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Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

Less than a year after the possessed lamp made its debut, Canada delivers the fifth entry in the Amityville franchise…and the result is a little ho-hum.

I’m still unsure at what point I need to start grading on a new curve, but now that the films have moved entirely into the realm of made-for-tv, there’s a noticeable shift in quality. While The Evil Escapes suffered from over-lit scenes but at least attempted to connect its narrative back to the original house, The Amityville Curse is the first film to basically retain the name and mostly jettison the rest.

I say “mostly” because there is an offhand remark in a scene set at Daughery’s, the local tavern, when a...

Australia-China co-pro 'Guardians of the Tomb' (formerly 'Nest') stars Chinese mega-star Li Bingbing..

The official co-production treaty between China and Australia entered into force in 2008. Since then, despite growing interest in working with the burgeoning film power, only a handful of official co-productions have been made. They include The Dragon Pearl, 33 Postcards.and The Children of the Silk Road (made under a Mou prior to the signing of the treaty)..

However in the past 18 months, things have started to shift. The biggest co-pro to date, Kimble Rendall.s Guardians of the Tomb (formerly Nest), shot on the Gold Coast early last year, and gangster film Dog Fight shot in Victoria last September. Both films are now in post..

Two other projects, Pauline Chan.s My Extraordinary Wedding and Nadia Tass and David Parker.s Tying the Knot,.have been issued provisional approval but are yet to enter production.

Owen Wilson in Woody Allen's Midngiht in Paris Best adapted screenplay * The Descendants (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash Hugo (Paramount) Screenplay by John Logan The Ides of March (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon Moneyball (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Focus Features) Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan Best original screenplay The Artist (The Weinstein Company) Written by Michel Hazanavicius Bridesmaids (Universal) Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig Margin Call (Roadside Attractions) Written by J.C. Chandor * Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Woody Allen A Separation (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Asghar Farhadi Best art direction The Artist (The Weinstein Company) Production Design: Laurence Bennett, Set Decoration: Robert Gould Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Warner Bros.) Production Design: Stuart Craig,...

Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Bridesmaids Michelle Williams, Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Viola Davis, Kenneth Branagh, Max von Sydow: Oscar 2012 Nominations Best adapted screenplay The Descendants (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash Hugo (Paramount) Screenplay by John Logan The Ides of March (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon Moneyball (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Focus Features) Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan Best original screenplay The Artist (The Weinstein Company) Written by Michel Hazanavicius Bridesmaids (Universal) Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig Margin Call (Roadside Attractions) Written by J.C. Chandor Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Woody Allen A Separation (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Asghar Farhadi Best art direction The Artist (The Weinstein Company) Production Design: Laurence Bennett,...

Its that time of the year again in when everyone prepares their Oscar predictions, because let’s be honest for a moment – the best part of the Oscars is placing your bets on who’ll win and hopefully walking away from a long and usually boring ceremony with some extra cash in your pocket. This morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 84th Academy Awards with no major surprises but instead, a long list of snubs. Martin Scorsese’s Hugo is the surprise leader of the 2012 Academy Award nominations with 11 nods, including Best Picture and Best Director. The Artist followed with 10 nominations. Here are my predictions of who I feel will take home gold come Sunday February 26, as well as those films and talent who I believe were snubbed.

Academy Branch Breakdown

Actors 1205

Art Directors 374

Cinematographers 200

Directors 366

Documentary 151

Executives 437

Film Editors 221

Makeup Artists...

Joshua David Stein of Esquire Magazine posted a cute Venn Diagram of the tendencies of television programming nowadays and where all the current shows fit into it. The diagram is titled "The Unified Theory of Prime Time Programming in the Year 2010."

Sadly, Mr. Stein has left out certain programs from within the diagram. Where is 'Mad Men?' That show should fall somewhere within the "Bureaucracy" and "Greed" categories. Other shows that don't appear are 'South Park,' which should go somewhere between the "Fat People" and "People Being Crummy" sections, and 'Chuck' which should fall between the "Wise Fools" and "Bureaucracy" sections. It was a bit of a laugh finding the categories between which 'American Idol' appears. One of them couldn't even be said on television.

So what do you think? Which shows are missing from the Venn Diagram and where do they belong?...