Romeo Bashir on 7/13/09 at 10:05 AM

Hi Guys,

I am excited to share my views for your commitment to better and wiser critic homepage. Even though we critics sometimes may seem out of our way. It helps, shapes and completes the picture. Good job fellas.

Thank You!

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RT-Ryan on 6/3/09 at 1:35 PM

Hey everyone! There are some exciting changes coming your way on RT, and before confusion has the chance to sneak in, we thought we'd make you aware of what's going on.

First of all, when we are prepared to begin the data migration, user journals will be disabled, and all commenting capabilities will be turned off. Then, starting the next day, you may notice that there is a nifty new COMMUNITY (BETA) link in the top navigation bar. This effectively replaces the links for both THE VINE and FORUMS that sat up there before, but not to worry! User journals and the forums still exist, but we thought it would be more intuitive to place them both under a larger COMMUNITY umbrella because, well, they're both integral parts of the RT community. Simply navigate to your Community hub, and you'll see links for your blog and the forums.

The Forums will be just as you remember them, but better. You'll still be able to navigate to all your favorite threads and subforums, and avatars, signatures, and the like are still there. We've just gone ahead and upgraded our ancient version of the software to be current with the latest updates, so that posting and moderating is easier and more intuitive.

The user journals, however, will be a bit different (and, we think, improved); we've overhauled the system, which was outdated and clunky to navigate and edit, to make it easier for you connect with your friends and see what they've been up to on RT. Reviews and ratings are better organized, and we've implemented a system that will allow you to see how often your opinions match up with Critics, Top Critics, User Ratings, and Friends. Customization of page color schemes, however, will not be available, but you'll still be able to create lists, join groups, and exchange private messages with your contacts very easily.

We're very excited about these changes, but we do want to stress that this is the BETA stage for these features. This means that, while we think we've done a pretty thorough job testing it, we know we're not perfect, and as these things go, there are always a few things that manage to slip past even the keenest RT eyes. When the update goes live on RT, at the top of the Community page you'll see a banner asking for your feedback, so if you happen to spot anything you think might be incorrect, or if you suspect something in your profile is broken, be sure to click on the banner and let us know. Thanks for being loyal RTers, and we look forward to hearing what you think about the new Community features!

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RT-Ryan on 5/26/09 at 6:50 PM

Drat. Fiddlesticks. Dagnabbit.

Well, it was wonderful while it lasted, and let's remember the extra day off wasn't only about having barbecues and watching sports on cable TV. In any case, we begin a new week with a few items you may have missed over the extended weekend.

First of all, who would have thought that the super-hyped Terminator: Salvation would be trumped by Ben Stiller and a zany cast of re-animated historical figures? That's right, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian took top honors at the box office this weekend, earning roughly $18 million more than the fourth installment of the sci-fi/action blockbuster starring Christian Bale. For the full box office report, you can click HERE.

Next up, our devoted (and lucky) Joe Utichi wrapped up Cannes coverage this weekend with a look at 10 Must-See movies that emerged from the prestigious French film festival. You probably already know of some of them, but you may not have even heard of the others; it's quite an interesting list. Check it out in its entirety HERE.

And speaking of strong openings at Cannes, you Sam Raimi fans out there are probably positively giddy over his latest effort's current 100% Tomatometer (and that's with 18 reviews in!). I speak, of course, of the director's anticipated return to horror with Drag Me to Hell, which has, by most accounts, turned out to be a fun little thrill ride. Not only do we have the photos from its red carpet premiere, which you can view HERE, but we've also set up a Tomatometer-watch article to track how it performs as more reviews trickle in. It does, of course, have to share the honor with Pixar's latest effort, Up, which is also currently tracking at an impressive 100%. But let's be honest here: it's Pixar. Who among us didn't see that one doing well? In any case, you can read the Tomatometer-watch article in full HERE.

And lastly, a little gem that Mr. Tim Ryan himself sent my way today. Upon hearing that Nigeria was the third largest movie market, behind only the US and India (that's right - even higher than China, Japan, or France), he decided to see what the African powerhouse had to offer. What he found was THIS.

And on that note, I bid you a good evening.

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RT-Ryan on 5/18/09 at 6:31 PM

You heard it here first. Our faithful expert on DVD releases and Twilight expert, Jen Yamato, will not longer be working for Rotten Toma... Wait, hold on. I'm being told that I've completely misunderstood the headline here. No, Jen is not, in fact, being fired from RT, but she is going to be watching every installment of the Terminator franchise this week leading up to the release of the much anticipated Terminator Salvation. She's actually already begun her journey, and you can read her take on the iconic The Terminator HERE.

On top of that, the Cannes Film Festival is still currently underway, so if you're into cutting edge cinema, you can read all the on-the-scene updates from our UK editor, Joe Utichi, HERE. As if living in Europe weren't cool enough, he gets to fly to Cannes while we're stuck in an over-air-conditioned office with elevators that sounds like tie fighters rumbling behind us constantly. That's alright, though; I didn't want to go anyway. (Was that believable?)

In any case, we'll have more updates for you later, so stay tuned. There are some site changes that will be coming up in the next couple of weeks, and I think you'll most definitely want to hear all about them. I'll have more details for you very, very, very, very soon (that was my Commandant Lassard impression).

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RT-Ryan on 5/14/09 at 5:53 PM

Alright, alright. I know the title above makes no sense whatsoever, but it's late in the day, and I'm a little high on caffeine, which tends to do little besides give me the jitters and scramble my brain. Having said that, let me sort through my thoughts here and try to spotlight some content for you.

First up, we've got new photos up from the world premiere of Angels & Demons. You can see Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, and the rest of the cast decked out in their tuxes and evening gowns (Ewan looks awful in cocktail dresses) on the red carpet, strategically evading reporters and striking poses for the paparazzi. To see them in all their glory, click HERE.

In addition to that, we thought it would appropriate to have a look at the best-reviewed films of Tom Hanks, since he's, you know, starring in the only wide release this weekend. Hop on over to this week's Total Recall and take a loving look back at Mr. Hanks, back when he was coaching women's baseball teams and dancing on oversized keyboards. You can read the full article HERE.

Lastly, you might recall that we held a photo contest for Little Ashes where we asked all of you to submit images of yourselves in the best moustache you could grow or fabricate. We've selected the winners for the contest and posted the entries of all the finalists HERE. Some of you really went out of your way for this, and some of you have some downright righteous 'staches!

Alright folks. I'm gonna go home and catch the season finale of LOST, which I didn't get to see last night. Have a great night, and we'll see you here tomorrow!

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