Roch Gersbach looks out the glass of the projectionist’s room down at the crowd of about 50 at the Cinematheque theater, located in Vilas Hall. The crowd, as usual, is made up of primarily older individuals, people who have spent years crafting sophisticated film tastes. The theater is small but… Read more »

As the sun begins to create unbearably hot afternoons, it’s time to start heading to cool theater spaces for a summer of superhero blockbusters, actor reunions and highly-anticipated animated sequels and prequels. Here is a glimpse of the most exciting films debuting in the next four months.  MayThis weekend marks the… Read more »

Tony Stark and friends light up the big screen both figuratively and literally in “Iron Man 3.” Director Shane Black has made the Marvel films everything a superhero movie can and should be.  The newest “Iron Man” deals with a popular theme that has hit the entertainment business: terrorism. Some… Read more »

“The Place Beyond the Pines” is the last film from actor Ryan Gosling (“Gangster Squad”) for the foreseeable future. Having earned recognition throughout the years with impeccable acting skills in a variety of roles, Gosling recently announced it is time he takes a break from acting. Despite an emotional plot,… Read more »

During a quiet month at the box office, Jackie Robinson baseball biopic “42” brought in a surprising $27.2 million this past weekend. As baseball season starts to kick off, the film’s inspirational story was released just in time for Jackie Robinson Day on April 15.  In reflecting on some… Read more »

Nothing sounds worse and more repetitive than yet another movie about aliens conquering the planet and humans having to hide out and live in fear as friendships grow and romances blossom. However, the story of “The Host,” based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, is quite… Read more »

Ever wonder what would happen if the United States were to be attacked by North Korean terrorists? The highly anticipated film “Olympus Has Fallen” gives an idea of the amount of power our government has and how closely guarded it must remain. Director Antoine Fuqua created this far-fetched but suspenseful… Read more »

Another month of film begins now, and sandwiched between an award season of critically-renowned films and an upcoming summer of blockbuster hits, April could potentially prove weak for the box office. However, perhaps this eclectic group of films offers something for everyone with genres ranging from horror to comedy… Read more »

Everyone recovering all right from spring break hangovers? Good. Want to relive the memories after blacking out? Probably not. Well, have no fear of director/writer Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers.” Chances are the film’s version of spring break is nothing like any Badger had to deal with. The film starts with… Read more »

Although it’s hard to believe, spring is quickly approaching, and that means the Wisconsin Film Festival is just around the corner. About to enter its 15th year, the festival, which is programmed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arts Institute and the UW Department of Communication Arts’ film studies program,… Read more »

When is a “good” time for a new take on a classic film? Let’s think. The classic “Wizard of Oz” (MGM, 1939) is immortal not only because Judy Garland became the biggest star of the age, but also because it broke ground technically as the first film to use a… Read more »

“Fee, fie, foe, fum, when will this movie ever be done,” is the phrase that will persist in the minds of some audience members within the first 15 minutes of being subjected to the overly dramatized, action-packed fairy tale remake “Jack the Giant Slayer.” The most recent film from director Bryan… Read more »

With the passing of the Academy Awards, a new year of film begins. Although the spring tends to be a generally weak season prior to the summer season of blockbusters, there are a couple of flicks worth a trip to the local theatre.  To kick off the year, fans… Read more »

Even in an embittered economy, there is a high demand for movies, television and more recently, online content. Today the world of media is fusing with the Internet ever more, leading to new ways to advertise. Additionally, Internet reviews are being posted straight onto original content, and the world of… Read more »

Many great films get passed over at the box office for a variety of reasons. Thankfully, Netflix can save a film’s overall reputation by offering bored college students the opportunity to jump start its fame. One such film that got screwed out of the recognition it deserved from the box… Read more »

A story of romance between a widower and a mysterious woman new to town is what many audience members might expect from the movie adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ book, “Safe Haven.” But this movie, well-timed for Valentine’s Day, is definitely not your typical love story. The opening scene shows Julianne… Read more »

The year’s worst-reviewed movie so far is now in theaters. But no one should have expected “Movie 43” it to be anything but crap. The A-list celebrity cast ensemble may have heightened expectations from audiences and critics alike, but actors can’t save something that is fundamentally meant to suck. “Movie 43”… Read more »

The newest film to take a stab at reinventing the zombie genre, “Warm Bodies,” is certainly a soulful romance. Adapted from the book of the same name by Isaac Marion, this film bridges the gap between “Twilight” haters and lovers by showing audiences the earth-shattering agony of adolescent love… Read more »

