2013 Fearless Oscar Nomination Predictions
And away we go. I waited until the last possible second this year, mainly because I hadn’t seen everything – and still haven’t. But the great thing about the Oscars lately is that you don’t have to have seen everything to accurately predict them. Granted, 2012 was a stronger year than expected. But it doesn’t change the fact that once a film garners enough momentum to become one of the “anointed...
A Walk in the Woods (Review)
While A Walk in the Woods could have been an overly earnest weepie or an embarrassing slapstick farce, it settles somewhere comfortably in-between. It’s inconsequential, but it should please fans of codger comedies. After living all over the world, travel writer Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) finds himself back in the U.S.A., semi-retired, giving inane TV interviews and attending one funeral too many. He decides to hike the 2000+...
A-Team, The (Review)
A-TEAM, THE (6/10/10; Action) Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson, Brian Bloom SCR: Joe Carnahan, Brian Bloom, Skip Woods; based on the television series created by Stephen J. Canell and Frank Lupo DIR: Joe Carnahan MPAA: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, disturbing images and sexual content. 1 hour 57 mins BOX: $77,222,099 Big-screen version of the...
Adjustment Bureau, The (Review)
ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, THE (3/04/11; Sci-Fi, Romance) Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Michael Kelly, John Slattery, Anthony Ruivivar, Terence Stamp SCR/DIR: George Nolfi MPAA: PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexuality and a violent image. 2 hours 4 mins BOX: $60,735,145 David Norris (Damon) is a politician derailed on Election Day by some old college photos. On the verge of delivering a concession...
Albert Nobbs (Review)
ALBERT NOBBS (12/23/11; Period Drama) Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson, Janet McTeer, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brendan Gleeson, Maria Doyle Kenned SCR: Glenn Close, John Banville; based on “The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs” by George Moore DIR: Rodrigo García MPAA: Rated R for some sexuality, brief nudity and language. 1 hour 53 mins In 19th century Dublin, Albert Nobbs (Close) is a woman comfortably living and...
Alice in Wonderland (Review)
ALICE IN WONDERLAND (3/05/10; Fantasy, 3D) Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Michael Sheen, Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Fry, Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Crispin Glover SCR: Linda Woolverton; based on the books by Lewis Carroll DIR: Tim Burton MPAA: PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar. 1 hour 48 mins BOX: $331,093,518 Tim Burton. Alice in Wonderland. Johnny Depp as the Mad...
All Good Things (Review)
ALL GOOD THINGS (12/03/10; Thriller) Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella, Kristen Wiig, Philip Baker Hall, Diane Venora SCR: Marcus Hinchey, Marc Smerling DIR: Andrew Jarecki MPAA: R for drug use, violence, language and some sexuality. 1 hour 41 mins BOX: $557,115 In the 70s, David Marks (Gosling), an heir to a New York real estate fortune, begrudgingly takes a job with the firm to appease his arrogant father (Langella) and...
American Ultra (Review)
American Ultra is the latest in a line of stoner movies, which have a not-so-long and not-so-grand tradition. Back in the 1930s, Reefer Madness attempted to warn viewers away from the “dangers” of smoking pot (you’ll turn into a crazed demon!) but in the 1960s, that movie became a hilarious cult classic for smokers to watch and enjoy while partaking. Cheech (Marin) and (Tommy) Chong had a huge hit with Up in Smoke...
American, The (Review)
AMERICAN, THE (9/03/10; Drama, Thriller) George Clooney, Thekla Reuten, Irina Björklund, Violante Placido, Paolo Bonacelli SCR: Martin Booth, Rowan Joffe; based on the Martin Booth novel A Very Private Gentleman DIR: Anton Corbijn MPAA: R for violence, sexual content and nudity. 1 hour 45 mins BOX: $35,596,227 Moody European-flavored thriller finds hardened assassin Clooney hiding out in Italy and taking on a benign job to assemble a...
Animal Kingdom (Review)
ANIMAL KINGDOM (8/13/10; Drama, Crime, Thriller) Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, Sullivan Stapleton, James Frecheville SCR/DIR: David Michôd MPAA: R for violence, drug content and pervasive language. 1 hour 52 mins BOX: $5,775,563 Australian crime drama follows the Codys, a notorious family of criminals as seen through the eyes of recently-orphaned teenager “J” (Frecheville), who goes to live with...
Another Happy Day (Review)
ANOTHER HAPPY DAY (11/04/11; Comedy, Drama) Ellen Barkin, Kate Bosworth, Ellen Burstyn, Thomas Haden Church, George Kennedy, Ezra Miller, Demi Moore, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Michael Nardelli, Daniel Yelsky, Eamon O’Rourke, Jeffrey DeMunn, Diana Scarwid SCR/DIR: Sam Levinson 1 hour 59 mins (Phase 4 Films) At least Another Happy Day is aptly named. The debut film from the son of Oscar-winner Barry Levinson is a handsome mess:...
