"Prisoners" Is a Dark, Tense Film That Marks a Career High for Jackman and Gyllenhaal

Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is a God-fearing family man from Small Town, U.S.A. who believes in hard work and preparing for disaster. His basement is full of canned goods and vaguely militaristic equipment that is the hallmark of the doomsday "preppers" who are all over the reality television landscape. ...

Family Relations With De Niro and Pfeiffer

Some movies offer an award-winning combination of plot, dialogue, and acting that raises the film from being simply another bit of entertainment fare to a piece of art. Others, though, have to rely heavily on one or two of those three elements to avoid losing the audience's attention. While "The Family" has plenty of plot and good, steady dialogue to keep things interesting, the acting sets it apart, especially the onscreen relationship between acting heavyweights Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer. ...

Enough Said - Movie Review

Julia Louis-Dreyfus offers a sweet and vulnerable performance as a neurotic masseuse in Nicole Holofcener's new comedy "Enough Said." The late James Gandolfini plays her love interest, Albert, a huge lovable teddy bear-type with a sweet nature, but an assortment of minor imperfections. Their individual quirks play nicely off each other and soon the odd couple seems fairly well suited until the inevitable rom-com breakup. ...

"Insidious: Chapter 2" Is Just As Creepy and Otherworldly As the Original

The first "Insidious" was fairly inventive with its premise of an alternate plane called the Further where demons exist. These demons have the ability to cross over into the human realm, and a few humans also have the ability to cross over into the demon realm. Two of those humans are harried father Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) and his comatose son Dalton (Ty Simpkins). ...

The Hottest Onscreen Duo of the Summer

Summer is when everything heats up-the weather, the box office, and the screens inside the mercifully air-conditioned movie theaters. The screens get steamy due to an influx of summer movie duos, some of whom are romantic, and some of whom can be best described as bromantic. It isn't easy to comb through a very large amount of summer movies, but these four romances really stood out. ...

Alicia Silverstone: From "Clueless" to "Batgirl"

When Alicia Silverstone was born, her Scottish-English parents knew she would become a star. Her mother was a flight attendant and her father a well-known English real estate agent. Although Silverstone's family wasn't particularly artistically inclined, she began to show signs of giftedness early in her childhood. ...

A Look Back At Joss Whedon's Firefly

It's been 11 years since Firefly was cancelled, leaving its rabid fan base pining for more. I was late to party in discovering Firefly and now I finally understand their grief. ...

DeNiro and Pfeiffer Wow in "The Family"

"The Family" made its theater debut on September 13, 2013, much to the delight of DeNiro fans everywhere. DeNiro plays the role of an ex-mobster, showcasing the bad-guy persona viewers have come to know and love, but this is far from your typical gangster movie. Director Luc Besson crafted a film that tickles audiences with the sheer amorality of it all and the family's complete oblivion to how "normal" families generally act. ...

"SALINGER" - A New Film Report

I have never dissed a review after I've written one. But overnight I must have realized I tried to kill this film and in doing so demeaned Salinger in the process. I am sorry--for disserving him so. It is not his problem that Salerno, the producer and director of this film, tries to capture a man who was not interested in being captured by anybody at all. ...

Downton Abbey: The First Three Seasons

Thank goodness for PBS! They are responsible for showing so many good programs. My latest discovery is a British period piece called Downton Abbey. I wasn't sure if this was worth the investment of purchasing or if I should just rent it or even wait and see if I could catch an episode every now and then but after completing the first chapter, I feverishly had to watch the next and the next and the next until my entire Sunday was consumed by the first season, then I was on to the second season and finally the third. If you're in the mood for drama with a side of malice and mystery then you've got to check this out! ...

A Romantic Drama, Audiences Will "Adore"

"Adore" stars Naomi Watts and Robin Wright as Lil and Roz, two wealthy middle-aged socialites who never quite came to terms with growing up. Their two sons, Ian and Tom, have recently become adults and developed a friendship every bit as strong as the one their mothers share. When the foursome decides to take a vacation on their Australian island paradise, what was planned as a lazy summer quickly turns into a controversy that will change the rest of their lives. ...

