Results tagged “amyadams”

                            

When I think of my favorite movies of the last twenty years, the most curious inclusion is probably Whit Stillman's The Last Days of Disco. Now that it's been given the Criterion treatment (it's been out of print on DVD for years), I can't recommend it highly enough. If only Stillman would actually write and direct another film (Disco was his last and that was eleven years ago!). I enjoyed Adventureland so much at Sundance that I watched it again when it landed in theaters. Equally sad and sweet and funny, it was poorly marketed as a straight comedy and never really found an audience. I imagine that it will on DVD, though. Sunshine Cleaning was okay, but had that "deliberately quirky" vibe coursing through it. Duplicity was one of several failures earlier this year that probably marked the beginning of the end of the big-budget, adult-targeted film. Shame that.

                     

Paramount refused to screen G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra for critics which is usually a huge, obvious warning that the film is an unmitigated disaster. Then again, maybe the studio is still just chafing from the deserved reaming given to Transformers 2: Racist CGI Porn by reviewers. In any case, G.I. Joe is obviously on the "skip" list. The consensus on Julie & Julia (LAist review here) appears to be that the movie would have benefited from more Julia and less Julie. To get a true grasp of what an amazing actress Meryl Streep is, Netflix the following movies and watch them in this order: Doubt, Silkwood, Sophie's Choice, Stuck on You.

              

The genre of "foodie movies" demands that the Los Angelean viewer have an after-movie plan. If you're seeing Tampopo, make haste for Daikokuya. If it's Soul Food, M&M Soul Food better be no farther than 20 minutes away. And now with Julie & Julia... well really, is there any place in Los Angeles where you can find the exquisite French food featured in the movie? Oh sure, there's Kendall's Brasserie or Church & State. But the best thing about Julie & Julia is that you're gonna wanna cook. Maybe not like Julia Child, but you'll be inspired to break out the pots and pans, and maybe even the pen and paper.

While it was expected to be a close race, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian ($53.5M) easily topped Terminator Salvation ($43M) to capture the weekend box office crown. Both of these borderline movies will surely be blown out of the water next week by the absolutely fantastic Up (saw it; loved it). Star Trek slipped to third but still had a strong weekend ($21.9M/$183.5M), managing to edge last week's champ Angels & Demons ($21.4M/$81.5M). Newcomer Dance Flick finished fifth with a decent take of $11.1M.

       

I was never a huge fan of the Terminator movies, so I wasn't too upset about the mythology-raping that goes on in Terminator Salvation. For me it was just good, loud fun with cool robots and Moon Bloodgood's amazing cleavage. During a family visit over Christmas I was snookered into seeing the first Night at the Museum. That will not be the case with the dreary-looking Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Yes, the flicks are stupid, but I am a fan of whatever the Wayans' brothers touch so I'll queue up for Dance Flick. In shame.

If you are looking for an evening of light entertainment with the whole family, what better choice is there than Doubt? I love priest-rape dramas. Are you like me -- do you marvel at the rare ability of Adam Sandler to not ever make you laugh at anything? Ever. As far as I'm concerned, Keanu Reeves probably would have done a better job of playing the giant robot in The Day the Earth Stood Still than his human counterpart. Yes Man = another slip down the rope for Jim Carrey. The bottom is sneaking up on you, Jim! I wish my life was like Donkey Punch (eg. hot, naked babes on big yachts). Just without all the rape and murder.

I'm not sure if The Edge of Love is any good or not, but any movie that puts Keira Knightly in bed with Sienna Miller is worth my time and money. Race to Witch Mountain, on the other hand, does not. The original Escape to Witch Mountain was corny, badly-staged and maudlin -- in other words, perfect. Sunshine Cleaning is supposed to be very good (reviews have been kind). Just curious why it's been on the shelf for so long.

In Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood has finally fused his many previous cinema personas into something both grand and elegant. It belongs in the Oscar conversation (plus Clint sings!). Doubt was timelier when it opened onstage years back, but how do you miss anything featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep ( excepted)? The Day the Earth Stood Still might be worth watching if virtually anyone other than Keanu Reeves inhabited the central role. He's a likable schlumpf in a role that demands an actor with a quiet and menacing charisma. Michael Shannon anyone?

In the entertainment world, the leap from stage to screen can often be a tumultuous one. There are tantalizingly few Dustin Hoffman-Willie Lowman shining stars to help playwrights navigate the dark and treacherous cinema seas. There are no Angels in America lighthouses with which to shore up for a time. Which is why, sad to say, many a play-to-film adaptation simply s(t)inks.

As a true devotee, I feel it's my duty to spread the word about the criminally overlooked : there's no there there.

Despite a critical reception that could charitably be called awful, ($5.7M).

I've always thought it was a shame that Jason Statham got stuck in the ghetto of glossy, empty action flicks. You'd never guess it by watching looks to be a winner.

Like tells a fascinating and (mostly) true story that's so improbable you wonder what's taken it so long to reach the big screen. If you don't already know, Charlie Wilson was a fairly nondescript Congressman from Texas (known more as a hedonist than a legislator) who almost single-handedly provided the money and weapons that the Afghan Mujahideen used to defeat the seemingly invincible Soviet Union. Wilson would ultimately (and secretly) funnel hundreds of millions dollars to the Afghan fighters and many credit his involvement as the turning point in the Soviet-Afghan War.

Enchanted joined the small circle of films that have topped the box office over consecutive weekends this year. It brought in 17 million dollars, raising its cume to a healthy $70.6M. This Christmas was second to Enchanted once again. It made an extra $8.4M and--considering its meager $13M budget--is now a bona fide hit with a gross of $36.9M. Beowulf was third in its third week, adding $7.9M to its $68.6M worth of treasure....

To no one's surprise, surprised somewhat with a strong $27.1M since its Wednesday opening. Are African-American churchgoers the new hot demo?

The buzz on ?

We can't wait until Sarah Silverman gets to host the Oscars. Would she make jokes about the freshness of her vagina, like she does in the opening monologue of the Independent Spirit Awards today? She kicks things off saying George Clooney "has proved himself both artsy and fartsy," and "Felicity Huffman, I am such a huge fan of his."