Once Twins two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana--called "the best pitcher of this century" by ESPN baseball guru Peter Gammons--turned down Minnesota's 4 year/$80 million dollar contract extension, the writing was on the wall. The Twins had to trade him or risk getting nothing in return once his contract expired at the end of next season. And already having lost Gold Glove centerfielder Torii Hunter and veteran pitcher Carlos Silva to free agency this off season, their hand was forced. The Yankees and the Red Sox both offered packages weeks ago including a stud starting centerfielder and/or starting pitcher plus excellent minor league prospects, but the Twins held out for more, thinking NY and Boston would up their offers to trump their bitter rival and keep such a great pitcher from joining the other ballclub.

So what happened? The two AL East powers took their deals off the table and never made the Twins an offer they couldn't refuse, so now Minnesota is stuck with a deal with the NY Mets for four prospects--one outfielder and three pitchers, only two of which have had any major league experience whatsoever. Not only didn't Minny get what they were looking for in any deal for Santana (an immediate replacement in the already thin starting rotation and a replacement for Torii), they couldn't even get the Mets to give up their top outfiled prospect, Fernando Martinez. For Johan Friggin' Santana!?! Are you kidding me? No Jacoby Ellsbury, no Jon Lester, no Philip Hughes, and no Melky Cabrera. Just four prospects. Ugh! That's some nice job by the Twins new GM, Bill Smith. That should excite the fans as you get ready to move into a brand new stadium in a couple of years. Maybe you can go ahead and lose ace closer Joe Nathan while you're at it.

About the best thing I can say about this whole mess is that at least Boston didn't end up with him (which would have been kind of like the Celtics getting KG), and my sister Jolie, a die-hard Mets fan who suffered greatly at the end of last season, should be a very happy woman. Now let's see if Santana passes the physical and the Mets agree to a 6 or 7 year deal at $20 - $25 million per.

--Matthew

One of the films that came to define the term "Cult Classic" in the 1980s finally makes its Enzian debut Tuesday night 1/29 at 9:30 PM with the Sundance Channel Film Series screening of REPO MAN (1984). The legendary feature debut of Alex Cox (the British actor/director who would go on to make SID AND NANCY just a couple of years later), this inventive sci-fi satire of Southern California life follows the adventures of an LA punk musician (Emilio Estevez) turned car repossessor, his deadpan mentor (the great Harry Dean Stanton), and a '64 Malibu with something mysterious in the trunk. Throw in some pointless violence, media hypnosis, aliens, and a dynamite soundtrack including Iggy Pop, The Circle Jerks, Suicidal Tendencies, Black Flag, Fear, The Plugz, Louis Armstrong (!) and The Andrew Sisters (!!), and it all adds up to one of the best science-fiction/action/punk comedies of all time--in other words, a true cult classic executive produced by none other than ex-Monkee Michael Nesmith. And as always, admission is only $5, so you only have yourself to blame if you miss it.

-- Matthew

Major congratulations are in store for all of the filmmakers singled out in Tuesday's 80th Annual Academy Award nominations whose work has graced Enzian's screen this year or who will be doing so in the upcoming Florida Film Festival (March 28 - April 6). Of those that have played already, FFF 2007 winner of the "Special Jury Award for Innovative Documentary Storytelling," Richard E. Robbins' OPERATION HOMECOMING: WRITING THE WARTIME EXPERIENCE, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature. It also appeared on Orlando Sentinel Movie Critic Roger Moore's "10 Best Films of the Year" list. Cynthia Wade's important and moving FREEHELD played an Oscar-qualifying 2-day run back in July along with Alice Elliott's BODY & SOUL: DIANE & KATHY (shortlisted but unfortunately not selected), and received a nom for Best Documentary Short Subject. And Josh Raskin's ingenious I MET THE WALRUS, a surreal journey around an old John Lennon audio interview, played Enzian as part of the 10th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival back in September. It's up for Best Animated Short Film and is currently playing Sundance.

Films to look out for come Florida Film Festival-time in late March include two other titles nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject, also playing at Sundance: Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega's LA CORONA (THE CROWN), about a beauty pageant in a Colombian women's prison, and Tim Sternberg's SALIM BABA, about a one-man movie operation of a different sort. In the Best Animated Short Film category, another Sundance alum is MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI from Canada, one of the most stunning and mysterious works of stop-motion you'll ever see. And TANGHI ARGENTINI, a charming comedy-with-a-twist from Belgium, is up for Best Live Action Short Film. So there's a lot to look forward to, and plenty more to come.

