 Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike received some of the most surprising and welcoming reviews of 2012 so far. At first, the film emotes a trashy, boy-stripper film with no brains and the distant cousin of Paul Verhhoeven’s Showgirls (1995). However, this sensitive and smartly written film has been one of the most profitable films of the year based on its mere $7 million budget. The film raked in over $112 million and with a well-placed DVD release, the film can only add to its domestic total.
E-mails, comments, and badgering from some of my colleagues have brought the prospect of Matthew McConaughey sneaking in, and being named among the Best Supporting Actor nominees this year. Along with Soderbergh’s film, McConaughey also had roles in Richard Linkater’s Bernie and William Freidkin’s Killer Joe. The presumed narrative being discussed is that McConaughey has finally transitioned himself from a supposed eye-candy lunk that “al-right’s” himself through all of his movies into a respected, character actor. Is the proposal a stretch? To some it may. On top of the three performances delivered thus far, he also has roles in Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy and Jeff Nichols’ Mud later this year. The latter is said to be his best turn yet but no release date or distributor has come to fruition as of yet. In a crowded Best Actor field already, a career-defining turn in Nichols’ film would only highlight and add to the campaign for his supporting turn in Mike, if, this possibility is in fact, a feasible possibility. Read more on Is there “Magic” in McConaughey’s Oscar Campaign?…
 Much like I mused around a month ago about who could direct the sequel to ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ if Marc Webb doesn’t wind up returning, I’m back again discussing potential directors for a superhero project…this time, the open slot for the ‘Justice League’ film. This is a much different project, and obviously Warner Brothers is so far looking at the A-list for their filmmaker. Christopher Nolan distanced himself from the project pretty much as soon as asked during his publicity for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and I’d expect any day now to hear an official no from Ben Affleck’s camp after the studio set their sights on him. There are certainly plenty of interesting filmmakers who could do a great job with the gig and after the jump I’ll get into the names who might be in contention, along with who I’d like to see get the job. But this is mostly about seeing who you’d like to see sign on. That’s what I’m most interested in, but we’ll get the conversation started with my take on things below.
Read more on Choosing A Director for “Justice League”…
Categories: Article Tags: Alfonso Cuarón, Ben Affleck, Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky, David Yates, Guillermo del Toro, Joe Cornish, Justice League, kathryn bigelow, Man of Steel, Marc Webb, Matt Reeves, Peter Jackson, random, superhero movie chatter, The Amazing Spider-Man, upcoming projects
 I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…the Independent Spirit Awards are consistently my favorite of all the awards shows/precursors during the slow march to the Oscars (and most of the time, I honestly prefer it to the Academy Awards anyway). Of course, this means I get irrationally excited for the show well in advance of it actually occurring, so this news from The Hollywood Reporter here on the dates for the show is a nice tidbit for me. You can see the details after the jump, but feel free to speculate on what indie flicks will catch Film Independent’s fancy this year. You can find more below…
Read more on Independent Spirit Awards will be held February 23, 2013!…
Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams in Brian DePalma’s “Passion”
Well we don’t have Lincoln, but we do have The Master, as hoped, along with new films from Spike Lee, Brian De Palma, Lee Daniels, and Walter Salles. Read more on Thoughts on TIFF’s Additions…
Read more on Thoughts on TIFF’s Additions…
Categories: Article, Blog, News Tags: American film directors, Brian de Palma, Cinema of the United States, Entertainment/Culture, Joaquin Phoenix, John Cusack, Lee Daniels, nicole kidman, Oscar, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Spike Lee, The Paperboy, Toronto International Film Festival, Walter Salles
 I freely admit that I went into ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’ with absolutely no expectations. Aside from a reminder on my calendar to attend the press screening a week or so ago, I barely was even aware of its existence. Silly me though, as this was one of the better films I’ve seen this year. It’s funny, moving, and the rare combination of both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Filmmaker Peter Hedges drew tears from me during a few moments, and that’s not something that happens too often. From the writing (by Hedges and Ahmet Zappa) and directing (Hedges, of course) all the way to the acting from the entire ensemble (notably the likes of Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Garner, and especially young CJ Adams), everything is better than you’d expect. I’m not sure if enough people are aware of this film, but it’s my hope that this review can get some folks excited for the flick, as it hits theaters on Wednesday and is well worth your time. It’s more than just a kids movie…it’s just a plain great one for people of all ages, especially whole families. Yes, this is a message movie (and another film this year to deal with magic realism, though not one on the level of ‘Ruby Sparks’, though that’s hardly this film’s fault), but it’s a good message and never preachy while always remaining very entertaining. August typically isn’t the greatest month for cinema, but this is a gem of a late summer release. I highly recommend it!