Coronation Street: Is Karl Really Evil or Just a Desperate Addict?

With Karl Munro's confession that he destroyed one of the most iconic pubs in Britain and killed two people in the process last week on the street, we ask the question is Karl really evil or just a desperate addict? Of course there's no getting away from the fact Karl killed two people as a result of setting fire to the Rovers Return but is the man evil? We think that's a question up for debate, but one thing can be said for sure, Karl's an addict. ...

The Return of Downton Abbey

The long awaited new series of Downton Abbey will soon be here. It's been a long nine months since it has been on our screens but Downton Abbey will be making a welcome return. Kicking off six months after Matthew died in a road accident, the ever-popular series has now been thrust right into the roaring twenties and the jazz age has really swept the Crawley family. ...

Some of the Most Misunderstood Films of All Time

Compared to painting, sculpture, or music, movies are an extremely young artistic medium. The unique implications of a moving camera compared to a live performance are so vast that it has taken many years for film to fully develop as an artistic medium. It's natural, therefore, that filmmakers should have experimented with a wide variety of different forms and narrative techniques. ...

Thanks for Sharing - Movie Review

Sex addiction seems to be Hollywood's newest obsession with the dramatic comedy "Thanks for Sharing," the drama "Shame," the comedy "Don Jon," and television's "Californication." Although writer-director Stuart Blumberg surely had good intentions for his film "Thanks for Sharing," its focus is too broad to satisfy most movie goers. Perhaps that's the secret of success for those other productions about sex addiction: a narrowed focus on one person and one addiction. ...

Biography for Xavier Samuel

Xavier Samuel is an Australian actor who was born in Hamilton, Victoria, although he grew up in Adelaide, South Australia. Xavier's parents are Clifford and Maree Samuel. He has an older sister named Bridget and a younger brother named Benedict. ...

X Factor: Er, Haven't We Seen You Before?

Has the X Factor exhausted the talent pool for contestants? We ask this question because the amount of returnees to the X Factor in 2013 seems to be huge. In the three weeks of being back on our screens there has been countless occasions where it has been reminded to us that a particular singer had already auditioned. ...

Audiences Hail "Riddick" As a Return to Form

"Riddick," the much-anticipated third film to feature the titular antihero played by Vin Diesel, offers a refreshing back-to-basics science-fiction story that has been warmly received by critics and fans alike. Set five years after the events in 2004's "The Chronicles of Riddick," the film opens with a short flashback sequence with a cameo by Karl Urban reprising his role as Vaako. It then moves away from the second film's convoluted plot and returns to the series' roots. ...

The Last Dragon Movie Review

Being born in the 80's and being a martial arts fan as a kid, I was always going to have a soft spot for this movie. I came across it when I was only small and because the name sounded familiar (Enter the Dragon being my favourite movie at the time). I didn't know then that this would be one of the only times it was ever shown to my knowledge on UK TV. I have never seen it on tv since, and only just recently re-purchased the DVD. ...

Skyfall Movie Review

Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in this movie that is also celebrating 50 years since the Bond franchise began. After a lengthy delay, and the 50 year celebrations, there was plenty of hype behind this, but did it live up to the expectations I had? ...

The Shining Movie Review

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is one of my favourite horrors of all time. The Stephen King novel is brought to life by Kubrick with the help of some superb acting from Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd and a brilliantly haunting soundtrack. ...

The Life and Career of Stephen Dorff

Stephen Dorff Jr. was born on July 29, 1973, in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the son of Steve Dorff, a country music songwriter who has worked with such luminaries as George Strait and Clay Walker, garnering multiple awards nominations. ...

Bates Motel, The TV Series

The notorious, mentally unbalanced killer from Psycho, Norman Bates, has been resurrected - or should I say, "re-enacted" - in a new TV series, which has just started showing on UK screens. The series is called Bates Motel and chronicles Norman's early years prior to his slaughter of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) in the shower. ...

"SHORT TERM 12" - A New Film Review

Have you ever been talked to by countless people or read reviews on some matter and they all simply take one direction of thought that simply does not jibe with your own opinion about the matter in question. If so, then you know how I feel as I begin to make a new film report on "SHORT TERM 12". So at the start of this report: I want to apologize for the obstinacy I am showing in not being able to articulate this movie in the way that others have expressed. ...

