REVIEW: Up 489% on Its Initial Investment, The Big Short Serves Up One Damn Good Ice Cream Sundae With Sprinkles & A Cherry On Top

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 24, 2015 In : 0.00% Water 
The Big Short





Directed By: Adam McKay

Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Melissa Leo, Hamish Linklater, Rafe Spall, Marisa Tomei, Finn Wittrock, John Magaro, Adepero Oduye, and Max Greenfield

It's amazing how the best films can catch moviegoers by surprise.  2015 hasn't been a year boasting the strongest awards season contenders.  Sure, we have Bridge of Spies, Room, and Brooklyn.  The problem is, however, that there seems to be no front runner.  This isn't a year o...

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REVIEW: At the Revamped Ellis Island Party with Cloud 10, Sisters Kate & Maura Do the Apple Butt Dance All Over the Big Screen

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, December 23, 2015 In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
Sisters





Directed By: Jason Moore

Starring: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena, Maya Rudolph, James Brolin, and Dianne Wiest

Few films have dared to open against Star Wars: The Force Awakens for good reason.  The force is strong with this seventh installment in the famed science fiction franchise.  Wildly popular, it's breaking every box office record that there is to break.  Right now, the sky's the limit for Star Wars.  One movie that dared to dance with box office disaster is rau...

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REVIEW: The Danish Girl Entirely Her Violet Self, Lili / Einar Proves That Married People Are Easily Shocked

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, December 22, 2015 In : 0.09% Cocktails 
The Danish Girl





Directed By: Tom Hooper

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ben Whishaw, Sebastian Koch, and Amber Heard

On paper, The Danish Girl has a winning formula.  We've got the filmmaker behind The King's Speech and Les Misérables directing Oscar winner and future Harry Potter torchbearer Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) and current Hollywood "it girl" Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, Testament of Youth, The Man ...

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REVIEW: Hail Tyrant Macbeth, AKA Michael Fassbender in the Next Great Shakespeare Adaptation

Posted by James Brown on Monday, December 21, 2015 In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Macbeth





Directed By: Justin Kurzel

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor, Elizabeth Debicki, and David Thewlis

Here we are again with yet another Shakespearean adaptation at the box office. The fun thing about reviewing these films is that the narrative hardly ever factors into my review.  It's all about the execution and the overarching creative vision driving each big screen take on the famed playwright’s theatrical works (if he wrote them)...

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REVIEW: For the Simple Song of His Youth, Composer Fred Ballinger Lives Life's Last Day with a Little Levity

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 20, 2015 In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Youth





Directed By: Paolo Sorrentino

Starring: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, and Jane Fonda

The Great Beauty was a high mark for Paolo Sorrentino two years ago, and I've got nothing but respect for Sorrentino's Oscar-winning artistic achievement, which just happens to be one of my favorite movies featuring the Eternal City.  With this in mind, I came into his latest endeavor Youth with a certain curiosity.  When you factor in the incredible cast of beloved thespians he's ...

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REVIEW: In the Heart of the Sea Doesn't Steal Our Attention Like That White Whale Steals the Whaling Ship Essex

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 19, 2015 In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
In the Heart of the Sea





Directed By: Ron Howard

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson, and Michelle Fairley

Twas the night before Star Wars, when all through the house
Not a viewer was stirring, not even a mouse.
The light sabers were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Luke soon would be there.

It's the quiet before the storm this weekend.  Yes, the force awakens next weekend and will be calling all moviegoers to the box of...

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REVIEW: Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Rebooting A New Hope

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Friday, December 18, 2015 In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
SoberFilmChick




Directed by: J.J. Abrams

Starring: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow

It is impossible to overstate the world's enthusiasm for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  The original Star Wars trilogy is arguably the most influential franchise in cinematic history and is permanently cemented in popular cultur...

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Share the Seasons Screamings With These Holiday Films

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 5, 2015


The holiday season is upon us once again and the classic Christmas movies are making their annual rounds on TV and streaming services. The only problem is that you've probably already seen them all a million times or maybe you're just not in the mood for sappy, saccharine, seasonal fare. Here are some of our favorite non-traditional holiday movies to keep you on the edge of your seat this season.

Please keep in mind, a lot of these movies are cult classics that are so ridiculous or so bad th...
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REVIEW: With the Weed of Christmas Present & the Staff of Life, The Night Before Is Like A Wrecking Ball Whose Social Media Game is Crazy

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 29, 2015 In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
The Night Before





Directed By: Jonathan Levine

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, Lizzy Caplan, Jillian Bell, Michael Shannon, and Mindy Kaling

I've apparently been in need of a good raunchy comedy and didn't even know it.  We had Ted 2 and Trainwreck this past summer, but I can't think of a wild comedy from 2015 that makes me instantly chuckle upon reflection.  That’s a real shame.  If The Night Before is any sign, there’s still hope for what little bit of time we ha...

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REVIEW: Immigrant Eilis Lacey Has a Fun Choice Between the Irish Catholic Life With Jim or the Brooklyn Dodgers Life With Tony

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, November 26, 2015 In : 0.00% Water 
Brooklyn





Directed By: John Crowley

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Jessica Paré, Eve Macklin, Nora-Jane Noone, and Emily Bett Rickards

Immigrant-themed period piece Brooklyn couldn't have had more perfect timing for its release.  It's a time when courts are blocking President Obama's executive action on immigration reform.  It's a time when Donald Trump and his fellow Republican presidential contenders are indoctrinating their base with the ...

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