Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Denise

13 hoursOoh — docudramas are cool.  Like bowties and fezes.  Have you seen the trailer for 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi?  It’s pretty sweet.  Plus, there’s Jim being all butch and all (fine, it’s John Krasinski), Toby Stephens from Black Sails (seriously watch that if you haven’t), and Michael “Blow Up All The Things” Bay at the helm.  Could be boom-tastic, all I’m sayin’.  And I’ve got passes.  But first?  Synopsis!

From director Michael Bay, “13 Hours:  The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” is the gripping true story of six elite ex-military operators assigned to protect the CIA who fought back against overwhelming odds when terrorists attacked a U.S. diplomatic compound on September 11, 2012.  When everything went wrong, six men had the courage to do what was right.  Based on the nonfiction book “13 Hours” by New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Zuckoff and Members of the Annex Security Team.

Grab your popcorn, and a steadfast friend’s arm (you’ll probably want someone to grab during all the Bay-tastic moments), and head this way…

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“The Witch” ups release date to February 19th

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Denise

THEWITCH_TEASER_02I got word on The Witch last year, and it caught my eye; pre-Salem Witch Trials hysteria, with plenty of of religious obsession, isolation and paranoia in the trailer.  Now they’re pushing up the release date — prime winter chills weather, perhaps? — to February 19th.  Hey, as long as it’s not the week before.  No, not because it’s Valentine’s Day, silly.  KATSUCON.

Up for some spoopy?  Check out the 411…

Greetings,

THE WITCH will be chilling your bones this winter one week earlier. This year’s most anticipated horror movie will now open nationwide in theaters on FEBRUARY 19, 2016.

Look out for the brand new trailer on Tuesday, January 12.

the witch earlier release

ABOUT THE WITCH

Studio: A24
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQXmlf3Sefg
Genre: Horror
Directed By: Robert Eggers
Written By: Robert Eggers
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson
Runtime: 92 Minutes
Release Date: February 19, 2016
Rating: R for disturbing violent content and graphic nudity

Official Channels
TheWitch-movie.com
EvilTakesManyForms.com
Facebook.com/TheWitchMovie
Twitter.com/TheWitchmovie

Synopsis: In this exquisitely made and terrifying new horror film, the age-old concepts of witchcraft, black magic and possession are innovatively brought together to tell the intimate and riveting story of one family’s frightful unraveling in the New England wilderness circa 1630. New England, 1630. Upon threat of banishment by the church, an English farmer leaves his colonial plantation, relocating his wife and five children to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest – within which lurks an unknown evil. Strange and unsettling things begin to happen almost immediately – animals turn malevolent, crops fail, and one child disappears as another becomes seemingly possessed by an evil spirit. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, family members accuse teenage daughter Thomasin of witchcraft, charges she adamantly denies. As circumstances grow more treacherous, each family member’s faith, loyalty and love become tested in shocking and unforgettable ways. Writer/director Robert Eggers’ debut feature, which premiered to great acclaim at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival – winning the Best Director Prize in the U.S. Narrative Competition – painstakingly recreates a God-fearing New England decades before the 1692 Salem witch trials, in which religious convictions tragically turned to mass hysteria. Told through the eyes of the adolescent Thomasin – in a star-making turn by newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy – and supported by mesmerizing camera work and a powerful musical score, THE WITCH is a chilling and groundbreaking new take on the genre.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Anomalisa!

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Denise

anomalisa onesheetTime for the cool kid movies y’all — and since you’re all cool kids, I’m sure you’ll be chomping at the bit for this one.  It’s Charlie “OMG Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is awesome” Kaufman’s new film, Anomalisa.  And it looks pretty darn cool.  One word: PUPPETS.  Don’t scoff before you check out the trailer.  Seriously.  Synopsis!

Michael Stone, husband, father and respected author of “How May I Help You Help Them?” is a man crippled by the mundanity of his life. On a business trip to Cincinnati, where he’s scheduled to speak at a convention of customer service professionals, he checks into the Fregoli Hotel. There, he is amazed to discover a possible escape from his desperation in the form of an unassuming Akron baked goods sales rep, Lisa, who may or may not be the love of his life. A beautifully tender and absurdly humorous dreamscape, from the brilliant minds of Charlie Kaufman (SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK) and Duke Johnson (“Community” episode, Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas), this stop-motion animation wonder features the vocal cast of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan and David Thewlis and a stirring strings-based score by Carter Burwell. The darkly comedic and surreal stop-motion journey of a man’s long night of the soul, ANOMALISA confirms Charlie Kaufman’s place amongst the most important of American filmmakers, and announces Duke Johnson as a major creative force.

