What if someone proved there is an Afterlife – and it’s better than the life you have now? How would you react? That’s the premise of the new Netflix sci-fi drama “The Discovery”. Overall, this is an intriguing film, though one that goes so far “out-there” that, ultimately, it leaves you with more questions than answers […]
Each of this year’s five Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films stands-out in its own way, though not necessarily for good reasons. “Blind Vaysha” (Canada, 8 min.) – This is a fable, based on a short story, about a girl who sees the past out of one eye and the future out of the other – so she’s blind […]
Woody Harrelson is best known for the classic TV comedy “Cheers”, films “White Men Can’t Jump”, “Natural Born Killers”, “The People vs. Larry Flynt” (for which he received his first of two Oscar nominations) and, more recently, for his role as Haymitch in the blockbuster “Hunger Games” franchise. But his latest film may just be […]
Christopher Guest defined the mockumentary genre with cult hits “Waiting for Guffman”, “A Mighty Wind”, “For Your Consideration”, and most notably, “Best in Show”. That film, released in 2000, is a hysterical satire on the beloved canine spectacle: the dog show. “Mascots” is Guest’s latest mockumentary. It features most of his core team of talented […]
Director Jonathan Demme is best-known for narrative dramas, such as “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Philadelphia”. But he’s also made a fair share of music-related movies over the years, from his breakthrough 1984 concert film on the band The Talking Heads, “Stop Making Sense”, to a documentary on Kenny Chesney, three on Neil Young, […]
Free Speech, internet shaming and the right to be “offended” are hot topics in society these days (and ones I’m not totally unfamiliar with). They’re also at the center of an informative and fascinating new documentary “Can We Take a Joke?” At only 75 minutes, director Ted Balaker (who previously tackled this topic in his […]
Two years ago, Emmy-winning “Breaking Bad” star (and “Trumbo” Oscar Nominee) Bryan Cranston took to The Great White Way to portray President Lyndon B. Johnson in “All the Way”. The play earned him a Tony Award, and less than two weeks after his win, HBO announced Cranston would reprise his role for the network’s movie […]
I look forward to checking-out The Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films every year. Normally, within the group of five, there are at least one or two standouts. However, that’s not the case this year. Instead, we have a lineup that is universally weak in story and largely unimpressive. Here are the Nominees: “Bear Story” (Chile, […]
This year’s group of five Oscar nominees in the Best Animated Short Film category is the strongest I’ve ever seen, so coming-up with a clear frontrunner is not easy. Here are the Nominees: “The Bigger Picture” (8 min., UK) – The style is groundbreaking, with a mix of life-size claymation figures and set pieces, as […]
I’ve been going to screenings of The Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films for the past five years and I’ve had the pleasure of watching some truly memorable shorts, including “Wallace & Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death”, “Logorama” (if you’ve never seen it look it up on YouTube), and great entries from Disney, […]