“Frankenweenie” was a live-action short a then unknown Tim Burton wrote and directed back in 1984. Burton went back to his roots for a feature-length, stop-motion animated version of the short he created for Disney. And it’s a film that’s sparked Oscar talk. “Frankenweenie” is fully in black in white (unlike Burton’s previous animated films […]
Early on “The Master” received a lot of Oscar buzz. Stars Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman went head-to-head at the 2006 Academy Awards and Hoffman won. This year they were nominated again, in separate categories, and neither won. Outside of these two strong performances, “The Master” is a bit of a mess and clearly […]
There have been a few documentaries in recent years dealing with the current state of America’s public school system. “Waiting for Superman” (2010) focused on how schools are failing academically, while this past year “Bully” examined the issue of bullying in schools. “Won’t Back Down” is a mainstream Hollywood film that tries to both address […]
Sony Pictures Animation’s latest, “Hotel Transylvania”, stars Adam Sandler as the voice of Dracula. In 1895, he and his wife had a daughter they named Mavis. But soon after, Dracula’s wife was killed by humans. He’s left to raise Mavis on his own and promises his wife that he’ll always protect little Mavis. So he […]
“Side by Side” is the true story of the current cinematic showdown between film and digital movie-making. It’s director vs. director, cinematographer vs. cinematographer, actor vs. actor with Keanu Reeves as narrator and interviewer. This documentary provides more information and expert opinion on the battle between traditional filmmaking and modern technical advances than you could […]
“Trouble with the Curve” stars Clint Eastwood, and he’s not behind the camera this time, just in front. He plays Gus, a longtime baseball scout for the Atlanta Braves who’s starting to…well…get old. He’s losing his vision but doesn’t want to tell anyone so he can continue his job watching games and evaluating players. But […]
When I was four years old, my mother took me to see “Finding Nemo”. It was my first animated film on the big screen. And…I cried and laughed and cheered. Even at a very young age, “Nemo” made an impression on me, as did the very talented people at Pixar. And I’ve admired the studio […]
“The Words” is a movie about writing. That may sound dull but this film certainly isn’t dull. Bradley Cooper heads an impressive cast. He plays Rory, who’s the lead character in a book, titled The Words, written by best-selling author Clay Hammond (played by Dennis Quaid). As the movie opens Hammond is reading excerpts of […]
The premise of “Robot & Frank” is one of the most intriguing of any movie released in 2012. The story is set in the near future, which looks a lot like the present, except for the really tiny cars, clear cell phones, large video screens for making phone calls and robots who are advanced enough […]
Joseph Gordon-Levitt had a quite a successful Summer ’13 – with “The Dark Knight Rises”, “Looper” and a starring role in “Premium Rush”, which isn’t your typical action film. Gordon-Levitt plays Wilee, a NYC bike messenger. His job is to deliver letters and packages throughout the city while dealing with deadlines and the crazy traffic. […]