Having inherited the keys to “Star Wars,” J.J Abrams has seen a rash of outbursts from skeptics in the last few months, picking up steam with this, the release of his second adventure with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Surely one man cannot control both nerd worlds, right? Well, “Star Trek Into Darkness” offers [...]
How will Marvel’s universe ever be the same after “The Avengers”? There’s bound to be a vocal percentage of viewers who walk out of “Iron Man 3” thinking, “why didn’t he just call his superfriends in the end?” It’s a good question, one that Drew Pearce and Shane Black’s script doesn’t ignore, but never satisfyingly [...]
The incredible visual quality of CGI-animated films these days has been hiding from no one. With a blank canvas, Pixar, DreamWorks, Blue Sky Studios and others have been able to spark the imagination in ways live action films have yet to manage (outside of “Avatar”). “The Croods” is the latest DreamWorks offering to impose its [...]
“The Wizard of Oz” is one of the oldest films in existence that can be described as truly magical. L. Frank Baum’s story has sparked the imaginations of countless, young and old, thanks to the 1939 film. Disney and Sam Raimi have teamed up for “Oz the Great and Powerful” in hopes of recreating some [...]
The zombie genre has gone the way of vampires lately, except that it managed to dodge the romance bits — until now. Yes, it’s even possible for the undead to fall in love, though considerably more difficult. “Warm Bodies” introduces the zombie romantic comedy (yes, zom-rom-com), and despite all the ways that in name alone [...]
Los Angeles and gangsters. Before “Gangster Squad,” the first film that ought to come to mind is “L.A. Confidential.” For Ruben Fleischer’s latest, that creates an outrageous comparison point. The “Zombieland” and “30 Minutes or Less” director was probably not aiming that high. Even if he weren’t, he’s still not even aiming to add a [...]
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Chicago-based screenwriter Erin Dalian has taken the leap. A leap of faith, in a sense, but also a leap as a filmmaker. She decided rather than just write her new film, “Broken & Beautiful,” she would make it herself. A year and a half later, it has finally started making festival rounds and premieres in [...]
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When newly minted Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence tripped on the steps up to the Dolby Theatre stage on Sunday, you could hear the rumble in the tabloid Twitter-verse as Hollywood followers raced to call out the gaffe and smear Lawrence’s embarrassment all over the Internet. To casual Oscar viewers and those whose attention to celebrity [...]
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There’s nothing quite like summer movie season to shake a hibernating movie blogger to the point where he must leave the cave.
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Having inherited the keys to “Star Wars,” J.J Abrams has seen a rash of outbursts from skeptics in the last few months, picking up steam with this, the release of his second adventure with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Surely one man cannot control both nerd worlds, right? Well, “Star Trek Into Darkness” offers [...]
Los Angeles and gangsters. Before “Gangster Squad,” the first film that ought to come to mind is “L.A. Confidential.” For Ruben Fleischer’s latest, that creates an outrageous comparison point. The “Zombieland” and “30 Minutes or Less” director was probably not aiming that high. Even if he weren’t, he’s still not even aiming to add a [...]
There’s nothing quite like summer movie season to shake a hibernating movie blogger to the point where he must leave the cave.
How will Marvel’s universe ever be the same after “The Avengers”? There’s bound to be a vocal percentage of viewers who walk out of “Iron Man 3” thinking, “why didn’t he just call his superfriends in the end?” It’s a good question, one that Drew Pearce and Shane Black’s script doesn’t ignore, but never satisfyingly [...]
I can’t count the number of acclaimed foreign films centered on characters who cannot mobilize half or all their limbs on one hand—if you’ll excuse the awkward phrasing. “The Intouchables” appears to be just another one of those bizarre common niche films, and in many ways it boils down to just that. But with memorable, [...]
The incredible visual quality of CGI-animated films these days has been hiding from no one. With a blank canvas, Pixar, DreamWorks, Blue Sky Studios and others have been able to spark the imagination in ways live action films have yet to manage (outside of “Avatar”). “The Croods” is the latest DreamWorks offering to impose its [...]
“The Wizard of Oz” is one of the oldest films in existence that can be described as truly magical. L. Frank Baum’s story has sparked the imaginations of countless, young and old, thanks to the 1939 film. Disney and Sam Raimi have teamed up for “Oz the Great and Powerful” in hopes of recreating some [...]
My how things would be different today if in 1995, instead of getting Sylvester Stallone in “Judge Dredd,” we were treated to director Pete Travis’ “Dredd.” And I’m not just talking about visual effects advances in the last 17 years. “Dredd,” starring Karl Urban as the helmeted anti- hero, does classic, ’80s and ’90s-style action [...]
The zombie genre has gone the way of vampires lately, except that it managed to dodge the romance bits — until now. Yes, it’s even possible for the undead to fall in love, though considerably more difficult. “Warm Bodies” introduces the zombie romantic comedy (yes, zom-rom-com), and despite all the ways that in name alone [...]
Advertisements for anti-depression or anti-anxiety medications are all over television, and when the announcer rattles off the two-dozen or so horrific-sounding side effects, you can’t help but think about taking your chances and sticking with the depression. “Side Effects” explores the dangers of these drugs — and they go beyond the warnings on the label.
If I were to pitch you a movie about two police officers who are partners on patrol in South Central Los Angeles, one of your first inclinations might be “not another buddy copy comedy.” While “End of Watch” is often funny, the newest film from “Training Day” writer David Ayer, is no comedy.
When newly minted Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence tripped on the steps up to the Dolby Theatre stage on Sunday, you could hear the rumble in the tabloid Twitter-verse as Hollywood followers raced to call out the gaffe and smear Lawrence’s embarrassment all over the Internet. To casual Oscar viewers and those whose attention to celebrity [...]
Crazy to think that this is my fourth time wrapping up Movie Muse’s Oscar coverage, but here we are, another awards season gone by. This year was highly unusual in that there were so many good films and performances, but there was never really a clear favorite for Best Picture, even with “Argo” sweeping all [...]
It was “Argo’s” big night at the 85th Academy Awards, but it was “Life of Pi” that won the most awards on the night with four, including Ang Lee winning his second Best Director statuette (with neither film having won Best Picture, something that hasn’t happend to a two-time Best Director winner since George Stevens [...]
The time has come. Here is my full list of Oscar predictions for every category. You can click the links to read a more thorough analysis of each category.
Steven:
Glad it was helpful!!...
zaktaylor:
just wanna say watched alot on this list per your recommmendations . very good job i enjoy...
martin willard:
Hi, I played on the 1968 Pomona Elks, coached by Bill Lancaster (son of Burt) who wrote th...
Freezie:
Huh? Jessica Alba looks blonde in that picture. Maybe she has darker hair naturally, but i...
Mary Lois Adshead:
I was disappointed that this was not named in any "Best Movie of the Year" lists. I found ...
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