It’s the 18th Annual “Critics Choice Movie Awards” but the FIRST for me as a voting member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. So I was even more anxious than usual to see the nominations list, which was unveiled on Tuesday. The deadline to submit our ballot was Sunday night. I sent mine late Saturday […]

Best Animated Feature Brave Frankenweenie Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted ParaNorman The Pirates! Band of Misfits Best Director Tim Burton – “Frankenweenie” Chris Butler and Sam Fell – “ParaNorman” Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath and Conrad Vernon – “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt – “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” Peter Ramsey […]

It’s that time again! Here’s my 5th Annual Holiday Movie Gift Guide – suggestions on what you can get for those movie fans on your Holiday list: Young Boys – “Madagascar 3”: One of my favorite animated films of the year. Be sure to get the DVD/Blu-ray Gift Pack, which comes with the free Rainbow […]

“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” For some that means the holidays are here but for film fans it means it’s Awards Season once again. The first of the major groups to release their nominees is Film Independent, which has unveiled their contenders for this year’s Independent Spirit Awards. And, as always, there […]

Another amazing fact about our 16th President that I didn’t know: On October 3, 1863 Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a National Holiday. It was to be celebrated each year on the final Thursday of November. Wonder what he’d think about us NOT celebrating Thanksgiving on the final Thursday of November this year. And stores being open […]

The last-minute decision by the Weinstein Co. not to give “Silver Linings Playbook” it’s wide release next week as expected may not be as surprising as it seems. The Bradley Cooper-Jennifer Lawrence dramedy was supposed to open in about 2000 theaters on Nov. 21, and the buzz from great film festival reaction and early awards […]

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the 10 finalists for the Best Animated Short Film Oscar. One of the contenders is “The Longest Daycare” – the “Simpsons” short that aired before “Ice Age: Continental Drift” in theaters this Summer. “The Simpsons” is very mainstream, but the committee apparently loves the short […]

“What have they done? Sweet Jesus, what have they done?” Well, I’ll tell you what they’ve done: Universal and Regal have created maybe the best marketing campaign of all-time for the studio’s upcoming release of “Les Miserables”. The Extended First Look that’s running prior to practically every movie in every Regal theater throughout the country […]

Focus Features’ stop-motion animated comedy “ParaNorman” is a lot of fun. It’s also the scariest and most thought-provoking of the three. It pulled-in $55 million at the box office. Sony Pictures Animation’s “Hotel Transylvania” is the box office champ, making $130 million so far. It’s my least favorite of the trio, but is still worth seeing thanks […]

You can add Relativity Media and Krayon Pictures to the growing list of studios getting into the animated movie business. Relativity Media has announced it will be distributing it’s first animated feature, titled “Turkeys”, which is scheduled for release in 2014. It stars the voices of Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson as two turkeys who […]