Movie Review — Exodus: Gods and Kings

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Denise

exodus

Nutshell: I’d give Exodus: Gods and Kings a C-.  Barely passing as an epic, and though there are some interesting moments when the 21st Century tries to science-splain ancient Egypt, it never once stirred my interest past the FX.  Who’s your Moses now? Who cares.

I really wanted to love this movie.  Because c’mon, who doesn’t love the cheesy goodness of Yul “WHO’S YOUR MOSES NOW?” Brynner in The Ten Commandments?  And I’m not even gonna touch the bombast of Charlton Heston’s Moses.  It’s grand, over-the-top, and a must-watch for me every Spring.

Unfortunately, Exodus doesn’t live up to the hype of it’s cinematic forefathers.  At times it’s a breathtaking visual treat but it’s much like another Spring favorite of mine, the chocolate bunny.  It’s pretty enough, and maybe even a bit impressive, but once you sink your teeth into it all you’ve got is a crumbling facade and a hollow that’s damn disappointing.

Y’all know the basics; Moses was an adopted son of Pharaoh.  But when rumors of how he was really brought into this world (think reed basket, Jewish binkie and a desperate-for-a-kid Egyptian princess), Moses decides to embrace his heritage, starting with freeing Jewish slaves.  All of them.  Cue the Exodus!

Director Ridley Scott plays a little fast-n-loose with the basics of the tale;

  • A Jewish blanket is swapped for a bracelet with his Hebrew name on it.  (Or something like that, as it was tough to understand that scene with all the quick mumbling.)
  • The Plagues are re-fashioned into scientifically plausible occurrences.  (Or something like that, as it was tough to believe how the first one started.  Fun to watch, but tough to believe.)
  • He sees the “Burning Bush” after getting literally stuck in the mud from a fierce rainstorm.
  • “God” is a kid that serves him tea and verbally spars with him.  Nobody else can see the kid, so everyone thinks Moses must be tripping balls schizophrenic imagining things.

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Movie Review: Top Five

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Denise

top five poster

Nutshell:  I give Top Five an A.  Love “backstage” stories?  Funny stuff?  Introspection?  You’ll love this.  Rock shines, and delivers his best performance yet. Also, DMX sings Nat Cole. Hello, Spotify?

A man who was once the pinnacle of his art tries to change up his game in order to make a name for himself.  It’s one of the best movies this year and has already generated a whole lot of buzz.  No, today I’m not talking about Birdman.  I’m talking about Top Five, a film that has the guts to look at fame, celebrity culture, addiction, how friends help and hinder you, human sexuality, and what it must be like to try to change who you are to others in order to reflect who you are inside.  It’s a whole lot to dump on an audience, and yet Chris Rock not only manages, he makes it an absolute hoot.  This is the laugh-out-loud funny, y’all.

Andre Allen is a self-made man.  Once a stand-up comic, he became A-list famous thanks to a string of comedies where he played a bear that fights crime.  (No really.  And stay with me here.)  But after three films, “Hammy the Bear” wasn’t enough for Andre, and so the spiral downward began.  After getting busted, getting clean, and re-starting his life, he’s now engaged to Kim Kardashian a reality TV star (Gabrielle Union) and making the PR circuit for his “ac-tor” dramatic debut as a Haitian slave revolt leader in “Uprize!”  When the New York Times wants to interview him, he’s wary — they’ve panned his work relentlessly for years — but journalist Chelsea Brown wins him over.  What happens next is a whirlwind day of revelations, shocks, re-starts and “rigorous honesty” that changes them both.  If that sounds deep, it is.  But Rock channels Woody Allen, Spike Lee and Richard Linklater, delivering a film that plays like a living version of his brilliant stand-up work.  At times gasping-for-air hilarious and brutally real, Top Five is a film that may surprise a lot of folks, but it’s the top-notch film Rock fans knew he had in him.

