Here’s my take on 2008’s best movies and TV shows

Okay, I confess. I haven’t been the most dedicated cinephile this year.

Although I watched an amazing number of childhood classics, action movies, comedies, dramas and foreign films, I acknowledge a few major holes in my viewing habits in 2008.

I missed “Rachel Getting Married.” I’ve yet to see “Happy-Go-Lucky,” “Changeling” or “Slumdog Millionaire,” and Martin Scorsese’s supposedly brilliant Rolling Stones documentary, “Shine A Light,” is waiting patiently in my Netflix queue.

Meanwhile, I’ve got a few Oscar contenders to tackle — “Doubt” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” in particular. I might get some breathing room this weekend, as most of those serious, depressing dramas — such as “Frost/Nixon,” “The Wrestler” and “Revolution Road” — have yet to reach my home town here on California’s sunny Central Coast.

So here’s an incomplete list of the movies that made me gasp, chuckle or cry over the course of 2008. I promise to catch up soon.

BEST OF THE BIG SCREEN

“The Dark Knight”: Universally praised and feverishly anticipated, “The Dark Knight” was the movie that got everyone talking. Awesome special effects combined with a decidedly dark storyline and strong performances from Christopher Nolan, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart — heck, just about the entire cast.

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”: Mathieu Amalric (”Quantum of Solace”) wowed as a real-life Vogue editor whose perfect world is ripped asunder when he’s paralyzed in an auto accident. I dare you not to cry.

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army”: Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro delivered another fun romp replete with mythical beasts, fantastic battles and the occasional Barry Manilow sing-along.

“In Bruges”: There may be hope for Colin Farrell yet. He provided the surprisingly sweet, sorrowful center in this dark comedy about two hitmen (Farrell and Brendan Gleason) vacationing in “the most boring city in Belgium.”

“Iron Man”: If “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” paved the way for brooding comic book dramas, director Jon Favreau’s smart, slick “Iron Man” made the world safe for more mainstream superhero flicks. Tons of fun.

“Man on Wire”: In 1974, French tightrope walker Philippe Petit took a stroll between the World Trade Center towers in New York City. This well-crafted documentary told audiences how he did it and — more importantly — why.

(A side note: 2008 was a solid year for documentaries. We also welcomed Werner Herzog’s “Encounters at the End of the World,” Alex Gibney’s “Taxi to the Dark Side” and the Hurricane Katrina doc “Trouble the Water.”)

“Milk”: Operatic yet intimate, Gus Van Sant’s “Milk” featured yet another stunning performance by Sean Penn as gay rights activist Harvey Milk.

“Persepolis”: Mainstream audiences might have been intimidated by this film’s subject matter (life during the Islamic Revolution in Iran) or its style (black-and-white animation), but why? “Persepolis,” based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, was oh-so-poignant.

“WALL-E”: Who knew 2008’s most memorable character would turn out to be a cute little robot with a fondness for “Hello Dolly”?

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BEST OF THE TUBE

“30 Rock” (NBC): Liz Lemon, the smart, single and hilariously screwy producer of a late-night sketch comedy show, cemented her reign this season as America’s sweetheart.

“Battlestar Galactica” (SciFi): Few science-fiction shows are this well-written, this compelling and this addictive. Riveting television at its best. (The rest of the fourth season kicks off Jan. 16.)

“Flight of the Conchords” (HBO): Oddball characters and ridiculous music videos made this comedy an offbeat charmer.

“Mad Men” (AMC): Chain-smoking, cocktail-swilling advertising execs with sordid personal lives? Tell me more!

“True Blood” (HBO): This steamy drama about Louisiana vampires and the humans who love them is as fun, sassy and delightfully trashy as any episode of “The Jerry Springer Show.”

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BEST ONLINE SENSATION

“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”: Fans of that famously musical “Buffy” episode, “Once More, With Feeling,” gave thanks this summer for “Dr. Horrible.” The three-part show proved, once again, why Neil Patrick Harris rocks, why supervillains deserve our love and why creator Joss Whedon is a geek’s best friend.