For the last two weeks, Park City, Utah, has been abuzz with filmmakers, press and eager audiences, all in great enthusiasm for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. As a member of the Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Committee, I had the opportunity to attend the festival with six other committee members… Read more »

Since their surprise performance together during the 81st Academy Awards, when it was confirmed Hugh Jackman (“Butter”) and Anne Hathaway (“The Dark Knight Rises”) would sing together in the cinematic adaptation of “Les Miserables,” audiences anxiously awaited the release of the musical on Christmas Day. Released in theatres during a… Read more »

With Oscar gold under her belt after the success of “The Hurt Locker,” director Kathryn Bigelow set her sights on retelling the story of finding Osama bin Laden after his capture in May 2011. Many moviegoers anticipated “The Hurt Locker’s” intense focus on military action to carry over, making “Zero… Read more »

Point by Bess Donoghue For film aficionados, the time has arrived when the previous year of cinema is celebrated with award show after award show. Out of the many awards, the Oscars seem to garner the most attention, often generating many questions. What is it about the Academy Awards that… Read more »

The award season is now in full swing, and this year’s crop of films continues to have audiences racing to the theatre to watch the latest flick. This month has everyone asking one question in particular about two mainstream Hollywood releases: “The Hobbit” or “Les Miserables”? Academy Award-winning director Tom… Read more »

David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” unites comedy, drama and romance all into one to create what may be one of the most memorable movies of the year. In short, Russell has crafted an incredible film. Bradley Cooper (“The Hangover Part II”), as Pat Solitano, plays a unique, somewhat troubled… Read more »

Did you hear that? The collective, relieved whisper, “Finally!” from a majority of the population? It’s because we will never again have to deal with the crazed Twilight fans eagerly anticipating the release of another installment. We’re done. Cue the cheers and applause. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 was finally… Read more »

The world’s favorite MI6 agent, James Bond (Daniel Craig, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), returns for a third installment in the most recent Bond cycle. “Skyfall” finally breaks the series away from the odd continuation between “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace” to tell a fresh Bond story. But a… Read more »

Over its lifetime, Walt Disney Studios has done amazing things with an enormous range of movie premises. From “Mulan” to “Hercules,” to “Bolt” and “Treasure Planet,” Disney films have spanned the gamut and made the studio famous for being able to make children’s movies from almost anything. With Disney’s latest animated… Read more »

Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, aka RZA, is widely known for his rapping talent as the lead member of the East Coast rap group Wu-Tang Clan. While RZA can spit rhymes with the best of them, his directorial debut resulted in a predictable plot and a film that is mostly notable for… Read more »

One-room schoolhouses, log cabins, barns or anything else people think up. These are examples of the many creative Little Free Libraries people have made around the world, and many students have probably seen them around Madison. For those who do not know much about the Madison-based organization, the group’s documentary,… Read more »

As the holiday season starts to set in, the film industry is gearing up for awards season. This month brings a mix of critically acclaimed films and love stories, including “Life of Pi” (Nov. 21) and the finale to the Twilight series, “Breaking Dawn - Part 2” (Nov. 16). Here… Read more »

The lofty, prepossessing film “Flight” tries to be a myriad of things and only succeeds at some of them. Starting off strong and disguising its sly motive, “Flight” follows the plight of addict pilot Whip Whitman, a man of many vices who salvages a seemingly-doomed commercial flight out of a… Read more »

Stephen Chbosky’s film “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” touchingly portrays the lives of less-than-ordinary high schoolers struggling with serious issues in a truly unforgettable manner.The main character Charlie (Logan Lerman) is a quiet, bookworm who begins his transition into high school with little more than hope to find new… Read more »

Ben Affleck (“The Town”) released his third directorial film, plunging those old enough to remember into nostalgia, while edifying others on the feuding nations and realities of the Iran Hostage Crisis during the Cold War. Affleck stars as Tony Mendez, a disheveled CIA agent with a shaggy haircut and a… Read more »

While it might sound like a joke, there are people out there that are really good at carving butter. It’s a substance with a malleable consistency that remains solid when cool; why not use it to make sculptures? Also, why not use it as the premise of a ridiculous movie?… Read more »

Looking into the next month of film, it’s no surprise a flux of horror/thriller movies are arriving just in time for the Halloween season, including Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie” (Oct. 5), along with the fourth and latest edition of “Paranormal Activity” (Oct. 19). Of the month’s newest arrivals, here are some… Read more »

As Oscar movie season begins pumping out hopeful contenders, there’s always the time around the end of summer that we get the try-hards: movies that try to be Oscar-worthy but fail. With big names galore and production values up the wazoo, first-time director Nicholas Jarecki did a decent job with… Read more »