Major kudos to all of the filmmakers, and the best of luck on February 24. We'll be pulling for you regardless of whatever format the actual ceremony takes place in.

--Matthew

Woke up this morning to another stunning snowstorm, with about six new inches of powder on the ground. Nothing beats that early morning quiet when everything is covered with a blanket of white. And with the sun out for a bit and temperatures climbing into the high 20s, snowballs can be on the menu as soon as I find someone to nail.

More quick takes on movies: ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL (4-stars) is a surprisingly touching doc about friendship, dreams, and the neverending quest for success by a once-marginally famous Canadian metal band of the early 80s. Hilarious in spots and completely absurd in others (even though it's all true), this is way more than just a portrait of a real-lfe "Spinal Tap," and I would think a sure thing to get picked up.

SUNSHINE CLEANERS (3-stars) is wonderfully acted by a cast including Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn and Mary-Lynn Rajskub. It's a story about two squabbling sisters--one living with a kooky dad who's always got a new business scheme working, the other working as a maid trying to support her troubled son and having an affair with a married local cop and former sweetheart--who start a company cleaning up after murders and violent crimes. An entertaining dramatic-comedy, but the storyline did not grab me, and enough already with the crazy Alan Arkin/young relative relationshiip stuff.

The world premiere of U2-3D (4-stars) was a trip. The scene at the Eccles was completely nuts, and not only were directors Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington in the house, but so were all four members of U2 and Al Gore. With the aid of $50 digital 3-D glasses (wonder if these will be what our local IMAX screen will utilize when it opens there?), the viewer is plopped down in the middle, above, through, and around an impressive collection of performances from their South American tour a couple of years ago. Not real gimmicky for a 3-D film, the movie lets the songs and the technology speak for themselves. Featuring many of their greatest hits and a rare obscure album track or two, my only complaint would be that the set felt a liittle short--I was ready for more and hoping for "I Will Follow,' "Desire" or "11 O'Clock Tick Tock." A minor quibble--I'll be back for an encore to bring the girlfriend and the kids once it opens Orlando.

--Matthew

Two days into Sundance and it's already apparent that there's not enough city buses and shuttles to handle the hordes of festivalgoers and winter vacationers. Traffic anywhere around Main Street is a nightmare, and I don't recall ever seeing so many buses flashing the "Full" sign. I've taken to walking to venues whenever possible, and the slight increase in temperature ( teens-to-mid-20s) makes that even more of an option. Some of the drivers are already in mid-festival cranky form, but the tunes have been interesting as we've already heard a so-loud-it's-distorting Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun" ( a bus sing-a-long!) and a pretty cool Depeche Mode instrumental remix on the first "Techno Bus" of the year. Motor on...so far docs are trumping narratives, but more on that later.

--Matthew

But definitely white, frozen, and beautiful as this year's Sundance Film Festival kicks off. Arriving late morning yesterday to a 15 degree slap in the face at the Salt Lake City airport, we soon found ourselves in single digits and dropping as we got to Park City. In fact, after being in the -6 to -9 degree range the previous two nights, the locals delighted in predicting -10 for our first evening in town. Let's see...leave Orlando at nearly 80 degrees, find ourselves facing -10 in Utah. Nothing like a little 90 degree swing in one day. Whatever it ultimately got down to, it's simply as cold as I can ever remember here. And after a virtually snow-free fest last year, it's already snowed twice. This morning was particularly picturesque as it was coming down pretty heavy and 5 huge deer were hanging out in the cross-country skiing area behind our condo (and out the dining room windows). Not something you see too often in Central Florida...

Another rarity was actually sitting down to two good meals in one day in Park City, something that never happens once the films get crankin'. Hit Bandits Grill & Bar (didn't this used to be "Reds BBQ"?) for lunch and had the yummy tri-tip steak sandwich, while I also had my first experience at Butcher's Chophouse & Bar with a very late night lamb chop dinner. Both establishments are highly recommended. Meanwhile, I was surprised to see the extremely popular Main Street Noodle & Pizza joint closed for a private rental for the first half of the festival--geez, I can only imagine how much that cost.

On the film front, I'm happy to report my first two were both winners. Continuing a trend that started last year when my first screening of the festival was ONCE, YOUNG@HEART (5 stars) was everything I expected and more. Stephen Walker's doc about a renowned geriatric chorus (average age: 80) that covers everything from The Clash to The Zombies to Dylan to James Brown to Coldplay and Sonic Youth is highly entertaining, funny, and incredibly moving as the group of senior citizens comes together for 7 weeks of rehearsals before performing a new show. Somehow they find the time and energy to also shoot delightful videos for tracks by The Ramones, Talking Heads, Bowie and The Bee Gees. This is a must-see, and I'd be shocked if there's a more inspirational and touching film in the festival.

