Babies – An Alliance Films Release http://www.focusfeatures.com/babies http://www.hotdocs.ca/film/title/babies DVD Release Date: August 31st, 2010 Rated G Running time: 79 minutes Thomas Balmes (dir.) Bruno Coulais (music) Babies (as themselves) Bayar – from Mongolia Hattie – from San Franciso Mari – from Tokyo Ponjiao – from Namibia Bonus Features Include: • The… Read More DVD Review: Babies
Today, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing the kid’s comedy Marmaduke on DVD & Blu-ray. We reviewed the title when it opened in theatres on June 4th. It probably wasn’t worthy of quite such a high rating, but this is still an enjoyable film that features a dog-lover’s delight of different breeds and personalities. … Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: Marmaduke
Today, eOne is releasing Daniel Barber’s Harry Brown on DVD, after being released in theatres on May 21st. This gritty, ultra-violent revenge thriller stars the always excellent Michael Caine in a hard-hitting performance as a widower living in a violent neighbourhood in Britain. When his best friend is murdered by a gang of thugs, he… Read More DVD Release: Harry Brown
Last week, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the complete thirteenth season of The Simpsons on Blu-ray & DVD. The 3-disc Blu-ray set includes all 22 episodes, including the annual Halloween special. This iconic cartoon has been a big part of pop culture for over 20 years, and this set is a must-have for Simpsons fans. The… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: The Simpsons – Season 13
By John C. For the second week in a row, I’m talking Oscars. But this time the focus is entirely on the upcoming contenders from indie power studio, Fox Searchlight. Founded in 1994 as the independent branch of 20th Century Fox, they are one of those studios that – more often than not – offers… Read More This Fall, Fox Searchlight has Four Films in the Oscar Field
For the second year in a row, Disney brought Tron: Legacy to Fan Expo in Toronto. Here are our thoughts and pictures from the event, mainly focusing on today’s Tron panel. Fan Expo started yesterday, August 27th, and runs until tomorrow, August 29th. All in all, this is a fun time to be had… Read More Coverage of ‘Tron: Legacy’ at Fan Expo
Flipped – A Warner Bros. Release http://flipped-movie.warnerbros.com/ Release Date: August 6th limited, August 27, 2010 wide Rated PG Running time: 90 minutes Rob Reiner (dir.) Rob Reiner (screenwriter) Andrew Scheinman (screenwriter) Wendelin Van Draanen (novel) Marc Shaiman (music) Madeline Carroll as Juli Baker Callan McAuliffe as Bryce Loski Rebecca De Mornay as Patsy Loski Anthony… Read More Movie Review: Flipped
By Erin V. The best music makes you feel it, believe it’s more than just a sound, and ultimately soar with it. And the best movie music takes you so far with it that it glides the story along effortlessly without consciously calling attention to itself. This year, so far, there are three scores that… Read More The Scores of The Year So Far – Part 3 – How To Train Your Dragon
Released August 1st, 2010 Page count: 262 pages Size: 6” x 9” The Coffee Break Screenwriter – Writing Your Script 10 Minutes at a Time Pilar Alessandra Published By Michael Wiese Publications http://www.mwp.com/ ________________________________________________ The Coffee Break Screenwriter Book Review By Erin V. The Coffee Break Screenwriter reads like a workbook on how to actually… Read More Book Review: The Coffee Break Screenwriter
Released July 21st, 2010 Page count: 40 pages Size: 8.44” x 8.35” Day & Night by Teddy Newton Published by Chronicle Books Distributed by Raincoast (Canada) http://www.raincoast.com/ http://www.chroniclebooks.com/ ____________________________________ Day & Night Book Review By Erin V. Earlier this year, when Toy Story 3 was released, a brilliant little short film played before it. It… Read More Book Review: Day & Night
