“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 […]

This is my first official year as a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association which means I will be voting for this year’s Critics Choice Movie Awards. And it also means that I will be getting screeners – a lot of screeners. In fact, a few have already arrived, including Sony Pictures Classics’ documentary […]

My thoughts on some newsworthy events of the week: The MPAA has rated “Fun Size” PG-13 for crude and suggestive material, partying and language. This is only Nickelodeon’s second movie to be rated PG-13 (the first was “Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging”, which was only released on DVD here in the US). That makes “Fun […]

The “Peanuts” gang is returning to the Big Screen! Not even Charlie Brown himself could say “Good Grief” to that news. The announcement on Tuesday of a new, full-length feature set for a Nov. 25, 2015 release has spread excitement throughout the animation world. 2015 will mark the 65th anniversary of Charles Schultz’ iconic characters […]