It Won't Bring Her Back.

Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood on "Splendour"For those of you wondering why I haven't written about the reopening of the Natalie Wood drowning case from 1981 there are three reasons. First, recalling a childhood trauma is unpleasant (Natalie was my first experience with the death of a loved one. An abstract "loved one", sure, but still... Traumatic!). Second, it won't bring her back and I'd rather remember the actress than the death. In fact, I have West Side Story 50th anniversary prizes to give out soon. Third and finally, I've been swamped time-wise. But if you'd like the latest updates, The Wrap has been steadily updating the information. It's all still very inconsequential so one wonders why exactly they reopened the case. There were only four people aboard: Natalie, the captain (who claims to have been drunk and has changed his story), her husband RJ (who is supposedly not a suspect), and her then co-star Christopher Walken (who has now hired a lawyer). Natalie and Walken were making Brainstorm at the time which was released two years after her death.

Christopher Walken was 38 (and a recent Oscar winner) and Natalie was 43 when they made "Brainstorm"

CBS 48 Hours Mystery is airing a new special on the 30 year old tragedy tonight. (The boat they were on was long since sold but it's now docked in Honolulu.) I probably shouldn't watch it but I suspect I will.

20:11 Season of the Hornet's "No Stings" Dilemma

Year in Review Fun... Much more to come! 

Herewith the 20th minute and 11th second of the movies of 2011 in chronological order of US release date. It's like flipping channels for snapshots of the film year! For those who like a mnemonic challenge, I've written the film titles in invisible ink below each screencap (you can highlight to see them). Would any of these tiny glimpses make you want to stop channel surfing and watch?

january | february | march | april

Part 1: JANUARY

Our ranks have been decimated. You must deliver her."

THE SEASON OF THE WITCH

Holy....! Kato, are you a pervert?

THE GREEN HORNET

We are trying to relax! Everything is going to be fine."

THE DILEMMA

["Did i have sex with anyone...?" and other awkward January moments more after the jump.]

Click to read more ...

Oscar News: 15 Documentary Finalists. Major Snubs Are Mandatory.

The Academy have announced their finalists in the Best Documentary Oscar category. Guess what isn't it the running anymore: Senna, The Interrupters, Page One: Inside the New York Times, and The Carrier! And that's just the biggies off the top of my head without research.  Amir was just pontificating about Senna's Oscar hopes and he's hardly that movies only über fan. People will be up in arms. I suppose it wouldn't be the Best Documentary Feature, that storied and oft-controversial category, without these anger-making decisions. Remember when Grizzly Man got the boot? I know, right? Unthinkable though that still is...

The finalists are...

• Battle for Brooklyn (RUMER Inc.) 
• Bill Cunningham New York (First Thought Films)
• Buck (Cedar Creek Productions) 
• Hell and Back Again (Roast Beef Productions Limited)
• If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (Marshall Curry Productions, LLC)
• Jane's Journey (NEOS Film GmbH & Co. KG)
• The Loving Story (Augusta Films)
• Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (@radical.media)
• Pina (Neue Road Movies GmbH)
• Project Nim (Red Box Films)
• Semper Fi: Always Faithful (Tied to the Tracks Films, Inc.)
• Sing Your Song (S2BN Belafonte Productions, LLC)
• Undefeated (Spitfire Pictures)
• Under Fire: Journalists in Combat (JUF Pictures, Inc.)
• We Were Here (Weissman Projects, LLC)

The highest profile films here are Buck, Pina (also eligible in Foreign Film), Project Nim, and Paradise Lose 3: Purgatory... but that's almost a whole shortlist in and of itself so expect more drama ahead.

Who are you rooting for and which snub makes you crazazy? 

"I slept in a few dumpsters."

"Maybe I slept on some babies."

Ask Nathaniel...

So last week we did two Q & A columns, parts 1 & 2 to make up for our late late lateness with this column. (sigh). But here we go again. Curveball: No questions about legendary actresses this week! We talk about them all the time anyway.

Ask away: no multi-part questions, no top ten lists... the more succinct the question, the more chance it gets answered. Go!