Here’s my list of the 10 Best Movies of the First Half of 2023: 1) “SUZUME” (Crunchyroll) 2) “BOSTON STRANGLER” (20th Century/Hulu) 3) “JESUS REVOLUTION” (Lionsgate) 4) “BLACKBERRY” (IFC Films) 5) “FLAMIN’ HOT” (Searchlight/Hulu/Disney+) 6) “ELEMENTAL” (Disney/Pixar) 7) “EMILY” (Bleecker Street) 8) “TETRIS” (AppleTV+) 9) “STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE” (AppleTV+) 10) “JOHN WICK: […]
The end of the first half of 2023 is upon us, so it’s time to reflect on the films and, in particular, the performances that have graced big and small screens in motion pictures over the past six months. Let’s break it down by category: In the Supporting Actor group, my favorite performance goes to […]
Warner Bros. has a new President of Feature Animation. It’s former DreamWorks Animation CCO Bill Damaschke. And he’s determined to make WB as much of an animation powerhouse as DreamWorks, Disney, Pixar, Illumination and Sony. Warner Animation Group kicked-off in 2014 with blockbuster “The LEGO Movie” and found major success with spinoff “The LEGO Batman […]
The last time Indiana Jones was on the big screen was 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. Harrison Ford returned to this beloved character after a 19-year absence (from a movie called “The Last Crusade”). Karen Allen reunited with him. Shia LaBeouf co-starred, just one year after his triple-header of hit […]
“Carl’s Date” is a new “Up” short that will play in theaters with Pixar feature “Elemental” starting June 16th. I ask director Bob Peterson about it for this Animation Scoop Q&A. —————————- Lights Camera Jackson (a.k.a. Jackson Murphy) began his career as a film critic/entertainment reporter in 2006 at the age of 7. Jackson has […]
For my second “Elemental” piece from Pixar for Animation Scoop, I interview some of the film’s talented makers: production designer Don Shank, VFX supervisor Sanjay Bakshi and directing animators Gwen Enderoglu and Allison Rutland. ——————————- Lights Camera Jackson (a.k.a. Jackson Murphy) began his career as a film critic/entertainment reporter in 2006 at the age of […]
I visited Pixar for the first time and interviewed the director and producer of the studio’s upcoming feature “Elemental”, which opens in theaters on June 16th. Here’s my Animation Scoop Q&A with Pete Sohn and Denise Ream, who discuss the story, music and casting aspects of “Elemental”. ———————————— Lights Camera Jackson (a.k.a. Jackson Murphy) began […]
Studios campaign for months and months for their films to receive major awards season nominations. Sometimes the buzz even starts while the film is still being shot (like “The Fabelmans” last year). But what I really love to see are movies that take EVERYONE by surprise. They end-up on awards ballots, and earn statues, with […]
Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline team-up for the FOURTH time in the new romance dramedy “The Good House”, in theaters September 30th. They previously co-starred in live-action films “Dave” and “The Ice Storm” and the animated “The Tale of Despereaux”. Academy Award-winning Kline, best known for “A Fish Called Wanda” and “Sophie’s Choice”, most recently […]
Comedy legend Larry the Cable Guy returns as the voice of Mater in Pixar’s new nine-episode series “Cars on the Road”, premiering this Thursday September 8th on Disney+. Larry and I catch-up and discuss the new adventures Mater and Lightning McQueen have, the special aspects of this series, and some fun stories about Bill Engvall […]