Today, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released Take Shelter on Blu-ray & DVD. The life Curtis (Michael Shannon) shares with his wife (Jessica Chastain) and their young deaf daughter is shattered when he begins having nightmares of an apocalyptic storm. Channelling his crippling anxiety into the obsessive building of an underground shelter, he struggles with the… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: Take Shelter
Exactly 40 years ago today, Dr. Seuss’ book The Lorax was released as a 25-minute 2D-animated TV special. Up there as one of the most brilliant of the Dr. Seuss stories/specials, the short film has a whole lot more under the surface than you may expect. This classic is being released on Blu-ray just in… Read More Blu-ray Release: The Lorax (1972)
By John C. With the Academy Awards just under two weeks away, there is surprisingly little commentary or opinion to add at this point in the race. As many of the top categories appear easy to predict, all that we can really do is wait it out until we see who takes home the gold… Read More The Five Directors who will be Competing at the Oscars
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – A Warner Bros. Release http://www.themysteriousisland.com/ Release Date: February 10th, 2012 Rated PG for some scary scenes Running time: 96 minutes Brad Peyton (dir.) Brian Gunn (screenplay & story) Mark Gunn (screenplay & story) Richard Outten (story) Loosely based on the novel by Jules Verne Andrew Lockington (music) Dwayne Johnson as… Read More Movie Review: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
At noon EST today, the International Film Music Critics Association (of which I am a member) announced its list of nominees for excellence in musical scoring in 2011. Leading the pack this year is veteran composer John Williams with 7 noms, including three each for War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin, as well as… Read More IFMCA Awards Nominations Announced Today
Today, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is releasing Lady and the Tramp for the first time on Blu-ray, as part of the Diamond Edition series. The story of a “footloose and collar free” tramp with a big heart who falls for a lovingly pampered pet dog, this is the perfect blend of charming romance, adventurous… Read More Blu-ray Release: Lady and the Tramp
Today, Paramount Home Entertainment is releasing the 1970 melodrama Love Story for the first time on Blu-ray. Nominated for seven Academy Awards and becoming one of the biggest box office phenomenons of the ‘70’s, the romantic drama follows Oliver Barrett IV (Ryan O’Neal), a rich university student who falls helplessly in love with Jennifer Cavilleri (Ali… Read More Blu-ray Release: Love Story
By John C. When you look at the box office numbers for the nine Best Picture nominees, The Help made the most money by a large margin, and The Artist is second only to The Tree of Life as the least profitable of the films. Compare this to last year when Best Picture winner The King’s… Read More For “The Artist,” Silence is Golden
The highest honour in the world of both film and television animation, the winners of the 39th annual Annie Awards were announced last night in Los Angeles. Gore Verbinski’s animated Oscar frontrunner Rango was the big winner, taking home five awards including Best Picture and Best Writing. Best Director went to Jennifer Yuh Nelson for Kung… Read More Winners of the 39th Annual Annie Awards
Chronicle – A 20th Century Fox Release http://www.facebook.com/Chronicle Release Date: February 3rd, 2012 Rated 14A for violence, disturbing content and language Running time: 84 minutes Josh Trank (dir.) Max Landis (screenplay & story) Josh Trank (story) Dane DeHaan as Andrew Detmer Alex Russell as Matt Garetty Michael B. Jordan as Steve Montgomery Michael Kelly as Richard… Read More Movie Review: Chronicle
Released February 1st, 2012 Page count: 214 pages Size: 6” x 9” Letters to Young Filmmakers: Creativity & Getting Your Films Made by Howard Suber Published By Michael Wiese Publications http://www.mwp.com/ ________________________________________________ Letters to Young Filmmakers: Creativity & Getting Your Films Made Review By Erin V. How do we look at creativity? At the industry… Read More Book Review: Letters to Young Filmmakers
Released January 1st, 2012 Page count: 210 pages Size: 11” x 7.5” The Storyboard Artist: A Guide to Freelancing in Film, TV, and Advertising by Giuseppe Cristiano Published By Michael Wiese Publications http://www.mwp.com/ ___________________________________ The Storyboard Artist Review By Erin V. Along with writing, I’ve always had an interest in art and drawing as well. … Read More Book Review: The Storyboard Artist
Last Tuesday, eOne Home Entertainment released the great 50/50 on Blu-ray & DVD. A raunchy comedy about cancer that profoundly moves us with scenes of heartbreaking drama, this is a film that masterfully handles every emotion and ranks as one of the very best of last year. We reviewed 50/50 when it opened in theatres on September… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: 50/50
Today, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing The Big Year on Blu-ray & DVD. Starring the great comedic team of Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson, this is a charming and entertaining comedy with a good heart and likeable characters. We reviewed The Big Year when it opened in theatres on October 14th,… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: The Big Year
In Time – A 20th Century Fox Release http://www.intimecasino.com/ DVD Release Date: January 31st, 2012 Rated PG for violence and coarse language Running time: 109 minutes Andrew Niccol (dir.) Andrew Niccol (writer) Craig Armstrong (music) Justin Timberlake as Will Salas Amanda Seyfried as Sylvia Weis Cillian Murphy as Raymond Leon Vincent Kartheiser as Philippe Weis… Read More DVD Review: In Time
Courageous – A Sony Pictures’ Release http://www.courageousthemovie.com/ DVD Release Date: January 17th, 2012 Rated PG for some violence and drug content Running time: 129 minutes Alex Kendrick (dir.) Stephen Kendrick (writer) Alex Kendrick (writer) Mark Willard (music) Alex Kendrick as Adam Mitchell Ken Bevel as Nathan Hayes Ben Davies as David Thomson Kevin Downes as… Read More DVD Review: Courageous
By John C. Last night, the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards seemed to be indicative of what we might end up seeing come Oscar night on February 26th. Christopher Plummer was once again confirmed as the frontrunner when he took home Best Supporting Actor for Beginners. Jean Dujardin shot to the front of the race when… Read More The Best Performances of the Year: Will the Screen Actors Guild Influence the Oscars?
As the nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards were announced this past Tuesday, here are our brief thoughts on all nine of the nominees in the running for Best Picture. For future reference throughout the Oscar season, links to our full thoughts on each of these films are included in the titles, as well… Read More Reviews of the Best Picture Nominees
By Erin V. As Joyful Noise was being made, director Todd Graff attended gospel conventions around the USA, watching choirs both large and small perform (sometimes to sold-out crowds of 18,000), which helped to provide an authenticity to the film. Composer and music producer Mervyn Warren who has known Graff for over a decade started… Read More Soundtrack Review: Joyful Noise
Presented by actress Jennifer Lawrence and Academy president Tom Sherak, the nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning. The nine films competing for the top prize of Best Picture are The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life and… Read More Nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards
The Joy of Movies 