Uh- I don't even know what to say about this promo. Doesn't look like a whole hell of a lot of though went into this, did it? I'm starting to dread Neil Patrick Harris's hosting stint this year. He's bombed before at the many ceremonies he's hosted that were not the Tony's, and it's not like he's a stand-up comedian who can be quick on his feet. Maybe this was the wrong choice.
TRAILER: "A Little Chaos"
As nice as it is to see Kate Winslet star in something again, boy does this film look dry. Is this seriously a plot about gardening and real estate in the 1700's? Hopefully the actual movie will be a little more interesting than this trailer. Surprisingly, Alan Rickman directed this one.
Movie of the Day: "Joyeux Noel" (2005)
On this Christmas Day I'm recommending a beautifully moving true story about the ceasefire between German, Scottish and French soldiers on the front lines during WWI. They may have taken some liberties with the facts, but the essence of what happened that Christmas Eve in 1914 was real, and pretty amazing. The power of the holiday to make even enemies on the battlefield stop for a moment just to take it in speaks to the true pointlessness of war altogether, and the humanity of everyone giving up their lives for a cause they may not even believe in. Filled with some now familiar faces like Diane Kruger and Daniel Bruhl, you should really give this one a look today. Merry Christmas, everyone!
Original Trailer:
Movie of the Day: "The Santa Clause" (1994)
Here's a holiday staple that's still enjoyable, even if it's a bit silly overall. Tim Allen is a divorced dad who accidentally falls into the Santa "clause" when the real guy falls off his roof on Christmas Eve. He then finds himself at the North Pole (a high tech lab in this one with immortal kids as elves instead of old people) and literally morphing into St. Nick as the next Christmas fast approaches. Sure it's silly, but it still has some funny lines from Allen and Judge Reinhold and a very cool North Pole set-up (one of my favorites in the movies, actually). It works, and for that reason it's still a fun re-watch every year at this time, especially for kids. Stay away from the sequels though- they're almost bad enough to destroy the original, trust me.
Original 1994 Trailer:
Black Film Critics Circle Chooses 'Selma'
Selma completely dominated the Black Film Critics Circle awards, pulling off a near sweep, which is at least a nice change from Boyhood. Ava Duvernay's movie is looking to rival it as the best reviewed film of the year, as it's currently up to 48 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and still sitting at 100%.
Black Film Critics Circle
Picture: Selma
Director: Ava Duvernay, Selma
Actor: David Oyelowo, Selma
Actress: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle
S. Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
S. Actress: Carmen Ejogo, Selma
A. Screenplay: Gone Girl
O. Screenplay: Selma
Cinematography: Birdman
Animated: The Lego Movie
Foreign Film: Ida
Documentary: Keep On Keepin' On
Ensemble: Selma
Movie of the Day: "The Lemon Drop Kid" (1951)
Funnily enough, I think this is one of Bob Hope's most underrated movies, since most people don't seem to have ever heard of it. And the truth is, if you've never seen him in anything back from the era when he was a movie star rather than the iconic TV host and presenter he became later, I'd recommend this one over anything else. He's a con man here who cooks up a "Santa Claus racket" to get hold of the money he owes to some gangsters who want to kill him- with some hilarious lines and some of the funniest set pieces in any of his movies, this is a fairly unsentimental comedy (Hope never turns the corner in this, unlike what would happen if this movie was made today) that also manages to be a genuinely heartwarming Christmas movie (it's the one that introduced the classic "Silver Bells" to the world). Check it out and prepare for a delightful yuletide treat.
Original 1951 Trailer (sorry about the watermark):
TRAILER: "Entourage"
So...yeah, I don't how many people were clamoring for this exactly, but the long-awaited (?) Entourage movie is finally coming out next year. What can I say- it looks like the show, I guess. I casually watched the first couple of seasons, but wasn't what you'd call a "fan," so obviously I'm not the target audience for this. What do you guys think?
TRAILER: "In the Heart of the Sea"
I thought the teaser looked weak, but this new trailer is a bit better. This is supposedly the more "realistic" version of the story that inspired Moby Dick. Ron Howard's hit and miss, but I really liked his last movie Rush, so I'm optimistic about him teaming up with Chris Hemsworth again. It's coming out in March of next year.
TRAILER #2: "Focus"
A second trailer for the Will Smith/Margot Robbie caper movie Focus, coming out February 27th. I don't know- looks kinda iffy but I hope it's good. Been a while since Will Smith was in a good movie and he has a few coming out next year- maybe he can make a comeback.
Movie of the Day: "One Magic Christmas" (1985)
With Christmas just a few days away it's time for our Movie of the Day series to return, and today I'm recommending a little known holiday film from the 1980's, starring Mary Steenburgen as a grumpy mom who hates Christmas. This one centers on a working class family in a small town who experiences a bout of bad luck (really bad luck as you'll see in the movie), and a Christmas angel has to come down and help the mother to relearn the spirit of Christmas. Sounds hokey of course, but it's actually pretty serious and very solemn (you'd never believe this was a Disney movie, the way the material is played). It may border on dour actually, but the details and magic of Santa's North Pole and workshop in this are pretty cool, and the heartwarming ending and good acting makes up for the depressing nature of some of the earlier scenes. It's an underrated little movie for the season- you should check it out.
1985 Disney Promo:
TRAILER #2: "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"
So here's another trailer for the Marigold sequel- strangely, this one really seems to showcase Dev Patel as the star of the movie. Although, since I didn't actually see the first one, I guess I don't know- was he the major character in that one too? It's coming out in February.
Southeastern Film Critcs like 'Grand Budapest'
The Southeastern Film Critics Association (which happen to very good Oscar predictors with their top ten list) have chosen The Grand Budapest Hotel as their best picture, but seem to really like Birdman a lot too, as you glance through their list of winners (and especially runners-up).
SOUTHEASTERN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
Top Ten
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Boyhood
3. Birdman
4. Whiplash
5. The Imitation Game
6. Gone Girl
7. Snowpiercer
8. Nightcrawler
9. Foxcatcher
10. The Theory of Everything
Best Actor
1. Michael Keaton, Birdman
2. Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Best Actress
1. Julianne Moore, Still Alice
2. Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Best Supporting Actor
1. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
2. Edward Norton, Birdman
Best Supporting Actress
1. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
2. Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer
Best Ensemble
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Birdman
Best Director
1. Richard Linklater, Boyhood
2. Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Original Screenplay
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Birdman
Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Gone Girl
2. Wild
Best Documentary
1. Life Itself
2. CitizenFour
Best Foreign Language Film
1. Force Majeure
2. Ida
Best Animated Film
1. The Lego Movie
2. Big Hero 6
Best Cinematography
1. Birdman
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