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Elsewhere Review: Wild

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Denise

Nutshell: I’d give Wild a B+.  Witherspoon’s performance isn’t just good, it makes you feel like you’re in her character’s skin, living it.  Director Jean-Marc Vallée blends timelines into an focused fever dream, nailing Strayed’s emotions.  A hiccup or two in exposition, but all-in-all a fascinating film.

(As always, clicky for the original piece!)

Movie Review: Wild

wild onesheet

Twitview: fascinating look at one woman’s fall and redemption. Witherspoon is a wonder.  B+

Fluffy foxes.  Heroin.  Toenails.  Quickies on a dumpster.  Corn mush and Snapple.  Wild is a glorious, fascinating mess of a story, detailing a woman’s quest to right her glorious, fascinating, messy life.  Taken from Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail , Wild is a look at how completely a devastating life event can destroy you, and how picking yourself back up is a matter of sheer will and determination that can give you back yourself.  A good pair of Danner hikers thrown into the mix doesn’t hurt.

Cheryl Strayed’s life began a downward spiral after her mother’s sudden death from cancer at 45 (spinal in the film, lung IRL).  Strayed began “experimenting” with heroin and schtupping every guy she came across in an attempt to ease the pain of loss, which caused the death of her marriage.  After all that loss, she tries to pick herself back up by trying to become the woman her mother believed her to be…and she begins getting herself back on that track by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  As someone who’s never, ever hiked before.  Ever.  Spoiler alert: she succeeds.

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Golden Globes: nominees announced! Birdman, Imitation Game and Boyhood lead the pack

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Denise

2012-golden-globesLooks like today’s the big start of Awards Season Onslaught, people!  And let’s face it; though the Oscars will always have a special place in my heart, the Golden Globes is the ceremony that feels like a giant love-in.  Probably thanks in no small part to all the champers on each and every table.  And yes people — Meryl Streep is nominated!  So we have a chance at everyone’s favorite Streep, DrunkStreep!  Because she’s the best dammit, even though Emma Thompson came damm close with her martini-totin’ acceptance last year.  Oh how can I choose?  I love them both.

As one might expect, buzzed films were at the top of the noms list.  Birdman, Michael Keaton’s fantastic look at fame and what one does to achieve it, topped the nominations with 7, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Enigma film The Imitation Game and the 12-years-in-the-making Boyhood close behind with 5 each.

Snubs?  Well, still no love for The Walking Dead (c’mon academy — at least pour one out for Beth?), Scandal (as if Ms. Pope was nobody!), and of course it’s another year & another snub for Orphan Black.  Dammit.  I’d try to muster some sadness that American Horror Story got passed up, but let’s face it; it’s been fun but not particularly noteworthy this year.

I can’t whine too much though, as The Theory of Everything, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Normal Heart all got tapped.

Read on for the hot list o’ noms, or just pop over to the ‘Globes and check ’em all out at the source.

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Coldsmoke Award Nominations announced: Afterglow, Pure, The Little Things lead noms

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Denise
(PRNewsFoto/Coldsmoke Winter Film)

(PRNewsFoto/Coldsmoke Winter Film)

Nominations for the Coldsmoke Awards are officially a go — did you vote? Well, if you did or didn’t, it’s looking like a cool (pun not initially intended but I’m rollin’ with it) crop of winter-themed films.  A veritable winter wonderland, if you will.  *crickets*

Ahem.  Anyway, the full list of noms — and more about the January 10th ceremony — after the jump.  No word on whether Cold Miser will be in attendance, but hope springs eternal.

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FCC: Priceless graphic begs “Please don’t break the internet”. So support Net Neutrality already!

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Denise
(PRNewsFoto/PleaseDontBreakTheInternet.com)

(PRNewsFoto/PleaseDontBreakTheInternet.com)

Not just posting this because I’m tapping out a simple mommyblog, but because I want everyone to have equal access on the interwebs.  Why is that a thing that has to be debated?

(Slightly edited, as some of the HTML went wonky. But 99.9% of the release is as-is.)

