No matter what religion you do or don’t observe, everyone has their favorite Christmas movies. Fact of the matter is, you turn on the TV at any given moment the week or so leading up to Christmas and your bound to find one – and not be able to stop watching it. Since I have […]
Archives
Archive Review: 8 1/2 (1963)
For those of you considering Nine as your Christmas weekend movie, here’s a little insight into where it came from, “8 1/2” by Federico Fellini. There are many different ways to look at Federico Fellini’s masterpiece, “8 1/2,” and the one you choose ultimately determines how well you understand and enjoy the film. There are […]
Christmas Weekend Preview
In case you missed last weekend’s preview, I’ve evolved this weekly post into a more comprehensive movie guide, mostly in anticipation of this huge coming weekend at the movies. Now when you click on these posts, you’ll find a list of the new releases, a brief plot summary and some of the buzz surrounding the […]
Weekend Recap: World of “Avatar” raids ours for cash
As expected, the much-hyped revolutionary sci-fi action film Avatar gave a boost to a disappointing December box office so far. The total was $77 million, right what I initially thought it would have made had there not been 3D ticket sales and a pretty incredible buzz. The real feat was worldwide, however, where Avatar make […]
Review: Avatar
James Cameron is a storied director whose films have been landmarks of their time. Like he did in the ’80s and ’90s with both Terminator films, he returns from his 10-year hiatus without missing a beat, shepherding audiences into the future of cinema with progressive film-making done with the most advanced technology. “Avatar” is a […]
Review: Up in the Air
Jason Reitman has been the creative force behind two of the warmest, funniest, modern- savvy and thought-provoking comedies in the last five years (“Thank You For Smoking” and “Juno”). He continues this tradition with “Up in the Air,” one of if not the best film of 2009, which looks at life with a view from […]
Brittany Murphy dies at 32
Actress Brittany Murphy, famous for her roles in films such as Girl, Interrupted, Uptown Girls, 8 Mile and Sin City, died in LA Sunday morning, reportedly from cardiac arrest. She was 32. Murphy made her debut in Clueless at age 18 and has several films, including the highly anticipated The Expendables due out early next year. Murphy […]
“Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986) – 2.5/5 Stars
Sure, the idea of the Star Trek crew going where several million men (and women) have gone before — 1980s San Francisco — is an amusing possibility. The futuristic technology and mindset of the Star Trek universe meeting current times is ripe with gag potential and in many cases, “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” […]
“The Kite Runner” (2007) – 4/5 Stars
Sometimes a good story is all a film needs to be successful. Khaled Hosseini’s novel is one of those stories and with a more-than-competent director in charge, “The Kite Runner” was set to fly as a film. Maybe not as high as one might expect, but there’s nothing but quality storytelling being done here. “The […]
Weekend Preview (12.18.09)
In the spirit of having this wonderful new site, I have decided to take the Weekend Preview and begin to evolve it into a more user-friendly weekly staple of the site. In other words, I want this to be more like a guide to this weekend at the movies. Perhaps a future step that I […]
Trailer-made Wednesday: “Iron Man 2”
I normally don’t post this much in a day, but Apple has the trailer for the most anticipated movie of next summer, Iron Man 2, which could very well show up in the previews before Avatar, but if not, definitely Sherlock Holmes with RDJ starring in that one too.
On DVD: The Hangover
Just got a copy of this for Chanukah, actually. It’s nice to thoroughly enjoy a comedy this decade without catching a single whiff of Apatow. The fact that audiences are eating up the boundary-crossing humor of “The Hangover” this summer and the famous producer of “Knocked Up” and “Superbad” nor any of his cronies (Seth […]
New Trailers: “Robin Hood” teaser and second “Alice”
Another reason to love the Holiday movies season: awesome trailers. The Holidays have trailers for next summer’s movies and the summer flicks always showcase Holiday movie previews — it’s a beautiful cycle for those of us who love our trailers.
Golden Globes Nominations
The Golden Globes, the awards ceremony that gets the Oscar buzz going, released its nominations today. Here are the film-related nominations with some commentary from yours truly. Best Picture – Drama Avatar The Hurt Locker Inglorious Basterds Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire Up in the Air My Thoughts: Who would’ve thought Avatar […]
Review: Invictus
I think there’s actually a proverb somewhere that says “On one of three things a film contends for Oscars: Clint Eastwood directing, Morgan Freeman acting and a compelling historical figure as the lead role.” The person who first uttered this saying would take one look at “Invictus” and say: “well that’s not fair.” But despite […]