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BEST GUILTY PLEASURES

“Rock of Love” franchise: The appeal of Bret Michaels’ eternal search for true love stems from two factors: the trashy, nasty women who compete for his heart, and Michaels himself. How could anyone possibly find the vain, Botoxed former lead singer of Poison attractive? Spin-offs include “Rock of Love: Charm School,” “Trophy Wife,” “Daisy of Love” and “I Love Money,” which includes contestants from VH1 sister show “Flavor of Love.”

“Speed Racer”: How did the Wachowski siblings adapt this beloved Japanese cartoon for the big screen? With screamingly bright neon, adorable lead actors and quick-moving, CGI-heavy action, of course! “Speed Racer” cheerfully assaulted the senses.

“Wanted”: Yes, that’s right. I said “Wanted.” Although many of the plot points — such as curving bullets and flipping cars — would drive any physicist crazy, this gleefully ridiculous action flick provided 110 minutes of solid fun.

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MOST DISAPPOINTING BLOCKBUSTERS

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”: Everyone knows that Indy, the whip-cracking treasure hunter with the crooked grin, is at his best when he’s fighting Nazis and searching for religious relics. Why mess with a winning formula?

“The Day the Earth Stood Still”: Speaking of formulas, Hollywood should have checked its math before making this overblown blockbuster. Keanu Reeves + science fiction classic = disaster.

“Pineapple Express”: What looked like a surefire summer comedy turned out to be a dull, meddled mess. Although there were a few funny moments, the movie’s main saving grace was James Franco, playing a comically clueless pot dealer with unusual zest.

“Sex and the City: The Movie”: What happened to the sexy, sassy goddesses we watched on HBO? The women in this big-screen version were disappointingly tedious, trite and shallow.

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”: George Lucas continued his campaign to tarnish our collective memories of “Star Wars” with a clunky, poorly animated flop. Ugh.

I could go on and on, but I’ll just list some other films that — while often entertaining — fell short of expectations: “The Happening,” “Hancock,” “Quantum of Solace,” “W.” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

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Photos courtesy of MovieWeb.com.

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“Benjamin Button,” “Doubt” and “Frost/Nixon” head this year’s Golden Globe nods

The nominations are in for the 2009 Golden Globe Awards, and the results are … well … not exactly shocking.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,“ “Doubt” and “Frost/Nixon” lead the pack with five nominations each, followed by “The Reader,” “Revolutionary Road,” “Slumdog Millionare” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” with four apiece.

Like its big brother Oscar, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association likes its drama big and bold — with issues like love, religion and politics in the forefront.

What could be better than a defamed former president deftly manipulating his interviewer (”Frost/Nixon”)? What about a Nazi war criminal trial (”The Reader”) or a priestly sex scandal (”Doubt”)?

Those are the kind of subjects that scream “awards fodder.”

Granted, the Golden Globes do honor comedies, musicals and blockbusters with greater regularity than other award ceremonies. (Witness the love this year for some of my favorites, including “In Bruges,“ “The Dark Knight” and “WALL-E.“)

And they pay tribute to exemplary television programs such as “Mad Men,” “True Blood” and HBO’s “John Adams” miniseries.

But here’s the galling part. Very few of the films on HFPA’s list have actually reached local theaters.

In fact, most of this winter’s biggest movies will hit Central Coast screens weeks after they’ve been screened by critics and fawned over by film buffs — just a few weeks, in fact, before celebrities stroll the red carpet. Cinematic superiority is decided by the lucky stiffs who live in Los Angeles and New York City, not in the suburbs.

I guess I’ll have to take HFPA’s word that the nominees are, in effect, “worth it.”

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Want to see these “golden” films? You can catch some of this year’s Golden Globe nominees in theaters or on DVD.

NOW PLAYING:

• “Bolt”
• “Changeling” (ends today)
• “Happy-Go-Lucky”
• “Milk”

NOW ON VIDEO

• “The Dark Knight”
• “In Bruges”
• “Kung Fu Panda”
• “Mamma Mia!”
• “Tropic Thunder”
• “WALL-E”

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Geek identity, more than any dress code or profession, stems from what you like.

