www.thecurvyfilmcritic.com
Stedman’s “The Light Between Oceans” was published in the U.S. in July 2012. Immediately embraced by readers and critics alike, it landed on both The New York Times and USA Today’s bestseller lists, as well as, Amazon’s Best Book of the Month for August of that year. Since then, it has been translated into over 35 languages.
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There's always one family member who is the glue of the brood. Without their presence, the family would fall apart. For me that person was Mama Cleo. She always brought the family together during the good, the bad and the ugly. When she passed, the family would become distant and go on with their separate ways as if she were never here. Shot in Jackson, MS, in 22 days, The Hollars centers on a man returning to his hometown after his Mom is diagnosed with a brain tumor and scheduled for surgery. Originally screened earlier this year at the Sundance and Los Angeles Film Festivals, The Hollars will strike a chord for anyone that has a wacky, dysfunctional entertaining family. I think that pretty much includes anyone reading this review.
Actor John Krasinski, puts on his director and producer hat and ensembles one of the best cast...ever. Mostly known for comedy, the cast includes Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendricks and the irrepressible Margo Martingale are flipping the script and displaying their drama chops. Every last one of them are bringing their A-game!!!
This is one of the best films I've seen in 2016! Although it is little reminiscent of Boyhood in terms of a family theme, it will make you all warm and fuzzy inside and break your heart all at the same time.
Margo Martingale will finally get that Oscar nomination that has eluded her for years. Largely known for her stellar work on hundreds of television shows, Margo is giving the performance of a lifetime. Her crafty recipe of comedy dashed with drama makes her role ring true from moment she appears on-screen.
Richard Jenkins is the best crier I have ever seen! But seriously, Jenkins' arc of being dependent and then having to deal with the possibility of his wife's demise is just speechless. He literally took my breath away.
John Krasinski is the anchor of the film in more ways than one and his scenes with Martindale are heartwarmingly delicious. The heavy comedy lifting was left to Charlie Day and Sharlto Copley. They are simply hi-larious!!!! And who knew that Grammy winner Josh Groban was such natural on the silver screen?
If you have to see one film this year, The Hollars is definitely your best bet. I guarantee you will be hearing more about it come awards season.
The Hollars will be in theatres on Friday, August 26th.
https://youtu.be/a1miyndmxAg
UPDATE: #GrimSleeper Sentenced to Death in California Find out at http://wp.me/p2v8yf-B2
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As an avid Disney fan, I was aghast that I didn't remember the 70's version of this Disney Classic starring Grammy Winner, Helen Reddy. Not to mention the fact that I pretty much remember just about every Oscar nominee across categories, but totally missed that the song was nominated.
I'm kinda glad though, because it allowed me to watch the reboot with a fresh heart, mind and eyes. When I tell you, I got so caught up that the "ugly cry" was unavoidable...I do not exaggerate. My own mother was like, "Are you ok"? LOL!!!
Disney has created a new classic with Pete's Dragon for all ages. If you have the heart, curiosity and wonderment of a child residing anywhere in your bones, this film will awake it .
Remember, Pete's Dragon came along way before E.T.,, Gremlins and all those other loveable creatures we have fallen in love with over the years. Yet, I fell for Elliott just as hard. He kinda reminded me of my faithful Maltese Mr. Spanky.. Only difference is Elliott is green, flies and breathes fire. I'm pretty sure Spanky and Elliott would be besties.
So, I ask you...if your buddy, your partner in crime, your loyal furry friend was in trouble wouldn't you move heaven and earth to save him? Pete and his new-found friends go to extraordinary lengths to make sure that Elliott is safe and unharmed. Human beings predictably always attempt to destroy or discredit those entities which we don't understand or fear. and fear is a very powerful emotion that can persuade one to act up and show out.
Even though the 1977 version was basically a film musical, this reboots focuses strictly on the story of a young child who has found a friend in a forest where he has been living an adventure for six years, until a forest ranger and her fiance' invite him to become a family member
Oakes Fegley (Pete) as the orphaned Pete is just yummy! His instincts are spot on and you believe him every moment he is on-screen. His acting ability is to be rivaled by any adult and is eerily reminiscent of a young River Phoenix. Paired up with the perfect Oona Laurence as Natalie, these two are unstoppable.
Bryce Dallas Howard for me can just do no wrong and having her own children gave her the right mindset to pull off inhabiting Grace. The vulnerability displayed will break your heart.. She has somehow been handed down that gene that made America fall in love with her Dad, Ron Howard as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show.
Robert Redford is one of my all time favorite actors and hadn't been on-screen for a while until this year with A Walk In The Woods and now as Meacham. To witness Redford become a child before your eyes as he speaks of the fondness in which he meets the "dragon" is really something special. It takes an exceptional actor to recall that emotion and make the audience take that journey with you. Well done, Sir!
You know there is always that one character that throws a wrench into the Hallmark Family moment and Karl Urban is the perfect guy to do it. As Gavin, he is despicably delicious, comical and handsome all at the same time. I know...right??!! He's easily the chameleon of the crew.
