 Directed By: Steve McQueen
Written By: Steve McQueen and John Ridley
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Quvenzhané Wallis, Scoot McNairy, Garrett Dillahunt, Sarah Paulson, Michael Kenneth Williams, Taran Killiam, Dwight Henry, Adepero Oduye, Bryan Batt, Alfre Woodard
Synopsis: 12 Years a Slave is based on the 1853 autobiography of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped in Washington D.C in 1841 and sold into slavery. He worked on plantations in the state of Louisiana for 12 years before his release. Read more on Awards Profile: 12 Years A Slave…
Categories: Award Profile, Blog Tags: Adepero Oduye, Alfre Woodard, Awards Profile, benedict cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Bryan Batt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dwight Henry, Garrett Dillahunt, John Ridley, Michael Fassbender, Oscar hopeful, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Quvenzhané Wallis, Sarah Paulson, Scoot McNairy, Steve McQueen, Taran Killiam, Twelve Years A Slave
 More often than not, clichés are something to be avoided in cinema. Every so often however, a film can overcome them by either presenting them in a new light or just making strong enough use of them that you simply wind up not minding. Fairhaven is a movie that nearly is able to achieve that latter exception to the rule, though ultimately it comes up a bit short. Co-writer/director Tom O’Brien has a pretty good feel for New England and clearly knows how to make a slice of life dramedy, but the script he co-authored with star Chris Messina never quite distinguishes itself. There are certainly things to like here, namely in terms of the acting and chemistry between the performers, but this flick is just a bit shy of really getting to you. O’Brien is going to be a filmmaker that is worth taking notice of, I can assure you that. This just isn’t the film to do it though. The verdict for the film lies somewhere between a strong or lackluster recommendation.
Read more on Fairhaven (**½)…
 A close backwoods cousin to Stand By Me (1986), Jeff Nichols’ Mud is an often moving and unpredictable coming of age story that benefits from some striking visuals and all around strong acting from its cast. Much like in Take Shelter (2011), Nichols is very interested in masculinity and what it means to be a man in a tough America, though this time around there’s more in the way of youthful adventures and less in the way of potential doomsday. The filmmaker is pulling from all sorts of other works, though “Huckleberry Finn” is likely the one most will recognize, though the early works of David Gordon Green were on my mind as well. The work however, the work is still that clearly is his own. Not being a huge fan of his earlier work, Mud is top-notch with excellent writing and direction, not to mention the performances by Tye Sheridan and Matthew McConaughey. Reese Witherspoon is no slouch herself, while newcomer Jacob Lofland impresses. Though not perfect, and running about 15 minutes too long, it’s got a lot of things going in its favor. With the right push, I could see this making the long haul from the festival circuit to the awards season.
Read more on SUNDANCE: Mud (***½)…
 Stars in Shorts is a film/television special (courtesy of Shorts HD) featuring a collection of seven shorts that famous (or should be famous) stars…well, you know…star in. If I haven’t reiterated that four-letter word enough yet, I hope you’ll catch my drift by the end of the review. The good news about the inconsistent, if at times alarming wonderful, Stars in Shorts is that nearly every actor diverges from the roles one might normally see them play on the big or small screen, especially those of Hollywood British Royalty. I reckon that the people who are interested in watching this special will be more invested in the performances from big-name celebrities — who ironically are given the chance to show more range as an actor in a far shorter space of time — than the actual short stories they are meant to uphold. Film director/screenwriter/playwright Neil Labute pens three of the shorts, and proves that when he is not exclusively sitting in the director’s chair, he could be a major writing force in Hollywood. His writing style strikes a unique chord by never really defining its tone: there are elements of drama and black comedy in his works, and I find this purgatorial realm he’s living in utterly fascinating. Neil Labute is the true star in this slice of celebrity potpourri.