If you’re a “Firefly” fan, you dedicate your life to educating the world about Browncoats, Reavers and the Alliance. If you’re a “Battlestar Galactica” geek, you puzzle over plot twists, gawk at Cylon babes and wait, oh so patiently, for the end of Season Four. The same goes for the faithful who follow “Babylon Five,” “Farscape,” “The 4400,” “Heroes” and “Lost.”

A geek’s true loyalty, however, falls into two camps: “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.”

As far as science fiction classics are concerned, “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” have a lot in common.

Both started out as awesome shows with impressive, if slightly cheesy, special effects, fun plots and compelling characters. Both launched multi-title series that started out strong (”The Empire Strikes Back and “Return of the Jedi,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Deep Space Nine) and finished weak (”The Phantom Menace,” “Enterprise”).

One’s a space opera with foundations in myth, magic and Akira Kurosawa. The other’s an egghead approach to science and space exploration revolving around Star Fleet and the U.S.S. Enterprise.

So which is better?

YouTube poster D.M. Phoenix puts that question to the test with “Star Wars vs. Star Trek,” which pits the crew of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” against Darth Vader and the Empire.

How does Jean-Luc Picard’s impenetrable cool and rich British accent stack up to Darth Vader’s masked menace? Do phaser beams trump the Force?

You’ll have to watch to find out.

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In related news, Jon Stewart may very well be the biggest geek in the talk news universe.

On a recent episode of “The Daily Show,” he bragged about his Black Friday purchases: a C3-PO Bobblehead and the Lego Millinium Falcon. Way to geek out, Jon!

Thanks to Gizmodo Australia for the heads-up.

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This week’s treats include a winter sports documentary, “Ghost Busters” and “Bad Santa”

Hit the slopes with “Warren Miller’s Children of Winter,” playing tonight at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo.

Winter sports filmmaker Warren Miller built a reputation over 50 years for annual ski and snowboard movies known for their stunning cinematography, humor and showcases of top talent, including Olympic athletes. Miller has officially retired, but his legacy lives on in the form of Warren Miller Entertainment.

Their latest title, “Children of Winter,” follows world-class athletes as they tackle the snowy mountain peaks of Japan, Austria, British Columbia, Alaska and Iceland. Get ready for a wild ride.

“Warren Miller’s Children of Winter” will be screened at 7 p.m. at the PAC. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for students, and include a lift pass for Sierra Summit Mountain Resort.

Proceeds benefit Youth Outreach for the Performing Arts Center.

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I’m personally looking forward to “Ghostbusters,” which also plays tonight.

When a trio of wisecracking scientists get booted from their paranormal research program, the guys (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray) go into business for themselves — as the Ghostbusters.

After tackling their first real challenge, a glowing green ghost nicknamed Slimer, the Ghostbusters get a call from Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), a sexy concert cellist who’s just witnessed spooky phenomena in Central Park apartment. Sounds like a normal haunting, right? Wrong.

All hell is literally about to break loose.

“Ghostbusters” earns its “classic” status with a light-hearted, fantasy-tinged plot, terrific chemistry between its leads (who are real-life pals), and hilariously off-beat, endlessly quotable lines. (”Back off, man! I’m a scientist!”) Could there be a better comedy?

Don’t miss “Ghostbusters” tonight at the Fremont theater, 1025 Monterey Street in San Luis Obispo. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. following a half-hour of trivia and prizes.

Tickets are $7.50.

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Christmas gets nasty with “Bad Santa,” Wednesday at The Palm Theatre.

Billy Bob Thornton stars as Willie, a bitter, boozing loser who dons the red and white Santa Claus suit every year to spread holiday cheer. But this is no jolly old elf. Willie and his “Little Helper” Marcus (Tony ) are actually cussing con men with a plan to rob their department store on Christmas Eve.

Will Willie ever learn? Or can a pudgy pre-teen, nicknamed The Kid, and a bartender (Lauren Graham of “Gilmore Girls”) with a soft spot for Santa to teach him the true meaning of Christmas?

“Bad Santa” screens at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Palm Theatre, 817 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo. Tickets are $7.50.

(The Palm Wednesday series returns in January 2009.)

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Meanwhile, a local celebrity returns home this weekend for that holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker.”