Director, David Lowery performs triple duty, as he is also credited as the editor and screenwriter. As his first foray into the world of Disney he is crushing it. I think he needs to direct ALL DISNEY movies from now to eternity!
I loved this film! Mostly because it reminded of a time when life was not complicated by the hard knocks of adulthood. As a little girl, my biggest issue was what I wearing to school and what boy I had a crush on. Those memories and feelings are irreplaceable, but I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.
Pete's Dragon will take you back to time where life was simple, joyous and uncomplicated. Take the fam, the hubby and have a beautiful family night you all will not soon forget. Pete's Dragon opened nationwide August 12th.
Take the time to download the coloring sheets and activities, Disney has graciously provided for the kids to enjoy. Trust me...I played them and had a ball!!!
One late night while channel surfing, I came across a rerun of an old Barbara Walters special with special guest Whoopi Goldberg being interviewed about her newfound fame after Oscar nomination for The Color Purple.
When asked if her friends were "happy" for her, I remember vividly Whoopi recalling how before the fame she and her friends made all sorts of plans for when they ALL "made it". However, with a melancholy face and a lump in her throat, she told Barbara that when that time came and she reached out to her friends...no one called back.
Fame is a funny thing. It makes ordinary people place you on a pedestal. Assumptions come along with the pedestal and the fame - none of which one asks for or wants. As an actor, you really just want to do great work and be compensated well. Hardly anyone thinks about the fame factor until it is standing at your front door.
Some people remain the same and others become an enhanced version of who they are at the core - which isn't always pleasant. They become arrogant, self-centered and get selective amnesia about those who were their cheerleaders along the way.
What do you think happens in an 11 year-old improv group watches one of their own get the break of a lifetime? Will they be next or should they think about venturing down another lane in life? Will their friend change due to new circumstances? Will they bring their friends along for the ride?
Enter The Communes...an improv troupe that performing basically for free in a small underground New York City theater. Every set starts with the question, "Ok, who out there is having a particularly hard day?" The great thing about improv is that there is no wrong or right way to perform. Staying in the moment and keeping the sketch going with a series of yes...and's gives it unlimited possibilities of where to go and how to get there. I can tell you from experience, as someone who studied at The Groundlings in Los Angeles, that it is truly harder than it looks or sounds.
Improv is what made some of our brightest comedians the greatest to hit the biz...Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, Phyliss Diller and Joan Rivers being at the top of that list for me.
Don't Think Twice focuses on the drama and the comedy surrounding The Communes when one of their own gets cast on a very popular late night sketch comedy show. It changes their relationship to each other and makes Jack (Keegan Michael-Key) take a long hard look at the person he has become.
The great thing about this film is that we get a glimpse into the lives of each member, how they got in the troupe, what makes them stay, what makes them leave and what make their bond as friends stronger than any fame or fortune.
Keegan Michael-Key (Jack) is one of the most gifted improv artists I have seen in quite some time and has that same boundless energy of Robin Williams. As Jack, he exhibits some dramatic chops that you don't see coming, but are really glad you got to witness it.
Gillan Jacobs (Samantha) has been enjoying a lot of silver screen success since her Community days and her performance here is layered with alot of subtext and content. She's simply an A+.
Director/Writer Mike Birbiglia (Miles) is really a writing force to reckoned with, to the point that much of this film seems like it is made up on the spot. When, in fact, every single word is scripted. Needless to say, that's really a difficult thing to achieve unless you are Mike Birbiglia. His acting as the troupe member that is always talking about how he was "inches away" from getting his big break is so reminiscent of some folks I personally know that it made me chuckle with glee on the inside. When he's really just the person who honed their skills as their improv teacher. Watching Mike have that revelation that he is too old to be living the "dorm" life at age 38 I'm sure with strike a chord for many actors out there.
Kate Micucci (Allison), Tami Sagher (Lindsay) and Chris Gethard (Bill) round out the cast with each one of them being more brilliant than the one before. Chris Gethard breaks your heart as the guy who just wants to make his Dad proud.
https://youtu.be/rzbJXNiEdEg
A reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film, “Pete’s Dragon” is the adventure of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliot, who just so happens to be a dragon. “Pete’s Dragon” stars Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World”), Oakes Fegley (“This is Where I Leave You”), Wes Bentley (“The Hunger Games”), Karl Urban (“Star Trek”), Oona Laurence (“Southpaw”), Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (“Cedar Rapids”) and Oscar® winner Robert Redford (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”). The film, which is directed by David Lowery (“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”), is written by Lowery & Toby Halbrooks based on a screenplay by Malcolm Marmorstein and produced by Jim Whitaker (“The Finest Hours,” “Friday Night Lights”), with Barrie M. Osborne (“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Great Gatsby”) serving as executive producer.
For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales...until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliot. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliot seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year- old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon. Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” opens in U.S. theaters on August 12, 2016.
