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Things kind of suck right now, huh?  Financial experts have officially announced America has been in a recession for a year, President Elect Barack "Yes We Can" Obama seems to be ruining his credibility with his cabinet appointments, and the Screen Actors Guild seems to be poised for a catastrophic strike any day now.  Despite all that, The Hollywood Reporter claims the lineup of films for the 25th annual Sundance Film Festival "breathes enough fresh takes on romance, sci-fi and politics to satisfy moviegoers and industry players looking for some warmth during the snowy 11-day event."

Last year Alex Gibney's Taxi to the Dark Side won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature and it seems that the trend of films critical of U.S. policies will be continuing.  Of the 15 documentaries on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' shortlist for the documentary feature prize, 6 deal with American policies at home and abroad.  

Hollywood. It's amazing how one word can spawn such a motley gamut of reactions: money, love, hate, corruption, avarice, envy, dreams, fears, etc.

Editor's Note: This review is a re-posting. The review was original published in January during the film's premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

It’s rare when a filmmaker can shift gears from project to project, varying tone from one film to the next and still being able to master the different conventions. And yet, that’s exactly the position Brad Anderson finds himself in after completing Transsiberian.

The power of film cannot be explained, packaged, bought, or sold. There is no formula that guarantees box-office success or critical acclaim, no algorithm to decide what will work and what will fail. What worked for one film may not work for the next. But the power of film cannot be denied. Whether you're a fan of the Hollywood assembly line process or an admirer of the independent DIY process, there's no denying that a film has the power to change a mind, change a life, change the future.

Struggling independent filmmakers in need of assistance displaying and distributing their films will soon be aided by Google Inc.'s YouTube. The Associated Press reports that YouTube is setting up a virtual screening room to play independent shorts and features all over the world. They say indie filmmakers "already use YouTube to kick-start viral marketing campaigns.

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired was one of the most talked about documentaries during its run at the 2008 Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals. After its Monday night airing on HBO it's being talked about again. In a slightly more controversial manner this time. Court officials Monday called on HBO to change some wording in the documentary which alleges that the Los Angeles Superior Court judge who presided over a meeting in 1997 intended to bring Polanski back to the U.S.

Howdy folks. Like so many awkward teenagers at the forefront of puberty, the blogs here at Zoom In Online are going through some changes. In an effort to preserve the safety of mankind and uphold the American way, we'll be moving from the problematic Drupal format to the more accomodating Wordpress system. Fear not - the quality and quanity of the blogs you've come to know and love *cough* mine *cough* will remain the same but with this new system we'll be one step closer to world domina......uh.....easier searchability and usage.

Bookended by to-the-camera appeals from executive producer Colin Farrell, Kicking It initially promises to be little more than a sports channel infomercial – no surprise that this Hi-Def documentary about The Homeless World Cup was acquired by ESPN after its January premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. But there’s a good deal more to the film besides star-sanctioned awareness raising.

Bookended by to-the-camera appeals from executive producer Colin Farrell, Kicking It initially promises to be little more than a sports channel infomercial – no surprise that this Hi-Def documentary about The Homeless World Cup was acquired by ESPN after its January premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. But there’s a good deal more to the film besides star-sanctioned awareness raising.