Anne Frank - The Whole Story (2001)

The main character is Anne Frank, a beautiful, dreamy Jewish teenager who dies in a concentration camp during The Second World War. It was said she became a symbol for the one and a half million Jewish children killed in what was called "The Final Solution". ...

August Unspared in the 2013 Summer of Movie Flops

The month of August is generally considered the summer doldrums at the box office. The big blockbusters expected to gross in the hundreds of millions of dollars are usually released during June and July to take advantage of vacationing teenagers and the long Fourth of July weekend. This leaves movies released in August batting box-office cleanup, attempting to pull in the last remaining summer dollars before school begins again. ...

The Bling Ring: Movie Review

After being expelled from Calabasas High School for excessive absences, Marc Hall (Israel Broussard), a quiet and friendless teenager with self-esteem problems, transfers to Indian Hills High School. He is quickly befriended by Rebecca Ahn (Katie Chang) who is obsessed with celebrity culture, and the pair bond over their shared love of fashion. ...

The Biggest Blockbusters of August

One of the best things about summer has always been the release of the year's great blockbusters. For decades, Hollywood has been in the habit of releasing its slow, deliberately paced works of art in the downtime between summer and Christmas. The larger family films have been coming at the end of the year. ...

I Spit On Your Grave - The Notorious Video Nasty

I Spit On Your Grave grave - whose original title was Day of the Woman - is one of the most controversial horror movies of all time. When it was first released as Day of the Woman in 1978, the extent of the violence was so graphic that the movie had to be edited down quite considerably, in strict adherence to the regulations of the Motion Picture Association of America. ...

Eric Bana: From Comedian to Dramatic Star

Though he's only been exposed to American audiences a short time, Eric Bana is no newcomer to the entertainment industry. His star had been on the rise for quite some time in his native land of Australia before he made his debut in front of US audiences in the 2001 action film "Black Hawk Down." With his success in American films, Bana has become an even bigger name, leading many to wonder about the history behind this particular Australian import. ...

Cinesthesia: A Synergy of the Senses

Cinemalaya, the most prestigious independent film festival in the Philippines, proved to be going nowhere towards the top as it reached its ninth year. Join a film fanatic in her Cinemalaya 9 experience. ...

Student Bodies Horror Movie Review

Technically speaking, it's not an excellent film. Student Bodies simply provides a collection of jokes and very little more, but a minimum of it's true to its purpose.Similar to a lot of slasher films, all the adolescent characters are absolutely nothing more than horny targets. ...

World's Top 5 Highest Paid TV Personalities

Televisions have become an inescapable part of the modern society and commonplace in business, homes, and institutions. It is also the main source for education, sports, weather, music, entertainment, advertising, and news. The wider popularity of small screen has also provided an opportunity to artists and performers to earn immense wealth, gain popularity, and enjoy celebrity status. ...

"One Direction: This Is Us" Gives Fans Access to the Band Away From the Stage

Director Morgan Spurlock has made a career out of expose-style documentaries that uncover the seedier side of seemingly mundane things. An excellent example is his debut film, "Super Size Me," where he showed exactly what happens when an average person consumes way too much McDonald's food. Making a film about an international boy-band phenomenon would seem to be way out of his usual comfort zone, but Spurlock proves equal to the task in "One Direction: This Is Us. ...

Playing for Time (1980)

Playing for time is actually playing for life, a movie in which music faces war and wins. Fania, a half Jew singer manages to survive in a concentration camp together with a group of musicians due to her extraordinary talent that enchants the German officers. The movie sends many messages and I am going to name some of the scenes that truly impressed me. ...

The Most Famous Woman In The World

Mary Pickford would become the movies' first mega star and a phenomenon unlike anyone that had come before her. The adulation she received from her adoring fans across the globe made the success of many celebrities that followed her pale in comparison. ...

