President Donald Trump’s cameo in the holiday classic “Home Alone 2: Lost In New York” was completely axed from showings of the movie on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) this month.
Read moreThe 10 Best Scenes from ‘The Irishman'
It’s been nearly a month since Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” hit Netflix, and whether you think its Scorsese’s best, an instant classic or just plainly too long, it can’t be denied it has some of the greatest cinematic moments of the year, and in some cases, the decade.
Read moreWere Kelly Marie Tran's Scenes Axed From ‘The Rise of Skywalker'?
When “The Last Jedi” was released in 2018 the complaints from hardcore fans were mostly aimed at Rian Johnson’s unconventional depiction of Luke Skywalker. However, there was quite a large contingent which was also complaining about the new characters whom, coincidence or not, were mostly female, (Laura Dern's Admiral Holdo and Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico). This backlash led to a fan deciding to edit his own 46-minute version of the "The Last Jedi" without any women in it. (an idiotic move if there ever was one)
Read moreKevin Spacey Posts Another Strange Christmas Video as Frank Underwood
This will probably be a slightly better Christmas for actor Kevin Spacey than last year, when allegations were swirling all around the blacklisted actor, including being charged with one count of felony sexual assault. Cape and Islands D.A. Michael O’Keefe lost his gamble as the charges against Spacey for allegedly sexually assaulting the teenage son of former Boston WCVB-TV news anchor Heather Unruh at a Nantucket bar, were dropped just a few months ago due to accuser being caught altering text messages. Then another whole separate sexual assault allegation was again dropped when another accuser died of cancer.
Read moreDisney Released 8 of This Year's 10 Highest-Grossing Movies
Disney’s record-breaking year might not be of much concern for normal movie-going audiences, but from my point of view, its slow but sure monopolization with each passing year is frightening. Yes, the year-end numbers are in, and the mouse house has secured eight of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2019 domestically. Unheard of, but very much something that, if you’ve been following the numbers, was foreseen by many. Add in the fact that Disney also now has a very successful streaming service, et voila — a monopoly is not too far ahead! This, in fact, is what Martin Scorsese has been complaining about these last few months: it’s not necessarily a “Marvel problem,” but more of a Disney problem (no wonder Disney CEO Bob Iger is saying he wants to meet with Scorsese to discuss the future of cinema).
Read moreThe 25 Best Movies of the Decade [2010s]
As the decade closes in, I’ve decided to make a list of the 20 best movies I have seen since 2010. To say that I have painstakingly been trying to refine this list over and over again would be an understatement. The general questions I set forth to ask were quite simple: which films left the biggest impression on me this decade? Which works of art transcended the medium and paved their way into my deepest subconscious? Which films will have a lasting impact in the years to come?
Read moreBox-Office: ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Has Lowest Opening of the New Trilogy
After much talk and varying predictions on how much it would make, Disney’s final juggernaut of 2019, “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker” debuted this week to what many would see as a solid $175.5M domestic. Although down (as expected) on the previous two installments “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi”, the final installment in the over 40-year-old saga still delivered the third-largest December opening of all time, behind its predecessors of course.
Read more‘Cat'-astrophe: Universal Sending Theaters “Updated" Version of ‘Cats' With “Improved Visual Effects"
‘Respect': Jennifer Hudson Will Aim For A Second Oscar in 2020 [Teaser]
An Aretha Franklin biopic is coming in 2020. Not just that, but Jennifer Hudson will be playing the “Queen of Soul” in this cinematic adaptation of the legendary singer. Rookie film director Liesl Tommy will be helming the project, which was written by Tracey Scott Wilson.
Read moreTerry Gilliam Admits to Hating ‘Black Panther' and Calls Its Cultural Impact “Bullshit"
If only Terry Gilliam could direct a superhero movie. His off-beat, humorous and surreal style just demands it, especially in a genre that has been repeating the same formula for more than a decade now. But, make no mistake about it, Gilliam is not a fan of the MCU and will likely never director an MCU installment.
Read moreGreta Gerwig's ‘Little Women' Falls Flat [Review]
Greta Gerwig‘s “Little Women” runs on the notion that a fresh and insightful adaptation could still be made of Louise May Alcott’s classic novel. After all, this is the fourth Hollywood adaptation of Alcott’s beloved story. The end result is somewhere between decent, passable and not that bad. You can’t help but respect Gerwig’s intentions, not to mention the stunning costume and set design, and some of the performances, but the creative decisions behind this latest adaptation of “Little Women” feel misguided and too overly obvious.