As a special treat, Disney has offered a special activity packet for fans. Click on the link below to open and print out to begin enjoying all the fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPOamb6d_20
Of course, anyone who has EVER read my blog in the past knows that I adore Melissa McCarthy!!!! She is a "comedy goddess" and can do no wrong in my book and along with there cohorts! Kudos to Amy Pascal for bringing some girl power to the producing team and I am totally looking forward to the sequel. "I ain't 'fraid of no ghost!!!"
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I don't know about you, but I'm an OG Ghostbuster fan!!! I remember seeing the film back in the day and was scared to death. Baby, when those lions on the NYC library steps turned into monsters...I was done! Not to mention my beloved Stay Puff marshmallow dude taking people out on the streets of Manhattan! However, I was a die-hard Saturday Night Live fan and this film came out at the height of the show's popularity starring Bill Murray, the late Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd, Annie Potts, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis. It was ridiculously funny and every kid wanted to be a "ghostbuster"...including me and my little brother.
We were treated to a wonderful tour of the Sony Pictures lot, GhostCorps headquarters with Ghostbusters creator Ivan Reitman and a fantabulous lunch. Our tour guide Maryann (hope I spelled her name correctly) was absolutely amazing!! Here are some highlights and inside scoop on it all!!!
Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled when Sony Pictures invited me and a very impressive group of "mommy bloggers" to screen the Ghostbusters reboot at The Grove compete with 3d glasses and movie snacks!
Day 2 was the Ghostcorps tour with the film's creator Ivan Reitman. The original script was done with Reitman, Murray and Ramis when the film was unleashed to the masses on July 8, 1984. Reitman shared that now having three kids and four grandchildren he realizes that Ghostbusters helped make the "scary "ghost issue" more reasonable for kids" because now "there were "busters" who could capture and retain the ghosts". These guys became role models and with the reboot release on July 15th, the role models have now become women with the casting of Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and bringing in screenwriter Katie Leopold for an extra special touch.
Ever wonder why there has never been a sequel to the original? I wondered that too!!! Ivan Reitman told us that he, Harold Ramis and Bill Murray have owned the rights to the franchise all these years! I know right!! Clearly, there were and are some very smart cookies. With the recent passing of Ramis, it forced the other two to think about what would happen to the franchise should they depart this realm. It was mutually agreed that they would transfer the rights to Sony Pictures.
Thus, the set up and launch of GhostCorps on the Sony Lot. Ghostcorps houses ALL things ghostbusters, including massive memorabilia from the 1984 version, but all the merchandising set to be released with this summer's reboot. Along every wall of the building are posters from all of Ivan Reitman's films. In the conference room, there is a gas case featuring patches from some of the 500 charity-based Ghostbuster groups around the world Can you believe most them build their on Ecto Mobiles and have even requested the dimensions for the proton packs the "buster" wear to make their experience completely authentic.
After taking a group photo with Ivan, it was off to tour the Sony lot. Did you know that Sony Pictures is the home of one of the most iconic movies studios in film history? I know...I didn't know that either! Sony Pictures was formerly name MGM Studios where my favorite film of all time was created...The Wizard of Oz. Below is the rainbow from the original film that had to be included on the lot when Sony took over to commemorate that it was formerly MGM Studios.
Maryann took us to the Barbra Streisand Sound Stage, where I couldn't resist busting out a little "I Will Always Love You" after being told that Whitney, Barbra and Judy sang on that very stage! Hopefully, the good vibes will rub off!
There is folklore that the stage where the Wizard of Oz was filmed...Stage 15 is haunted by someone named Charlie. Apparently, Charlie worked with MGM for years and just can't tear himself away! A very important bit of contract trivia involves the Wicked Witch of the West - Margaret Hamilton being burned when she is melted and was unable to be sent to the hospital due to the fact that she was not a MGM contract player. I know!!!
After stalking Adam Sandler's Happy Madison offices, we make our way over to the home of Wheel of Fortune on Stage 11. Over 500 contestants are brought on to the show yearly to play "wheel"with former weatherman Pat Sajak and letter turner/model Vanna White. That wheel, by the way, weighs 2400 pounds and has over 200 lights! You better make sure you get our workout on before hitting that show...lol.
We surely worked up an appetite and were treated to a nice lunch outside and then sent on our way to rest up for Day 3...the press conference. Details to follow and thank you of the opportunity to share a lifelong dream!
Check out the video I made when you get a moment. It's pretty funny...
https://youtu.be/p_R5nfaN978
The American Film Institute announced today the AFI DOCS 2016 Audience Award winners, concluding the five-day festival in Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, MD. This year's Audience Award for Best Feature went to MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE, directed by Rita Coburn Whack and Bob Hercules (U.S.). This year's Audience Award for Best Short went to SNAILS, directed by Grzegorz Szczepaniak (Poland). With 93 films from 30 countries, the festival brought together filmmakers, industry, national policy and opinion leaders.
Read MoreRemember back in the day when you we would go to a drive-in for the latest flick or maybe just a nostalgic look back with our favorite classic or cult film? Drive-in's are a thing of the past, but don't fret! Many alternatives have popped up like iPic and the Rooftop Cinema Club.
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