to support them, all of Sucker Punch's visual thrills are for naught." - RottonTomatoes.com The good news is Cedar Rapids has come to Fairfield!

There's a very good film out we mentioned last week, Win-Win from the director that made the small gems Station Agent and The Visitor (starring Richard Jenkins). "Rich, wonderful characters and strong performances populate Win Win, with writer/director Thomas McCarthy continuing to emerge as a great American humanist." - RT.

We'll talk about Fairfield's new independent movie theater- Stage Door Cinema. Visit StageDoorCinema.com

Hear about other new theater releases, box office results and films we've seen. Junior film fan Shane Miller is on spring break so he'll join us in the studio. We're The Filmosophers, with Chris Busch and Bruce Miller, "where we give our filmosophy of the movies and have filmosophical discussions." Friday at 12:30.