“12 Years a Slave” earned strong critical praise at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. It’s no surprise director Steve McQueen’s latest drama won 3 Oscars, including Best Picture of the Year, and deservedly so. This is a heartbreaking, moving and inspiring film that needs to be seen. Based […]
The late James Gandolfini shines in the romantic comedy “Enough Said”, which is the next-to-last film of his outstanding career and one that belongs near the top of his acting credits. Gandolfini stars as Albert opposite Julia-Louis Dreyfus’s Eva. They are both divorced, middle-aged parents of daughters who will soon be heading off to college. […]
“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” is an impressive and effective film, inspired by a true story. As a young boy in the 1920’s Cecil Gaines grew up on a cotton plantation, the son of a slave, who is shot to death by his owner. Cecil is then taken in by the elder, female owner (Vanessa Redgrave), […]
No recent film can better be defined as “short, sweet, and to the point” than the animated sequel “Despicable Me 2”. The 2010 original was a pleasant surprise, as we were introduced to supervillain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) whose evil ways were changed forever by three orphan girls, Margo, Edith and Agnes. And the […]
“World War Z” has been called “the most expensive zombie movie ever made”. With a reported budget of $190 million I think that’s a safe bet. Director Marc Forster (“Quantum of Solace”, “Stranger Than Fiction”) was likely faced with his toughest challenge yet: turning this best-selling novel into a equally-popular and effective action film. The […]
How do you craft a truly exciting and emotional action movie? After seeing “Star Trek Into Darkness” I have the answer to my own question: You simply following the example of director J.J. Abrams. His 2009, “Star Trek”, a resurrection of the classic TV series, was a wild ride and a whole lot of fun. […]
“Jurassic Park” is one of Steven Spielberg’s greatest achievements and most popular films. It’s also one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time, making a whopping $915 million worldwide back in 1993. Well, (as Samuel L. Jackson’s character says in the film) “hold onto your butts” because the Oscar-winning thriller is back on the big screen in 3D for […]
The incredible true story of an unknown and unsuccessful singer named Rodriquez, living in Detroit, who becomes a cult sensation in South Africa – and the journey two men take to discover the truth about this unique artist. I saw it without knowing the surprise twist, which made the film even more remarkable. Fantastic music […]
“The Impossible” is based on an incredible true story of one family’s experience being part of the massive tsunami that struck Asia back in 2004. It was also one of the most powerful films of 2012. Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry (Ewan McGregor) decide to take their three sons to Thailand for Christmas vacation. But […]
“Lincoln” is director Steven Spielberg’s latest historical drama. Clearly this is his area of expertise, because after 2011’s two films (the underwhelming, motion-captured “The Adventures of Tintin” and the overly sentimental “War Horse”), Spielberg has bounced-back with a powerful Oscar winner. Daniel Day-Lewis deservingly won his third Lead Actor Academy Award for his truly remarkable […]