“Breaking Bad” Sitcom Parody Apparently, all that is necessary to turn an edge-of-the-seat drama into a quirky sitcom is sound effects, a laugh track and a network logo. It’s more powerful than you’d think. This parody video has been around for a while, but right now, the corny edit serves… Read more »

With a summer of superheroes, talking teddy bears, and male strippers behind us, it’s time to look forward to the most promising fall flicks. Looking at the lineup of September films, audiences have several reasons to visit the theatre and cough up the cash for a ticket that might even… Read more »

Woody Allen seems to have started a series of movies based on European cities with his latest film, “To Rome with Love.” After “Midnight in Paris” received rave reviews last year, hopes were high for this star-studded title to have the same quality of storytelling and deep underlying messages. Unfortunately,… Read more »

In Marc Webb’s “The Amazing Spider-Man,” we are re-introduced to high school genius Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield, “The Social Network”), a wiseass know-it-all living in New York City. Peter mostly keeps to himself and only bothers others when he needs to. This all changes when Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone, “The… Read more »

In a tiny store nestled into a Tokyo Metro station, Jiro Ono’s skilled hands are dancing at his restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. Rice, fish and sauce are combined into a tiny bundle of flavor that can overwhelm every sense. Only the most select ingredients from Tokyo’s fish market and the best… Read more »

On most movie dates, boyfriends are dragged to the latest fluffy chick flick, and girlfriends are coaxed into the new yawner of an action movie. Cue “The Five-Year Engagement” to save your relationship and prove itself $10 well spent. The hilarious one-two punch of director Nicholas Stoller (“Get Him to… Read more »

Smart cinema is an admirable endeavor. It’s an idea that pervades more than just plot — there are plenty of cinematography and production tricks that, when carefully considered, can complement or even add to whatever surface material is on screen, adding a layer of complexity that begs to be sussed… Read more »

“Keyhole” opens with a bullet-ridden credit sequence that suggests an intense story, but it never quite shows. The experimental film noir is Canadian director Guy Maddin’s first story in five years, but most audience members will struggle to find any clear narrative structure throughout the movie’s 93 minutes. While the film… Read more »

It’s somewhat rare when a horror movie can appease both horror lovers and haters. But somehow, “Cabin in the Woods” manages to perfectly blend gore, camp and comedy in an unprecedented effort to critique and reflect upon its genre. The film has every single ingredient in the stereotypical horror movie… Read more »

The opening scene of “American Reunion” is a typical one for the “American Pie” series. It’s a bedroom setting, clothes scattered on the floor and suggestive music rolling in the background. But once the camera stops panning around the room, it settles on a quite different scene: Main character Jim… Read more »

Films featuring LGBT lead characters have been portraying coming-out stories for a long time. With recent attention through campaigns like the It Gets Better Project being paid to those choosing to end their lives to escape social stigma, it’s more important than ever to express the struggles the queer-identified must… Read more »

Students in want of a cheap date or some interesting talking points need look no further than this week’s Tales From Planet Earth Film Festival. Madison’s only annual environmental film festival has been growing rapidly since its inception in 2007, thanks in part to the popularity of its free movie… Read more »

Fans of “The Hunger Games,” originally a book series by Suzanne Collins, have anxiously awaited the release of the film since the trailer took audiences by storm last fall. In its final issue of the year, Entertainment Weekly called the preview the best three minutes of film in 2011. To… Read more »

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl make friends. One time boy and girl have sex and make a baby. And if Hollywood has anything to say about it, naturally, boy and girl are soul mates. That’s the basic gist behind “Friends with Kids,” an indie comedy directed by Jennifer Westfeldt… Read more »

There’s no doubt that finals week is a stressful time. While most students were holed up in the library cramming for exams, one ambitious group of University of Wisconsin students was dealing with another set of stresses. UW-Hollywood Badgers spent their finals week filming a movie that was the culminating… Read more »

It’s a familiar story: A woman wants a divorce from her husband. In any American film, the concept would be predictable, commonplace and hardly worth making a movie after. But in Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s “A Separation,” a familiar story is told in an unfamiliar way. In the film, Samin… Read more »

With “The Artist” sweeping the award season and a snowstorm on the horizon, we at ArtsEtc. have got your weekend covered with a list of our 10 favorite black and white films. “The Seven Year Itch” (1955) Though the film featured the scene that sparked a thousand blown-up skirts, few… Read more »

