21 & OVER (2013) Starring Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Justin Chon, Sarah Wright, Jonathan Keltz, Francois Chau, Russell Hodgkinson, Daniel Booko, Russell Mercado, Dustin Ybarra, Samantha Futerman, Josie Loren and Christiann Castallonos. Screenplay by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Distributed by Relativity Media. 93 minutes. Rated R. Yes, … Continue reading
Director Spike Lee Has His Red Hook Summer by Brad Balfour When New York-based director Spike Lee makes a film, it’s almost always an event. That’s been the case virtually from the moment he emerged as a hot young indie filmmaker breaking both the color barrier by dealing with subject matter most mainstream directors neither touched … Continue reading
Alan Light Stands Before the Lord of Song With Nothing on His Lips But “Hallelujah” by Jay S. Jacobs There are certain songs that feel like they were born as classics: the world knew and loved them from their release date. Immediate standards like “Something,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “My Girl” and “Imagine” were fully … Continue reading
THE INSIDER (1999) Starring Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Philip Baker Hall, Lindsay Crouse, Debi Mazar, Stephen Tobolowsky, Colm Feore, Bruce McGill, Gina Gershon, Michael Gambon, Lynne Thigpen, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Michael Paul Chan, Gary Sandy, Breckin Meyer and Rip Torn. Screenplay Michael Mann and Eric Roth. Directed by Michael Mann. Distributed … Continue reading
PETER PAN – DIAMOND EDITION (1953) Featuring the voices of Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried, Bill Thompson, Heather Angel, Paul Collins, Tommy Luske, Candy Candido and Tom Conway. Screenplay by Milt Banta, Bill Cottrell, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Ted Sears and Ralph Wright. Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson and … Continue reading
Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks and Tom Hooper – Bringing a Broadway Classic to the Big Screen with Les Misérables by Brad Balfour Based on the legendary Victor Hugo novel – by way of the operatic stage musical created around it – the recently released cinematic version of Les Misérables spans 17 … Continue reading
LINCOLN (2012) Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Bruce McGill, Walton Goggins, Michael Stuhlbarg, Julie White, Adam Driver, Hal Holbrook, Tim Blake Nelson, Gulliver McGrath, Elizabeth Marvel, Bill Camp, Joseph Cross, Gregory Itzin, S. Epatha Merkerson, Gloria Reuben, … Continue reading
LAY THE FAVORITE (2012) Starring Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vince Vaughn, Joshua Jackson, John Carroll Lynch, Laura Prepon, Frank Grillo, Wendell Pierce, Jo Newman, Andrea Frankle, Wayne Pére, Dominique DuVernay, Corbin Bernsen and Joel Murray. Screenplay by D.J. DeVincentis. Directed by Stephen Frears. Distributed by Radius/TWC. 94 minutes. Rated R. At the beginning of Lay … Continue reading
Christoph Waltz Unchained by Brad Balfour When Vienna-born Christoph Waltz got the part of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds, few thought this Austrian actor – well known back home, but a question mark for film fans here – would so define a character and himself through this Quentin Tarantino film. Now with Django Unchained, Tarantino … Continue reading
Michael Haneke Makes A Loving Statement in Amour by Brad Balfour A cultivated couple in their 80s, retired music teachers Georges and Anne have a nice apartment in a fine Parisian neighborhood. One night, after seeing a former student perform, Anne blanks out at home, presaging the condition to come. Afterwards, surgery to correct her blocked … Continue reading
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