Director Tom McCarthy's follow-up to his acclaimed THE STATION AGENT, THE VISITOR (4 stars) is an outstanding drama about a lonely, widowed Connecticut college professor (Richard Jenkins, the father on "Six Feet Under") who returns to NYC to deliver a paper for a colleague at an educational conference. When he arrives at his rarely occupied apartment, he finds an illegal alien Muslim couple (he's from Syria, she's from Senegal) crashing at his place. The relationships and situations that develop (no spoilers here) are wonderfully acted and beautifully told, and this is a film with resonance that demonstrates no sophomore slump whatsoever.

Let's hope this fine film trend continues...it's off to the Library for numero tres.

--Matthew

The Florida Film Festival takes a lot of pride in the quality and participation of hundreds of volunteers every year (we couldn't do it without them!), and I've just been informed by the powers that be that the 2008 new volunteer application deadline has been extended one week. Please go to floridafilmfestival.com/volunteers.php for more information and to download an application, and be sure to get it submitted by Monday, January 21. Questions? You can e-mail Annalyn at abush@enzian.org

So if you love film and have some free time during the end of March/early April, your services are needed to help make this year's Festival another great cultural event that Central Florida can call its very own. See you at the movies. And thanks.

--Matthew

After a one month hiatus in December to make way for the Brouhaha Film & Video Showcase (and ultimately the "Best of Brouhaha" program chosen for this year's Florida Film Festival), FilmSlam returns to Enzian this Sunday, January 13 at 1:00 PM for its first edition of 2008. This month's collection of films produced in-state includes such titles as LOBO NEGRO, THE FUTURE IS A MESH STALLION, THE GORILLA OF BACKWATER COUNTY (John Kontos sighting ahead!), TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, LOGAN DELL, and THE WORLD'S LOUSIEST CROOK.

So if you're not into the NFL playoffs and glued to your TV set all afternoon, come on out and support your friendly neighborhood indie filmmakers for only a $5 admission charge. You'll feel good and they will too when they have an audience for their work.

--Matthew

Yet another great reason to be a member of the Enzian Film Society: for the past three years Enzian and the Rollins College English Department have presented a "Winter With The Writers" special event in late January. These exceptional programs feature a free screening of an acclaimed film based on a classic novel, with the author of that novel in attendance. In 2006 we hosted Tobias Wolff for a showing of Michael Caton-Jones' adaptation of THIS BOY'S LIFE. Last year it was Russell Banks with a screening of Paul Schrader's AFFLICTION. And three weeks from today, on Wednesday January 30, we are proud to present THE HOURS, directed by Stephen Daldry from the novel by Michael Cunningham.

This star-studded, intelligent drama from 2002 won an Oscar for Best Actress (Nicole Kidman) and was nominated for a whopping 8 others, including Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay (David Hare), Supporting Actor (Ed Harris), and Supporting Actress (Julianne Moore). It tells the rich, multi-generational story of three women (Kidman, Moore, and Meryl Streep) who have all had to deal with suicide in some way, and how their lives relate to Virginia Woolf's depression-themed novel, "Mrs. Dalloway."

But even though there's no admission for the event, it is not open to the general public. You must be a current Enzian Film Society member or part of the Rollins College student body or faculty to attend. So with the beginning of the new year and all the other great perks of membership, can you think of a better time to sign up and join the fun at Enzian?

--Matthew

Congratulations to filmmaker David Munro and FULL GROWN MEN for winning the 2007 indieWIRE Undiscovered Gems Audience Award yesterday. The bittersweet comedy about a young man (Matt McGrath) who refuses to grow up--which was showcased in the 2007 Florida Film Festival last spring as the only narrative feature in the Florida Sidebar--won a theatrical distribution deal with Emerging Pictures that includes a $50,000 P&A guarantee and a $50,000 license fee for exclusive broadcast on the Sundance Channel. Complete with its satirical barbs at Disney World (or "Diggityland") and road trip north from Miami to Central Florida with characters along the way ranging from a disgruntled ex-theme park employee to a horny bartending clown to a delusional ex-Weeki Wachi mermaid, this is an often humorous tale of accepting responsibility and acting your age. The supporting cast of Judah Friedlander, Alan Cumming, Amy Sedaris, and Deborah Harry is a joy to watch, and FULL GROWN MEN is truly deserving of whatever kind of theatrical release it finally gets. A very nice way to start the new year...

--Matthew