The trailers that The Weinstein Company released for “Paddington” were noisy and slapstick-heavy, making this family adventure, based on the iconic children’s book character, appear to be dreadful. They also decided to push the US opening date back from Christmas Day to the middle of January, normally a move made when a studio realizes that […]
David Oyelowo gives a career propelling and defiant performance as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in director Ava DuVernay’s “Selma”. From the opening scene, in which King is attempting to tie an ascot with the help of his struggling but supportive wife Coretta (Carmen Ejogo) prior to accepting the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, to the […]
“The Imitation Game” is one of those Awards Season films every studio dreams of having on their “For Your Consideration” list. The true-life drama captured the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival and it’s destined to be a favorite among voters over the next few months, as is star Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays […]
Chances are you’ve heard the title “One Chance” in movie news stories often over the past year or so. The musical comedy based on the true story of wannabe opera singer Paul Potts, who eventually won Simon Cowell’s “Britain’s Got Talent” TV competition show, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2013 and was […]
“Get On Up” is director Tate Taylor’s follow-up to the 2011 sleeper hit “The Help”, which got a Best Picture Oscar nomination and Best Supporting Actress win for Octavia Spencer. Both she and Viola Davis re-team with Taylor for the James Brown biopic, but this time in very small roles, as two of the women […]
“Edge of Tomorrow” is the Movie Mashup of the Year: A combination of “Groundhog Day” and “Independence Day”. In a near-future world in which aliens are about to wipe-out the human race, Major William Cage, an Army PR expert, is forced to become a soldier. He is killed almost immediately in his first battle, but […]
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has raised the bar yet again with the return of The Star Spangled Man with a Plan. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is the sequel to 2011’s highly entertaining “The First Avenger”. In that film we were introduced to a scrawny Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) who was asked to […]
“The LEGO Movie” is an animated marvel. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”) assembled a dream-team voice cast, paired-up with a smart, fresh script, and some of the most incredible CGI wizardry ever put on screen for what might be the best animated film we’ll see all year. Emmet […]
One year after director David O. Russell was able to earn all four of his “Silver Linings Playbook” stars Oscar nominations in their respective categories (the first time that had been done in 30 years), he did it again with the extraordinary ensemble of “American Hustle”, which is a smart, chic, sophisticated con-caper that’s hugely entertaining. A movie about […]
When I was younger, I used to go through my grandmother’s mail with her. Every once in a while we would come across one of those contest entries claiming that she could win a large cash prize, when all they really wanted was to sell magazines or get her personal, private information. Sometimes we’d play […]