By John C. Prequels can be a precarious thing when it comes to pleasing the fans of a beloved film, but nostalgia is an even more powerful feeling. These two things work together beautifully in Oz The Great and Powerful, an incredibly entertaining blockbuster that plays as both a precursor and loving homage to the… Read More How Prequels Can Actually Work
Oz The Great and Powerful – A Walt Disney Release http://disney.go.com/thewizard/ Release Date: March 8th, 2013 Rated PG for violence and some scary scenes Running time: 131 minutes Sam Raimi (dir.) Mitchell Kapner (screenplay) David Lindsay-Abaire (screenplay) Based on the novels by L. Frank Baum Danny Elfman (music) James Franco as Oscar Diggs Mila Kunis… Read More Movie Review: Oz The Great and Powerful
Today, Disney Home Entertainment is releasing the Oscar-nominated Wreck-It Ralph on Blu-ray & DVD. With an excellent voice cast led by John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch, this is an incredibly entertaining and surprisingly heartfelt animated film that holds up well to multiple viewings. We reviewed Wreck-It Ralph when it was… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: Wreck-It Ralph
By John C. I know, with Argo finally taking home Best Picture last week after a long Oscar season, the last thing you probably want to be thinking about is the upcoming slate of contenders that we will be getting in 2013. But with the Sundance Film Festival having already taken place in January with… Read More The Early Oscar Contenders for Best Picture
Jack the Giant Slayer – A Warner Bros. Release http://jackthegiantslayer.warnerbros.com/ Release Date: March 1st, 2013 Rated PG for frightening scenes and violence Running time: 114 minutes Bryan Singer (dir.) Darren Lemke (screenplay) Christopher McQuarrie (screenplay) Dan Studney (screenplay) John Ottman (music) Nicholas Hoult as Jack Eleanor Tomlinson as Isabelle Ewan McGregor as Elmont Stanley Tucci… Read More Movie Review: Jack the Giant Slayer
By John C. This afternoon, I had the pleasure of talking to producer Clark Spencer about the awesome Disney film Wreck-It Ralph and the work he has done at the studio over the past 23 years. The film was honoured with numerous accolades throughout the recently wrapped awards season, and is coming to Blu-ray this Tuesday. We talked… Read More Interview: Clark Spencer, Producer of “Wreck-it Ralph”
Chasing Mavericks – A 20th Century Fox Release http://www.livelikejay.com/ DVD Release Date: February 26th, 2013 Rated PG for thematic elements Running time: 116 minutes Curtis Hanson (dir.) Michael Apted (dir.) Kario Salem (screenplay) Jim Meenaghan (story) Brandon Hooper (story) Gerard Butler as Frosty Hesson Jonny Weston as Jay Moriarity Elisabeth Shue as Kristy Moriarity Leven Rambin… Read More DVD Review: Chasing Mavericks
Last week, Alliance Films (now eOne) released Anna Karenina, starring Kiera Knightley, on Blu-ray. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards (cinematography, costume design, music, and production design), and won for costume design. Those technical nominations (and award) are definitely deserved – the film is worth watching for the visuals and music (composed by… Read More Blu-ray Release: Anna Karenina
By John C. The 85th Academy Awards were handed out last night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, a ceremony that culminated with the excellent Argo winning Best Picture. Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence were some of the best dressed, and I was ultimately happy with who took home the awards. The show was hosted… Read More “Argo” for Best Picture and Other Highlights of the Oscars
Hosted by Seth MacFarlane, the 85th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles tonight, a ceremony that included a few surprises along with the expected but equally deserving winners. Numerous celebrities were on hand to present and accept the awards, as Argo took home Best Picture at the end of the… Read More The Winners of the 85th Academy Awards
By Erin V. With the 85th Academy Awards being announced tonight, I wanted to give my brief thoughts on two of the categories I’m always watching. Best Original Song and Best Original Score. Enjoy! _______________________________________________ The nominees for Best Original Score are: • Anna Karenina – Dario Marianelli • Argo – Alexandre Desplat •… Read More The 85th Academy Awards: A Look at the Song & Score Nominees
By John C. As the 85th Academy Awards are being handed out this weekend, here are our brief thoughts on all nine of the films in the running for Best Picture. This has been a fascinating and exciting awards season to watch from beginning to end, including frontrunners in several of the top categories and… Read More Reviewing the Best Picture Nominees
At noon EST today, the International Film Music Critics Association (of which I am a member) announced its winners for excellence in musical scoring in 2012. First let me say congratulations to all the winners and nominees – here’s to another year of outstanding music in film. Taking home Score of the Year is Canadian… Read More Winners of the 9th Annual IFMCA Award Announced Today!
Elia Kazan’s definitive 1954 classic On The Waterfront is being released on Blu-ray & DVD today, as part of the Criterion Collection. Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) is an ex-prizefighter living in a town where the docks are run by the corrupt mob boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb). When a man is killed and Terry… Read More Criterion Release: On The Waterfront
After a run in IMAX theatres, Paramount is releasing the 1986 classic Top Gun on Blu-ray today, presented in 3D. Directed by the late Tony Scott, the film follows Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Goose (Anthony Edwards), two young fighter pilots in training. As Maverick falls for his instructor (Kelly McGillis), things take a tragic… Read More Blu-ray Release: Top Gun 3D
Fun Size – A Paramount Pictures’ Release http://www.paramount.com/funsize/ DVD Release Date: February 19th, 2013 Rated PG for sexual content and language Running time: 86 minutes Josh Schwartz (dir.) Max Werner (writer) Deborah Lurie (music) Victoria Justice as Wren Jackson Nicoll as Albert Jane Levy as April Thomas Mann as Roosevelt Our reviews below: ___________________________________________ Fun… Read More DVD Review: Fun Size
By John Corrado Entertaining, moving, exhilarating and sometimes impossible to pin down in terms of genre. These are just some of the words that I would use to describe my favourite movies of 2012, a year that brought us numerous films that deserve to be remembered. Although we are now nearly two months into 2013,… Read More The Best Movies of 2012
Safe Haven – An Alliance Films’ Release https://www.facebook.com/safehavenmovie Release Date: February 14th, 2013 Rated PG for violence, sexual content and language Running time: 115 minutes Lasse Hallström (dir.) Leslie Bohem (screenplay) Dana Stevens (screenplay) Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks Deborah Lurie (music) Julianne Hough as Katie Josh Duhamel as Alex David Lyons as… Read More Movie Review: Safe Haven
It’s February 14th once again and we would like to wish all of our readers and everyone who has helped make this all possible a very Happy Valentine’s Day! Celebrate by watching the Oscar-nominated short film Paperman, which Disney has generously made available on YouTube. Beautifully animated in black and white with just a splash… Read More Happy Valentine’s Day!
Today, MGM Home Entertainment is releasing the Oscar-nominated Skyfall on Blu-ray & DVD. Directed by Sam Mendes with thrilling action sequences, excellent performances and visually striking cinematography by Roger Deakins, this is a beautifully crafted piece of work that pays tribute to the classic James Bond films, while taking the long running franchise in exciting new… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: Skyfall
The Joy of Movies 