"Paranoia": A Chilling Summer Thriller

"Paranoia" is a riveting 2013 thriller that delves into the world of big business and bigger corruption. Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman star as two incredibly powerful moguls in the technology industry who have a long-standing rivalry. The two industrialists will stop at nothing to settle the score between them, no matter who happens to become collateral damage. ...

"THE SPECTACULAR NOW" - A New Film Review

"GO DAWGS!" Wouldn't that be a well-fitting intro fro a movie whose setting is either at or close to The University of Georgia? It's the story of a high school playboy and a wallflower girl. One morning he wakes up on her front lawn--after a night of binging--and without any notion of how he got there--completely dazed and mystified to see her. ...

Movie Review - "Stephanie's Image" - Who Was She, to Others and to Herself?

When a documentary filmmaker investigates the apparent murder of a former model, she finds that there are numerous questions surrounding the Stephanie's death. The film stars Oscar nominated actress Melissa Leo (Frozen River) in the title role as the nebulous entity everyone is attempting to identify. ...

Movie Review - "August Evening" Reweaves the Fabric of a Torn Family Where Change Is Inevitable

Chris Eska's debut feature is about an undocumented Texas farm worker who takes to the road with his widowed daughter-in-law after losing his wife and his job in rapid succession. In this unhurried drama, the story centers on the difficulty young and old have in expressing both their love and disappointment in each other. ...

Forest Whitaker: Actor, Director, and Producer

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few decades, chances are better than good that you've seen one or more movies or television performances by actor, producer, and director, Forest Whitaker. He is well-known for his performances in films such as Oliver Stone's "Platoon" and "The Last King of Scotland." Whitaker has produced a body of work that is a force to be reckoned with, and his list of costars over the years reads like a who's who of Hollywood A-listers. ...

Movie Review - "Rocket Science" Demonstrates That Life Is Anything But an Exact Science

A touching heartfelt drama, "Rocket Science" demonstrates that life is anything but an exact science. This edgy film, with its witty writing and thoughtful theme, celebrates the determination of a high school student trying to overcome his speech impediment. ...

Must-See Movies for Football Fans

Someone doesn't have to be a fan of football to enjoy football movies, although it doesn't hurt. Quite a few awesome football movies are out there. Some are funny, some are poignant, and a few will make viewers cry. ...

Movie Review - "Charlie Bartlett" a Rollicking Pied Piper Story, About an Adolescent Coming-Of-Age

The film "Charlie Bartlett" is a rollicking pied piper story subversive enough to attract young film goers yet has the moral fiber to gain the accolades of more mature audiences. In this adolescent coming-of-age movie, gaining popularity is the central theme. ...

Movie Review - "Alice's House" Is an Extraordinary Brazilian Film Brilliantly Conceived and Acted

: "Alice's House" is an extraordinary Brazilian film brilliantly conceived and well worth seeing. This kitchen drama is a refreshing naturalistic look at an urban middle-class Sao Paulo family, one that is thrown into turmoil by sexual and emotional betrayals. ...

ShashiSumeet Productions - The Force Changing Indian Television

ShashiSumeet Productions is all ready to climb the ladder of success and explore the arena of cinema by launching films in Hindi and Marathi soon. The company has kept a track of the changing trends in regional cinema and looks to serve something new to the audience yet again. ...

The Stars Who Made the Biggest Splash in Summer 2013

Summer is the season where monsters, robots, and superheroes are all featured heavily in films, much to the delight of moviegoers everywhere. Even though special effects sometimes take the place of actors in summer movies, plenty of great performances are still to be had by actual humans. A few actors in particular stood out this summer and are poised for plenty of future acting success, with superstardom a true possibility. ...

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Movie Review

'Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale' is that rare holiday dark comedy that we loved like 'Bad Santa' for people who might have a more jaded view of that special time of the year. 'Rare Exports' pulls its story from the origin of Santa Claus who was more of a scary figure that kidnapped and killed bad children, but then was tidied up nicely for marketing by certain companies as the nice old man whose lap you have no problem putting your child upon. ...