Released Today, on the Eve of the FCC Vote: Epic “Net Neutrality” Infographic that Pleads Please Don’t Break The Internet

“Net Neutrality” Infographic that begs Please Don’t Break the Internet is released to rally final hour action against the FCC.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — With just 24 hrs. to go until the FCC’s vote on the future of net neutrality, Please Don’t Break the Internet.com releases epic infographic that shows it’s not Kim Kardashian and Paper Magazine that could break the Internet, but the FCC.

The infographic adds some much needed hilarity to the net neutrality debate and is part of a campaign to rally “final hour” social media action. The FCC’s vote on December 10th is a pivotal one, as they will vote on rules that would potentially allow ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) to provide better access to websites that pay a premium to reach users faster. This scheme would create a “pay to play” internet with fast lanes reserved for the highest bidder. Others葉hose who don’t pay the fees– would be relegated to slow lanes.

The infographic is part satire, part fact and is reminiscent of the PAPER magazine cover “Don’t Break the Internet” that features nude vixen, Kim Kardashian. Instead of the “bootylicious Kim”, it features an illustrative meme, a nude one, of the FCC Commissioner Tom Wheeler. Longtime cable and telecom industry vet and former lobbyist, Wheeler has quickly become the arch-nemesis of internet lovers everywhere after he proposed his “pay to play” plans for the internet in May. The infographic takes a nostalgic look at the power of the internet and alludes to what would break if the FCC commissioner continues through on plans he initially announced earlier this year. The organization wanted something funny to peak social interest and to encourage peer to peer sharing or what they deem “peer to peer” action. Organizer L. Nicole Moore says of the campaign, “We hope it’s something people can laugh at and share, but most importantly something they can act on. Whether that action is tweeting the hash tag or calling the FCC. People need to know what’s at stake here and that what has been proposed by the FCC goes against the very open architecture of the internet. The internet allows people to exercise the human right to freedom of speech and it should not be subjected to policies that benefit some at the expense of the freedom of the majority.”

Please Don’t Break the Internet organizers are calling on people all around the “net” to join the campaign, to say something and stop the Internet from being broken. Internet users are being encouraged to call the FCC Commissioner’s office on December 9th and 10th, to tweet the hash tag #PleaseDon’tBreaktheInternet, or email their Congressperson. It’s the final chance to add your voice.

The Please Don’t Break the Internet campaign is a campaign for everyone who cares about the future of the most powerful medium in the world. With new regulations, it could change the way people live, work, and communicate forever.

To see the Infographic and for more information, please visit www.pleasedontbreaktheinternet.com

About Please Don’t Break the Internet.com:

Please Don’t Break the Internet.com is a movement to keep the internet open and free. Organizers are rallying awareness and education for the “net neutrality” movement and asking small business people, entrepreneurs and everyday people to add their voice to the mix before the FCC votes on egregious new rules that could change the internet as we know it today.

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BIFA winners announced: here’s the full list!

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Denise

I’d add to this, but they’ve summed things up beautifully. Congratulations to all the winners! (And especially to Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Brendan Gleeson, whose performances I thoroughly enjoyed.)

bifa logoLondon, Sunday 7thDecember – A glittering array of talent turned out this evening for the 17thMoët British Independent Film Awards. The winners were announced at the star-studded ceremony, held at Old Billingsgate, which was hosted by THE INBETWEENERS star, Simon Bird.

The lucky winners took home the iconic award designed by Fredrikson Stallard and created by Swarovski  as  well  as  a  personalised,  Swarovski  crystal  encrusted magnum of Moët & Chandon.

Best  British  Independent  Film  was  won  by PRIDE.    Yann  Demange  won  Best Director for ’71, Gugu Mbatha-Raw  won Best  Actress for BELLE and Brendan Gleeson won Best Actor for CALVARY.  Andrew Scott collected his award for Best Supporting Actor for PRIDE and Imelda Staunton took home her award for Best Supporting Actress also for her role in PRIDE.

PRIDE won the most awards on the night, picking up Best British Independent Film, Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor.