There is something about the term “festival” that suddenly becomes less colorful when the word “film” gets tacked on the front end. Visions of balloons, performers, activities and delicious foods are instantly replaced with a flickering screen and quiet, darkened theater. The Israeli Film Festival committee is determined to steer… Read more »

What happens when two die-hard Manhattanites are transplanted into unfamiliar territory with hippies, drugs and nudists? “Wanderlust” reinterprets the classic tale of city dwellers adjusting to a different environment through the medium of raunch comedy. George (Paul Rudd, “Our Idiot Brother”) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston, “Horrible Bosses”) are a married… Read more »

Despite more than satisfactory acting from lead actress Amanda Seyfried (“Red Riding Hood”) in the new thriller “Gone,” the film’s overly-simplified, predictable and one-dimensional script make the movie a goner. The film begins one year after Jill (Amanda Seyfried) narrowly escapes death when she is kidnapped and left in the… Read more »

Best Picture Nominees “The Artist”“The Descendants”“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”“The Help”“Hugo”“Midnight in Paris”“Moneyball”“Tree of Life”“War Horse” Vegas odds favor: “The Artist”Category summary If there’s a motif to this year’s Best Picture nominees, it’s movies set in the past. Of the nine nominees, only two — “The Descendants” and “Midnight in… Read more »

British movie maker Steve McQueen had to make a choice. In order to have his latest film, “Shame,” taken seriously for awards this season, he would have had to cut many sexually explicit scenes just to appease sensitive viewers. However, removing so many plot-essential moments would have severely compromised the… Read more »

“The Woman in Black,” a shadowy supernatural tale of a ghost who haunts and terrorizes a small English town, doesn’t scream Oscar material, but does make for some face-hiding, seat-squirming fun. Daniel Radcliffe (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II”) plays the more mature role of Arthur Kipps, a… Read more »

Late 19th century Dublin is a place of hardships; fear of typhoid and poverty grip citizens as they go about their daily lives in a struggle to survive. Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close, “Damages”) is among the lucky few employed as a waiter in an upscale hotel, making enough money to… Read more »

Stephen Daldry’s (“The Reader”) newest screen adaptation, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” is a well thought-out story of a 9/11 child-victim’s struggle to cope with loss. But it tries a bit too hard. Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn, debut) and his father (Tom Hanks, “Larry Crowne”) have a visibly close relationship.… Read more »

Wolves are back, but it’s not another “Twilight” sequel. This winter, there is “The Grey,” an existential man-versus-beast flick with more violence than sense and more fun than substance. “The Grey” is rated R, presumably to keep out immature viewers. But its pudgy, cartoonish wolf monsters would barely convince a… Read more »

Meryl Streep does what she can with a poorly constructed overview of the highlights of Margaret Thatcher’s career as the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom in director Phyllida Lloyd’s “The Iron Lady.” Margaret Thatcher (Streep, “It’s Complicated”) is losing her mind to dementia. Her dead husband (Jim… Read more »

On the heels of the successful American version of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” Hollywood shows once again that damsels aren’t always in distress. Some cause it. In “Haywire,” the latest thriller from director Steven Soderbergh (“Contagion”), a highly skilled operative (Gina Carano, “Blood and Bone”) seeks revenge after… Read more »

The silent movie genre has long been considered extinct, but French writer/director Michel Hazanavicius revives the format in the film he calls his love letter to cinema, “The Artist.” In 1927, Hollywood’s most beloved silent film star is George Valentin (Jean Dujardin, “A View of Love”), a handsome, dashing heartthrob… Read more »

What makes a good candidate for a book-to-film adaptation? No one would touch Tolkien’s popular Lord of the Rings trilogy until Peter Jackson finally approached it in the early 2000s. And fans of American novelist William Faulkner probably never could have believed his unchronological, stream-of-consciousness interior monologue-filled book “As I… Read more »

For the first time in seven years, I was denied admission to a movie because it was sold out. With the increase in ticket prices and decrease in audience attendance recently, I was understandably surprised. So I bought tickets for the next show time of “The Muppets” and resisted George… Read more »

Compelling and emotional, “J. Edgar” will captivate audiences. Director Clint Eastwood (“Hereafter”) and writer Dustin Lance Black (“Milk”) outdid themselves in recounting the remarkable life of the late J. Edgar Hoover, who served nearly 50 years as the face of law enforcement in America. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the difficult role… Read more »

The most recent, visually stunning film from Danish director Lars von Trier, “Melancholia,” is without question the masterpiece of his career. Tackling the staggering subject of the apocalypse, von Trier has managed to present the end of days as both heart-wrenching and beautiful. He begins with an eight-minute prologue similar in… Read more »