Read more on The Odd Life of Timothy Green (***½)…
 Pretty much every single year without fail, a film festival will add some intriguing titles to its lineup in the weeks before it gets underway, and 2012 is no exception. Today we can report that the Toronto Film Festival has made the inclusion of ‘The Master’ a reality for the fest, along with ‘On The Road’ and plenty of other interesting titles. After the jump you can see the complete list of the additions, but I feel comfortable in saying that this could be the best Toronto slate in some time, especially in terms of launching the Oscar season (it’s possible that almost all of the eventual Best Picture nominees will have made their debut here). Read on below for more on the new titles added to the festival…
Read more on Toronto Film Festival adds ‘The Master’, ‘On The Road’…
 In Hatfields & McCoys, what starts out as a simple transgression turns into a full-blown familial feud with a tremendous body count that consumes everyone and everything in its path. History Channel’s engrossing miniseries might not always justify its running time, but it never ceases to be engaging and fun. Costner and co. have done a fantastic job of crafting a gritty, realistic narrative that grips you in its machinations and makes you feel as if you are right in between the two feuding families at the center of the tale.
Read more on Review: Hatfields & McCoys (***)…
 If you’re a fan of ‘In Bruges’, then chances are you’ve been looking forward to this for a while now. Martin McDonagh wowed many with his last flick, and now he’s returning to theaters this year with a new film in ‘Seven Psychopaths’, which debuted a Trailer today. Starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, and more, this looks like a fantastically offbeat good time, not to mention being a really clever almost parody of Trailers in and of itself. You can see the Trailer after the jump, but count me in. It debuts at the Toronto Film Festival, and hits theaters in October, which can’t come soon enough for me. Take a gander below:
Read more on Here’s the Trailer for ‘Seven Psychopaths’!…
As part of Universal Studios 100th Anniversary Collection, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws hits stores today in Blu-Ray format for the first time ever. Jaws gets the royal treatment, being both digitally remastered and fully restored, and the combo pack includes over 4 hours of bonus features, including The Shark is Still Working, a new documentary diving into the legacy of the film. As a film that many consider to be one of the greatest ever (myself included), this is a must own for any collector.
Read more on Jaws: Steven Spielberg’s Summer Classic Comes to Blu-Ray!…
 Though you can pretty much tell exactly where the film is going from early on in the proceedings, ‘Robot & Frank’ still manages to come off as a relatively clever and very enjoyable sci-fi dramedy. The biggest asset that this flick has going for it is the lead performance of Frank Langella, along with his interactions with the rest of the cast (including the robot from the title…you really have to see it to fully appreciate how well this works). First time director Jake Schreier has taken Christopher D. Ford’s high concept but sometimes slight script and given it a real soul. It’s the little details that set this one apart, from how the actors play their roles to the elements of the future shown, all the way to how the robot looks. I didn’t fall completely in love with the movie like some people have, but I was consistently interested and smiled a lot. Langella especially is quite good, though I wouldn’t hold my breath for any real awards attention. This could be a solid indie success as the summer ends, and I hope this Early Review gets a few of you to check this unlikely buddy film out when it hits theaters on Friday. It’s well worth it and I hope you take my advice. You won’t regret it.
Read more on Robot & Frank (***)…
 This week, after what felt like an endless and repetitive tradition of reporting on subpar Blu-Ray and DVD slates, I can gleefully declare that we’re back in the swing of things, at least for now. There will be rough weeks ahead, but this week more than makes up for the lacking prior ones. There are 3 legitimately strong contenders for my top slot, something I haven’t been able to say in what feels like forever, so I’m relishing it. For my PICK OF THE WEEK I had to choose between two highly regarded action flicks (one a blockbuster and one a foreign film) as well as an Oscar nominated documentary. Which one did I pick? Well, I went with the artier of the action titles. The honoree this week? It’s none other than:
The Raid: Redemption
This Indonesian action tale is pound for pound among the most fun films to come out in 2012. It may have the best plot in the world (or really much of one), but it’s about as well staged as any film in the genre during the past few years. If this winds up just being more or less a calling card for Gareth Evans, I’m fine with that, as he’s quite the directorial discovery. If you like action flicks that actually deliver with more than just a few bland fights, then this is going to be a real treat for you, as the fights are kinetic and relentless in all of the right ways. I had a blast with it and highly recommend you pick it up and enjoy like I did!
Read more on Joey’s DVD Picks of the Week (8/14/2012)…
|
Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike received some of the most surprising and welcoming reviews of 2012 so far. At first, the film emotes a trashy, boy-stripper film with no brains and the distant cousin of Paul Verhhoeven’s Showgirls (1995). However, this sensitive and smartly written film has been one of the most profitable films of the year based on its mere $7 million budget. The film raked in over $112 million and with a well-placed DVD release, the film can only add to its domestic total.