Joint Directors; The Moët British Independent Film Awards Johanna von Fischer & Tessa Collinson said: “In our final year as Directors it is terrific to see such an amazing mix of the established and new being represented in our honourees tonight. The range of diverse and unique talent in this country is awe inspiring. Our jury has had some truly tough decisions to make. We hope these results will excite audiences and encourage more people to search out these films creating a greater demand for British Independent cinema. 2014 also sees us celebrate five years of a fabulous partnership with title sponsor Moët & Chandon, who add that extra sparkle each year for which we are incredibly grateful.”

As previously announced, Emma Thompson was awarded the coveted Richard Harris Award for outstanding contribution by an actor to British film, and Benedict Cumberbatch the Variety Award, which recognises an actor, director, writer or producer who has helped to shine the international spotlight on the UK. The Special Jury Prize went to John Boorman.

Elsa  Corbineau,  Marketing  Director  Moët  &  Chandon  commented;  “Marking  our 5th Anniversary as title sponsors of the Moët British Independent Film Awards and long-time supporters of British film, Moët & Chandon is delighted to share in the celebrations of tonight’s very well deserved winners. To toast the successes of 2014, guests joined us in creating a seven-foot champagne fountain to salute a year of amazing achievements.”

The Raindance Award was won by LUNA. Elliot Grove, Founder of BIFA and the Raindance Film Festival added; “British filmmakers are at the top of their game and amongst the most creative in the world, covering a diverse range of stories, passionately told and featuring outstanding acting talent. BIFA is proud to lead the celebrations at the start of the Award season.”

The Moët British Independent Film Awards are proud to announce the following winners for 2014 (highlighted below in red):
BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
Sponsored by Moët & Chandon
’71
Calvary
Mr Turner
Pride
The Imitation Game
BEST DIRECTOR
Sponsored by AllCity & Intermission John Michael McDonagh – Calvary Lenny Abrahamson – Frank Matthew Warchus – Pride
Mike Leigh – Mr Turner
Yann Demange –  ’71
THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]
Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios
Daniel Wolfe, Matthew Wolfe – Catch Me Daddy
Hong Khaou – Lilting
Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard –  20,000 Days on Earth
Morgan Matthews – X+Y
Yann Demange – ’71
BEST SCREENPLAY
Sponsored by BBC Films
Graham Moore – The Imitation Game
Gregory Burke  – ’71
John Michael McDonagh – Calvary
Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan –  Frank
Stephen Beresford – Pride
BEST ACTRESS
Sponsored by M.A.C Cosmetics
Alicia Vikander – Testament of Youth
Cheng Pei Pei – Lilting
Gugu Mbatha-Raw –  Belle
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Sameena Jabeen Ahmed – Catch Me Daddy
BEST ACTOR
Sponsored by Movado
Asa Butterfield – X+Y
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Brendan Gleeson – Calvary
Jack O’Connell – ’71
Timothy Spall – Mr Turner

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Dorothy Atkinson – Mr Turner
Imelda Staunton –  Pride
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Frank
Sally Hawkins – X+Y
Sienna Guillory – The Goob
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sponsored by St Martins Lane
Andrew Scott – Pride
Ben Schnetzer – Pride
Michael Fassbender – Frank
Rafe Spall – X+Y Sean Harris – ‘71
MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Ben Schnetzer – Pride
Cara Delevingne – The Face of An Angel
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Belle
Liam Walpole – The Goob
Sameena Jabeen Ahmed –  Catch Me Daddy

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
’71
20,000 Days on Earth
Catch Me Daddy
Lilting
The Goob