Read more on Stars in Shorts (***)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: Benjamin Grayson, Colin Firth, Friend Request Pending, Jason Alexander, Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, judi dench, Julia Stiles, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Lily Tomlin, Neil LaBute, Not Your Time, Penny Ryder, Philip Jackson, Prodigal, Rupert Friend, Sarah Paulson, Sexting, Shorts HD, Shorts HD Channel, Stars in Shorts, Stars in Shorts Review, Steve, The Procession, Tom Mison, Wes Bentley
The Emmy Awards are tonight! Many of the staff members will be LIVE blogging here on the site. If you’re watching, come join us for the party. Listed below are my last minute Emmy Predictions:
Read more on Final Editor Emmy Predictions!…
Categories: Editor, TV/Music Tags: Bette White, Christina Hendricks, Claire Danes, Downton Abbey, Emmy, Entertainment/Culture, Film, Human Interest, Jay Roach, Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons, Julianna Marguilles, Julianne Moore, Julie Bowen, Kevin Reynolds, Lena Dunham, Louie, Maggie Smith, Masterpiece Theatre, nicole kidman, Ryan Seacrest, Sarah Paulson, sofia vergara, Supporting Actress, television, The Emmy Awards, The Good Wife
 Hello Awards Circuit! The Emmys are right around the corner and we thought it might be fun to break from a traditional article/recap of the nominees and do a chat in live blog form. Each entry will cover a particular section of the nominated field (ie. Drama, Comedy, Reality TV, TV Miniseries or Moive). This weeks chat will focus on the TV Miniseries or Movie category that sees many Hollywood heavyweights battling it out in long form.
OUTSTANDING TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE
American Horror Story
Game Change
Hatfields & McCoys
Hemingway and Gellhorn
Luther
Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia
Terence: I don’t know what your opinion of the nominees is, but this is perhaps the strongest field we’ve had in a while.
Joseph: I concur. I believe any of the nominated series could potentially win, but I pray it’s not the disappointing, thinly-plotted Hemingway & Gelhorn. I’m rooting for Game Change, just because I know American Horror Story will more than likely be nominated next year and the year after and the year after…
Terence: Yeah you’re right about Hemingway & Gelhorn seeming like the weakest in this field. I LOVED American Horror Story this season, although I think it’s committing slight category fraud (no matter what the Emmy Committee says!) But I have a confession to make…
Read more on Emmy Chatter: TV Miniseries or Movie…
Categories: Article, TV/Music Tags: American Horror Story, Ashley Judd, benedict cumberbatch, Bill Paxton, Clive Owen, connie britton, David Strathairn, denis o'hare, ed harris, Emma Thompson, emmy awards, Emmy Chatter, Emmy nominations, Frances Conroy, Game Change, Hatfields & McCoys, Idris Elba, Jessica Lange, Judy Davis, Julianne Moore, Kevin Costner, Luther, Mare Winningham, Martin Freeman, nicole kidman, Sarah Paulson, Tom Berenger, Woody Harrelson
 Week by week, it seems as though Steve McQueen’s next film ‘Twelve Years A Slave’ continues to impressively grow its cast. Collider has a story here that lists three great new additions to the project in Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson, and Garrett Dillahunt. After the jump you can see who they’ll be playing in the film opposite the likes of Michael Fassbender, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scoot McNairy, and Brad Pitt, but if McQueen continues to cast like this, it’s safe to say that this could be one of the better acted films of 2013 (assuming it actually comes out next year). Read on below…
Read more on Giamatti, Paulson, Dillahunt join ‘Twelve Years A Slave’!…
 American Horror Story is yet another creative, campy, barrier-pushing, and boundary-breaking new show from the twisted genius that is Ryan Murphy. The highly rated FX television series just wrapped its first season last week, and now it’s time to review the complete show in its entirety after having finally completed all of the inaugural season episodes. I will avoid explicit spoiler details, but I will touch on general events, character arcs, and themes that occur throughout the first season. I want to start off by saying, this show is definitely in line with Ryan Murphy’s other television series. It’s twisted, it’s extremely campy, the characters are flawed yet fascinating, and every frame has a pop to it in visual splendor. Aside from Nip/Tuck, which also had incredibly dark human behavior that only a parent like Sigmund Freud could be proud of, American Horror Story may be Murphy’s greatest creation yet. While Nip/Tuck and Glee were largely praised in their first seasons, the later seasons really took a beating from fans and critics alike. American Horror Story as an entire first season may not have been as consistently wonderful as those former show’s inaugural seasons, but it’s strength lies in its imperfection, ironically enough. The fact that it is so inconsistent with flashes of brilliance means this is an experiment in storytelling I would not mind seeing continued onward. Without spoiling anything, the ending of the first season really makes you wonder where the plot, and the television show, will head in its second season. There are rumors of entirely new casting and different locations, but one thing is for certain — if things do not get consistently weirder, the show will decline. Read more on TV Review: “American Horror Story” (***1/2)…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: American Horror Story, connie britton, denis o'hare, dylan mcdermott, Eric Stonestreet, Frances Conroy, glee, Horror, Jessica Lange, modern family, ryan murphy, Sarah Paulson, Zachary Quinto
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