Last night, the 85th Annual Academy Awards ceremony went off without a hitch and aside from some real shockers (like Ang Lee beating out Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino winning for best screenplay) it was an immensely delightful few hours. Despite what some think about Seth MacFarlane he really brought some life to the evening replete with some crass but still witty jokes, classic zingers, sock puppets as well as song and dance numbers that just made you smile. Like him or not we, and the crowd at the BigFanBoy/GoSeeTalk Oscar screening at The Angelika Film Center Dallas, thought he was a treat. But he was only the first in a…
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G-S-T Review…Snitch
The nicest thing that can be said about Snitch, the film that commences Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s movie year, is that it’s no The Tooth Fairy. If we search for a silver lining, too, we can also rationalize that it can only be uphill from here. (And then we can cross our fingers.) Several years ago I might have opined that nobody really knew how best to utilize Johnson’s myriad talents, from his sense of humor to his obvious physicality, but even then I would have been lying; if you need to see the People’s Champion at his best, just watch The Other Guys or The Rundown and marvel at…
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“The CineMagic 8-Ball” – In Theaters 02/22/13
When so many movies are released each week and trailers often seem better than the movie itself, what should one do? In this precarious situation, we consult the The CineMagic 8-Ball (TM) to help us see through the nebulous marketing haze. Doing so just might save us all a disheartening trip to the cinema and spare us the cost of ridiculous concession stand prices. See what the 8-Ball says about this week’s releases… ——————————————————————————————————————————————- DARK SKIES As husband and wife Daniel and Lacey Barret witness an escalating series of disturbing events involving their family, their safe and peaceful home quickly unravels. When it becomes clear that the Barret family is…
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Ohhh, Look…Looking Back – 84 Years of Oscar Retrospective
This weekend the pinnacle of film award shows, the 85th Annual Academy Awards, will recognize the best the best from 2012 as directors, thespians, technicians, etc. will all be lauded for their efforts to the entertainment world. They each, but in unison, have and continue to work tirelessly to create some of the most memorable, iconic, and legendary films in history. This video takes a look at the films that have endured and lived in the hearts and minds of film fans across the globe. Hardly a definite retrospective, this breezy but concise 4-minute short titled “Best Picture Oscar Winners” and set to music from Max Richter, is created by Nelson Carvajal. It briefly highlights…
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David O. Russell to Direct Jennifer Lawrence In Two New Projects
When a filmmaker finds a talent he likes working with it can be, in the immortal words of Humphrey Bogart, “the beginning of a beautiful friendship“. Well hot off the successful longevity that David O. Russell is seeing with his Silver Linings Playbook, he’s not done with Jennifer Lawrence, not by a long shot. As such the filmmaker is looking to work with the white-hot actress for two more pictures. He and Lawrence will be re-collaborating on his next two features. The first is a yet-untitled dark comedy, formerly known as American Bullshit, about the ABSCAM scandal. It’s a true story of a notorious financial con-artist and his mistress/partner in crime (played respectively…
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CBS Films Gets "Inside Llewyn Davis"
CBS Films recently put out a press release proudly announcing their acquisition of Inside Llewyn Davis, the latest film from the much-lauded Coen brothers. The news may be better for CBS Films than for the Coens’ admirers and patrons; movie division of CBS Corporation hasn’t exactly been successful, showing more failures (The Mechanic, Beastly, Extraordinary Measures) than genuine winners. However, the company’s fortunes have begun to turn around in the last year or so thanks to The Woman in Black and Seven Psychopaths, both of which enjoyed better critical receptions and either broke even (as in the case of the latter) or turned into not-insignificant hits (as in the case…
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Ohhh, Look…The Dean of 'Monsters University' Welcomes You
Earlier this week we were treated to the UK trailer for Pixar‘s upcoming Monsters University. We also got a small batch of see hi-rez images and posters to oogle over and things continually look to be shaping up nicely for this prequel to Pete Docter’s monster hit (pun intended!). Well continuing their world building, by way of the fun viral website that was launched a few months back, today we get a very special message from the Dean of Monsters University. If you’re interested in matriculating at MU and going from great students to great scarers, then this message is for YOU! Monsters University is directed by Dan Scanlon and stars Billy Crystal and John Goodman (and even Steve Buscemi) who are returning…
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Sam Mendes Could Be Bonded To The Next 007 Movie
Somebody at either Eon Productions or MGM must have some potent persuasive talents: Sam Mendes, despite expressing sentiment to the contrary, may end up at the helm of the next James Bond picture after all. The rumor comes right from an article in The Daily Mail, which suggests that Mendes has been “75%” convinced to take the wheel for Bond 24, and that pre-production could start by the end of this year or the start of 2014. The deciding factors? Whether the project will fit into Mendes’ busy theater schedule (he’s directing King Lear at the National Theatre next January, and he’s assembling a musical version of Charlie and the Chocolate…
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Sweet Trailer…'The Company You Keep'
A few months back we posted the festival trailer for Robert Redford‘s The Company You Keep prior to its showing at TIFF. It got mixed reviews but managed to keep pace and handle the top drawer acting talent pretty well we hear. Yahoo movies has released the official theatrical trailer and it gives a little more of the plot while hints at the tension in this politically charged chase themed film…enjoy! The Company You Keep follows a single father/lawyer in upstate New York whose upper-middle class life is shattered when his past as a radical activist member of the Weather Underground is revealed and he is accused of having been the…
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G-S-T Review…A Good Day To Die Hard
Confidence in critiquing a film is often fleeting. You feel inspired to write about certain points, but are unclear of the intangible things that make a film ultimately enjoyable or flat. That’s part of the process of reviewing and being able to adequately touch on those aspects. A Good Day to Die Hard makes it easy to pick apart. The villains are flat and ultimately unworthy. The highlight of the film, a car chase showcasing an enormous military vehicle and various others through crowded Russian streets, utilizes seemingly endless camera angles to thoroughly confuse you before settling into a zany rhythm five minutes later. We are provided action sequence after action sequence, as both star Bruce Willis…