In January 2006, just days into my career as a film critic, a made for TV movie premiered and instantly became a phenomenon. It was Disney Channel’s “High School Musical”. Leading man Zac Efron had done some notable work before (including on “Summerland”). But now… he was a superstar. Efron was one of the first […]
When “Top Gun: Maverick” finally opens on May 27th… or actually May 26th (Thursday showings)… or actually May 24th (pay preview screenings in premium formats)… it will be the first Tom Cruise film to be released in nearly four years. The last time Cruise appeared in a movie was exactly 3 years and 10 months […]
If this spring has taught us anything, it’s that families still want to go to the movies. Paramount’s live-action/CG combo “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” has already earned $146 million — the amount of money the first “Sonic” made in 2020 before theaters shut down. The sequel still has many, many laps to run before its […]
COVID forced a two-year break of Marvel Cinematic Universe entries, from “Spider-Man: Far From Home” on July 2, 2019 to “Black Widow” on July 9, 2021. By the time we hit July 8, 2022, Disney will have released SIX MCU movies in a 365-day period. Talk about making-up for lost time. The Mouse House and […]
Willem Dafoe has been acting in movies since the early ‘80s. He earned Oscar nominations for “Platoon” (1986) and “Shadow of the Vampire” (2000). But I think we can all agree that his popularity is at an all-time high right now. I had heard him in 2003’s “Finding Nemo” and 2009’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and […]
“The Bad Guys”, opening April 22nd, is the 42nd DreamWorks Animation feature to be released theatrically and the 44th DWA movie overall. I was a newborn when “Antz” and “The Prince of Egypt” opened in late 1998, and I didn’t see “The Road to El Dorado” and “Joseph: King of Dreams” (DVD) when they came […]
For many years, the BAFTA for Best Film and the Oscar for Best Picture did not match. In fact, it was largely common in the ‘80s and ‘90s, with the exception of a few years when the awards groups agreed on titles such as “Gandhi”, “The Last Emperor”, “Schindler’s List” and “The English Patient”. They […]
It’s time for my official 2022 Oscars Predictions in All 23 categories — including the eight that unfortunately won’t be awarded live in real-time during the telecast: Best Picture: “King Richard” Best Actor: Will Smith, “King Richard” Best Actress: Kristen Stewart, “Spencer” Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur, “CODA” Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose, “West Side […]
When I became a film critic in 2006 and started following the box office, I knew of Sandra Bullock through the “Speed” and “Miss Congeniality” films, some rom-coms and Best Picture Oscar winner “Crash”. But her career momentum was slowing down a bit. “The Lake House”, Bullock’s ’06 reunion with Keanu Reeves, only earned $52.3 […]
Jared Leto completely transforms himself into the characters he plays on screen. Prior to 2013, the “30 Second to Mars” performer was best known for his acting roles in “Fight Club”, “American Psycho”, “Requiem for a Dream”, “Panic Room” and “Alexander”. Following a break from acting, Leto returned in ’13 with the role of a […]