Director Hayao Miyazaki’s latest addition to his wonderful resume of animated films, which he claims are for children but are loved by fans of all ages, deserves to be remembered for a lot of reasons. But, sadly, “The Wind Rises”, will likely best be remembered as Miyazaki’s 11th and final film. At 72, he says […]
Up until a few years ago, Matthew McConaughey was best known for starring in a series of bland, predictable romantic comedies. But thanks to critically acclaimed work in “The Lincoln Lawyer”, “Killer Joe”, “Bernie”, “Mud”, and even last year’s “Magic Mike”, McConaughey is establishing himself as one of Hollywood’s top dramatic actors. And, with the […]
When I saw the first trailer for “Gravity”, I knew this was going to be one of the movie events of 2013: Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as astronauts in trouble in space, along with some amazing visuals. And the film doesn’t disappoint. “Gravity” is a heart-pounding adventure, set in a unique location. Bullock’s Ryan […]
In 2009, Sony Pictures Animation’s adaptation of the classic children’s story, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, was served-up to moviegoers, complete with an updated twist. Actually, it was a major overhaul. In fact, the only thing the popular book and the movie script had in common was the title. But the energetic food-fest about a young inventor with […]
“The Smurfs” was a surprise box office hit back in 2011. Just two short years later, the lovable little blue creatures are facing-off against the evil wizard Gargamel once again in “The Smurfs 2”, which is even Smurfier than the original. Appropriately, Narrator Smurf begins the film, voicing-over a clever pop-up book sequence. He reminds […]
“Fruitvale Station” won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for drama at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It depicts the real-life events involving Oscar Grant on New Year’s Eve 2008 and New Year’s Day 2009 in Oakland, CA. What happened sparked a tremendous amount of outrage and controversy, and the film currently has […]
“Monsters University” is Pixar’s 14th animated feature. It’s also their first prequel, to a film that many have near the bottom of their list of all-time favorite Pixar films. 2001’s “Monsters, Inc.” grossed $255 million but lost the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature to DreamWorks’ “Shrek”. Recently I watched “Monsters Inc.” again, and […]
Start your engines! Believe it or not, “Fast & Furious 6” is my introduction to the “Ride or Die” franchise. However, I have done some research and learned that the first one was good, the second one was OK, the third one was awful, the fourth one was better, and the fifth one was great. […]
Jackie Robinson is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all-time. But more than that, Robinson’s breaking of baseball’s color-barrier, becoming the first African-American to play in the major leagues, established him forever as a great American hero. The number 42 is synonymous with Robinson and his legacy. The movie “42” hit […]
“The Sapphires” is a little gem from Australia that’s making a lot of noise here in the US. The film received a 10-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival last May, which didn’t go unnoticed by The Weinstein Co. which picked it up. On the surface, you might think it’s simply a rip-off of […]