Minions-The Rise of Gru, Review: One in a minion
Minion and Villain don’t rhyme. They shouldn’t. After all, what is a primary school kid doing? Yes, he is almost a dwarf, and we would love to see his rise. But rise as what? An arch-villain? A super-villain? There are some movies in which good, clean, animation fun turns into adult stuff that can affect the mind-set of millions of viewers. Films need not preach or moralise, but they need not glorify villainy either. This is one suc...
Dumbo, Review: Have ears, will fly
When they first thought of a new Dumbo, perhaps the best decision Disney and Burton made was to remake their 1941 animation film in live action, adding 3D for the heightened reality effect. The first Dumbo rescued Disney from financial disaster arising out of three previous expensive films. Its 2019 avatar has a different storyline, though the name and the basic premise—that of a baby elephant that can fly--are retained. Abounding in the usual generic ...
by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent
Steve Carell tells a story about working with Vanessa Redgrave in Foxcatcher, the movie for which he is Oscar nominated, and in this one scene he reveals a lot about actors. It also reveals why the Academy tapped Carell, and he has been named Performer of the Year at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
To set the mood, Steve Carell’s bad son, heir John E. Du Pont, tries to hand his matriarch, Mrs. Du Pont (Redgrave) a wrestling...
Monday, February 26-----While readers can turn to almost any newspaper, internet site or media outlet to get the results of the 79th Academy Awards (it is, after all, watched by over a billion people worldwide), this story will focus on what were, at least for me, the surprises of the evening….actually the surprises that kept the evening lively and unpredictable. Among the night's biggest surprises:BEST PICTURE: While the choice of THE DEPARTED is certainly worthy (certainly compared t...
Tuesday, December 19----Alan Arkin, one of the most respected actors of his generation, makes a rare appearance this evening at New York's Walter Reade Theater. The special evening includes a screening of Arkin's latest hit, the quirky indie comedy LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, followed by an onstage conversation between the actor and Kent Jones, Associate Director of Programming of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The evening will also feature clips from Arkin's remarkable career, which has now spa...