Temple Grandin – A Warner Home Video Release http://www.hbocanada.com/details/?id=50658 DVD Release Date: August 24th, 2010 Canadian Home Video Rating – 14A; TV – PG Running time: 109 minutes Mick Jackson (dir.) Christopher Monger (teleplay) Merritt Johnson (teleplay) (as William Merritt Johnson) Temple Grandin (book “Emergence”) Margaret Scarciano (book “Emergence”) Temple Grandin (book “Thinking in Pictures”)… Read More DVD Review: Temple Grandin
$5 a Day – An eOne Films’ Release DVD Release Date: August 24th, 2010 Rated PG not recommended for young children Running time: 98 minutes Nigel Cole (dir.) Neal H. Dobrofsky (writer) Tippi Dobrofsky (writer) Alex Wurman (music) Christopher Walken as Nat Parker Alessandro Nivola as Ritchie Flynn Parker Sharon Stone as Dolores Jones Amanda… Read More DVD Review: $5 a Day
The Back-up Plan – An Alliance Films Release http://www.theback-upplan.com/ DVD Release Date: August 24th, 2010 Rated PG – language may offend, mature theme. Running time: 104 minutes Alan Poul (dir.) Kate Angelo (screenplay) Stephen Trask (music) Jennifer Lopez as Zoe Alex O’Loughlin as Stan Michaela Watkins as Mona Eric Christian Olsen as Clive Bonus Features… Read More DVD Review: The Back-up Plan
Death at a Funeral – A Sony Pictures’ Release http://DeathAtAFuneral-movie.com/ DVD Release Date: August 10th, 2010 Rated 14A for coarse language, nudity, and substance abuse Running time: 92 minutes Neil LaBute (dir.) Dean Craig (writer) Christophe Beck (music) Martin Lawrence as Ryan James Marsden as Oscar Tracy Morgan as Norman Chris Rock as Aaron Peter… Read More DVD Review: Death at a Funeral
On August 3rd, I talked about Sony’s DVD releases of last year’s Best Foreign Language Film nominees The White Ribbon and A Prophet. Today, Mongrel Media is releasing fellow nominee Ajami on the home market. Isreal’s selection for the Oscar’s 2009, Ajami is told through five different chapters all taking place in the… Read More DVD Release: Ajami & Women Without Men
By John C. Opening in limited release on July 9th, Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right has been getting high praise and is already on many critics top ten lists. It’s also the kind of film that the Academy would recognize – especially in recent years – with a Best Picture nomination. With a… Read More ‘The Kids’ Oscar chances are still ‘All Right,’ but there are many contenders yet to come
Nanny McPhee Returns – A Universal Pictures’ Release http://www.nannymcphee.com/ Release Date: August 20th Rated G Running time: 1o8 minutes Susanna White (dir.) Emma Thompson (screenplay) Christianna Brand (characters) James Newton Howard (music) Maggie Gyllenhaal as Isabel Green Oscar Steer as Vincent Green Asa Butterfield as Norman Green Lil Woods as Megsie Green Eros Vlahos as… Read More Movie Review: Nanny McPhee Returns
By Erin V. The music created by Bernard Herrmann for such Hitchcock classics as North By Northwest stays in the mind of film and music lovers forever. I was reminded of this, when earlier this year, Polanski’s The Ghost Writer was released. And with it, came a wonderful score by Alexandre Desplat, reminiscent of the… Read More The Scores of The Year So Far – Part 2 – The Ghost Writer
On July 27th, the 1948 classic The Red Shoes was released to The Criterion Collection. Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, this story of a star ballerina torn between two loves, is one of the most stunning Technicolor films of the 1940’s. This award-winning 2009 digital restoration is bright and crisp – and it… Read More Criterion Release: The Red Shoes
Yesterday, Alliance Films’ released eleven ‘The Festival Collection’ boxed sets, I’ll be giving notice of three of them here. One set includes Guillermo de Toro’s Pan’s Labrynth, Fernando Meirelles’ Blindness, and Christopher Nolan’s Memento. This collection is rated 18A. (Image currently unavailable) The next set includes Roberto Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful, Scott Hicks’… Read More DVD Release: Alliance Films Festival Collections
The Joy of Movies 