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A few months back, some predicted that James Cameron, he of the infamous “king of the world” Oscar speech for “Titanic,” might be headed for a big public embarrassment upon the release of “Avatar.” Surely, according to some, Cameron’s pricey and long-awaited follow-up to his record-breaking, 11-time Oscar-winning romance upon the seas could only lead to disaster.
If the last 10 years of Robert Downey, Jr.’s life were a movie, nobody would believe it. An Oscar nominee for 1992’s “Chaplin,” Downey’s drug use over the rest of the decade got worse and worse until finally, in 1999, a judge sentenced him to a three-year sentence in the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison. Released after one year, Downey continued to relapse until early 2001, when he finally took rehab seriously.
Two-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis is the star and protagonist of the new musical “Nine,” but you almost have to squint to make him out in the film’s pre-release hype. The selling point of the movie, it would appear, is the presence of its scintillating and high-profile cast of women, five of whom are Oscar winners themselves.
Web sites that buy original video clips often pay so little that "The Bannen Way," a flashy crime thriller debuting online, looked destined to be made poorly if it could be made at all.
Before attacking the film version of “Gone with the Wind” for its racial and gender politics, it bears noting that almost as much time has lapsed between today and the film’s original release as had lapsed between that original release and the end of the Civil War. And it can be argued that American society underwent greater changes between 1939 and 2009 than it did between 1865 and 1939.
It's fair to say that it's a risky venture create a movie about an exotically colored, 10-foot-tall tribe called the Na'vi and spend more money making it than any other film in the history of Hollywood.
The top 10 films of 2009, according to AP Movie Writer David Germain:
Years pass and tastes change, at least a little. In choosing their top films of the past decade, Associated Press movie critics David Germain and Christy Lemire stuck closely to their favorites from each year.
Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” won the Pulitzer Prize, but it’s likely the voters read it while holding a hand over their eyes and peering through a gap in two fingers. While it is a novel that explores the unwavering bond between a father and son, there are chilling and gruesome aspects that make a beautifully written tale somewhat cringeworthy.
NEW YORK - Director Tim Burton has become a household name thanks to his highly stylized and hugely popular movies such as “Batman” and “Beetlejuice.” While fans may say his films are works of art, few would expect to see Burton’s imagery displayed alongside Monet’s “Water Lilies” and Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” However, from now until April, the Museum of Modern Art in New York is doing just that, with a major career retrospective of Burton’s art and movies.
Fans of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" book series have been waiting impatiently to see her second novel, "New Moon," brought to the big screen. Now Bella Swan's patient friend Jacob gets his chance to see if he can oust Edward Cullen from her affections, and judging from the shirt selection at Hot Topic, he has more than a few fans in his pack.
NEW YORK - While the country continued to find ways to cut back in tough times, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided it was time to supersize. In October, it announced a doubling of the number of nominees in the best picture category, bringing the grand total to 10.
Sure, it’s flattering to have girls and women the world over swooning over your every move and hair toss, but sometimes a guy just wants to connect one-on-one, you know? Without a lot of D-R-A-M-A.
The Internet is truly an information highway that covers the globe. Al Gore claimed he invented it. Former Sen. Ted Stevens described it as “a series of tubes.” Jon Stewart once said of it, “The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom.”
For years, 70-year-old Ian McKellen was a highly respected actor who alternated between films and stage, which included lots of Shakespeare. Then just before turning 50, he came out on a BBC radio show and in the last two decades his career has skyrocketed. He’s appeared in blockbusters such as “The Da Vinci Code,” the X-Men series and of course as Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings.” McKellen’s new TV show, “The Prisoner,” debuts on AMC on Nov. 15. He chatted with Nicki Gostin.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver's office took a close interest in the state's film promotion efforts long before questions about spending and bookkeeping prompted the governor to freeze the program, e-mails obtained by The Associated Press indicate.
It started as a seven-minute short that took place in a filthy bathroom and featured two men chained by their ankles to pipes, thrust into a sinister predicament by a clever monster known as the Jigsaw Killer. Four more installments later, the “Saw” franchise is a bona fide blockbuster, raking in more than $1 billion of worldwide revenue in box office and DVD sales and becoming a Halloween treat for horror buffs.
Many of the musicians and craftsmen interviewed in “This Is It” talk about Michael Jackson’s perfectionism, so it begs the question: Would Michael Jackson have wanted this movie of rehearsal footage to be seen by mass audiences?
When it was announced that Hilary Swank would be starring as Amelia Earhart in the new biopic “Amelia,” Oscar-watchers everywhere thought to themselves, “Well, of .” Swank, after all, took home Best Actress Oscars for two films — 1999’s “Boys Don’t Cry” and 2004’s “Million Dollar Baby” — that required her to cut her hair, wear pants and communicate photogenic anguish.
At this point, the question doesn't seem to be if Harris will one day host the Oscars but when. His championship turn at the Emmys this year would have seemed like a slam dunk even if he hadn't followed last year's disastrous five-reality-hosts-without-a-script telecast. It came a mere three and a half months after his hosting debut at the Tonys, and he proved in both cases that he was equally adept at song-and-dance numbers as he was with off-the-cuff jokes about events that happened just minutes before. Even so, he was respectful to the ceremonies without taking things too seriously while successfully tailoring each show to a different audience. If Hugh Jackman could successfully make the awards-show transition from Broadway to the silver screen, so can NPH. Unless, of course, he's beaten out by Jeremy Piven or Jon Cryer.
I never cared much for Pink Floyd until a friend persuaded me to go with him to a late-night screening of “Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii” when we were sophomores in high school. Actually, let me put that another way: I hated Pink Floyd. They were a ’70s band known for drawn-out songs and elaborate concept albums, and I was an ’80s kid who liked loud, fast punk rock.
