October 31, 2014

Add it To Your Queue Vol. 7: Alternate Horror For Halloween

Every Halloween, Horror gets its due and people stay inside to scare themselves with blood, guts, and shocks. There are a lot of bad horror movies, but there are also some really good films…and there are even some which are under the radar. If you’ve warn out your copies of The Shining, Psycho, or Halloween, here are some alternatives to add to the Halloween queue.
October 24, 2014

The 5: Movie Cats

This week one of the best written films of the year, Listen Up Philip, is out. And along with Jason Schwartzman, Elizabeth Moss, Krysten Ritter, and […]
October 14, 2014

My Day at Comic Con with Curtis Armstrong The King of the Nerds

Nerd icon Curtis Armstrong had a busy schedule at New York's Comic Con, and we were excited when we were invited to spend the day following him throughout his various Comic Con events. Film biographer Lesley Coffin got to spend a day in the life of a Comic Con panelist, and observed Curtis in meetings, doing signings, and appearing on radio shows, press tables and panels. She also got to sit down with Curtis and talk movies, tv and of course, nerds.
September 5, 2014

Lock Yourself in Weekend: Bill Murray Movies, Five Ways

Lock yourself in weekend for Bill Murray movies? Forget about it. To create list of five or six essential Bill Murray films would be just silly. The man is a national treasure. So instead of creating just one weekend of Bill Murray fun, we created five. One for every Murray Mood: The Cameos, Supporting Roles, The Serious Stuff, Under-appreciated Gems, and Comedy Classics.
August 29, 2014

Summer Movie Time Capsule: Wrapping Up the Worst of Summer Movies Part 3

Considering this is one of the worst summer for movies (despite being one of the most profitable) it might be time to look at almost 40 years of summer blockbusters, the good the bad, and the baffling). Below is a poll of the 5 biggest movies released (or in release during summer) from 1975 (Jaws) to 2014, based on quarterly earnings and yearly box-office. This week we cover 1975-1989
August 27, 2014

Six Essential Performances By Ben Mendelsohn

More than a few great character actors have found themselves on the rise after long, distinguished careers which fell “under the radar.” In America, Ben Mendelsohn (currently in Starred Up and upcoming Lost Rivers, Black Seas, Exodus, and Slow West) is a name that has only emerged as one to watch a couple years ago, but according to director Derek Cianfrance, he’s long been “Australia’s hidden treasure.” He’s only made a few appearance in “big budget” films (Dark Knight Rises and Australia) but in the indie world, his filmography is an impressive blend of romantic leads, impulsive man-boys, and maniacs for more than three decades.
August 22, 2014

Summer Movie Time Capsule: Wrapping Up the Best of the Worst Summer Movies Part 2

Considering this is one of the worst summer for movies (despite being one of the most profitable) it might be time to look at almost 40 years of summer blockbusters, the good the bad, and the baffling). Below is a poll of the 5 biggest movies released (or in release during summer) from 1975 (Jaws) to 2014, based on quarterly earnings and yearly box-office. This week we cover the 1990′s.
August 15, 2014

Summer Movie Time Capsule: Wrapping Up the Best of the Worst of Summer Movies Part 1

Considering this is one of the worst summer for movies (despite being one of the most profitable) it might be time to look at almost 40 years of summer blockbusters, the good the bad, and the baffling).
August 11, 2014

Remembering Comedy Legend Robin Williams

The tragic news of Robin William’s death at the age of just 63 years old is only made more difficult to know that a man who made so many people laugh for so many years, killed himself after a long battle with depression. We will never know all the horrible details of his tragic death or cause, nor should we. It simply isn’t possible to grasp such despair unless you are unlucky enough to suffer from similar thoughts. And he leaves behind a family who knew him not as a brilliant comic or actor, but husband and father.
August 1, 2014

