Since its inception, the Best Animated Film category used to be an almost automatic Pixar win. They times are not exactly a-changin’, but the landscape for animated films certainly is. Dreamworks is still behind the pack as far critical acclaim goes (though kids love their films), but the emergence of LAIKA and the Pixar...
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It’s a slow film week with Super Bowl XLVII set to kick off tonight in New Orleans. Warm Bodies, the zombie comedy with Nicolas Hoult, easily won the weekend. I’m not all that interested in the matchup of San Francisco versus Baltimore, and the list of movie trailers premiering tonight — like The Lone...
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Just a quick note to remind you that the Annie Awards, honoring 2012′s best animation, will be shown live tomorrow on the show’s official website. The show begins at 7pm (one would assume pacific time, but the website doesn’t specify). Here are the major nominations: Best Animated Feature Brave – Pixar Animation Studios Frankenweenie...
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While millions of people saw Bond this weekend, I had an odd little experience of being in an almost empty theater on a Saturday while finally seeing Cloud Atlas. I usually like to see movies during the day to avoid big crowds, but I had figured, being a Saturday, it would be packed and...
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Frankenweenie — Given what kind of a job Tim Burton did turning Dark Shadows into a 113-minute feature when he had 1,000+ TV episodes’ worth of material to draw from, how slim are the odds he’s been able to wring 87 respectable minutes out of a half-hour short he made 28 years ago? On...
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Clint Eastwood, what the fuck? I still love him, but what the fuck? News, links, etc: -The Guardian lists their 23 top directors in the world… and it’s one of the worst fucking lists I’ve ever seen in my life. The “world” is basically America, France and Britain. It’s so bad I don’t even...
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It was a hell of a rough seven days, days that saw the end of Tony Scott, Phyllis Diller, Jerry Nelson and Neil Armstrong. For our purposes here, Tony Scott was the biggest loss, but personally, while I liked the other three, I admired the hell out of Neil Armstrong as much for his...
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The Expendables 2 — Sly Stallone, Bruce Willis, the Governator and a bunch of other GOP ass-grabbers are back for the second installment of the action franchise that might be termed “mercs on Medicare.” (And now it is, since I just made that up this very second.) This time, a seemingly simple operation goes...
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Instead of a preamble this week, I offer a plea: SUPPORT THIS GUY! Former Creative Screenwriting editor Jeff Goldsmith has a new project out, the bi-monthly iPad screenwriting magazine, Backstory. The first issue, containing full screenplays by Richard Kelly and Rex Pickett, is free. Single issues are $4.99 and yearly subs are $24.99. I...
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After careful consideration on Thursday evening as I talked to a few people I know who are attending Comic Con this week, I decided not to bother keeping up with it this year, and not to post any Con info here. If you’re interested in Comic Con news, you’ve already been paying attention and...
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‘Arrested Development’ success in keeping the family together Film & DVD: Don’t let early reviews of the new Netflix episodes ruin it for you By Ashley Belanger 6/19/2013
Food Truck Wars News: Some say city’s temporary use permit for mobile food vendors is unfair By Erin Sullivan 6/19/2013
‘Monsters University’ almost as good as the superb original Film & DVD: Pixar’s prequel to Monsters, Inc. is monstrously magical By Cameron Meier 6/19/2013
Savage Love COLUMN: I’m a straight guy in my early 30s with an amazing girlfriend of two years. A few months ago, I felt open enough to share my taboo fantasy: father/daughter... By Dan Savage 6/19/2013
Free Will Astrology COLUMN: ARIES (March 21-April 19) Maybe you’ve seen that meme circulating on the Internet: “My desire to be well-informed is at odds with my desire to remain sane.” If... By Rob Brezsny 6/19/2013
Deafheaven’s ‘Sunbather’ is basically the new black Music: The black metal band basks in the brightness of their sophomore album By Robert Miller 6/19/2013