When an actress wins an Academy Award, it catapults her to a new universe. When she wins two, she gets into the VIP room in that new universe. Hilary Swank has two Oscars, for her work in “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Million Dollar Baby,” which means that in the distaff hierarchy of movie stardom she ranks somewhere between Katharine Hepburn (four Oscars) and Helen Hunt (one). Swank has as many Oscars as Meryl Streep.
In an era when most mainstream films seem to have originated as TV shows, old movies or even action figures and board games, it’s no surprise that beloved children’s books are considered ripe for big-screen adaptations.
There’s so very much to like about Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers’ adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s beloved book “Where the Wild Things Are” — it fleshes out the original’s themes brilliantly, it’s lovely to look at and listen to — but it winds up being a well-crafted vehicle that never soars. While many of the individual filmmaking choices are intelligent, the finished product lacks that spark of magic that marks a classic.
Yes, yes, there are only seven basic stories, and there’s nothing new under the sun, ob-la-di, ob-la-dah, I get it. Authors and playwrights and filmmakers take familiar characters and situations and use them to tell new and different stories, because it’s all been done before.
Halle Berry, beau bypass airport security lineCanadian police say it was wrong for one of their officers to whisk Halle Berry, her model boyfriend and baby through airport security.
State casts shadow over China's cinema boomThey will do anything to keep their desecration of human rights secret...fortunately Palm Beach did not pull the movie about Tibetan Freedom.
Halle Berry and boyfriend bypass airport lineCanadian police say it was wrong for one of their officers to whisk Halle Berry, her model boyfriend and baby through airport security.
Maguire not bummed by 'Spider-Man 4' delayThe star of the web-slinging superhero franchise said preproduction snags aren't dampening his mood about the fourth installment.
Trailers for sale or rent Rooms to let ... fifty cents. No phone, no pool, no pets I ain't got no cigarettes. Ah, but ... two hours of pushin' broom Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room. I'm a man of means by no means King of the road.
Elvis Presley's 75th Birthday: A Tribute In Photos & Songs t was 75 years ago today (Jan. 8) that Elvis Presley came into the world.
There's half a watchable movie in 'Leap Year'The romantic-comedy "Leap Year" gets by, barely, on the charms of its stars and the beauty of its Irish scenery.
'Youth in Revolt' lacks rebelliousnessThe ratios of "Youth in Revolt" are out of whack. Steve Buscemi and Zach Galifianakis are barely utilized, yet we get two Michael Ceras.
Netflix Gives In to Warner Bros Greed Netflix has given in to Warner Bros' greed. I just can't think of a nicer way to say it. Netflix has agreed to wait 28 days after a Warner Bros DVD release before making those DVDs available to the legion of Netflix users.
The politics of the film AvatarI watched Avatar 3D on 1st January and loved it. Sure, the storyline was fairly predictable but that's not what I wanted to watch it for. Also, forget the racial angle too, which several people have pointed out to me (see this tweet by Naadir).
Blockbuster trying to remain relevant with Hulu-like offeringBlockbuster Video has finally started to realize that perhaps the reason that nobody is renting anymore is that they can download whatever they want to watch at home.
'Avatar' for best picture? Don't rule it out"Avatar" has a better than average shot of snagging director James Cameron a second Best Picture trophy, and it comes down to three simple reasons.
'Diff'rent Strokes' Star Gary Coleman Hospitalized"Diff'rent Strokes" actor Gary Coleman is in a Los Angeles hospital after suffering what he believes was a slight seizure. Coleman's agent, Robert Malcolm, says the 41-year-old actor was taken by ambulance to a hospital shortly after 8 a.m.
Where 'Avatar' And Scientific Possibility Meet : NPRJames Cameron's Avatar continues to amaze movie goers. But could the lifelike war machines, tropical moon life and out-of-body experiences be predictions of the future?
This movie starts out by following a married couple on a trip to Hawaii and quickly turns into a thriller. I could easily describe this movie in one word, "Wow."
This movie is made about a historic event from the perspective of a young man who is a resident in Bethel, NY. The location of the festival held in 1969 that included thirty two acts and was attended by close to half a million people.
This movie is made for children and those young at heart. It is a shiner and has many laughs from Mr. T voicing the big cop to slap stick humor.
Sandra Bullock Makes Box Office History With 'The Blind Side'Sandra Bullock has accomplished a box office feat that her fellow A-listers Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie and Reese Witherspoon have never succeeded at - she's cracked the $200 million mark at the domestic box office.
Who will be villain in 'Spider-Man 4'?The latest "Spider-Man" sequel is proving villainously difficult to plot out.
'Precious' leads NAACP Image Award nomineesFilm earned a leading eight nominations, with nods for director Lee Daniels, star Gabourey Sidibe and supporting actors Mariah Carey, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton and Lenny Kravitz.
Mariah gets carried away at Palm Springs galaMariah Carey lived up to her sometimes loopy reputation at the Palm Springs International Film Festival awards as she gave a long, rambling acceptance speech after being named Breakthrough Actress for her performance in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."
Lawyers discuss next move in Polanski caseWith Roman Polanski under house arrest in Switzerland, lawyers in his 32-year-old sex case are gathering in a Los Angeles court Wednesday to discuss future legal moves that could resolve the marathon prosecution.
Mariah gets carried away at Palm Springs galaMariah Carey lived up to her sometimes loopy reputation at the Palm Springs International Film Festival awards gala.
Despite Black Princess, Disney's Race Record Mixed : NPRTiana, the Walt Disney Co.'s first black heroine, had a difficult transition from storyboard to movie screen: The Princess and the Frog, released late last year, came after months of focus groups, revisions and even a name change.
Scott Butki has challenged us once again. This time it is his Movie Challenge and this is my first review toward the fifty movies.
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