And btw, this screening is at the Charles Theater.  A cool kids movie at a cool kids place — how cool is that?  Ready to get your puppet pathos on?

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Ride Along 2!

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Denise

ride along 2 onesheet

UPDATE: all the passes have been handed out.  THANK YOU to everyone who entered — y’all have some seriously awesome ride-along ideas!

Whee — time for comedy!  Love Kevin Hart? (Oh come on, that’s a trick question; who doesn’t?)  Well, I’ve got passes for the Baltimore area screening of Ride Along 2!  Synopsis!

Kevin Hart and Ice Cube lead the returning lineup of Ride Along 2, the sequel to the blockbuster action-comedy that gave us the year’s most popular comedy duo.  They are joined in the film by Ride Along co-stars Bruce McGill and Tika Sumpter, as well as those new to the series, including Ken Jeong, Benjamin Bratt and Olivia Munn.  The behind-the-scenes team also returning for the next chapter are director Tim Story, as well as Cube’s fellow producers —Will Packer, Matt Alvarez and Larry Brezner.

Rookie lawman Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) aspires to become a detective like James Payton (Ice Cube), his future brother-in-law. James reluctantly takes Ben to Miami to follow-up on a lead that’s connected to a drug ring. The case brings them to a homicide detective and a computer hacker who reveals evidence that implicates a respected businessman. It’s now up to James and Ben to prove that charismatic executive Antonio Pope is actually a violent crime lord who rules southern Florida’s drug trade.

Sound good?  Um, YEAH.  Right this way…

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: The Choice!

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Denise

the choice onesheetOkay — got your hankies ready?  Because I’ve got passes for the upcoming Nicholas Sparks movie, The Choice.  I’ll admit it; this horror-hound has a soft spot for Sparks films.  They’re surprisingly effective (surprisingly for me; probably not so surprising to fans of the novels).  Synopsis!

When feisty medical student Gabby Holland moves in next door to perennial ladies’ man Travis Shaw, they embark on a surprising romantic journey neither imagined possible. Travis has always believed a serious relationship would cramp his easygoing lifestyle, while Gabby is preparing to settle down with her long-term boyfriend—until an irresistible attraction between the unlikely couple upends both of their well-planned lives. Spanning a decade and tracing the evolution of a love affair that is ultimately tested by life’s most defining events, this story features a memorable ensemble of friends and family in Sparks’s beloved North Carolina setting, culminating with the question that every couple must ask themselves: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

Sounds like some seriously sweet stuff comin’ our way.  You in?

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: The Revenant!

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Denise

revenant-leo

Happy After-The-Holidays!  Get everything you wanted?  Yes?  No?  Either way, want a free pass to a movie folks are buzzing about?  Well, I’ve got passes for the Baltimore area screening of The Revenant!  Synopsis!

Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT is an epic story of survival and transformation on the American frontier.  While on an expedition into the uncharted wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally mauled by a bear, then abandoned by members of his own hunting team. Alone and near death, Glass refuses to succumb.  Driven by sheer will and his love for his Native American wife and son, he undertakes a 200-mile odyssey through the vast and untamed West on the trail of the man who betrayed him: John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy).  What begins as a relentless quest for revenge becomes a heroic saga against all odds towards home and redemption.  THE REVENANT is directed, produced and co-written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu.

The trailer looks gorgeous, and I hear tell the bear-mauling scene is incredibly realistic (that there’s also an FYI for folks who may be squeamish.)  Iñárritu knocked it out of the park with Birdman, so I’m hoping for good things with The Revenant.  Who’s with me?  Well, right this way… Continue reading →

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“Joy” delivers anything but.

Posted on December 25, 2015 by Denise
What can I say?  I get angry when a film with such promise ends up being a lazy also-ran.  As always, clicky for the original piece!