Read more‘1917' is More Virtual-Reality Video Game and Less Cinema [Review]
“1917,” from “American Beauty “director Sam Mendes, wants to take the war movie genre and turn it into a ride. With the help of DP extraordinaire, Roger Deakins, the film essentially unfolds via a single, unbroken shot. However, unlike, say, Alexander Sokourov’s “Russian Ark,” this experiment from Deakins and Mendes manages to find ways to make invisible cuts. It’s the same artificial one-take experiment that was used in Hitchcock’s “Rope” and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman.” However, the result here feels more gimmick than cinema, a sort of virtual reality video game, but devoid of a beating heart.
Read more‘Doctor Sleep' Director Teases 3-Hour Director's Cut We Didn't Even Need in the First Place
The intimidating challenge for a sequel was given to writer-director Mike Flanagan (“Hush”), who was unafraid to open “Doctor Sleep” with flashbacks of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” and little Danny Torrance spinning his big wheel tricycle all around the hallways of the infamous Overlook Hotel. Referencing specific sets and shots, the film had Flanagan taking his time (the film clocked in at an overwrought 152 minutes) to set up all the action and characters he needed to make his opus. The result, however, was disjointed and lacking in momentum. It just fell flat.
Read more‘Downhill’: Will Ferrell & Julia Louis-Dreyfus Escape an Avalanche In Remake Of ‘Force Majeure’
Hollywood is at it again, deciding to make an English-language remake of a soon-to-be-classic foreign film. Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus star in the upcoming Fox Searchlight film “Downhill,” (premiering at Sundance in 2020) which is an English-language remake of the Swedish film “Force Majeure.” The film is directed by the duo of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash ("The Descendants," "The Way Way Back") and scripted by “Four Lions” writer Jesse Armstrong.
Read moreSame-Sex Kiss in ‘The Rise of Skywalker' Censored in the Middle East and Singapore
Director JJ Abrams had previously announced that ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ would feature an LGBTQ character and, sure enough, the film has a scene that sees two women Resistance Fighters sharing a smooch. This, of course, doesn’t need spoilers because it’s barely background action, it doesn’t develop the story whatsoever — It’s a kiss shared by two of the most minor characters imaginable.
Read moreMartin Scorsese Says ‘The Aviator,' ‘Shutter Island' and ‘The Departed' Couldn't Get Made Today
You have to hand it to Martin Scorsese, he’s relentless in his criticisms of the state of cinema today. However, this time around he’s not even shooting darts at Marvel, but more the franchise invasion at the multiplex.
Read moreBehind the Scenes of ‘Molly's Game'
If proof was ever needed that truth can be stranger than fiction then you only need to look to the star-studded cast of Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut, Molly’s Game. With Jessica Chastain in the lead role, the cast list included Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Chris O’Dowd, Jeremy Strong and Graham Greene amongst many others. But the real story lies in who these actors are really representing from the worlds of sport, music and movies.
Read more‘Little Women' Studio Interference?
Posted on 12.19.19:
“I have to tell you, the readers, that this theatrical version everybody is raving about was not the one Gerwig wanted in theaters. Hear me out: I have been told, by a few very reliable sources, that there was major studio interference into Gerwig’s original vision of the film and she never got the final cut she wanted. This will likely never slip out into the mainstream due to Sony and Gerwig trying to nab those precious Oscar-nominations, but it does need to be mentioned. The reason “Little Women” is a disjointed mess may lie in post-production tensions between studio and filmmaker which occurred, mostly, in the editing room.”
Guillermo del Toro Pens Glowing Tribute to ‘The Irishman'
Guillermo del Toro isn’t just great because he’s a talented filmmaker, but also because he’s an unadorned and passionate lover of cinema. In fact, the Criterion Collection's streaming service has a whole series of shorts called At the Movies with Guillermo where the director giddily deconstructs some of his favorite movies.
Read moreAmy Pascal Says ‘Little Women’ Isn’t Getting Awards Love Due to “Unconscious Bias” Towards Women
Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” has been garnering critical acclaim ever since its first press screening happened in late November. I mean, what else would you call a 91 on Metacritic and a 96% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Hell, it’s even the seventh-most mentioned film in critics ten best lists. is poised to be a big hit and a major awards contender. With all this acclaim, you would think this major studio film is bound to reap the awards, but that hasn’t really happened. The Golden Globes gave Gerwig’s film a pathetic two nominations (Best Actress, Best Score) and, even worse, SAG gave it a grand total of zero noms — This has led to all sorts of speculation and backlash, to the point where now, in some circles, if you don’t like “Little Women” then you must be a sexist.
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In the Academy’s 97-year history, no documentary has ever been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar? Fielder’s doc is being tipped as potentially making history — but is it even non-fiction?