UPDATED: September 11, 2015 with updated and new movie inclusions (after original post from the 10th anniversary in 2011) and a new section of faded and relaxed sensitivity. I plan to make this an annual post and study.
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Traditionally, the months of September and October are the dumping grounds of movies that weren't good enough or too dark to be summer releases or films not quite good enough to be held until the prime awards season during the winter months of November and December. Every now and then, though, a future Academy Award winner sneaks into early into the Oscar race with an October release. Here is my full preview of the 2014 fall movie season. I hope I can steer you to a few hidden gems before the real big-timers get here in November and December.
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Woody Allen has the Midas touch of artistic credibility. Non-actors become notable presences. No-name actors become discovered somebodies. Name actors look better than they normally do and great actors get even greater, even when the films aren't that great. In his latest film, "Magic in the Moonlight," Allen bestows that touch on one great actor and one name actress with Colin Firth and Emma Stone as his leads.
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Dr. Laurence Knapp, an editor from University Press of Mississippi, has compiled and created the newest book in the "Conversations with Filmmakers" series. "David Fincher: Interviews" hits store shelves on August 1, 2014. You can preview and even pre-order a copy of "David Fincher: Interviews" over at Amazon today.
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I hope this big post and 200-song playlist finds you and serves you well. It's been quite the passion project for me to build, on and off, over the last year and a half. Thanks for letting me merge sounding like a parenting blogger and a movie in one post. Please share this column with your friends with kids. It's all not just for babies either. If you like this kind of music, it works great in the car or at the office as well. As a school teacher, I used to play this in my elementary school classes all the time. It's excellent music for creativity and focus for all ages. Enjoy!
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For those website followers that don't know me on social media, I've become a first-time father in the past year-and-a-half and have a second child on the way due this fall. For this column, I might turn into a parenting blogger more than a movie critic, but bear with me. I think you will like it.
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With the end of June, we've come to the halfway point of the traditionally long four-month summer movie season. In my opinion, even though the box office receipts keep rolling in here and abroad, May and June brought more disappointments than winners. The offerings of July and August aren't usually as strong as May and June, but maybe this year will be different.
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Here is the master list of releases and dates for the late half of this summer movie season for 2014. Print it out, slap it on the fridge, and pick your spots. As always, dates and movies shift all of the time, so look before you drive out to the theater. Full preview coming up next!
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Here are my picks for the "Best of 2014 (so far)" with a halfway count of the five best instead of the full ten. It must be said, that I have far from seen every possible 2014 film entry. Plenty of mainstream and arthouse films have eluded me and my busy schedule, but there is enough to talk about here. As always, in matching with the theme of my website, I couple the best-so-far selection with the film's best life lesson. Enjoy!
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After an extremely slow winter and spring 2014 movie seasons, we've finally come to the power part of the order filled with events, tentpoles, and blockbusters. Outside of "The Lego Movie" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," this year has been starved for a new hit. The front-loaded first half of the two-part summer season looks to change all that.
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Once one awards season ends, another one begins! The winners from last night's 86th Academy Awards can bask in the glow of immortality for a while. Meanwhile, business in Hollywood will quickly shift and move on to the 87th Academy Awards that will happen in February or March of 2015. Here are 15 films to watch for the 2015 Oscars.
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This year's slate of spring releases offers a pretty eclectic menu of choices, especially compared to the winter, and even a few blockbusters that want to beat the summer big boys to the punch of box office dollars. Here's my final breakdown of this spring's upcoming releases to enjoy.
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