Tonight, Madison’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community will have the chance to glow in the limelight. Through Sunday, the Wisconsin Union Directorate’s Film Committee will be hosting the Reel Love Film Festival. This festival is the city’s first film fest devoted to exploring LGBT identities and cultures. While the… Read more »

“There’s a thin veneer between the dream and the reality. You wake ‘em up and people might ask for their money back.” These cynical words come from a weary editor who cautions journalist Frank Kemp (Johnny Depp, “Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides”), from reporting on hard-hitting issues that… Read more »

It’s hard to imagine that anything new, interesting or exciting could possibly happen in the “Paranormal Activity” series’ third attempt at a decently scary film. The biggest shock in the theater this year wasn’t the overused demon motif or the cheesy, superficial acting. The surprise was the large crowd that… Read more »

There’s no reason that a logical flaw should be central to an evaluation of a movie about shape-shifting aliens in Antarctica. It’s a premise so absurd that stepping into the theater signals a sort of implicit contract between viewer and filmmakers to suspend disbelief for an hour and a half… Read more »

Kevin Bacon’s iconic role in the 1984 version of “Footloose” will always have a special place in the hearts of film aficionados. His powerful and emotional dance scene in an abandoned warehouse is a film sequence that will never be forgotten. The idea that Director Craig Brewer (“Black Snake Moan”)… Read more »

From the opening scene of his newest movie, Ryan Gosling makes one thing very clear: He’s come a long way since “The Notebook,” and there’s no turning back. The up-and-comer heads an impressive cast in the highly anticipated political drama “The Ides of March,” which came out Friday. The film… Read more »

The not so typical romantic comedy “What’s Your Number?” is a perfect blend of over-the-top humor and sentimental moments. Ally Darling (Anna Faris, “The House Bunny”) is a fiery, outspoken party girl who is on a quest for love after numerous failed relationships. From the opening lines of the movie,… Read more »

Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “Inception”) seemingly has it all — a hot girlfriend, a solid job, a loyal friend and a supportive mom — until he goes to his doctor to get what he thinks is just irritating back pain checked out. It turns out he has neurofibroma sarcoma schwannoma —… Read more »

Any Badger likely remembers their tour of the school, if they had one. Despite all of the marketing and hype, tour guides always readily admitted what they believed to be the school’s only flaw: There was no movie theater within walking distance. And yet, despite the frequency of this complaint,… Read more »

We touch our face 2,000 to 3,000 times a day, according to Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet, “The Reader”) in the recently released medical thriller, “Contagion.” This statistic makes the possibility of catching an airborne virus chilling, especially given how many objects we touch throughout the day—objects riddled with the… Read more »

Not everything is just as good 12 years later, but due to some twists and revamps over the years, the Cinematheque film series at the University of Wisconsin has proven to do just that. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that so many people love films — each is a piece… Read more »

Unfortunately, nice guys don’t always finish first. That’s the case for Ned (Paul Rudd) in “Our Idiot Brother,” whose unrelenting honesty and good-natured attitude gets him into trouble. After being tricked by a uniformed police officer who wanted to buy pot from him (Ned tries to give it to him… Read more »

An obvious creation of the French screen-writer and producer Luc Besson (“The Fifth Element”) and self-dubbed director Olivier Megaton (“Transporter 3”), “Colombiana” is an action packed, revenge-centric B-movie starring the gorgeous Zoe Saldana (“Takers”). The film begins in Bogotá with young schoolgirl Cataleya (Amandla Stenberg in her debut feature film)… Read more »

It’s finally here: The end of an era, the final installment of the phenomenon that defined a generation: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2.”  This is a conclusion more than 10 years in the making, and those belonging to the generation the series defined have a special stake in… Read more »

Say you were just sitting around one day and a mysterious ball of green light encapsulated you and dragged you off to the location of a crashed alien spaceship. I would hope you would attempt to pinch yourself awake, or at least question what in the world was going on. Or… Read more »

The last time a bee was the focus of a major motion picture, audiences narrowly avoided disaster in Jerry Seinfeld’s “Bee Movie.” This time, human civilization might not be so lucky, or so would argue the environmental documentary “Queen of the Sun,” from director Taggart Siegel, screening this weekend at Sundance Cinemas.… Read more »

It’s probably best to get this out of the way immediately: “Fast Five” is not going to win any awards for excellence in filmmaking. It isn’t a life-changing movie by any stretch of the imagination. This fact doesn’t matter, however, because it never tries to be a movie like that.… Read more »

