Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 In : 0.06% Beer or Wine
The Homesman
Directed By: Tommy Lee Jones
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, William Fichtner, Grace Gummer, John Lithgow, Tim Blake Nelson, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter, James Spader, Hailee Steinfeld, and Meryl Streep
On paper, Tommy Lee Jones and westerns go together like peas and carrots. He's exactly the kind of rugged, no nonsense actor who would thrive in the Wild West. With an elite cast featuring beloved thespians Hilary Swank, James Spader, and the great Meryl Streep, Jones's we... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 23, 2014 In : 0.06% Beer or Wine
Foxcatcher
Directed By: Bennett Miller
Starring: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, and Vanessa Redgrave
I don't know the story of John du Pont. I was just a kid when the multimillionaire wrestling enthusiast committed the heinous acts that made his name infamous. Not an Olympics enthusiast, I'm not terribly familiar with Mark or Dave Schultz either. Alas, the only gold medalist in the wrestling space with whom I'm familiar is Mr. Kurt Angle. I know. I should know more, but it mak... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 23, 2014 In : 0.03% Wine Coolers
Beyond the Lights
Directed By: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Starring: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Minnie Driver, Nate Parker, Danny Glover, and Machine Gun Kelly
You all are familiar with my less than positive sentiments on the state of the music industry today. It's all about sex appeal, club playability, and the bottom line. It's not about the music anymore. It's not about showmanship. It's not about the artistry. Because of this, the industry is a shell of its former self. While I could elaborate on the ... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 22, 2014 In : 0.06% Beer or Wine
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1Directed By: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland
"Miss Everdeen, it is the things we love most that destroy us."
-President Snow (Donald Sutherland)
The consequences of Warner Bros. decision to split Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into two theatrical installments still echo today as ot... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 15, 2014 In : 0.12% Hard Liquor
Dumb and Dumber To
Directed By: Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly
Starring: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Laurie Holden, and Kathleen Turner
I'm amazed at how moviegoers need to learn the same lesson over and over again year after year. Some movies should just be left alone. In most cases, there's absolutely no need for a sequel. I was never a huge fan of the original Dumb and Dumber film or the hackneyed attempts at sequels over the years. Some twenty years later, I'm still opposed to the prosp... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 15, 2014 In : 0.03% Wine Coolers
The Theory of EverythingDirected By: James Marsh
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, Simon McBurney, and David Thewlis
Performances marked by darkness and conflict are the ones typically rewarded during awards season. Just look at last year's Oscar winners for Best Actor and Best Actress in leading roles. On one hand, we have a self-destructive homophobic AIDS patient with Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club. On the other, we have a crazy widow who has ... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 9, 2014 In : 0.03% Wine Coolers
Big Hero 6
Directed By: Don Hall and Chris Williams
Starring: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans, Jr., Génesis Rodríguez, T. J. Miller, Daniel Henney, James Cromwell, and Maya Rudolph
Disney has had one hell of a year, particularly when it comes to live action films. Just look to the critical and commercial successes of films like Captain America: Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and to a lesser extent Maleficent. The studio has found its groove and is on a roll. Wi... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 8, 2014 In : 0.00% Water
Interstellar
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Casey Affleck, John Lithgow, Topher Grace, David Gyasi, Josh Stewart, and Matt Damon
"Do not go gentle into that good night; Old age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
-Dylan Thomas
Ambition is the cornerstone of truly great filmmaking. If a filmmaker is not taking creative risks and is being overly ca... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 2, 2014 In : 0.06% Beer or Wine
LaggiesDirected By: Lynn Shelton
Starring: Keira Knightley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Sam Rockwell, Kaitlyn Dever, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, Mark Webber, and Daniel Zovatto
It's Halloween weekend, and there doesn't seem to be a film out that's I would venture to call a fright fest. Halloween only falls on a Friday every five or six years. With this in mind, we should have more than a 10th anniversary re-release of Saw. There should be some new sicko or psycho terrorizing theaters. As it stands,... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 1, 2014 In : 0.06% Beer or Wine
Nightcrawler
Directed By: Dan Gilroy
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton
I'm starting to think that Jake Gyllenhaal has been pigeonholing himself in the thriller genre over the last several years. Since 2012, he's appeared in End of Watch, Prisoners, and now Nightcrawler, all dark movies in their own ways. Though Prisoners was one of the outstanding films of 2013, it hasn't all been quality output from Gyllenhaal. While many moviegoers would go to bat for his tur... Continue reading...