Six Essential Performances By John C. Reilly

Our newest feature salutes some of the great character actors with a primer on their greatest performances. In our first, we saluted the outstanding performances of recently deceased actor Bob Hoskins with Six Essential Performances. This week, a look at six brilliant, and sometimes overlooked roles of John C. Reilly.
July 21, 2014

The 5: Boyhood Movies for Adults

With the recent release of the excellent Boyhood by Richard Linklater, it’s time to look at some of the very best movies about boyhood (note boys…girls have been criminally underserved) Here are five of the best which still hold-up for kids and adults today.
July 20, 2014

James Garner (1928-2014)

One of the coolest and most charming actors of his era, James Garner, died at 86 Saturday. The Oklahoma born actor arrived in Hollywood at the tail end of the star system with the rugged masculinity of John Wayne and romantic-comedy swagger of Cary Grant.
July 3, 2014

Six Essential Performances by … Stanley Tucci

Our newest feature salutes some of the great character actors with a primer on their greatest performances. In our first, we saluted the outstanding performances of recently deceased actor Bob Hoskins with Six Essential Performances. This week, a look at six brilliant, and sometimes overlooked roles of Stanley Tucci.
July 1, 2014

Paul Mazursky (1930-2014)

One of the most prolific film writers of his generation, Paul Mazarsky died yesterday, but left behind an impressive filmography which serve as true documents of their time.
June 9, 2014

The 5: Sitcom Children Who Got Misplaced

Sometimes even TV families lose interest. But it would be so easy to come up with a storyline driven reason to get rid of a kid that the writers lose interest in. It's just common sense. For these five sitcom kids, they had a fate worse than getting written off a hit show. They just disappeared. Where do the sitcom children go?
May 27, 2014

When Filmmakers Go Way Out of the Box With Their Music Choices

Often times music choices in film are a little predictable or on the nose, even if it has an emotional impact. Going outside of the ordinary is always risky creatively, but when it works, it's absolutely unforgettable. Here are some of the best examples of choosing outside the box music for films.
May 9, 2014

The Five: Cinema’s Worst Mothers

Usually, this is a section where highlighting good stuff is the goal. But it seemed time to give something for all the passive aggressive angry people dreading Mother’s Day.
May 3, 2014

Six Essential Performances of…Bob Hoskins

In the first of what we hope will be a new feature, we’ll be saluting some of the great character actors with a primer on their greatest performances. With the passing of Bob Hoskins earlier this week, it seemed only right to pay homage by kicking things off with a salute to the actor's remarkable career. Hoskins referred to himself as “5 foot six and cubic”, a self-deprecating way of describing the unique appearance of an unlikely star
April 30, 2014

Bob Hoskins (1942-2014)

One of the great character actors of his generation, Bob Hoskins, died last night at the age of just 71. Hoskins dead of pneumonia, a complication of Parkinson's Disease which he had been battling for some time, and reason behind his retirement announcement in 2012.
April 24, 2014

16 Tribeca Film Festival Standouts To Look Forward To

With only a few days left to attend the Tribeca Film festival, we put together this list of some of the standouts so far. Here's what we're loving at Tribeca including seven comedies, two great documentaries, one mockumentary and some great dramas.
March 12, 2014

The 5: The New Music Comedy

Music has always been a part of comedy. Since the days of the old traveling vaudeville shows, to era of the novelty song, the parody song, through to todays more modern take on musical comedy, there will always be musical comedy. These five musical comedy acts are the latest wave of a tradition that has included the Smothers Brothers, Weird Al Yankovic, Stephen Lynch Lonely Island and so many others.
March 5, 2014

The 5: The Great American Surf Movies

It has been a brutal winter and parts of the country are still dealing with mounds of snow, below zero temperatures, and freezing wind. So, as we enter spring, and wish we could go on spring break like college students, its time to enjoy the definitive surf movies and pretend you're getting sunburned with the rest of these beach bum blondes...not all these movies can be called "good" but they are all entertaining.