FOUND Magazine, the brainchild of Michigan native Davy Rothbart, is almost like an unwitting PostSecret. People from across the country send random notes, photos, stories and scraps of paper that they’ve found to Rothbart, who then assembles them in a magazine. The magazine is also a central subject in filmmaker… Read more »

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, “Twilight” lovers of all ages! Step right up for a filmmaking spectacular that will leave you dazzled, romantically satisfied and all-the-more confident that Robert Pattinson cannot act but can look dang good while (not) doing it.Whether your faith lies with Robert Pattinson and… Read more »

“Don’t fuck with the original,” swears Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, Wes Craven’s not-so-distressed damsel in the latest installment of his hit slasher franchise, “Scream.” Craven (“My Soul to Take”), known for the ultra-self-allusiveness of his horror flicks, takes his trademark to the brink of absurdity — with perhaps a… Read more »

Summer blockbusters. Next to Thanksgiving and Christmas, those precious three months of sun and fun may be the most lucrative seasonal opportunity for Hollywood to serve up amusing comedy romps and mind-blowing adventure flicks theater-goers still continue to ponder (read: “Inception”). Whatever the genre, summer movies are notoriously coveted on… Read more »

Once upon a time — in a land far, far away, where two moons existed instead of one and wizard weed ruled supreme — two men decided to embark on a journey to design a comedic fantasy film. Along the way, they managed to pick up prestigious Hollywood actors such… Read more »

There’s something intriguing about a child being raised away from civilization; a kind of Mowgli brought up by wolves. Think, then, about when that child is reintroduced to the modern world—never having seen electricity or another child to play with. This is the life of Hanna (Saoirse Ronan, “The Lovely… Read more »

An island is very representative of Joe Wright’s (“The Atonement,” “The Soloist”) latest creation, “Hanna.” All three leads, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana and Saoirse Ronan, were actually born on one — Blanchett and Bana in Australia and Ronan in New York City. Plus, the latter actress was raised on yet… Read more »

Dramatic and strangely romantic, “Jane Eyre” is resurrected in this modern day adaptation, which does not disappoint in packing a powerful punch. There have been upward of 20 TV and movie adaptions to Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 classic novel “Jane Eyre,” but Cary Joji Fukunaga trumps any other attempt at bringing… Read more »

Preceded by previews that seem redundant and showy and boasting a plot line that’s definitely been done before, “Limitless” encourages the audience to set its expectations low and brace for a predictable action flick filled with flamboyant and drug- trippy cinematic techniques. But instead, “Limitless” puts on quite a show… Read more »

We’ve all been exposed to aliens and foreign invasions in the realm of popular culture. But rarely do we witness an apocalyptic fight between mankind and extraterrestrials from a first-person perspective, all set in the sprawling expanse of Los Angeles. The upcoming film “Battle: Los Angeles” has been touted by… Read more »

It’s not often an audience of all ages can laugh uproariously at the misadventures of a chameleon donning a Hawaiian shirt. Then again, it’s not often Johnny Depp (“The Tourist”) is providing the voice of said lizard. Acquaint yourself with Rango: A much less phlegmatic Clint Eastwood reincarnated as an… Read more »

Picture this: potty jokes, body parts, a car chase or two and Owen Wilson. If this sounds appealing, then “Hall Pass” is the flick for you. As for the rest of us, we can easily use a “pass” of our own and skip out on the Farrelly brothers’ (“The Heartbreak… Read more »

It seems Johnny Depp finally caught the fever — Bieber fever, that is. “We just established that I’m a Belieber,” Depp said while shaking the “Never Say Never” star’s hand at a recent “Rango” press conference in Los Angeles. Depp was describing how he first channeled his inner lizard to… Read more »

BEST PICTURE 127 Hours Black Swan The Fighter Inception The Kids Are All Right The King’s Speech (WINNER) The Social Network Toy Story 3 True Grit Winter’s Bone Last year, the Academy doubled the number of Best Picture nominations to ten for the first time since 1943. The Oscars will take on the same format this season, yet once again,… Read more »

For a film complete with high-speed car chases, conspiracy theories, a bout of amnesia and the uncertainty of losing one’s sanity, Liam Neeson’s latest action thriller, “Unknown,” attempts to cover the formulaic bases of a satisfying suspense film. Unfortunately, while the snow swirls around Berlin’s historic landmarks, the film’s plot… Read more »

What happens when a little white lie turns into a web of lies, forcing someone to give a sheep CPR? You just go with it. One bizarre scene after the next makes “Just Go With It” the perfect title for Adam Sandler’s latest movie. Sandler (“Grown Ups”) plays a plastic… Read more »

