Gangster Squad tells the tale of a squad of off-book cops who had a mandate to take down boxer-turned-crime boss Mickey Cohen by any means necessary. Neither cops nor crooks come off well in it.
Category: Movies
Ladies and Gentlemen: The 85th Academy Awards® Nominations!
Well, they’re here! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have been announced and, once again, I slept through them – which means that I missed Seth McFarlane’s jokes and Emma Stone’s enthusiasm. So, let’s just get right to it. The complete list of nominees – and the occasional notation of possible glaring omissions […]
First Look: Pixar Short: Blue Umbrella!
Each Pixar film is released with an original short film and, with Blue Umbrella – paired with Monsters University, the tradition continues. Tagline: It is just another evening commute until the rain starts to fall, and the city comes alive to the sound of dripping rain pipes, whistling awnings and gurgling gutters. And in the […]
OSCAR® Nominations Reveal Breaks Tradition! Host Seth McFarlane Joins Emma Stone For Announcement!
When Seth MacFarlane joins Emma Stone to present the 2013 Oscar® Nominations on January 10th, he will be only second host to tale part in that announcement. Since 1964, the nominations have been made by the President of of the Academy and one or more co-announcers – the one previous exception being 1972, when […]
Sheldon’s Favorite Fifteen for 2012–Movies!
Every year we are told that movies aren’t as good as they used to be – and every year, we get enough good movies that picking a top ten/fifteen/twenty list for the year is hard work. Of course, there weren’t as many cries of ‘why don’t they make movies like they used to’ because […]
Blue Wedding Director Teams Up with Ryan Gosling for Action/Drama!
The first time director Derek Cianfrance and Ryan Gosling teamed up the result was Blue Valentine. With Focus Features’ The Place Beyond the Pines, the two collaborate on a sweeping emotional drama that powerfully explores the unbreakable bond between fathers and sons – plus motorcycle stunts and bank robberies. The Place Beyond the Pines opens […]
Les Miserables: Victor Hugo Spawns Uplifting Christmas Movie!
Tom Hooper doesn’t kid around. As a follow-up to his Oscar®-winning The King’s Speech, he could have played it safe and done another smart, funny period piece or a family drama – or any number of equally small independent films. Instead, he chose to adapt the hit musical Les Miserables to film – and, despite […]
Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino’s Take on Spaghetti Westerns Shoots Down Slavery!
We all know that Quentin Tarantino is an audacious filmmaker. If there’s a genre of filmmaking that he loves, he will produce his take on it at some point – and he really, really loves spaghetti westerns. For his version of a spaghetti western, though, he doesn’t just explode the conventions of the genre – […]
This Is 40: Apatow Mixes Comedy and Drama With Uneven Results!
Pete and Debbie – supporting characters in Judd Apatow’s terrific Knocked Up – get their own movie and it’s something of a mixed blessing.
Jack Reacher Is Not a Reach For Cruise!
Apocryphal story: an actor is rejected for a role because he’s short. ‘But I can act tall!’ comes the response. As hard as it is to believe, Tom Cruise acts tall in Jack Reacher.
Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D – WOW! Just WOW!
Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away is enthralling, entrancing, mesmerizing (pick any one; or all of the above) experience.