As a preview of the upcoming DVD release, Lucid Media Magazine examines the screams and tears of frightened children – not because we are cruel like that, but because we think that time is probably on our side.

The time has come once again to rank and file the movies of 2009. We did our best all year to steer you to the quality and steer you away from the craptacular. You may or may not have taken our advice and that’s okay, but here now for your reading pleasure is the 10 Best, 10 Runners-Up for Top 10 and the Worst 10 films of this final year of the first decade of the 21^st century.

When Heath Ledger died in January 2008, almost every iota of attention concerning his career was on the final fate of his performance in The Dark Knight. Of course, Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker went on to garner tremendous acclaim and awards, up to and including the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. But when he died, Ledger was on break from making his follow-up to The Dark Knight, a film by Terry Gilliam called The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. When Ledger unexpectedly passed away, the fate of Imaginarium was up in the air. After all, how can a film finish principal photography when its star is no longer available to play his part?

 

The Simpsons have come a long way since an old drunk made humans out of his rabbit characters to pay off his gambling debts, or however Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of the Springfield gang came to be. Needless to say though that the creativity and the longevity of the series has surpassed all expectations, and with each passing year it seems that The Simpsons will continue on into the 30^th century (as predicted on Matt Groening’s follow-up to The Simpsons, Futurama). In the meantime though, we can look at the last 20 years and take from the first 449 episodes the Top 10.

Early Sunday morning, actress Brittany Murphy, famous for her roles in the film Clueless, Girl Interrupted, 8 Mile, and Sin City, was found dead in her home from what is being reported as “full cardiac arrest.” The news shocked many fans and colleagues of the young actress, who, at the young age of 32, had impressed the entertainment world with her talents as both an actor and singer.

On Friday November 13th, five of the few surviving Gone with the Wind cast members were greeted by hundreds of fans in Marietta, Georgia to celebrate the 70th anniversary of one of America's greatest films. Ann Rutherford (Carreen O'Hara), Mickey Kuhn (Beau Wilkes), Patrick Curtis (toddler Beau Wilkes), Greg Geise (baby Bonnie and baby Beau) and Geneva Miller Roberts (an extra from the Barbecue scene) were taken aback by the passionate nature of the festivities.