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, […]
It’s time, once again, for the “Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films”. For the 4th straight year I’m fortunate enough to have a local theater screening the shorts. This year’s group includes some familiar faces and studios, which makes it a bit challenging to pick-out the one that will win on Oscar Night. However, this year, […]
“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 […]