Josh Tate

The New Year's weekend is typically very slow since most people either went to the movies over Christmas or are still too hung-over from New Year's Eve to bother leaving the house. As such, it's a light release schedule this week. Defiance is the story of three Polish brothers who escape from a Nazi concentration camp and join forces with a group of Russian resistance fighters to build a safe refuge from which to...

What better way to celebrate the birth of baby New Year than with emerging talent? This week, the Egyptian hosts the 4th Annual Focus On Female directors, a shorts program spanning animation, environmentalism & waxing. Considering how Hollywood lauds female filmmakers as it casts them aside (witness the recent Twilight debacle), nights like this are vital opportunities to support double-X auteurs. For those more interested in emerging technology, the Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Fest...

While 2008 was no 1999 in terms of truly amazing films, it was better than most may think. Last year, I went with a top 10 that was headed by the wondrous and magical Once. This year, I decided to be a little more liberal with my selections and included 15 films that were all fantastic in their own unique ways. For me, though, two films really stood out above all the rest: Tell...

An American Carol seems to lack that genuine mean-spiritedness that makes conservatives like P.J. O'Rourke and Mark Steyn so funny. It's a shame to see an old lion like David Zucker (see here, here, here, here) wither into comedic senescence. Then again, it will happen to us all. Towelhead seems to have that "shock for the sake of shocking" vibe warning against it. Still, Alan Ball is always worth a look, right? Whither the...

In a bit of a surprise, Marley & Me peed and barked its way to the top of the weekend box-office chart ($37M). It easily topped early favorite Bedtime Stories ($28M) and critical darling The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ($27M). Mediocre reviews didn't damage Valkyrie too badly ($21.5M) nor did the fact that star Tom Cruise is, in fact, crazy. Last week's winner, Yes Man had a decent weekend ($16.4M/$49.5M) as did runner-up...

If only Pitt had Blanchett's talent. More importantly, if only I were dating Cate Blanchett. | Photo courtesy of Paramount Making a great film is truly an act of alchemy. How else to explain how an exquisitely and sumptuously crafted film like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button falls well short of the mark set recently by two other films made for a relative pittance: Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler. This is not to say...

Don't spill water on him! (You may damage the plush) | Photo courtesy of lemonfridge via flickr Now that those goody-goody holiday bills of It's A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story have lain down all snug in their beds, it's time for a real holiday party: Gremlins, gore & Bill Murray. For an even creepier Christmas, the Cinefamily presents "Mondo Xmas", collecting Christmas Evil (John Waters' favorite holiday film), its writer/director Lewis Jackson, a...

May the Queen of the Corset reign forever! | Photo courtesy of Paramount Vantage Yes, Keira Knightley has many detractors, but I think she's just fabulous. Period pieces like The Duchess are right in her wheelhouse. It's no Brideshead Revisited (see that movie!) but--except for a curiously inert performance by Ralph Fiennes--it's definitely worth a rental. The same can't be said for either Eagle Eye or Ghost Town. The phrase "big-budget misfire" seems about...

Hi, I'm Tom Cruise and I'm playing a Nazi. A good Nazi! | Photo courtesy of United Artists The one question most people will ask about Valkyrie--fairly or unfairly--is, "Does Tom Cruise ruin this movie?" The answer--as fairly as I can state it--is that he doesn't ruin it, but he also doesn't particularly add anything significant to it which is a shame because Valkyrie should have been a good picture. The source material is rich...

Zooey looks embarrassed; Jim looks tired; audience looks bored. | Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers In a down weekend due to bad weather across the country, middling Jim Carrey "comedy" Yes Man ($18.1M) topped middling Will Smith "drama" Seven Pounds ($16M) to capture the weekend box-office crown. The week's other big newcomer, The Tale of Despereaux, failed to really ignite its needed kiddie base and only came in with a haul of $10.5M. The Day...