Prestige filmmakers take note: If you want the Times critics to really love you, what you need to do is put the fear in them. At least it worked for Tim Burton; his adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd gave reviewer A.O. Scott nightmares. And for that, Scott deems the film “close to a masterpiece, a work of extreme – I am tempted to say evil – genius.” (Current Rotten Tomato rating: 88% fresh.) One......

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (directed by Shekhar Kapur) Ever since she dazzled audiences in 1998 with her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I, it's been hard not to think there's something naturally regal about actress Cate Blanchett. Now Blanchett has returned to her Oscar-nominated role in a sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age with the same director and a similar cast. But will lightening strike twice? Maybe the expectation level was too high, but while Elizabeth the......

EVENT: Join Chief Jim Riches, 9/11 families, rescue and recovery workers in an effort to Tell Rudy Giuliani to "Stop Politicizing 9/11". Rudy will be at a fundraiser at the Waldorf later today, and will be greeted by those who believe he's no hero. Why? They say: "He failed the FDNY & uniformed & civilian victims. He gave us incompetent commissioners ( FD,PD, OEM). No integrated command. He abandoned us on 9/11. He gave the......

DISCUSSION: Tonight Dirty Dancing author Eleanor Bergstein will discuss the similarities between Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and her own masterpiece, which starred Patrick Swayze. Shakespearian scholars will be in attendence to agree or, most likely, refute the argument. This discussion may have been a bit more relevant in, say, 1987 - when the film came out. 7:30pm // National Arts Club [15 Gramercy Park South] // Free THEATER: The No Frills Company, which is dedicated......

SHOPPING: Get ready to do some defensive shopping at the Barneys mega warehouse sale. It only comes twice a year, and this one runs til September 4th. So psych yourself up for some shoppin' before all the good stuff is gone. 10am to 8pm // Barneys Co-Op [236 West 18th St] MOVIE: Tonight's outdoor movie? The Warriors! Part of this summers Brooklyn Bridge Park "Movies With a View" series. Nothing fits a good 'ol New......

As Jon Stewart takes to the stage this Sunday at 8 pm to host the 78th Annual Academy Awards, the movie-lovin' Gothamist will be watching with eager anticipation from our couch. The spectacle, the glamour, the bad musical numbers and cheesy memorial montages -- we love it all. In fact, Gothamist (ie. Jen Chung and movie correspondent Karen Wilson) will be live blogging the ceremony but in the meantime, here's a few predictions for the......

Gothamist was a bit underwhelmed by this year's Golden Globe nominees, and we were thinking of not liveblogging. But, gosh darn it as we watched the E! preshow and saw the starlets sparkle their way down the red carpet, we realize it was hopeless, so here we are. Let it be known that: - Keira Knightley looks gorgeous in her white Valentino - and there's something surprisingly youthful about the dress, even though there's that......

The holidays are upon us. Tomorrow sees the release of two of the more eagerly awaited films of the season, and we haven't even hit Thanksgiving yet! We've been hearing fantastic things about the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. It wowed audiences at the Toronto Film Festival in September, and now critics are talking about Joaquin Phoenix's performance as they did last year about Jamie Foxx. One huge difference: Foxx lip-synced everything in Ray;......

The city released its plans for its vision of a new West Side (centerpiece being a stadium for the Jets), called Hudson Yards. The city has a snazzy Hudson Yards website, complete with its vision, mission, proposal, photographs of the neighborhood, and a timeline. But Gothamist was struck by this photograph of the railyards the new development would replace, because there's something beautiful about this mass of trains in the middle of the city.......

Claire Cavanah, Toys in Babeland...

Singer-songwriter-actress June Carter Cash died last night. Though she was well known for being a part of the "Carter Sisters" country singing group, June Carter Cash is best known for her relationship, both professional and personal, with husband Johnny Cash. She wrote "Ring of Fire" about falling in love with him, and later wrote about Johnny Cash,"Those black eyes that shone like agates. I only glanced into them because I believed that I would......