How pathetic are the current crop of films being churned out by the major Hollywood studios? I mean Final Destination 3? If they didn't reach their destination the first two times, what makes you think that this time will be any different? Paul Walker rescuing his dogs in Eight Below? Can we save the dogs and leave Walker out in the biting cold instead? Date Movie? Do we really need another cheesy teen comedy to support the ailing careers of the American Pie alums? I can truthfully say nothing appealing has hit theatres since the Oscar rush at the end of 05. So what rocks are all the quality flicks hiding under you ask? They are in the pipeline, but the studio execs are waiting until this slow season passes before giving us the interesting fare. The following films are festering summer blockbusters, indie gold beating up the festival circuit and generally interesting flicks that make shelling out $10 a ticket a tad less painful.

Every savvy movie buff knows that summers and even the months following it are the proverbial dumping ground for blockbusters deemed "highly entertaining," leaving us to shell out $8.50 for a film high on the big-name gloss factor, but short on substance. And while a film doesn't have to be "important" to be entertaining, this time is the gulag, the wasteland, before the oscar-worthy juggernauts are released. Where to go but to our trusty Netflix or video store to catch up on those forgotten favorites that deserve a second viewing.

But instead of getting the newest release of the next biggest sequel to the last biggest sequel, why not experiment with the perfect double-feature that is not as obvious as sequels? Here is a short guide of strongly recommended rentals to make a double-feature to die for. Each movie below stands on its own as a great flick, but for something different, try watching the two back-to-back.

Seldom, do you find an actor in Hollywood that is ushered into mega stardom based on their film debut. More often, they slowly make a name for themselves lurking in the shadows of marquee stars or headlining smart indie features for the art house film snobs. Don't believe me? Had you heard the name Colin Farrell before he robbed scenes from uber charismatic Tom Cruise in Minority Report? Do you think Christian Bale would have had an inkling of a chance to headline the rebirth of the Batman franchise without being the naked, chainsaw-wielding narcissist in American Psycho? Would Matthew McConaughey have gone on to be enticing eye candy for ladies everywhere had he not uttered the immortal line in Dazed and Confused: "That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age." I rest my case. The common bond that all these actors share is that they are a powder keg of talent waiting for the right script to splinter all over the Hollywood landscape. This week I'm firing up my crystal ball and staring into the guts of the film industry to glean who will be your next "must see" actor. That way you can admire them now then get your feathers all ruffled up when the Hollywood machine tries to infect and slowly discount their talent.

Every year the Academy of Motion Pictures gathers around the campfire to roast, I mean, award the greatest performances of the year, yet they always fail to recognize what's really filling those seats -- striking men and luscious ladies. How many dog films have you painfully stomached so you can fill your fantasy piggybank for the next month? It's high time that just dues were paid to those who rightfully make the movie going experience a little easier on the eyes. Now to be honest this article started out as a more broad ranging look at the top ten hottest women in entertainment, but the film chicks kept crowding everybody out so, in the interest of fairness, I thought it best to focus this write-up on them, and leave the music and television babes for another day. All right to the all important criteria. Obviously, sex appeal represents the biggest chunk of the pie chart; how she looks, carries herself, her ingrained personality that shows up regardless of the role she's fitted for. Yet we can't overlook the other intangibles: acting ability, career prospects, and ability to not flip her career over the median and into oncoming traffic. Calling the Lohan table. So without further ado, let's get to the most enticing, knuckle biting, hell raising vixens of the moment.

Ever since Paris' address book leaked out over the Internet this past weekend, my phone has been ringing off the hook. Yeah we hooked up once people. Get over it already. I told her to use a password more secure than the name of her chihuahua for her phone but there is just no talking to that girl. So onto the more interesting starlets gracing the red carpet at this Sunday's 77th running of the Oscars. Do you want to know who should be preparing their acceptance speech, who should pull a Tonya Harding and who should crash this party? Well you've come to the right place for all the information that's relevant and completely irrelevant regarding the batch of films that was 2004. So sharpen those #2 pencils and get your Oscar pool form primed because I've got the winners for you right here.

Anybody who has seen High Fidelity knows the value of a great top 5 list. They can be sliced, diced and debated endlessly. So after seeing more films than any one person should be allowed to see in 2004, I've doubled the fun and listed the 10 that had the most original voices and left their imprint on me.