Christmas isn’t until next week (!!), but Hollywood is already giving out the presents — in the form of some big movies hitting theaters or going wide this weekend.
Because time is tight, given the shorter holiday season, I’m wrapping my own gift for you here: Six reviews in one blog post.
That’s right … six. Read on for my reviews of American Hustle, Inside Llewyn Davis, Anchorman 2, and Saving Mr. Banks, plus two others as a bonus.
Enjoy! Continue reading
I had the great fortune of interviewing many actors, actresses, musicians, authors, and other celebs during the seven and a half years I worked for Continental magazine. (Yes, the inflight magazine of the late Continental Airlines.)
One of the coolest people I had the chance to speak with was Dennis Farina, who passed away earlier today in Arizona.
Dennis is, of course, best known for his performances in such films as Get Shorty, Heat, Out of Sight, and Saving Private Ryan, and on TV shows like Law & Order, Crime Story, Luck, and, most recently, New Girl, where his tough guy persona was often used to great comic effect.
When I talked with Dennis in 2005, he was promoting the HBO TV movie Empire Falls. We talked about how his 18 years as a Chicago cop informed his acting career and the performances he gave. Continue reading
The 2010 movie RED was a bit of a surprise, with its unlikely cast of Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich starring alongside Bruce Willis as action heroes.
It grossed more than $90 million in the United States and more than $186.5 million worldwide, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy).
But do you know anyone who actually saw it? I don’t. Which leads me to ask this question …
Who, exactly, asked for a sequel?
Having seen the new film, I have to say I’m less concerned with the answer than with making sure more people I know check it out. Continue reading
It’s appropriate that much of the new film The Way, Way Back takes place at a waterpark.
That’s because, like the water slides at Water Wizz, the movie is a fun ride, with surprising twists and turns, and even though it’s one with a predictable destination, it’s still cool and refreshing.
Written and directed by Jim Rash and Nat Faxon (the Oscar-winning writers of The Descendants), The Way, Way Back is a throwback movie, the latest in a long line of summertime coming-of-age stories where a loser kid finds himself with the help of some older, immature types. Continue reading
It’s become a tradition for actor and comedian Jay Thomas to go on The Late Show with David Letterman every year at Christmas time.
He always tells the same story, about how when he was just breaking into the radio business, he did an appearance at a local car dealership with Clayton Moore, who is most famous for playing the Lone Ranger on TV from 1949 to 1957.
It’s a colorful story involving a car chase, afros, tight jeans, “hippie freaks,” a beat-up Volvo, and getting “herbed up,” and the punchline involves Moore, in full Lone Ranger costume, coming to the aid of Thomas and his coworker.
Here’s a video of one version of the story for you:
If you’re looking for good Lone Ranger entertainment this summer, that’s what you should watch — not the new Lone Ranger movie that’s hitting theaters this week. Continue reading
When was the last time a movie made you want to stand up and cheer?
Like, legitimately want to stand up and cheer.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll have to reset your clock after seeing 20 Feet from Stardom, an excellent new documentary about folks you’ve definitely heard, but likely have never heard of: backup singers like Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Táta Vega, Darlene Love, and Claudia Lennear.
These are people who’ve worked with the greatest legends in music — Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Bette Midler, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Sting, Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, and so on — and yet never gained similar name recognition, even though the songs they’re featured on wouldn’t be half as good or half as memorable without their vocals. Continue reading
It takes almost exactly a half hour for the first explosion to go off in White House Down.
And from there, none of us are safe.
Washington, D.C., is under attack — the White House, to be exact — and it’s up to a down-on-his-luck wannabe Secret Service agent in a tank top to save the day and restore order to the People’s House.
Wait a second, didn’t we just see this movie? Indeed we did. March’s Olympus Has Fallen told a similar story. But imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and great minds think alike, right?
Eh. Continue reading
In 2007, Emma Thompson — bless her heart — thought she’d found a cure for cancer.
(Or, at least, the character she was playing in I Am Legend did.)
It didn’t work. Instead, it turned most of the world’s population into rabid zombies — the kind that only come out at night and are out for blood. Will Smith did everything he could to survive.
Brad Pitt’s dealing with a similar problem in his new movie, World War Z. He plays United Nations employee Gerry Lane, who is brought out of retirement to help save the world from a fast-moving zombie pandemic. (Because apparently, there’s no one else in the world on active duty who can do this. Not even members of the World Health Organization.)
It had to happen eventually.
Pixar is the best of the best when it comes not just to animated films, but to movies in general. Its creations are true works of art: They’re gorgeously animated, innovatively designed, rich with humor and emotion, and full of characters you actually like. The movies tell wonderful stories and make impressive, subtle use of 3D. They’re as rewarding for adults as they are for kids — sometimes even more enjoyable for adults than for kids.
No wonder the company’s had an unparalleled streak of winners, going back as far as the original Toy Story film in 1995. With the exception of Cars and its sequel (which I didn’t see), nearly every other film they’ve made has been a winner: Up, Rataouille, The Incredibles, Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo, etc. … No other film studio can touch that resume.
So you might say it was only a matter of time before they put out a real stinker of a film. And now, with the release of Monsters University, they’ve done it. (Say it ain’t so!)
Paris Hilton has a lot of stuff.
From all those designer dresses and shoes, to her perfumes, to the sparkly jewelry, to multiple pieces of artwork and accessories created with her likeness, to bags, to dogs, to a ton of money, Ms. Hilton lives a life of fabulous excess.
We know this because, of course, Paris has never tried to hide her wealth. And we know it because between October 2008 and August 2009, a group of California teenagers broke into her house and took a bunch of it. Actually, they did it multiple times.
And it wasn’t just Paris. Other actors, actresses, and socialites — including Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom, Audrina Patridge, Lindsay Lohan, and Megan Fox — were robbery victims too.
The story of this crime spree was documented in a March 2010 Vanity Fair magazine article and a book. And now it’s the basis of a new film written and directed by Sofia Coppola called The Bling Ring.
Martin's Musings 