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Saturday, December 22, 2012

New In Theaters - December 21, 2012



THIS IS 40
Starring: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Megan Fox, John Lithgow,
Iris Apatow, Maude Apatow, Melissa McCarthy,
Robert Smigel, Charlene Yi & Albert Brooks
Directed by Judd Apatow for distribution by Universal


The Plot: Picking up five years after the events of “Knocked Up,” the “sort-of” sequel focuses on how Pete and Debbie (from the first film) are dealing with turning 40.

The Final Word: The idea for a “sort-of” sequel was actually not a bad idea. “Knocked Up” was a surprise summer hit and helped launch the film career of co-star Katherine Heigl (before her “Grey’s Anatomy” exit promptly derailed it not long after).  “This Is 40” may not pull the same opening weekend numbers as its predecessor, but that’s okay. Apatow has never been obsessed about making blockbusters; he’s more content to just put out a quality film and one that causes a conversation.

THE GUILT TRIP
Starring: Barbra Streisand, Seth Rogen, Kathy Najimy,
Colin Hanks & Adam Scott
Directed by Anne Fletcher for distribution by Paramount


The Plot: A inventor heads out a cross-country sales trip along with his mother.

The Final Word: Looking past all the “car trip” puns, the overall feel is that the movie had potential but ultimately stalled out. Normally there are only a handful of films out this time to appeal to the typical Streisand audience, but with Billy Crystal and Bette Midler’s (equally panned) “Parental Guidance” and Oscar pics “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Les Miserables” also in theaters, poor reviews will probably have an impact on “Trip’s” bottom line.
MONSTERS, INC. 3D
Starring: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi, 
James Coburn,Jennifer Tilly, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger,
 Frank Oz & Bonnie Hunt
Directed by Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich, David Silverman for distribution by Disney


The Plot: A little girl causes havoc in a city inhabited by monsters.

The Final Word: “Monsters, Inc.” is another of Pixar’s gems from the past that Disney has repurposed in 3D to earn a little extra money at the holiday box office. It also reminds audiences its sequel “Monsters University” is due out next year.

JACK REACHER
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins,
Alexia Fast, Robert Duvall, Jai Courtney & Werner Herzog
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie for distribution by Paramount


The Plot: A military investigator becomes entangled in a high stakes murder plot and is forced to find the truth while evading capture.

The Final Word: Tom Cruise succeed last year in a big way at the December box office with “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” and seems set to double-down on that success. While Cruise is a different version of the title character than the one made famous in the Lee Child novels, audiences shouldn’t have a problem envisioning him as Reacher given his success with action films.

New In Theaters - December 14, 2012



THE HOBBIT
Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, 
Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, 
Evangeline Lilly & Andy Serkis
Directed by Peter Jackson for distribution by New Line (Warner Brothers)


The Plot: Bilbo Baggins is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which is currently under the control of the dragon Smaug.

The Final Word: It’s fairly safe to say Oscar winning director Peter Jackson was the only man who could have possibly brought “The Hobbit” to the big screen. The talented filmmaker behind “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy originally was content to sit this experience out and serve only as a consultant to one-time director Guillermo del Toro, however when del Toro dropped out of the project, it soon it became clear audiences wanted Jackson back in the fold.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

‘Lincoln’ tops Golden Globes nominations with ‘Argo’ and ‘Django’ close behind



This morning’s Golden Globes nominations are only a few hours old and already it’s clear that this is anybody’s game!

While Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” topped all opponents with 7 nominations, its top challengers weren’t that far behind. Hot on the bio-pic’s tale were both “Argo” and the rapidly rising “Django Unchained” with 5 each. “Les Miserables,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Zero Dark Thirty” followed with 4 nominations apiece.

Click here for the full story.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Screen Actors Guild nominations favor ‘Marigold Hotel’ and ‘Lincoln’


Following yesterday’s reveal of the Critics’ Choice Awards, today the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) had their say and while a number of the current Oscar favorites were nominated, voters still managed to provide a surprise or two.

Click here for the full story.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Golden Globes poised to recognize ‘Argo’ and ‘Lincoln’ with drama nominations


Every year a few films enter into the race as wild cards; you know they are going to be represented, but you aren’t sure to what extent. This year the main wild cards fall under the comedy/musical genre, which means when the Golden Globe nominations are handed out this week, they’ll be in a completely different race, but it still doesn’t like like that will clear the clutter in any way.

Click here for the full story.

‘Lincoln’ and ‘Les Miserables’ top Broadcast Film Critics nominations


As awards week in Hollywood continues to ramp up, today it was the Broadcast Film Critics’ (BFC) turn to reveal their nominees for 2012’s best in film and as usual they supplied the industry with a surprise or two.

Click here for the full story.

‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Silver Linings’ expected to shine at Golden Globes


Of all the Oscar season precursors, the Golden Globes are the most unique. Presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the Globes spilt their top categories into comedy/musical and drama races. As a result a number of films that aren’t usually thrust into the award race are suddenly right there in the mix with the big contenders.

Click here for the full story.

AFI names 2012 film and TV honorees; ‘Argo,’ ‘Dark Knight,’ and ‘Louie' make cut



Awards week is officially upon us as the Critics’ Choice, Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nominations are set to be unveiled over the next few days, but today it was the American Film Institute’s (AFI) turn to honor the best of 2012! The group as per custom released its annual top ten list of the year’s best in both film and television, which many awards experts believe usually represent a solid predictor of the upcoming Oscar race.

For the full story, click here.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

‘Amour’ and ‘The Master’ breakthrough at Los Angeles Film Critics awards



After three separate film groups this week named Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty,” their choice for Best Picture, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association took a different approach today and gave their top honor to “Amour.”

Click here for the full story.

‘Zero Dark Thirty’ leads Boston film critics' selections; ‘Lincoln’ also strong



For the third time in one week Kathryn Bigelow and her drama “Zero Dark Thirty” have again found themselves coming out on top following today’s Boston Society of Film Critics awards.

Click here for the full story.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

‘Zero Dark Thirty’ tops National Board of Review film awards


For the second time in just three days Kathryn Bigelow’s "Zero Dark Thirty" has come out ahead of the pack, earning top honors at today’s National Board of Review (NBR) awards.

Click here for the full story.

Monday, December 3, 2012

‘Lincoln’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ big winners at New York Film Critics awards



Today kicks off the official start of the 2013 award season as the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) have just revealed their selections for the best in film from the current year and it has already shaken up the race.

Click here for the full story.