Paso Robles native Jesus “Chuy” Solorio was a Top 20 finalist on the hit Fox reality show “So You Think You Can Dance.”

He’ll dance the role of the Prince in “The Nutcracker,” presented by Class Act Dance of Paso Robles and the North County Dance and Performing Arts Foundation. Solorio appeared as the Cavalier last year alongside fellow finalist Jimmy Arguello.

“The Nutcracker” runs Thursday through Sunday, as well as Dec. 12 and 13, at the Templeton Performing Arts Center, 1200 Main St. in Templeton. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for children and seniors.

For more information, call 239-3668 or 835-1915.

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What happens on Halloween? Anything, apparently

Mere words cannot describe the wonder of this video clip.

It’s fantastic. Scrumptious. Delightfully cheesy.

Above, Tim Curry sings “Anything Can Happen on Halloween” in a very ’80s TV special called “The Worst Witch.”

As you might recall from hazy memories of 1986, “The Worst Witch” starred Fairuza Balk as a problem-prone girl at a prestigious “witch academy.” Diana Rigg played one of the pointy-hatted teachers, Miss Hardbroom.

But the true star was Big Daddy Wiz himself — Tim Curry.

Curry — seen here about a decade after he donned fishnets and heels to play Frank N. Furter — is simply fabulous as The Grand Wizard, a fellow with a flair for rainbow-colored capes and synth-heavy musical numbers. And he can fly!

His song is made even better by vintage special effects, apparently crafted by a dedicated 15-year-old with access to computer and a blue screen.

Jill Murphy’s “Worst Witch” series of children’s books both the 1986 special and a television series, which ran for five seasons starting in 1998. In my opinion, however, neither show — however popular — could top Curry’s singular performance.

Now, has anyone seen my tambourine?

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Feeling nostalgic? You can watch “The Worst Witch” and other Halloween specials on YouTube.com for free.

• Charlie Brown and Linus experience the first pangs of childhood disillusionment in “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

• Dracula (Judd Hirsch!) and his fellow monsters try to regain their frightening image in “The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t.”

• Meanwhile, Garfield and Odie set out in search of “candy, candy, candy” in “Garfield’s Halloween Adventure.”

Happy Halloween!

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Trebek this: I could be a contestant on “Jeopardy!”

I took my place at the end of the long line snaking through the Santa Maria Town Center with fairly low expectations.

I wanted to have fun. I wanted to show off my smarts. I wanted to win some free swag from one of television’s most popular game shows.

Turns out, the powers that be had other plans.

The “Jeopardy!” Brain Bus was in Santa Maria on Friday night, looking for new contestants to go on the quiz show. The current incarnation, hosted by Alex “The Silver Fox” Trebek, celebrates 25 years this fall.

About 1,000 would-be geniuses sat down to take a 10-question quiz.

Sound easy? Well, apparently the pre-test was harder than you’d think. Most of the crowd either skipped the test, failed to qualify, or missed a couple questions and got no further.

The rest of us, roughly 80 in all, showed up bright and early Saturday morning at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott hotel in Buellton. There, we chatted with the Brain Bus gurus about the application process, got pointers about screen presence and buzzer pressing, and sat down for a grueling 50-question test.

I’m barred from sharing the actual contents of the test but I can tell you the subjects ranged from ancient Greek literature to modern European history, from Shakespeare to science. Each answer had to be jotted down in a mere eight seconds. (That’s three seconds more than the time allowed in the actual game.)

“What is ‘freakin’ hard,’ Alex?”

As the Brain Bus crew tallied points, Kelly Miyahara from the show’s Clue Crew fielded questions about “Jeopardy!” (Turns out Trebek used to take the same test every year to keep his wits sharp. Pretty impressive.) Then the Brain Bus gals returned to announce the nine finalists who were to head to the next round.

I had left some spaces blank and made a few obvious gaffes , so I was all set to pick up my ball and head home when the Brain Bus gals called my name.

Wow. A couple fellow contestants whooped. The rest scowled. And I felt the contents of my guts drop to my shoes.

