The New Republic Has Avatar’s Number

There’s a great little article by Christopher Orr over at The New Republic that pretty much nails my own feelings about the “Avatar phenomenon” and how it will almost certainly translate into Oscar gold for the film.  The argument is that while Avatar is almost certainly not deserving best picture, there is an overwhelming possibility [...]

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GEEKING OUT: Mark Millar’s “Kick-Ass”

Okay, so speaking of trade paperbacks that are coming out…  If you went to some place that happens to sell comic books today, you probably saw the hardcover for Mark Millar’s much-ballyhooed Kick-Ass prominently displayed on the shelves.  The book, which in full disclosure I have never read a single frame of, has become something [...]

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“The A-Team” Trailer

So I’m probably the very last person in the world to put this trailer up (it dropped last week, and was kind of a big deal), but I’m going to post the new trailer for the upcoming “A-Team” movie anyway.  Now, I never watched the show, and don’t really have even the slightest of nostalgic [...]

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“Cop Out” Trailer

In a true case of life imitates art imitates life, Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis are starring in a buddy-cop movie. Don’t tell me that whoever came up with Tracy Jordan’s Black Cop, White Cop posters for 30 Rock doesn’t deserve a little cheddar for this baby. Putting that aside though, it looks pretty funny, [...]

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LIST: Top 10 Films of 2009

I have repeatedly parroted that for the world of music, 2009 was an outstanding year.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for film.  Blame it on the terrible sequel blockbusters that crowded the box office (I’m looking at you New Moon, Transformers, and the Angels and Demons) not only in the summer, but during all [...]

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IN REVIEW (Film): The Road

“The book was better.”  This is an extremely popular (and often justified) phrase when assessing the quality of a film.  However, it’s also a phrase that can just as often mean very different things.  To say that the film version of John Hillcoat’s “The Road” was inferior to Cormac McCarthy’s amazing book is far less [...]

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“Green Zone” Trailer

Paul Greengrass has been on a real roll his last few times out of the gate.  He took over the helm of the Bourne franchise from Doug Liman and tweaked the winning formula for big returns with the Bourne Supremacy.  Then he turned his lens to real-life events and despite cries of “too soon,” he [...]

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Maurice Sendak Doesn’t Need Your Stinking Kids!

So, Maurice Sendak is the man.  I mean, sure, he wrote a children’s book that has made him millions and millions of dollars.  Yes, he had the foresight to give his blessing to one of the most creative and talented directors in Hollywood to adapt the book into a film (which has thus far been [...]

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IN REVIEW (Film): Where The Wild Things Are

“If the children don’t grow up, our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up. / We’re just a million little gods causin’ rain storms turnin’ every good thing to rust. / I guess we’ll just have to adjust.” ~The Arcade Fire In making Where the Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze was able to accomplish something impressive; he [...]

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Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense” Turns 25 and Into Blu-ray

Jonathan Demme and the Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense turned twenty-five (it was born the same year as me!) this year, and to celebrate it received a (long overdue) Blu-ray release.  This prompted the Los Angeles Times to blow the dust off the old concert film and see how it held up, could it possibly [...]

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