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Chris Wyatt – Editing – ’71
Dick Pope – Cinematography – Mr Turner
Robbie Ryan – Cinematography – Catch Me Daddy
Stephen Rennicks – Music –  Frank
Tat Radcliffe – Cinematography – ’71
BEST DOCUMENTAR Y
20,000 Days on Earth
Next Goal Wins
Night Will Fall
The Possibilities Are Endless
Virunga
BEST BRITISH SHORT
Crocodile
Emotional Fusebox
Keeping Up With The Joneses
Slap
The Kármán Line
BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
Blue Ruin
Boyhood
Fruitvale Station
Ida
The Babadook
THE RAINDANCE AWARD
Flim: The Movie…
Gregor
Luna
Keeping Rosy
The Beat Beneath My Feet
THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution by an actor to British
Film)
Emma Thompson
THE VARIETY AWARD
Benedict Cumberbatch
THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
John Boorman
Now in its 17th year, the Awards were created by Raindance in 1998 and set out to celebrate  merit  and  achievement  in  independently funded  British filmmaking,  to honour new talent, and to promote British films and filmmaking to a wider public.
Previous winners of the prestigious Best British Independent Film Award include METRO MANILA, TYRANNOSAUR, THE KING’S SPEECH, MOON, CONTROL, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, THE CONSTANT GARDENER and THIS IS ENGLAND.
Proud supporters and patrons of The Moët British Independent Film Awards include Mike Figgis, Tom Hollander, Adrian Lester, Ken Loach, Ewan McGregor, Helen Mirren, Samantha Morton, James Nesbitt, Michael Sheen, Trudie Styler, Tilda Swinton, Meera Syal, David Thewlis, Ray Winstone and Michael Winterbottom.
The Moët British Independent Film Awards would like to thank all its supporters, especially: Moët  &  Chandon,  3 Mills  Studios,  BBC  Films,  M.A.C  Cosmetics, Movado, Raindance, St Martins Lane, Soho House, Swarovski, Variety, AllCity,
Intermission.
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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: The Imitation Game

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Denise

image

Ready to get your Awards Season Movie fix? Passes for The Imitation Game, I got you!

As someone who’s loving The Bletchley Circle, this should be a whole lot of counterintelligence fun. Here’s the synopsis:

During the winter of 1952, British authorities entered the home of mathematician, cryptanalyst and war hero Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to investigate a reported burglary. They instead ended up arresting Turing himself on charges of ‘gross indecency’, an accusation that would lead to his devastating conviction for the criminal offense of homosexuality – little did officials know, they were actually incriminating the pioneer of modern-day computing. Famously leading a motley group of scholars, linguists, chess champions and intelligence officers, he was credited with cracking the so-called unbreakable codes of Germany’s  World War II Enigma machine. An intense and haunting portrayal of a brilliant, complicated man, THE IMITATION GAME follows a genius who under nail-biting pressure helped to shorten the war and, in turn, save millions of lives.

Ready for passes? Here goes….

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Into the Woods!

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Denise

into the woods

Pitch Perfect Sing-a-Long. Jersey Boys.  Muppets Most Wanted.  Annie.  This has been a year of singing and dancing at the multiplex, and it ain’t over yet.  ‘Cause I have passes for the Baltimore screening of Into The Woods!

Here’s the deets on the film:

“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them.

Rob Marshall, the talented filmmaker behind the Academy Award®-winning musical “Chicago” and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” helms the film, which is based on the Tony®-winning original musical by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides the music and lyrics—including an all-new song for the big-screen adaptation. Produced by Marshall, John DeLuca, “Wicked” producer Marc Platt and Callum McDougall, “Into the Woods” hits theaters Dec. 25, 2014.

Ooh…but if you’re worried about it being too scary, relax.  It’s Disney!  Would they scare the pants off you?  Sure, that’s all subjective but whatever.  (NOTE: this film is rated PG) Passes!  Read on!

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It’s official: Benedict Cumberbatch is Doctor Strange

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Denise

image

Variety.com – and many other outlets – has the scoop: the buzz that Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch was perhaps going to add “superhero” to his CV is officially true. Marvel has tapped him for Stephen Vincent Strange, a doctor that becomes a Supreme Sorcerer after a car accident drives him to search for ways to help him overcome the damaged he received in the crash. Or something like that, because who knows what the movieverse will have in store?

Cumberbatch has the gravitas to pull off Strange, and I love that today both Cumberbatch & his Sherlock nemesis Moriarty (Andrew Scott, who’ll be in the next 007 for, Spectre) have been announced as starring in high profile series films.

Get comfy though, as the film is stated for a 2016 release.

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