My fellow finalists included Buellton’s public works director, a flooring salesman, a stand-up comic, and a teacher-turned-bartender who works at The Inn in Morro Bay. The other female finalist was the co-owner of the Bayou House Catering Company in Pismo Beach. (Valerie Vicroy and her husband also own the Anacapa Barbecue Catering Company.) All were older than me. Nearly all were previous quiz show contestants.

We filled out application forms, including a “fun facts” sheet for on-air interviews. Then, in groups of three, we participated in a mock version of the game complete with “clickers.” Interviews followed.

I tried to follow the advice of the lovely Brain Bus ladies: Be loud. Be personable. Smile. Answer in the form of a question. And always, always, always, CLICK CLICK CLICK.

It’d difficult to tell how well I did, but if “Jeopardy!” discovers that they need a Central Coast contestant anytime in the next 18 months, I could be answering the call.
Let’s review at the numbers: More than a thousand people showed up at the Santa Maria Town Center tryouts. About 80 made it to the next round, and nine made it to the so-called “finals.” That means that those finalists, myself included, were in the top percentile.

Again, wow. I love “Jeopardy!” I love trivia contests. But I never, ever thought it’d be me.

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Banner courtesy of Sony Pictures. Photo courtesy of Amy Kardel.

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Missed the Brain Bus?

You can take a”Jeopardy!” pre-test online in January, or attend the live auditions held year-round at Sony Pictures’ headquarters in Culver City. More details are available online.

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“Heroes” is back, as well as “Ugly Betty,” “The Office” and “How I Met Your Mother”

Remember television?

I think I do. But it’s been so long since I’ve seen a fresh new show, I’ve all but forgotten about my TV.

First came the writers’ strike, which stopped production on my favorite shows and effectively crippled the spring season. Then the networks bored me with their traditional summer season of reruns and forgettable reality shows.

TV returns with a vengeance this week, which means it’s time for me to dust off the ol’ remote and get clicking.

It all starts tonight with “Heroes,” returning for a third season that will hopefully redeem the regrettable lapse that was Year Two.

As the title “Villains” would suggest, “Heroes” appears to be moving into darker territory as our main characters start gunning for each other, serial killer Sylar surfaces in the States and tormented researcher Mohinder heads down a frightening new path. Could another world-ending crisis be in the offing? It’s a case of good versus evil, sweet versus sexy.

Also tonight are “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC), “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS) and “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS). It’s a cornucopia of light-weight delights.

On Tuesday, we’ve got the premiere of CBS’s “The Mentalist.” Simon Baker stars as a fake psychic who uses his powers of observation to solve crimes in California. I’ll watch for sexy blond Mr. Baker’s sake but the premise bores the hell out of me — basically, it’s “Psych” without the sass and silliness.

Wednesday offers the unavoidable: NBC’s “Knight Rider” remake, in which a former Army Ranger (Justin Bruening) teams up with souped-up sports car KITT. Half the fun should be checking out the eye candy — human and automotive alike.

ABC’s “Ugly Betty” (fashion! romance! Betty!) and NBC’s “The Office” (uncomfortable emotions wrapped in a cozy blanket of cluelessness) both premiere on Thursday, ensuring that I will be glued to the couch for a few hours. But Friday is free — for now.

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My plan: Make “MST3K” track, make millions

As a hardcore “Mystery Science Theater 3000″ fan, I’ve always wanted to create my own commentaries.

Don’t get me wrong — I loooove it when Mike, Joel and the ‘bots riff on terrible science fiction flicks and mind-melting B-movies.But I’ve always wondered to myself, “How hard could it be? Surely I could make fun of awful movies, too.”

Now I can.

RiffTrax.com is inviting all film buffs, brainiacs and smartasses to make their own funny film commentaries.

The Web site will host and distribute the tracks (called iRiffs), set up product pages for folks to sell their tracks, and even hand out cash prizes to the best smack-talkers. The only thing commentators need to do is write and record their riffs — using (reasonably) easy-to-use programs like Audacity.

Fortunately, there’s a how-to section for technically inept people like myself.

RiffTrax is the brain child of former MST host Michael J. Nelson, so it makes sense that he’d welcome other folks into the fold. The more, the merrier, right? All I know is that I’m going to be rich beyond my wildest fever dreams. Hopefully.

iRiffs can be uploaded as soon as October. I better get cracking.

