Results tagged “joshbrolin”

Earlier this month The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences held its annual luncheon for the Oscar nominees at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. LAist was there in the interview room while nominees such as Penelope Cruz. Mickey Rourke and Kate Winslet fielded questions from the press.

     

Hollywood can have problems giving credit where credit is due. Ideas get stolen, supporting actors go unnoticed, and many times the writers who make up the foundation of the entertainment industry never get the limelight in the way that they should. That is, until they decide to go on strike, or a blonde bombshell declares them unfit for accolades. So it should be a source of honor and pride for these men and women when, once a year, they are truly recognized and heralded for their achievements. This is the Writers Guild of America Awards.

I could talk for hours about it, but I'll simply say that Amadeus is the finest movie I have ever seen. From the amazing performances by F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce to the script by Peter Schaeffer (a superior revision of his stage play) to the direction by Milos Forman (who never again came close to this level of artistry) right down to the ballet choreography by Twyla Tharp and the imposing score by Sir Neville Marriner, Amadeus is the purest, most perfect synthesis of all the wonder that is possible with cinema. If you have never seen this wonderful film, rectify that mistake immediately and pick up this Blu-Ray disc.

As expected, Marky Mark's had a surprisingly strong start on Friday before tailing off slightly as the weekend continued. Apparently, Americans just can't get enough of their flawed yet heroic president, George W. Bush.

Judging by the sour critical reception, it sounds like Max Payne probably sucks. They did cut one hell of a trailer, though. Harry Knowles loved Sex Drive, but then again he also loved Godzilla. How do you not go see W.? I mean, a film about George W. Bush directed by Oliver Stone. The curiosity factor alone will pull me in. What Just Happened? received a dismal response at Sundance this year. The original book by Art Linson, however, is a gem. Who knew Alec Baldwin was such a douchebag? Everyone.

Though its elliptical ending caused a bit of a backlash, I can't imagine any serious film fan not enjoying the hell out of finally ties up all the loose ends of the original that have been bedeviling viewers for nigh on two decades.

Ethan and Joel Coen, aka the Coen Brothers took home the biggest prizes at tonight's Academy Awards for the film "No Country For Old Men." It wasn't even the best film they've done but then again, Herbie Hancock. Jon Stewart ran the show as he did last year but could do no wrong with Regis Philbin there in the wings.

"No Country For Old Men," "There Will Be Blood," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," and "Atonement" all received nominations for Best Picture this morning, as the Academy Award nominations were announced in Beverly Hills. "No Country" and "There Will Be Blood" are the front runners with eight noms apiece, including a Best Actor nod for perennial Oscar fav Daniel Day-Lewis, and directing nominations for the Coen Bros. and Paul Thomas Anderson. While Javier Bardem was recognized with a Best Supporting nom for his work in "No Country," neither Tommy Lee Jones nor Josh Brolin were nominated for the film (although Jones is in the running for a Best Actor award for his work in "In the Valley of Elah" -- did anybody actually see that?).

The Coen Brothers have made a very very good movie with No Country For Old Men. Josh Brolin is the tough guy that all men would want to be and women would love to come home to. Frenchy Javier Bardem plays one of the creepiest and vicious bad guys to grace the screen in a long time. Hell, even Woody Harrelson adds some comic relief for pretty much no good reason, but it adds a little depth to a film that's just about perfect for the first 90 minutes.

No Country for Old Men is so profoundly good, so rich in depth and meticulous in craft that if someone were to ask me what I thought of it, I would only be able to stammer, "Just...go see it. Quickly!" Adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name (its title lifted from Yeats' Sailing to Byzantium), No Country for Old Men tells the deceptively simple story of a man who finds a...

With one very notable exception, it's a fairly dull weekend in the movie world. That exception, of course, is the sterling No Country for Old Men. After several misfires (Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers, The Man Who Wasn't There), the Coen Brothers are back with their best film since The Big Lebowski. Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones all give superb performances in this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name....

I was lucky enough to score a couple of last minute tickets to last night's world premiere of the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double feature, Grindhouse, at the Orpheum in downtown LA. I am happy to report that after months of festering anticipation, Grindhouse lives up to the hype. Grindhouse, which is actually two feature-length movies in one (total running time: 185 minutes), begins with vintage title cards promoting "prevues of coming attractions." Then comes...

Not that Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez need any free publicity, but you gotta love the 1970s-style color palette and cheeseball film effects of the Grind House trailer -- complete with Josh Brolin looking like a young Jeff Bridges, Danny Trejo as the badass knife-sharpening Machete, Tom Savini as a shotgun-wielding sheriff's deputy and Rose McGowan as an amputee stripper with a machine gun for a shin....