Most are familiar with the scene. It’s August, and the time has come to move out and head off to college, where an assigned roommate awaits. While this time is certainly anxiety-ridden, having an obsessive roommate seems an unlikely worry. Or does it? Enter “The Roommate,” a recent release bringing… Read more »

When the word “exorcism” is heard by a moviegoer, it dredges up images of contortions, spinning heads and the spewing of split pea soup. “The Rite,” however, uses drastically more modern special effects, although to a less eerie and less disturbing effect. Sir Anthony Hopkins (“The Wolfman”) is undoubtedly the… Read more »

Audiences have seen Natalie Portman as a troubled child, a prostitute, a comic book teenager and a galactic queen. With such an eclectic and highly-regarded repertoire, the multi-Golden Globe winner’s ability to ease Katherine Heigl-style into a romantic comedy comes, at face value, as a shock. However, as soon as… Read more »

“She looks like my child,” Ashton Kutcher said jokingly of his “No Strings Attached” co-star, Natalie Portman. It’s true, the former underwear model towers over the “Garden State” star’s 5-foot-3 stature, a disjunctive exterior that has caused some to consider them an unlikely matchup as onscreen sexual partners. However, “No… Read more »

The Green Hornet is hardly a household name. From the 1930s radio program that started it all to the 1960s television show which floundered after its first season, the Hornet has failed to maintain much buzz over the years. Compared to Christopher Nolan’s dark and brooding Dark Knight franchise, or… Read more »

When it comes to boxing, a true contender is judged by his performance inside the ring. In movies, however, it’s what happens once the fighter steps off the canvas that can make or break the film. It’s watching Rocky overcome adversity as he sprints up the stone steps of the… Read more »

Everybody loves an underdog. Since biblical times when David downed Goliath, people have been drawn to the little guy, no matter whether it’s in sports, life or even a little of both. “The Fighter,” an upcoming boxing biopic from director David O. Russell (“I Heart Huckabees”), tells the true… Read more »

The first time audiences saw Jake Gyllenhaal (“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”) and Anne Hathaway (“Alice in Wonderland”) together was in “Brokeback Mountain,” where Hathaway plays the wife of Gyllenhaal’s character, who carries on an intimate relationship with another man. Besides an awkward sex scene, viewers really didn’t… Read more »

Ever since “Hairspray” in 2007, musical lovers have been waiting in anticipation for another film to project singing, dancing, costumes and overall energy of live performance theater onto the silver screen. Steve Antin’s newest film “Burlesque,” an upbeat film starring Cher and Christina Aguilera, has renewed this collision of… Read more »

I first landed in the wizarding world when I was 10. My mom, my sister and I were visiting our grandparents in Vancouver and my grandma had the first Harry Potter book waiting for me. I was skeptical about a book full of barely-pronounceable Latin spells and a main character… Read more »

Excuse me laying this on you, but I’ve had a crisis of faith recently. It started in class the other week, when a clip of 1998’s “The Siege” was shown. After the conclusion of the trailer, the professor in question asked for responses to the clip. “I just can’t… Read more »

“Morning Glory” is just as bright and perky as it sounds. A fairly standard romantic comedy, it comes darn close to hitting all of the right notes while still managing to fall short on emotional investment and a believable love story. Despite this, “Glory” is an enjoyable romantic comedy with… Read more »

Let’s face it: After bringing us the epically original “The Hangover,” director Todd Phillips has got some tough shoes to fill — his own. With its 2009 release, “friendships” quickly became known as “wolf packs” and a blundering bearded man was put on the map as a comical genius. As… Read more »

The final scenes of “Saw VI” answered nearly every question “Saw” devotees might have been asking since the end of the franchise’s first installment in 2004. A few things were left open-ended (i.e. what happened to the handful of people who survived Jigsaw’s traps over the years by mutilating themselves… Read more »

Criticize mainstream Hollywood actors and entertainers as you will; berate its constituents, scoff at the thespians you once idolized and enjoy their illustrious fall from underground grace to commercial commonality to all to your pretentious hearts’ content, but know this: Some semblance of fortitude remains in front of the silver… Read more »

Matt Damon’s new film “Hereafter,” although compelling, provides no answers to what comes after death and might not be worth the eight dollars and two hours spent to learn nothing. In the story a French journalist, an American psychic and a young English boy, all experience death and are only… Read more »

The boys are back. After 10 years, two movies and a slew of hospital trips, Johnny Knoxville and company have returned with another compilation of reckless pranks and stunts in “Jackass 3-D.” As always, they will shock you, make you laugh and occasionally gross you out. But before getting into… Read more »