Ant-Man (Review)
Let’s just get this first order of business out of the way; Ant-Man is kind of a lame superhero. I feel safe saying that not only because it’s true but also because unlike some comic book properties, I don’t see a huge swarm of Ant-Man aficionados coming after me for that negative comment because really, there’s not many. Yes, I know he is a classic Marvel character. Yes, I know he was a leading figure in terms of comics becoming more...
![Arthur [2011] (Review)](http://flicknation.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Arthur.jpg)
Arthur [2011] (Review)
ARTHUR (4/08/11; Comedy) Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig, Luis Guzmán, Geraldine James, Nick Nolte SCR: Jared Stern, Peter Baynham; based on the 1981 movie written by Steve Gordon DIR: Jason Winer MPAA: PG-13 for alcohol use throughout, sexual content and some drug references. 1 hour 50 mins BOX: $39,219,065 Why remake the classic 1981 Dudley Moore comedy? Well, because Russell Brand was looking for a...
Artist, The (Review)
ARTIST, THE (11/23/11; Silent, B&W, Drama) Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Missi Pyle, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Uggie SCR/DIR: Michel Hazanavicius 1 hour 40 mins In 1927, George Valentin (Dujardin) is on top of the world: he’s a beloved icon and a major silent movie star attending the premiere of his latest film, A Russian Affair. Outside the theater, Valentin is posing for pictures...
Avatar (Review)
AVATAR (12/18/09; Sci-Fi, Action, 3D) Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Peter Mensah, Wes Studi, Stephen Lang SCR/DIR: James Cameron MPAA: PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking. 2 hours 41 mins BOX: $760,507,298 Worthington plays paralyzed ex-Marine Jake Sully, a genetic match for a deceased brother...
Babies (Review)
BABIES (5/07/10; Documentary) Ponijao, Bayar, Mari, Hattie DIR: Thomas Balmès MPAA: PG for cultural and maternal nudity throughout. 1 hour 19 mins BOX: $7,320,323 The title says it all. We follow four babies through the first year of their lives. The hook is that the babies live in four wildly different environments: Namibia, Mongolia, Tokyo and San Francisco (Oakland, really). The scenes are intercut without the baggage of a forced...
Back to Space-Con (Review)
BACK TO SPACE-CON (4/14/11; Documentary) Joe Ferrara II, Ernie Fosselius, Robert Napton, John Stanley, Gary Tomsic, Bob Wilkins SCR/DIR: Tom Wyrsch 1 hour 14 mins Affectionate doc caters to a very specialized audience: anyone who might have fond memories of attending any of the Space-Cons between 1975 and 1981, the Star Trek and Star Wars-themed conventions that were the precursor to mammoth pop culture gatherings Comic-Con and...
Back-Up Plan, The (Review)
BACK-UP PLAN, THE (4/23/10; Comedy, Romance) Jennifer Lopez, Alex O’Loughlin, Danneel Harris, Eric Christian Olsen, Anthony Anderson, Noureen DeWulf, Tom Bosley, Linda Lavin SCR: Kate Angelo DIR: Alan Poul MPAA: PG-13 for sexual content including references, some crude material and language. 1 hour 46 mins BOX: $33,737,302 Cliché-ridden comeback-of-sorts for Lopez is a fluffy and relatively safe vehicle about a Zoe, a woman who...
Bad Lieutenant, The: Port of New Orleans (Review)
BAD LIEUTENANT, THE: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS (11/20/09; Drama, Suspense) Nicolas Cage, Val Kilmer, Eva Mendes, Fairuza Balk, Jennifer Coolidge, Vondie Curtis Hall, Shawn Hatosy, Denzel Whitaker, Xzibit SCR: Billy Finkelstein DIR: Werner Herzog MPAA: R for drug use and language throughout, some violence and sexuality. 2 hours 2 mins BOX: $5,908,682 Here’s one of the great cinematic puzzles of the 21st century: How can Nicolas Cage go...
Bad Teacher (Review)
BAD TEACHER (6/24/11; Comedy) Cameron Diaz, Lucy Punch, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Phyllis Smith, John Michael Higgins SCR: Gene Stupnitsky, Lee Eisenberg DIR: Jake Kasdan MPAA: Rated R for sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use. 1 hour 32 mins BOX: $100,292,856 Diaz devours her best role in years as Elizabeth, a gold-digging, pot-smoking teacher dumped early by her nebbishy fiancée (and his shrewish mother), forcing...
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