Earlier today, the Denver Film Critics Society — 16 writers and broadcasters working in and around the Mile High City, of which I am one — announced their picks for the year’s best. Of the 41 movies nominated, 1917 (above) … Continue reading And the winners are…
What stories will this generation tell the ones to come? If the latest output from Hollywood is any indication, they will tell and re-tell the stories of previous generations with slight variations that aren’t adapted but simply repackaged. Hell, if Hollywood was a bookstore, then the used section would be the executives’ favorite. Especially anything dog-eared and underlined. Why bother doing the work when you can piggyback off of someone else? That is the main knock against the live-action Americanization of Masamune Shirow seminal 1989 manga, Ghost in the Shell. Set in the Japanese city of New Port City in … Continue reading GHOST IN THE SHELL
And So It Goes – Oren Little (Michael Douglas) is not a nice guy and he prefers it that way. He makes his living as a realtor, and he gets his kicks by making others completely miserable. Then his estranged son shows up and drops off Susan (Sterling Jerins), the granddaughter he never knew he had, and Oren has to reevaluate some perspectives. Diane Keaton, John Scott Shepherd and Frances Sternhagen pitch in and lend him a hand. Script from Mark Andrus and direction by Rob Reiner. In limited release from Clarius Entertainment. The Fluffy Movie – Gabriel Iglesias … Continue reading Movie Beat – 7.25.14
Breastmilk – Breast milk is better for a child and produces a more intimate connection between mother and baby than formula does, but in this fast paced business world, it just takes too long. Too long to pump, too long to abstain from a cocktail, too long to feed the child. This is American and we want things now! Of course, raising a child requires time, and breastfeeding is just one of those activities that require time. Standing firmly on the side of breastfeeding, Breastmilk is a very blunt movie about the difficulties facing the modern mother. From director Dana … Continue reading Movie Beat – 05.09.14
Afflicted – Derek Lee and Clif Prowse have a plan. They are going to take a year off, travel around the world and film every last second of it. What will they do with all that footage? Upload it to the Internet of course! They rig themselves with cameras and take off. Everything goes according to the plan for a day or two and then they meet a beautiful and tempting woman. Sounds a little Old Testament-y, but that woman does something to Derek and now he has powers well beyond his control. What happens to Derek and what will … Continue reading Movie Beat – 04.04.14
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues – They’re back! After being fired and humiliated by his wife, the greatest news anchorman ever to fill the chair, Ron Burdgundy, and his compatriots are back and they are taking over the global news network. Ron and his crew mastered the 70s and local news, but can they swing with the big dogs in the 80s and round the clock news? Probably not. Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and David Koechner step into their old roles, Ferrell and his funnyordie.com partner, Adam McKay wrote it and McKay directed it. Time to see if … Continue reading Movie Beat – 12.18.13
As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner is one of America’s greatest treasures. His words dance across the page with like a hot summer breeze on a muggy summer evening. Can these words be transcribed to the screen? Possibly in meaning and spirit, maybe not in the literal sense. Writer-director-star-art project enthusiast James Franco is certainly going to give it a shot. Adapting one of Faulkner’s novels about brothers taking their mother to her final resting place and the difficulties before them and the secrets behind them. Tim Blake Nelson, Jim Parrack, Danny McBride, Ahna O’Reilly, and Logan Marshall-Green co-star … Continue reading Movie Beat – 09.27.13
The old truism goes, behind every great man is an even greater woman. This was seldom truer than the relationship of Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville. Hitchcock got his start in the British film industry drawing title cards and sets. Alma Reville worked as a producer and slowly their path’s converged. According to Donald Spoto’s biography, The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock, Hitch was taken with Alma, but refused to speak to her until they were on equal ground professionally. He waited and worked his way up to a position as a director and the two … Continue reading HITCHCOCK
A short work week means a long weekend for movie watching. Six new films out this holiday weekend in addition to Silver Linings Playbook expanding it’s release. You got some extra time, so you might as well dig into a couple of movies. Here are your choices: The Central Park Five – On the morning of April 20, 1989, a young white woman, Trishia Meili, was found in Central Park. She had been brutally assaulted and raped the night before. Five teenage boys were brought forward and convicted of the assault. Four of them were black and one was Latino. Coherence into … Continue reading Movie Beat – 11.23.12
