Category Archives: Film

20
Feb

Oscar Guide 2015

Well, here we go. After last year’s cake walk, this one’s a lot tougher to guess. Here goes nothing. BEST PICTURE American Sniper Birdman Boyhood The Grand Budapest Hotel The Imitation Game Selma The Theory of Everything Whiplash Will win: … Continue reading →

Posted in Awards, Film, Oscars, Previews | Tagged american sniper, battle of the five armies, begin again, beyond the lights, big hero 6, birdman, boxtrolls, boyhood, captain america, citizenfour, dawn of the planet of the apes, days of future past, finding vivian meyer, foxcatcher, glen campbell, grand budapest hotel, guardians of the galaxy, hobbit, how to train your dragon 2, i'll be me, ida, imitation game, inherent vice, interstellar, into the woods, judge, last days in vietnam, lego movie, leviathan, maleficent, mr turner, nightcrawler, salt of the earth, selma, song of the sea, still alice, tale of the princess kaguya, tangerines, theory of everything, timbuktu, two days one night, unbroken, virunga, whiplash, wild, wild tales, winter soldier, x-men | Comments Off

19
Feb

The Weekender: ‘Hot’ Blooded

Movie of the Week Hot Tub Time Machine 2* Not quite as good as the original, but still a steady source of bawdy laughs. Read my review at College Movie Review. WIDE RELEASE • The DUFF • McFarland, USA LIMITED … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Previews | Tagged da sweet blood of jesus, duff, hot tub time machine 2, last five years, mcfarland usa | Comments Off

16
Feb

My Dream Oscar Ballot 2015

I still haven’t seen three of the Best Picture nominees (all based on true stories, so you won’t see any of those films, except one category which doesn’t require you to actually see the film). I’m applying their rules, so Whiplash … Continue reading →

Posted in Awards, Film, Oscars | Tagged american sniper, begin again, believe me, birdman, boyhood, captain america, dawn of the planet of the apes, days of future past, disappearance of eleanor rigby, edge of tomorrow, exodus, foxcatcher, glen campbell, gods and kings, gone girl, grand budapest hotel, guardians of the galaxy, i'll be me, interstellar, john wick, lego movie, life itself, million ways to die in the west, monuments men, muppets most wanted, nightcrawler, obvious child, selma, snowpiercer, top five, under the skin, whiplash, winter soldier, x-men | Comments Off

15
Feb

Oscar Re-Do: 2004

As I have the last four years, I’ll look at the Oscars from a decade ago and see if the Academy really got it right (spoiler alert: usually not). Winners are in bold. BEST PICTURE The Aviator Finding Neverland Million … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Film, Oscars | Tagged aviator, before sunset, cate blanchett, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, incredibles, kate winslet, leonardo dicaprio, martin scorsese, morgan freeman, sideways | Comments Off

12
Feb

The Weekender: My Baby’s Got a ‘Secret’

Movie of the Week Kingsman: The Secret Service* A bloody good time. Read my review at College Movie Review. WIDE RELEASE Fifty Shades of Grey LIMITED RELEASE Song of the Sea – Angelika Dallas, Angelika Plano

Posted in Film, Previews | Tagged 50 shades of gray, fifty shades of gray, kingsman, secret service, song of the sea | Comments Off

5
Feb

The Weekender: Allelujah! Don’t Bend, ‘Ascend’!

Movie of the Week Jupiter Ascending Look, this film’s going to be a mess. I know it, the Wachowskis know it and Universal certainly knows it. But as with their miraculous Cloud Atlas, I’d rather a film reach for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Previews | Tagged jupiter ascending, seventh son, sponge out of water, spongebob movie | Comments Off

29
Jan

The Weekender: ‘Black’ Heart

Movie of the Week Black Sea How long has it been since we’ve had a good submarine movie? Thinking… The answer is too long. And the underrated Kevin MacDonald (Touching the Void, The Last King of Scotland) is just the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Previews | Tagged black or white, black sea, loft, mommy, project almanac | Comments Off

22
Jan

The Weekender: ‘Most’ Wanted

Movie of the Week A Most Violent Year Though it came up empty at the Oscars, JC Chandor’s third film might be his best yet, expanding his scope to 1981 New York and the dirt that gets on everyone hands … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Previews | Tagged boy next door, mortdecai, most violent year, still alice, strange magic | Comments Off

15
Jan

Reactionary Tale: Oscar Nominations 2015

Biggest Snubs (in order from most to least egregious) 1. The LEGO Movie for Animated Feature Having not seen any of the other nominees, I can accept that there may be one or even two animated films better than The … Continue reading →

Posted in Awards, Film, Oscars | Tagged american sniper, days of future past, disappearance of eleanor rigby, edge of tomorrow, foxcatcher, gone girl, grand budapest hotel, interstellar, lego movie, life itself, snowpiercer, top five, whiplash, x-men | Comments Off

15
Jan

The Weekender: ‘Wedding’ Bells

Movie of the Week The Wedding Ringer* Has some problems, but it succeeds in bringing the laughs. Read my review at Central Track. WIDE RELEASE • Blackhat • Paddington • Spare Parts LIMITED RELEASE Winter Sleep – Angelika Dallas, Angelika … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Previews | Tagged blackhat, paddington, spare parts, wedding ringer, winter sleep | Comments Off