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But wait! There’s more!

Fans of “Mystery Science Theater 3000″ can now download entire episodes for free at UtterNerd.org. That’s right — FREE.

Site host Matt Freitag has all ten seasons available, plus the ultra-rare episodes aired on cable’s KTMA in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. This is a huge treasure trove — everything from “Pod People” to “Puma Man” (one of my personal favorites).

Download ‘em NOW before the powers that be intervene.

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Thanks to io9.c0m for the tip. Keep circulating the tapes!

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Looks like I have a fan in television pundit Stephen Colbert.

Colbert, host of Comedy Central’s wildly popular “The Colbert Report,” mentioned my name last week in reference to Canton, South Dakota.

Colbert apologized for calling Canton “America’s real assburg” and “North Dakota’s dirty ashtray.”

He also read from an article by The Argus Leader of Sioux City, S.D. The newspaper quoted a local photo-journalist named — you guessed it — Sarah Linn as saying, “Canton is not a place where I’ll run into tons of opportunity to improve my career.”

I’m not sure if we share the same spelling, but that’s still pretty cool.

Of course, Canton, S.D. is not the first place to face Colbert’s wrath. He’s also dissed Canton, Georgia; Canton, Kansas; and Canton, Texas.

When will this reign of terror end?

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Can’t get enough of Canton?

A South Dakota graphic artist has created Canton-versus-Colbert, a Web site that catalogs anti-Canton sentiment. There’s even a game that lets visitors fling pheasants at the South Dakota state capitol to make Colbert apologize.

(I don’t get it either. Must be a South Dakota thing.)

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IN OTHER SHOWBIZ NEWS:

Promotional campaigns are getting so elaborate these days.

First there were fan-created frenzies over “Snakes on a Plane” and “Cloverfield.” Then Batman and The Joker stared their own propaganda campaigns to drum up press for “The Dark Knight.”

DreamWorks Pictures joins the fray with a wacky promotional site for the war spoof “Tropic Thunder.”

Faux filmmaker Jan Jürgen exposes the ego, ineptitude and madness behind “Tropic Thunder” in his documentary “Rain of Madness.”

There are undertones of horror and humor, as in Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper’s behind-the-scenes documentary “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse.” There’s also a lot of wonderful weirdness.

I recommend Jürgen’s “Dispatches from the Edge of Madness,” in which he interviews the cast and crew of this silly movie-within-a-movie.

PLUS, did you know that the Death Star has recently been spotted over San Francisco?!?

According to Gizmodo.com, the Galactic Empire has begun its invasion of the Bay Area. The proof is this video.

Nearly three minutes of footage depict TIE fighters soaring over the city, an Imperial Star Destroyer hovering near the Golden Gate Bridge and ATSTs (the so-called “chicken walkers”) exploring the beach.

I think I speak for the rest of California when I say: “We surrender!”
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Stephen Colbert photo courtesy of “The Colbert Report.”

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Take the biggest science fiction nerd you know. Merge that with your most pompous college professor.

Congratulations, readers. You’ve just created Dr. Ronald Chevalier.

Dr. Chevalier, the author of such masterworks as “Cyborg Harpies,” “Brain Cream” and “Brutus and Balzaak,” offers his tips for “relaxating” in this video.

There’s more at the author’s Web site, which urges visitors to take advantage of his “basic wisdom in all things.” You can listen to excerpts from his novels and peruse his paintings — including “Bisontennial,” which depicts buffalo being abducted by a spacecraft.

Dr. Chevalier happens to bear a striking resemblance to Jemaine Clement, co-star of HBO’s brilliant “The Flight of the Concords.”

But I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.

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SPOILER ALERT:

Turns out that Dr. Chevalier’s web site is actually a very clever promo for the movie “Gentlemen Broncos.”

It’s the latest from brothers Jared and Jerusha Hess, the guys who brought you “Napoleon Dynamite.”

“Gentlemen Broncos,” which hits theaters in 2009, follows a teenager who attends a fantasy writers’ convention — only to discover his idea has been stolen by an famous novelist.

Stay tuned!

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