By John C. The latest from Austrian provocateur Michael Haneke, Amour opens with firefighters breaking down the door of a luxurious apartment in France, only to find the body of Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) lying on a bed surrounded by flowers. There is a crucifix on her chest, as if she is ready to be lowered… Read More Love and Death: Thoughts on the Oscar-Nominated “Amour”
Today, 20th Century Fox is releasing the TV special Madly Madagascar on DVD, on behalf of DreamWorks Animation. Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller) is trying to have a nice Valentine’s Day in Africa, but his friends seem to be ignoring him as Marty (Chris Rock) becomes lovestruck and Melman (David Schwimmer) tries to impress Gloria (Jada… Read More DVD Release: Madly Madagascar
Last week on January 22nd, the Oscar-nominated documentary Pina was released on Blu-ray & DVD, as part of the Criterion Collection. Directed by Wim Wenders and presented in 3D, the 2011 film is a tribute to the late German choreographer Pina Bausch, following a troupe of her dancers as they perform some of her most… Read More Criterion Release: Pina
The Imposter – An Entertainment One Release http://imposterfilm.com/ DVD Release Date: January 22nd, 2013 Rated 14A for coarse language and disturbing themes Running time: 98 minutes Bart Layton (dir.) Anne Nikitin (music) Carey Gibson as Herself Beverly Dollarhide as Herself Nancy Fisher as Herself Charlie Parker as Himself Our reviews below: _________________________________________________ The Imposter DVD… Read More DVD Review: The Imposter
By John C. The 19th Screen Actors Guild awards were handed out last night, a ceremony that left me happy with the winners and questioning what it could mean for the Oscars on February 24th. There might not be much more commentary to add at this point, but I’m going to be comparing the winners… Read More What the Screen Actors Guild Awards Could Mean for the Oscars
Italy: Love It or Leave It – A KinoSmith Release http://www.italyloveitorleave.it/ Release Date: January 25th, 2013 @ Bloor Hot Docs Cinema Rated PG for language Running time: 75 minutes Gustav Hofer (dir.) Luca Ragazzi (dir.) Gustav Hofer (writer) Luca Ragazzi (writer) Santi Pulvirenti (music) Frank Dabell as Narrator (English Version) Gustav Hofer as Himself Luca… Read More Movie Review: Italy: Love It or Leave It
By John C. I’ve been meaning to write about Beasts of the Southern Wild since the film first opened in theatres last July. But it kept flying under my radar for various reasons throughout the summer, and I never got a chance to share my full thoughts on the film. But now that Beasts of… Read More Thoughts on the Oscar-Nominated “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Searching for Sugar Man – A Sony Pictures Classic’ Release http://www.sonyclassics.com/searchingforsugarman/ DVD Release Date: January 22nd, 2013 Rated PG for language Running time: 87 minutes Malik Bendjelloul (dir.) Malik Bendjelloul (writer) Rodriguez (music) Stephen “Sugar” Segerman as Himself Craig Bartholomew-Strydrom as Himself Sixto Rodriguez as Himself Our reviews below: ____________________________________________ Searching for Sugar Man DVD… Read More DVD Review: Searching for Sugar Man
Today, VVS Films is releasing the found footage thriller End of Watch on Blu-ray & DVD. The film follows Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña), two tough South Central Los Angeles cops who end up in the middle of a dangerous drug ring, all under the watchful gaze of their personal cameras.… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: End of Watch
By John C. After racking up critical acclaim over the past few years, it can now be said that Jessica Chastain rules the box office. The horror movie Mama opened strong in first place over the weekend, and the excellent Zero Dark Thirty was the runner up, as the Oscar-nominated film continues to do well… Read More Jessica Chastain Rules the Box Office
Quartet – An Alliance Films’ Release http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfilms/film/quartet Release Date: January 18th, 2013 Rated PG for language and tobacco use Running time: 98 minutes Dustin Hoffman (dir.) Ronald Harwood (screenplay) Based on the stage play by Ronald Harwood Dario Marianelli (music) Maggie Smith as Jean Horton Tom Courtenay as Reginald Paget Billy Connolly as Wilf Bond… Read More Movie Review: Quartet
By John C. Two slave traders ride through the night on horseback, pulling a group of shackled African-American men behind them. As Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) enters the scene, things quickly turn violent, and he buys the freedom of Django (Jamie Foxx), a tortured man with scars on his back and determination on his… Read More The D is Silent: Thoughts on the Oscar-Nominated “Django Unchained”
Today, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing a new Blu-ray edition of the 1953 classic Titanic. Directed by Jean Negulesco and picking up an Oscar for Best Screenplay, the film stars Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb as a bickering couple who are forced to rethink the relationships they have with their daughter (Audrey Dalton)… Read More Blu-ray Release: Titanic (1953)
To Rome With Love – A Sony Pictures Classic’ Release http://sonyclassics.com/toromewithlove/ DVD Release Date: January 15th, 2013 Rated PG for sexual content and language Running time: 112 minutes Woody Allen (dir.) Woody Allen (writer) Woody Allen as Jerry Alec Baldwin as John Roberto Benigni as Leopoldo Penélope Cruz as Anna Judy Davis as Phyllis Jesse… Read More DVD Review: To Rome With Love
By John C. Although the expected films triumphed in some of the major categories, the 70th annual Golden Globes still pulled off a few unexpected wins as they were handed out last night, and I was consistently surprised at just how much fun the entire show really was. Hosted by the entertaining duo of Tina… Read More Entertainment Rules at the 70th Annual Golden Globes
Hosted by the entertaining duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards took place tonight at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles this evening. Honouring the best movies and TV shows of 2012, numerous celebrities were on hand to present and accept the awards, and it’s clear that the… Read More Winners of the 70th Annual Golden Globes
By John C. “Who are you?” the CIA director (James Gandolfini) asks the determined young agent Maya (Jessica Chastain), as they look at a scale model of the apartment complex in Pakistan that might be hiding terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. The scene comes about an hour from the end of Zero Dark Thirty,… Read More The Oscar-Nominated “Zero Dark Thirty” is a Thought Provoking Thriller
The nominations for the 85th annual Academy Awards were announced this morning by the hilariously sarcastic duo of Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone, with attention given to the expected frontrunners Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, as Lincoln leads the pack with a total of twelve nominations. The nine films in the running for Best Picture… Read More Nominations for the 85th Academy Awards
Today, Walt Disney Home Entertainment is releasing Tim Burton’s deeply personal film Frankenweenie on Blu-ray & DVD. With stunning black and white stop motion animation, memorable characters and a heartfelt story that is in love with the world of filmmaking, this is a darkly beautiful film that deserves multiple viewings. We highly recommended Frankenweenie when… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: Frankenweenie
By John C. As of Friday night, voting has officially ended to determine the nominees for the 85th Academy Awards, the first step on what is already shaping up to be a long journey towards Oscar night on February 24th. The nominations will be announced at 8:30 AM EST this Thursday morning, presented by Emma… Read More What to Expect From the Oscar Nominations
The Joy of Movies 