You could call it a joke with one hell of a punch line. At the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, a table accommodating roughly 20 reporters sits in the dead center of an uncomfortably large room. A white tablecloth extends from end to end, upon which pitchers of water sit… Read more »

As the sun rose over the Belmont Stakes track in Elmont, N.Y., on June 9, 1973, horse groomer Eddie Sweat announced the world was “gonna see something you ain’t ever seen before.” He was indeed correct. On that day, the thoroughbred horse Secretariat became the first horse to win the… Read more »

It took David Fincher 99 takes to get the opening scene of “The Social Network” just right. On the surface the scene looks simple. It’s just a conversation between Mark Zuckerberg and his soon to be ex-girlfriend Erica Albright. They talk about Mark’s obsession with Harvard’s elite Final Clubs then… Read more »

Let’s be honest, sequels usually blow. It is just another way for film industries to try to make more money without putting that much effort into it. It is quite rare when the sequel surpasses the original film. In this case, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” didn’t necessary bypass the… Read more »

Ben Affleck’s latest directing foray starts as a typical bank robbery film. It’s “Ocean’s Eleven” with a Boston accent, or maybe “Point Break” in the slums just outside of Fenway Park. However, as the film progresses it becomes something different. It slowly changes into an existential prison escape film that… Read more »

Loosely based on the classic romantic novel, “The Scarlet Letter,” teen queen Emma Stone’s (Zombieland) “Easy A” centers around Olive, a straight-laced high school girl who, after faking the loss of her virginity, finds her life mirroring that of Hester Prynne. Rumors, drama and judgments ensue as Olive tries to… Read more »

When the trailers for “Going the Distance” first premiered, a glimmer of hope for the future of rom-coms emerged from the depths of this disappointing genre. First of all, Katherine Heigl was nowhere to be found — a key ingredient for the potential success of any film. Secondly, the concept… Read more »

Despite its seemingly epic title, “The Last Exorcism” may not be what you’re expecting to see. Since “The Blair Witch Project” in 1999 to more recent films like “Paranormal Activity” and “The Fourth Kind,” mockumentary horror films have terrified their audiences by leading them into a false wicked reality. While… Read more »

Whipping audiences through the world of top-notch robberies, new flick “Takers” is sure to impress. While it sports a cast that will steal the hearts of female viewers, “Takers” is surrounded by a sea of action completely driven by testosterone. “Takers” ‘takes’ the audience’s attention from the get-go and does… Read more »

Inception: \in-‘sep-sh n\ noun: An act, process, or instance of beginning; commencement. The definition of “inception” according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, and the title of Christopher Nolan’s (“The Dark Night”) latest psychological masterpiece, leaves a lot to be explained. What are we embarking on exactly, and what do we hope to… Read more »

On Friday, “Star Trek” will return to the silver screen for the first time in more than six years, yet, this time around there will be no Patrick Stewart or William Shatner at the helm of the starship Enterprise. What there will be, though, is a massive amount of… Read more »

In film, the biopic genre is like a double-edged sword. If you attempt to tell the tale of a widely recognized public figure, you have to make a rehashed story captivating nonetheless. On the other hand, if you tackle a virtual nobody, you face the challenge of having audiences… Read more »

Throughout the years, a number of British exports have had immense success here in the United States. Whether it is The Beatles, “The Office” or fish and chips, there is just something about these select cultural phenoms that Americans cannot get enough of. One such export is the exciting… Read more »

On the very first page of Facebook bumper stickers are several pictures of the sexy southerner Lucas Till with sayings like, “The reason why I went to the Hannah Montana movie,” and, “Screw Miley — I spent $10 for this,” proving not just eight-year-olds went to see “Hannah Montana: The… Read more »

What do giant stuffed pandas, pot cookies, bad hair and college burnouts have in common? They are just a few of the quirky characters featured in one of the most genuinely charming comedies of the year. “Adventureland” may seem like just another romantic coming-of-age story — or the type… Read more »

It must be a strange feeling to be the star of a hit movie as a young teen, then to grow up and be in a remake of the same movie. This is precisely what Kim Richards and Iake Eissinmann do in “Race to Witch Mountain.” Richards and Eissinmann… Read more »

Director Tony Gilroy’s latest big-screen release “Duplicity” seems to have all the makings to follow in the footsteps of one of his most popular hits “The Bourne Identity” trilogy, complete with a whirlwind of espionage, suspense and action. Unfortunately, Gilroy’s blockbuster formula failed him. “Duplicity” actually lacks all of… Read more »