Much better opening for Costa this week - and throughout the show! She seemed better prepared .. looked fabulous .. and actually appeared comfortable in her position as host. It was a welcome surprise to see how well she did. Yes - there could be some improvement - but overall I think she did a great job this week.

The show opens with the five directors from last week - as we see who is safe and which Director is heading home. The judges and fellow Directors had mixed feelings over who's film was weakest last week - Trevor or Hilary. Sam, Shalini and Adam are all sent to their seats - SAFE. We'll find out at the end of the show who is going home!

Guest Judge this week is Devil Wears Prada Director David Frankel.

Once again we have five Directors showing their films ....

Andrew Hunt - Polished - a janitor who is taken for granted. Andrew states it's the best thing he's ever done. We see a janitor scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush - and a security guard walks by spilling coffee all over his hard work. The janitor is shunned by the office workers when he tries to join in the joke - and ignored as he says goodnight to everyone leaving the building. Left with an incredible mess in the break room to clean up, he spends all night waxing the floors. Posting signs to attract workers to the break room the next day - he waits for the masses to arrive and watches as they all slip all over the floor. Incredibly funny ending - where our neglected janitor gets the last laugh!!

Carrie Fisher - thought it was sweet - like stories about the underdog. Was like a silent film - good.

David Frankel - we've seen you do better films in previous weeks. Seemed more like a commercial. Look forward to future works

Gary Marshal - Revenge works! I loved the leading man. I thought it was quiet polished!

David May - Love At First Shot - the story of a guy who has trouble talking to girls. A young man seeks the assistance of Cupid when he fails to impress his date. Unfortunately, Cupid's aim is a little off as his arrow misses the target. When the young man becomes frustrated over the direction of the date, Cupid - still struggling to free his arrow - advises the young man to allow his date to talk for a minute ...which wins her over in the end.

CF - I felt I'd seen it before - had a nice look - but should be more original.

DF - Everything did not come out all right this time. It didn't really make me laugh. Ambiguity is the enemy of all film making - be clearer next time.

GM - Gotta have a pace! So ... tighten it up! I think it was beautiful to look up.

Shira-Lee Shalit - Beeline - Getting back out there in the dating world. A single mom has a conversation with her son about topics more suited for adults. Completely shocked .. mom rushes to her multiple partners and begs them not to talk to her when her son is around. When the son returns home from school his first thought is his Play Station 3 which mom readily agrees to buy - was that his plot all along?

CF - you could have called it Slut Mom! To be a success as a woman in this business you have to be great - I thought this was very good.

DF - I love the way you captured New York - the best one we've seen so far tonight.

GM - you have to watch the kids -you can't let them smile while they're acting. Good one for the girls - excellent!

Marty Martin - Dance With The Devil - a dark and slow piece - taking a risk this week. A confident Marty sets high standards for himself. A Matrix feel to the short, we see a young man who finds his girlfriend dead. We flash back to the events that led to the murder. A phone call from a stranger, coming home to a destroyed apartment, finding a "debt collector" holding a gun to the girls head. The young man turns to shoot the capture .. but misses and hits the girl instead. A terrific thriller with a surprise ending.

CF - a victory of style over substance and content. Content gets bloodied in the battle. The style is very distracting. {The audience disagreed. Marty defends himself well saying that "that's my style"} Carrie continues - you're a "big fan of yourself and you might not need me".

DF - I admire your arrogance - it takes cockiness to succeed in Hollywood. This played more like a trailer - I like your previous trailer more.

GM - Worked for me! When you tell a story - go deeper into the characters so you can feel for them. Stay unique!

Kenny Luby - Edge On The End - a kid going through rage due to the death of his father from alcoholism. We see images of the dead man with voice over and music from the kid. The kid self destructs in the snow ... walks down the same path his father did with alcohol - but finally comes to terms with it all in the end. While the concept is easy to understand - I personally didn't like this short. The style is very confusing.

CF - this is more like a rock video - stylistically distracting. You're a very cute boy.

DF - I admire the ambition of making a film about death and loneliness. It's hard to judge as a film. It's more of a visual poem and I admire it.

GM - You have new eyes ... you may not win this, but if it were up to me I'd say stay unique and stay crazy.

After the break .. we finally find out if whether Hillary or Trevor is heading home. The judges and other contestants have made it obvious that they feel Hilary's film was the weakest last week .... but did America agree?

Hilary is safe this week - Trevor James heads home!

The judges select Shira-Lee's Beeline, and Andrew's Polished as their favorites. You can view all of this week's films at www.thelot.com. America will vote for their favorite film ... and we'll tune in next Tuesday to see who heads home.

by Willo Keays
www.willosweb.com

On The Lot