Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 24, 2014 In : 0.00% Water
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Directed By: Bryan Singer
Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Ian McKellen, and Patrick Stewart
"So many battles waged over the years... and yet, none like this. Are we destined to destroy each other, or can we change each other and unite? Is the future truly set?"
-Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart)
This year has offered a glut of ambitious comic book... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 18, 2014 In : 0.09% Cocktails
Palo Alto
Directed By: Gia Coppola
Starring: Emma Roberts, James Franco, Val Kilmer, Nat Wolff, Christian Madsen, Keegan Allen, Chris Messina, Jack Kilmer, and Colleen Camp
2013 was such a great year for coming-of-age movies. We had the likes of Mud, The Kings of Summer, The Way, Way Back, The Spectacular Now, and even arguably Spring Breakers. 2014 doesn't seem to be an equally great year so far. There simply don't seem to be that many worthwhile coming-of-age movies this year. The first on... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 18, 2014 In : 0.09% Cocktails
God's PocketDirected By: John Slattery
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro, Caleb Landry Jones, and Eddie Marsan
"The working men of God's Pocket are simple men. Everyone here has stolen something from somebody else, or when they were kids, they set someone's house on fire, or they ran away when they should have stayed and fought."
-Richard Shellburn (Richard Jenkins)
The right movie quote can say everything about the film in which it is uttered ... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 18, 2014 In : 0.00% Water
ChefDirected By: Jon Favreau
Starring: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert Downey, Jr.
Hollywood has really taken the all-or-nothing approach to heart in the last several years. Studios will drop billions on a handful of tentpoles annually and hope to reap enormous profits. Their strategy of going for special effects bonanzas that will admittedly appeal to the inner fanboy in all of us has left plenty of pot... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 17, 2014 In : 0.03% Wine Coolers
Godzilla
Directed By: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, and Bryan Cranston
"The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control... and not the other way around. Let them fight."
-Ichiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe)
It's sometimes amazing to watch how cinema has evolved with technology, and I'm not talking about elaborate, expensive special effects. What I'm talking about is how our technological prog... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 11, 2014 In : 0.06% Beer or Wine
Million Dollar Arm
Directed By: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Lake Bell, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, Pitobash, Allyn Rachel, and Alan Arkin
I'm not a fan of splitting up the finale of a movie or a television show. It's just another way for studios to milk the proverbial cash cow. There was no real need for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Parts 1 and 2. There was no need for seasons 5A and 5B of Breaking Bad. There's no need for two The Hunger Games: Mocking... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 11, 2014 In : 0.06% Beer or Wine
LockeDirected By: Steven Knight
Starring: Tom Hardy
I'm a huge proponent of bold, innovative filmmaking. I'm all for writers and directors tapping into their creative juices to bring us unique cinematic visions that blow moviegoers away. That's why I've been so intrigued with Steven Knight's indie drama Locke. The concept of a movie taking place solely from the front wheel of a car is undoubtedly challenging, but I believed it could be far more rewarding when I first learned of the film. It ... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 10, 2014 In : 0.03% Wine Coolers
BelleDirected By: Amma Asante
Starring: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, and Tom Felton
2013 was a year full of movies about the plight of the black man. We saw Solomon Northrup endure hell until freedom was opportunity in 12 Years a Slave. We saw Cecil Gaines quietly smile as history marched onward for better or worse right in front of him at the White House in Lee Daniels' The Butler. We even saw Oscar Grant have... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 10, 2014 In : 0.12% Hard Liquor
Moms' Night Out
Directed By: Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin
Starring: Sarah Drew, Trace Adkins, Sean Astin, and Patricia Heaton
For me, the month of May is always a hard time of year. It's the season of giving gifts. Somebody's always graduating from somewhere. There's also a multitude of birthdays. Last but not least, Mother's Day always arrives on that second Sunday of the month. While I don't mind honoring graduates, birthday revelers, and especially moms, I must say that my wallet is assaul... Continue reading...
Posted by James Brown on Friday, May 9, 2014 In : 0.03% Wine Coolers
Neighbors
Directed By: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Lisa Kudrow, and Craig Robinson
We haven't had a good raunchy mainstream comedy in quite some time. The Frat Pack is aging, and films like Anchorman 2 aren't exactly laugh factories anymore. Stuck on party films like Project X and 21 & Over, my generation isn't exactly stepping up to the plate either on a consistent basis. Sure, we can point to films like 21 Jump Street ... Continue reading...
