Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
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The game is afoot with THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1, but it's no longer being played as a game within the confines of an electronically controlled and domed "arena". With the release of Katniss Everdeen's arrow as her final move in the "Catching Fire" Quarter Quell, all bets are off. The games are no longer "games" with a single victor (or victors, as in the case of Katniss and Peeta). The game is now very real and must be played by every single citizen in Panem if the now obviously evil...
There's nothing quite like the blend of good storytelling, great performances and a powerful emotional journey all skillfully woven together with a solid singular vision of a strong director to make for a powerful moviegoing experience. This week, we have two such films opening - BEYOND THE LIGHTS from writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood and THE HOMESMAN from writer/director Tommy Lee Jones. Both are examples of superb filmmaking and storytelling. Both more than worth a visit to the local...
With BIG HERO 6, Walt Disney Animation Studios once again proves why they are heroes to generations and legions of fans the world over. Tapping into the recesses of the Marvel vaults, directors Don Hall and Chris Williams bring this somewhat obscure gem of heroes to life in what is destined to be the newest franchise in the Disney-Marvel universe.....not to mention my pick for Oscar gold. But setting BIG HERO 6 apart from the super heroes and fantasy we have come to know from Marvel is that the...
Some guys just have a thing for snakes and it seems that our favorite parseltongue speaking Daniel Radcliffe is no different. In his new film, the devilishly delicious HORNS from director Alexandre Aja, Radcliffe flexes his serpentine skills yet again, this time as the young Ig Perrish. A supernatural thriller that in almost genre-bending fashion melds the battle of good versus evil with tines of fantasy, romance, a noirish murder mystery and even a little gothic flair, this decadent delight is...
Madness and mayhem are the watchwords of the day when it comes to STONEHEARST ASYLUM. Directed by Brad Anderson from a script by Joe Gangemi based on the 1844 story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Feather " by Edgar Allan Poe, STONEHEARST ASYLUM abounds with twists and turns set against a richly textured and lush, stylized Victorian-era visual palette. Boasting a cast of Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Michael Caine, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, Jim Sturgess and Kate Beckinsale, among others,...
Nicholas Sparks. At the mere mention of his name, images of love, romance, peaceful serenity, his beloved Carolina coastline, among others, all vividly spring to mind. So does the idea of second chances and purity of the heart and character. Nicholas Sparks is a storyteller who grabs the heart, touches the soul and evokes powerful emotions within each of us who read his books or see film adaptations of them. And Nicholas Sparks is synonymous with tears and tissues. Now, as the ninth adaptation...
There's something for everyone in theatres this week with no less than 25 new feature releases with everything from an outstanding "must see" political thriller KILL THE MESSENGER based on true life events and investigative reporter Gary Webb to an origin story for everyone's favorite vampyre with DRACULA UNTOLD and a commanding performance by the oh-so-sexy Luke Evans making him the hottest impaler ever. Writer/director Gabe Ibanez delivers a spellbinding and thought-provoking apocalyptic sci-f...
Simon Bolivar is a name known throughout the world. A military leader, a statesman, a politician, Bolivar helped shape the face of the world - and particularly the Americas - as we now know it. Instrumental in leading Venezuela, Columbia (which at the time included Panama), Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia to their independence from Spain in the early 19th century, anti-colonialist Bolivar was the founding force behind the formation of Gran Columbia, the first republic of nations within Hispanic...
Those magnificent artisans of Laika are back with their latest production, THE BOXTROLLS. Taking a sliver from the beloved book "Here Be Monsters!" by Alan Snow, Laika CEO and lead animator Travis Knight together with directors Anthony Stacchi and Graham Anable take stop-motion animation to new heights of visionary wonder as they bring the underground world of THE BOXTROLLS to life, achieving a film that is oh-so enchanting and charming thanks to eye-popping visuals, perfect voice casting and a...
I have long been an admirer of Kevin Smith's filmmaking ethic; although not always a fan of some of his films. He has taken the bull by the horns - in this case, the walrus by the tusks - and ignored the naysayers, to do what he wants to do - make movies. Inexpensive and cost effective by filmmaking standards, Smith's films are all stories that he wants to tell and told the way he wants to tell them. As a result, he and his work have developed a core following that guarantees investment money...
This weekend bodes well for movies with another eclectic mix of new releases across the country with each as engaging and worthwhile as the next. The stunning THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY (aka THEM) stars James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain. Written and directed by Ned Benson, ELEANOR RIGBY is a companion to two other films HER and HIM, which will open in October. Emotionally intense, the performances alone are more than worth the price of admission. And then there's something for the whole...
With a beguiling adorable awkwardness, first time screenwriter/director Stuart Murdoch puts a song in your heart and a spring in your step with the oh-so-lovely, GOD HELP THE GIRL. Lead singer-songwriter of the Scottish pop/rock group Belle and Sebastian, Murdoch makes the jump to film with a musical that is truly a musical, with songs and their lyrics built into the story and dialogue, harkening to Hollywood's Golden Age or even the Peter Webb directed Paul McCartney vehicle, "Give My Regards t...
Labor Day at the movies kicks it in to high gear with some great films, great fun, great casts and great storytelling. And surprisingly, while I am always hesitant about book-to-screen adaptations, I have to say that both THE NOVEMBER MAN and LIFE OF CRIME are wonderful adaptations that never lose the flavor or fun of the printed page. From Bill Granger's best seller of international crime and intrigue, "There Are No Spies" and from the Elmore Leonard classic, "The Switch", both are now on the...