TwitView: Joy

Joy-Movie-Poster

An interesting premise that stalls upon execution.  Saved from complete dreck by Lawrence’s amazing performance.  Grade: C-

Just when you thought David O. Russell was getting better and better?  He delivers Joy, a film that proves you can take an interesting true story and turn it into a wobbly, scattered  mess.  Based on the real-life entrepreneur  Joy Mangano, the creator of the Miracle Mop, Huggable Hangers, and a slew of stuff you never knew you desperately needed ’til you saw them.  (Note: I am a Mangano gal that has nothing but HSN Huggables in all my closets.  What?  They were a bargain, the one-color look make my closets seem organized, and they’re fuzzy.)

However, Russell takes that real-life story and uses it as a launching pad to create a cast of weirdos that are supposed to be funny, but always seem to come up as one step away from earning their very own off-white jackets with hug-yourself sleeves.    It’s a waste of good talent — Robert De Niro, Virginia Madsen, and Isabella Rossellini are either bipolar, agoraphobic and depressive, or borderline manic.  It’s not fun to watch these characters, its more like the DSM Parade.  Lawrence’s Russell-buddy Bradley Cooper plays QVC honcho Neil, and his performance is so wooden I had to check if his characters name was Pinocchio. Continue reading →

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Elsewhere Review: “Concussion” powerful, but not particularly hard-hitting

Posted on December 25, 2015 by Denise
As always, clicky for the original piece!

“Concussion”: powerful, but not particularly hard-hitting

concussion

Nutshell: If anyone walks away from Concussion without grieving for those who suffered/are suffering from CTE?  They’re dead inside.  Amazing performances by actors playing affected football players (most especially David Morse as Mike Webster) bring this issue straight into the feel center of the brain.  The rest of the movie is too light a touch, possibly because it tries to cover CTE, Omalu’s love story with his now wife, and the Big Bad that is the business of sport.  Still, this film takes the real-life subject matter and makes it easy to understand, and Smith’s performance is genuine, if not a bit too heroic. Grade: B-

“I’m just asking back what I gave….Help me.”

I have to admit I’ve made my share of “bell-rung jock” jokes in my life.  Y’know, the whole “he’s barely coherent, look at him — one too many tackles” kinda jabs.  Ha ha funny, right?  Sure.  When it’s simply a jest at the expense of musclebound moneybags who are laughing all the way to the bank, with not a care in the world beyond a bone or muscle injury that could sideline them. Continue reading →

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The Big Short: the coolest econ class you’ll ever wanna take

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Denise

the big short onesheet

Nutshell: The Big Short deals with the heartbreaking concept of a world financial collapse, and makes it fascinating and at times even funny.  While this film pulls no punches, it also educates as it entertains with scenes that break the fourth wall and cameos that keep dull minutiae understandable.  This isn’t only a must-see for awards season, but for anyone who wants to know more about how our world is run, and the banks that hold all the cards.  Grade: A

“It looks like someone hit a piñata and out fell a bunch of white guys who aren’t very good at golf.”

If, back in the double-aughts, you wondered how folks could be approved for houses two, three, five times more expensive than their salaries could actually swing, The Big Short is gonna be your catnip.  If you’re wondering just what exactly the hell happened in 2008, how exactly our financial system could turn into such a big mess, and why the bubble burst, this movie will lay it all out for you.  And if you’re just someone who enjoys the idea of a smart, intellectual film that doesn’t talk down to you but instead grabs you by the shoulder and says “okay, but you gotta admit, this is funny as hell”?  Run, don’t walk to the theater. Continue reading →

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Elsewhere Review: Sisters – a glory-days good time

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Denise
As always, clicky for the original piece!

Nutshell: Sisters takes the well-worn frat/house party story and winds it up by plopping a bunch of 40-somethings into the booze and drug filled mix. Sounds like a crash-and-burn, but if you’re not gasping for breath from laughing so hard? You need to get out more. Grade: B+

TwitView: Sisters

sisters onsheetIn Sisters, Fey and Poehler show that just because you’ve got a few decades (or more) under your belt, you’re not necessarily a grown-up.  And while that could be a downer of a storyline, they keep it light and focus on the bonds you keep and the ones you’ve broken along the way.

A goofy, borderline tacky, gloriously out-there screenplay by Paula Pell turns Sisters into a glorious mash of The Big Chill, Superbad and every “this one goes to 11” house party you ever went to.  Add the light Pitch Perfect touch of director Jason Moore, and Sisters becomes Generation X slapstick in all its raunchy glory.
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