The King's Speech Movie Review

Colin Firth easily earned all the awards and praise for his role in 'The Kings Speech', a film that is the formulaic Academy Award friendly film that The Weinstein Company loves.. 'The Queen' seems to have started this inside look at the royal family and 'The Kings Speech' continues that tradition not long after Emily Blunt's 'Young Victoria'. All three are very fine films and a more jaded person would think that The Kings Speech was an insiders joke of all the aspects that make for a true Academy Award friendly film. ...

Hugh Hefner - Playboy, Activist and Rebel Documentary Review

I had never really thought anything about Hugh Hefner, although as a little kid, I got to go to one of his Playboy clubs and remember vividly the women with the bunny ears and plushy on their butts, but it wasn't until I was working on another film project that I got his help which was pretty cool. Hugh Hefner, Playboy, Activist and Rebel, gives him so good attention and shows the world a different side of him. ...

Journey Of The Universe and Conversations Documentary Review

Being a huge Discovery, History & H2 Channel watcher, Journey Of the Universe was a series right up my alley. I missed it when it aired on PBS (winning an Emmy for documentary) so it was great to be able to review it now. I've always been fascinated in where everything came from and how it really began. ...

Movie Review - "That Day" [1 Journee] Is the Mosaic Mystery About a Dysfunctional Family

"That Day" [1 Journee] is the story about a dysfunctional family and how one haphazard encounter becomes the turning point towards a new beginning. It's a convoluted mosaic, a mystery actually, that slowly takes shape and reveals much about the perplexity, sadness and irony of their disconnected lives. ...

I Love You Phillip Morris Starring Jim Carey Movie Review

'I Love You Phillip Morris' has had a long route to the screen, and sadly it will go just as quickly at the theaters even though it is one of Jim Carrey's best performances to date. I've already mentioned the sad case of Hollywood Shelf Hell that plagued 'I Love You Phillip Morris' as the Jim Carrey Ewan McGregor starrer wound up embroiled in a distributor mess, but thankfully finally got resolved so it could be shown here in the United States, but the timing could be very off for the film since it gets a very limited release. ...

Summer's Biggest Box Office Flops

The summer of 2013 is on track to be the biggest ever in terms of box office revenue; however, there have been a few high-profile flops. Many of these flops were built up through a combination of focused marketing and critic hype, yet for some reason, some blockbusters failed where others succeeded. This summer, "Iron Man 3" was a huge box office hit, taking in more than $1 billion at the global box office. ...

The Best Comedy of Summer 2013

The summer 2013 box office landscape was littered with comedies, some of which did better than others. Though the summer isn't quite over, it is already becoming apparent that a few of these comedies stand out as better than the rest. Of course, determining the best of anything is subjective, but here are the best comedies of the season according to a several variables, including box office receipts and audience and critic receptions. ...

IN A WORLD - A New Film Report

I couldn't believe how badly this film came out. Sad to say, I was totally dismayed at the plot, the message and the ending. First of all, it paid homage to one most have not heard of: Don La Fontaine, who was--according to those in the know--the greatest voiceover-performer in years past. ...

Movie Review - "Unfinished Sky" a Powerful, Poetic and Sensual Australian Love Story

"Unfinished Sky" is a powerful, poetic and sensual love story that peels away layers of pain and mistrust to reveal the true beauty of humanity, its freedom, hopes and choices. An Afghani woman held captive in a brothel flees to the safety of an Australian outback farmer. Together, they recover their faith in themselves and their trust in humanity. ...

Movie Review - "Imagine a School-Summerhill" - Innovative Boarding School Faces Government Closure

"Imagine a School - Summerhill" is a documentary about a famous coed alternative boarding school facing closure by the British Government. One-size-fits-all bureaucrats, wanting to impose structure, discipline, and standardize methods, question its unconventional learning process. It's a battle of the pragmatic vs. we-know-best suppression.. ...

Movie Review - "Lady Chatterley" A Passionate Visual Banquet, a Film to Be Savored

Pascale Ferran's passionate visual banquet about a whirlwind affair between an aristocratic lady and her husband's gamekeeper is a film to be savored. This sensible and sensitive transformation of DH Lawrence's scandalous book is a joyous declaration about love and the journey it takes traveling from shattered lives to rebirth. ...