We are coming to the end of 2010, which means it’s time to look back over the movies of this year. This is my favorite montage video so far because the edits are seamless and in tune with the times and just about every movie is included. 

First Showing tells me that YouTube user Genrocks, produced this montage, includes Howl and Catfish, documentaries like Casino Jack and the United States of Money and Waiting for Superman as well as the blockbusters.

Vidal Sassoon The Movie is a portrait of revolutionary hairdresser Vidal Sassoon. If you grew up in the 60s through the 90s and ever had a haircut, then you are familiar with the geometric Bauhaus-inspired hairstyles he pioneered in the ’60s and his “wash and wear” philosophy, he liberated generations of women from the tyranny of the salon. Here, we follow Sassoon’s life from a Jewish orphanage in London to his rise to the pinnacle of his craft.

The documentary has a limited release: February 11, 2010 in New York and February 18, 2010 in Los Angeles.

We have our five winners! They are Tetsie, Lori Hart, Ed Nemmers, Monique Rizzo and Trina!

Needing no introduction, Jimi Hendrix is world renowned for changing the landscape of rock & roll and revolutionizing the way a guitar is played. Narrated by Slash with interviews from rock legends, Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Jimi Hendrix: The Guitar Hero offers an essential perspective on the prodigy that was Jimi Hendrix.

It’s hard to imagine this talented soul only lasted four years in the rock in’ roll era of the 1960s. 

The documentary includes a booklet. Both shed light on his life from the day he was born, his trip to England, his success and his untimely death.

African Cats is Disneynature’s third release under the Disney label. The movie features the real-life love, humor and determination of the kings of the African savanna. Mara is an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom. Sita is a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns. Then, Fang, a proud leader of the pride, must defend his family from a once banished lion.

The movie leaps into theaters on Earth Day, 2011.

African Cats is the third release for Disneynature, the first new Disney-branded film label from The Walt Disney Studios in more than 60 years.  Launched in April 2008 to bring the world’s top nature filmmakers together to capture a variety of wildlife subjects and stories, Disneynature was behind both Earth and Oceans.   

Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife documentary filmmaking, producing 13 True-Life Adventure motion pictures between 1949 and 1960, including Seal Island (1949), Beaver Valley (1950), The Living Desert (1953) and Jungle Cat (1958).  The films earned eight Academy Awards. 

African Cats opens on Earth Day April 22, 2011.

The trailer will follow shortly.

Once again, the folks out at the History Channel have sent me a beautiful piece to write up for you–the complete Engineering An Empire series. And you’ll find some truly amazing facts here, packaged in a terrific and compelling package.

Engineering an Empire packs fully fourteen DVDs into its box set, and each of those covering two or three different empires, for fully thirty two hours of Imperial marvels.  You’ll see the beginnings of Greece through to Alexander’s day, China, the Goths, the Huns, the Mongols, the Vikings, and many, many more.

And here’s the absolute best part–Robocop himself will show you through it. That’s right–Peter Weller handles the hosting duties here, and he does a terrific job, bringing a historian’s logic together with an actor’s flair. But he won’t be alone here, as experts of every stripe and description will throw in too, so much so that Peter Weller isn’t actually here very long–some episodes more so than others. This is something of a shame, but still.

You’ll get word from historians, architects, military historians; you’ll get word on culture, engineering, military prowess, science of the era, and so on. Seriously, you’re going to get exhaustive studies of just about anything and everything you ever wanted to know about huge portions of the ancient world.

And this is both the problem and the greatest facet of Empires–you will have to have an interest in history to enjoy this. It’s a strict necessity. You will learn so very much about the empires of the world that it will astonish you–but you have to be interested in learning, or you will be utterly lost and see no point here.

For budding historians, and those with a fondness for the history of the world, Empires will be a treat unlike many others. For those without the interest, well, this will be a taxing and painfully dull experience.  Because all it is, you understand, is a historical treatise on the world’s empires. It goes incredibly in-depth on this subject, but since it has no overarching narrative to pay attention to or any kind of other distraction, it’s really little more than a series of facts strung together.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives Empires a seven out of ten–it’s a terrific piece, but it’s so niche that a lot of people aren’t going to have a lot of enjoyment here. History buffs take note: you will love this.

You got to ask yourself one question: Are you ready to delve into the life and work of one of Hollywood’s most iconic, manliest men?  If so, then Steel Gaze: An Unauthorized Story on Clint Eastwood is now on the shelves for you.  Screenhead has 5 copies to give away!

Do you feel lucky!? With his steely gaze, enigmatic aura and tough-guy persona, five-time Academy Award and five-time Golden Globe-winner Clint Eastwood has been a Hollywood superstar for nearly six decades.

Actor, director, producer, writer and composer, Eastwood has mesmerized audiences with his anti-hero performances beginning in 1959 with a lead role in TV’s Rawhide and in dozens of hit films, including the Dirty Harry series and The Man With No Name, to name a few. As the director of such box office hits as Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby and Unforgiven (in all of which he also starred), Letters From Iwo Jima and Mystic River, he is an equal powerhouse behind the lens.

As tight-lipped off set as his macho screen personas … meet the real man behind the mask by entering Screenhead’s giveaway. 

To enter, simply post your name and we will pick the winners December 29, 2010.

If ever there was a man you wouldn’t want to turn to for advice on surviving the holidays, it’s probably legendary curmudgeon Lewis Black. And yet, that’s just what the History Channel will do, as they’ve shown by sending me a copy of Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black.

Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black will send the charming and convivial–wait, I am talking about Lewis Black here, right? Oh yeah, I am–Lewis Black out to talk to a variety of actors, comedians and other figures to tell you how to get along with the holidays. It’s not so easy, between the travel and the anxiety of family and all that sort of thing, to make it through the holidays for a lot of people, and even those who have good relationships with their families still aren’t exactly keen on the thought of spending long amounts of time with the same people in the same relatively confined space. But you’ll also get the stories of the history and origins of the holidays, and I mean the holidays: you’ll get Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas, as well as a bit on New Years Eve and the bizarre hybrid that is Chrismukkah.

It’s amazing, but as holiday primer and comic gleefest, Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black will both teach you a whole lot and make you laugh profusely. It’s not hard to believe that a History Channel show would be informative. That’s standard operating procedure for History Channel. But that a History Channel show would be hilarious? Oh no, that’s not the kind of thing you expect to see from them. I actually learned a lot from this show, and yet I’m glad I saw it. Watching Lewis Black play Santa Claus at a mall was inspired enough for any two movies. It’s a holiday special that encompasses most every holiday that might show up in the two months that make up the end of the year.

The Screenhead Ten Scale hands this holiday extravaganza with loads of information, comic bliss and humorously-delivered knowledge a full ten out of ten for being hilarious and informative all at the same time. It’s hard to enjoy your education for your own sake, but when it’s delivered in the midst of a whole bunch of great jokes, well, that makes for a downright perfect video. That’s what you’ve got here–the holiday special for all time.