Through several editorial features, here is my analysis to formulate my official Academy Award predictions. In this third post, we look at the visual and artistic categories which include Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hair-Styling. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!
Read MoreThrough several editorial features, here is my analysis to formulate my official Academy Award predictions. In this second post, we look at the obscure minor film categories that include foreign films, documentaries, animated films, and short films. Get the dartboard out, but stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!
Read MoreThrough several editorial features, here is my analysis to formulate my official Academy Award predictions. In this first post, we look at the musical and sound categories that include original score, original song, sound editing, and sound mixing. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!
Read MoreHere is your lineup of upcoming films for the ever-warming spring movie season that aims to put winter behind us. Pick through this list for March and April and find a few winners. Add these to your calendar or print and slip this list on the fridge.
Read MoreHighlighting the worthy American legend that is James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens, the new film "Race" may not roundly deviate from the tried-and-true sports film formula we have seen in dozens of films. Nonetheless, director Stephen Hopkins's film radiates an impassioned heart that few other films of the sports genre can rival or surpass. In a present day of questionable athletic role models (and on the timely heels of Black History Month), this is the kind of film we should be sending buses of school students of all ages to instead of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" movies.
Read MoreIf you are not a die-hard geek or comic book fan, there's a chance you've never heard of "Deadpool." After this Presidents' Day/Valentine's Day holiday weekend, you will never forget him. Take all of the pathos, mythology, gravitas, nobility, and world-rescuing heroism have you come to expect from a superhero film, throw them out the window, and light them on fire. "Deadpool" is the most red-faced and side-splitting movie of the comic genre to date.
Read MoreFor this writer and website, the films of Joel and Ethan Coen are pegged as acquired tastes. Slot the brothers and their work right next to Quentin Tarantino in that regard. Their creative brilliance and their reverent place in the upper echelon of superb storytellers are indisputable, proven by their six Oscar wins. Sometimes, in the measure of taste, their choices and results are a maddening or confounding mess. When the Coen brothers are on their game, they are white hot. "Hail, Caesar!" won't go down as one of their best, but there is no denying its draw as a thoroughly entertaining hoot.
Read More“Kung Fu Panda 3” bursts at the seams with exuberant fun for your inner kid at heart. The self-proclaimed “awesomeness” we have missed for too long returns with flair in every possible direction. Its nimble combination of clever humor and endearing heart is undeniable. This is a can’t-miss crowd pleaser that pulses with energy in all the right places.
Read MoreNormally, every protagonist in a live-action Walt Disney film gets a unnecessarily thick coat of heroic paint and every encounter, obstacle, or event calls for a full-throated orchestra of peril and self-importance. In a somewhat pleasant surprise, "The Finest Hours" avoids most of the the puffed-up flamboyance that we expect (and commonly grow tired of) from the Mouse House. The key word is "most," as the film thankfully dials down the usual Disney over-inflation while still possessing plenty of imperfections and distractions.
Read MoreWhen a crime is committed, an unfortunate convergence of fate, luck, and coincidence occrs between people that would otherwise be strangers. The violent and emotional sting of that event then spreads to the family and friends of all parties involved, from perpetrator to victim. Like ripples in a pond, one incident can affect dozens. Actor/director Tim Blake Nelson's new film and fifth directorial feature, "Anesthesia," probes that social reverberation in a provocative way.
Read MoreThanks to the "Harry Potter," "Hunger Games," and "Twilight" series, we have had an over-flooded movie market of young adult novel adaptations with more forgettable failures than winning successes. Because we have reached an oversaturation point, the questions necessary for any new entry looking to get a piece of the pie are: What can you offer that is different and what makes you necessary? Though it tries, "The 5th Wave" cannot answer the bell with convincing responses.
Read MoreActing is more than just great lines and fancy speeches. Some of the best elements of true performance come when the camera is on and no one is saying a word. You won't find a better clinical example of that half of acting than from a 2015 film than in "45 Years" starring newly-minted Academy Award nominee Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay. You will see exactly why she earned her nomination.
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