Only a few weeks ago, NBC said goodbye to one of their only two shows I really loved: “Parenthood.” Then last night NBC said goodbye to the other one:”Parks and Recreation.” With that, I pretty much said goodbye to NBC since out of their current lineup I now only watch “The Blacklist” (but for how… Read More »
Out of my 16 predictions I got 12 right (all of the smaller categories I predicted except Editing) and 4 wrong (Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Editing, and Best Director) but I freely admitted that I was very shaky on Actor, Director, and Original Screenplay and was really more hoping to see Keaton and Linklater take… Read More »
Although one never knows exactly which films and performances will win, I like my odds of predicting this a lot better than a sports game which is really a crap-shoot. Best Supporting Actor…Who Will Win And Who Should Win: J.K. Simmons for “Whiplash” because who doesn’t love it when a 60-year-old character actor finally breaks through? His music teacher is… Read More »
I can’t say I’ve had the privilege of reading the “50 Shades” books, but I honestly did go into the movie with an open mind. That being said, you can tell that an X-rated book has been turned into an R-rated movie, and even though most people have said the movie is better written than… Read More »
Only six weeks into the new year, and 2014 has its first better-than-good mainstream movie. Kingsman is well-acted, excellently cast, staged with cunning action sequences, and may be the most genuine fun I’ve had at a movie in months. Don’t let me oversell it though, the film’s not perfect… What Works: I’m only a sporadic Colin… Read More »
I’ve written before that the current age of critics seems very tough on both issue-driven domestic indies and also middle-brow dramas, well, “Black or White” is both so, naturally, they royally screwed up reviewing this film. This is a movie that doesn’t romanticize or demonize any of its main characters, and pulls off the tricky balancing act of presenting… Read More »
Two SNL events happened this weekend, one you’re probably aware of and one that didn’t receive nearly as much attention. I’m writing about the SNL 40th anniversary special on Sunday night, but also NBC’s interesting decision to rebroadcast the very first SNL ever the Saturday night before. SNL 40th Anniversary Special…This was 3 and a half hours… Read More »
Don’t make the same mistake I did and see this in a theater. This is an Oscar nominee for Best Animated Film that 99 percent of people will never hear of, and I think it would be a much better movie to watch at home when expectations are a lot more…”reasonable.” What Works: It’s a story seeped in… Read More »
A crop of unconventional (and largely unsatisfying) thrillers from 2014 that somehow slipped through the cracks when they were initially released… Under the Skin…This is primarily known as the movie where ScarJo gets naked, and the movie seems slyly aware of that since her predatory alien lures horny men to their doom. The problem with… Read More »
Will any movie about the Southeast get it right? Maybe one day…but today brings reviews of two Southern thrillers (apparently both set in Texas, but Joe feels more like deep Appalachia…in1977) that have twists and are never unwatchable, but maybe aren’t as authentic or common-sense based as they should to be. Joe…Even though the director… Read More »