Mixing things up a bit this weekend, film lifts us to the heavens with ideals of ethics, integrity and redemption in WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL, while taking us on a gritty, sin-filled, film noir inducing trip to hell with SIN CITY 2: A DAME TO KILL FOR. Each is powerful. Each is memorable. Each is more than worth the price of admission. WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL 151. That's the number of games the De La Salle High School Spartan football team won - consecutively. That's right. In a row. Without...
To paraphrase screenwriter Steven Knight, "Food is memories". Since the days of a feeble Oliver Twist innocently saying "Please sir, I want some more" to Scarlet O'Hara infamously avowing "I'll never go hungry again" to Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka to Ratatouille to the Food Network and all its esculent edibles of every type imaginable, we have had a love affair with food. Within just the past year, food and the culinary arts have become front and center on the big screen with films like Jon...
I admit it. I had some doubts when it was announced James Gunn (whom I admire and am a fan of his work) would be directing GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. Although I had no doubts about Gunn nailing the humor and action ideology of the film, I had to wonder, could he execute it on such a grand scale? Given the anticipated scope and magnitude of the film, the large cast, the ideologic concept as a whole, just the pure majesty of the Marvel universe and perhaps most importantly, the heart of the story...
From a 1925 Alfa Romeo to Jacki Weaver draped in $2.9 million in diamonds to period perfect 1920's French couture to the ethereal elegance of Cap d'Antibes and Mouans Sartoux to the ever dashing Colin Firth (*sigh*), Woody Allen steeps us in old world beauty and classic glamour touched with a bit of whimsy and all bathed in the MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT. Sparkling and twinkling like the bubbles in a glass of pink champagne or dancing like points of light on a moonbeam, with subtext, humor and...
Dusty delivers! He dives, he swoops, he scoops, soaring into our hearts again! PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE may be the epitome of the Disney themes of "friendship first" and "lend a helping hand", not to mention second chances, as aerial racing legend Dusty Crophopper takes his place in history as a SEAT (Single Engine Air Tanker) joining the other brave members of the Piston Peak Air Attack Team in their battle of wildfires in the Southwest/West United States. With returning old friends and new...
It's a big weekend at the Los Angeles area box office with an eclectic group of indie gems shining brightly amidst some lingering tentpoles and expanding winners like "Snowpiercer" and "Deliver Us From Evil". Joining them is the dawn of a new era of "dirty apes", one of my "Must See" films of LAFF last month "Land Ho!" while glistening brightly is Jason Momoa's directorial debut in the beautifully filmed "Road to Paloma" and the adorably quirky "Audrey". But given this is summer vacation with...
With DELIVER US FROM EVIL, one thing is certain - no one should ever deliver us from the genius that is director Scott Derrickson. As he did with "Sinister", Derrickson again not only dives headfirst into a world of demonology, rooted in centuries of faith, fact, fiction, but blends it with true stories inspired by NYPD Sgt. Ralph Sarchie's crime laden world of the Bronx's 46th Precinct. Sarchie, a 26-year veteran of NYPD with over 300 arrests and 7 commendations to his credit, while on the...
Adapted for the screen by Kelly Masterson and Bong Joon-Ho from the French graphic novel "Le Transpercenegie" and directed by Bong Joon-Ho, SNOWPIERCER is a post-apocalyptic thriller. Earth is frozen beyond being capable of sustaining any life but thanks to the genius of one man, a rattling, clattering super-train now carries not only the last survivors of the human race, but life itself, endlessly circling the planet, just waiting for the day when the world will thaw and man can once again recl...
When we last saw the gang back in 2012, they were hanging out in downtown Culver City, shooting hoops, hitting Happy Hour at Rush Street and wrecking havoc and hilarity at every turn in "Think Like A Man". Employing all the tricks of the dating trade gleaned from Steve Harvey's best-selling book "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man", director Tim Story and a cast that boasted Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Romany Malco, Terrence Jenkins, Gary Owen, Jerry Ferrera, Regina Hall, Gabrielle Union, Taraji...
Yep. You read it right. This is the 20th Annual Los Angeles Film Festival. Running from June 11th to 19th, this is a big anniversary for LA’s favorite and biggest film fest. 20 years. When I look over the list of filmmakers and actors presenting films this year, I can’t help but think that some were in diapers when the festival first started and others, not even born yet. Technological advances over the past 20 years have opened up filmmaking, making it more accessible and more economically feas...
If all I knew of Clark Gregg was his writing and directorial work of a few years ago with his adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's "Choke", and now again with his stepping behind and in front of the camera as well as penning the original script of TRUST ME, I would have no qualms about saying this. But then toss in his acting skills, be they performing Shakespeare, comedy, drama or action, and this takes on even greater truth and meaning. Be he Agent Coulson, Leonato, Agent Michael Casper, Jennifer...
Be she known as the "evil fairy" who casts a spell on the infant princess Aurora dooming her to die when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel in Charles Perrault's "La Belle au bois dormant" or in the Brothers Grimm " Dornröschen" (Little Briar Rose), or known as the mightiest and most beloved of all the Disney villains, MALEFICENT is a force to be reckoned with. And as beloved as Disney's 1959 animated classic "Sleeping Beauty" is, making MALEFICENT a household name for new generations and...
