ShowbizMonkeys.com: Movies

Oscar Talk: What Y'all Complainin' Bout?

Posted by Michael Walkey | Saturday, January 28, 2012 @ 6:31am

The blogosphere runs amok every time a pop culture event hits, big or small, allowing people to debate the pros and cons of anything and everything. This week’s Oscar nominations are no different: an event tailor made for master debaters of pop culture. Here we have a group of people (The Academy) from a delusional part of the world (Hollywood) who proudly claim every year that they have the be all and end all of ‘best of’ lists. And we’re pathetic enough to believe their list is worth getting upset over. And boy, people are upset this year!

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Review: Carnage

Posted by Tony Hinds | Thursday, January 26, 2012 @ 9:56am

One morning during a school yard disagreement, a kid named Zachary hits a kid named Ethan in the face with a stick, cutting his lip and breaking two of his teeth ("...and causing nerve damage to the right incisor," his Mother will curtly point out). Later, Zachary's parents (The Cowans, played by Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) arrive at the Brooklyn apartment of Ethan's parents (The Longstreets, played by Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly) to discuss the aftermath. Obviously, the children are too immature to work out this problem by themselves, so the parents get involved. What follows is some of the most awkward, uncomfortable, and hilariously tension-filled moments this side of The Office (the UK one, obviously), an interesting tonal departure for director Roman Polanski.

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2012 Oscar nominations: Hollywood looks back in time as Hugo and The Artist lead the way

Posted by Paul Little | Tuesday, January 24, 2012 @ 9:20am

With just over a month until the 84th Academy Awards -- which take place on Sunday, February 26th -- the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (via Academy President Tom Sherak and Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence) announced this year's Oscar nominations early this morning.

The Academy certainly saw 2011 as The Year of the Forgotten Film, with Hugo (a love letter to early filmmaking and film restoration) taking home eleven nominations and The Artist (the first broadly-released silent film in ages) right behind at ten. Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, which also jumps back in time to the days of old films and early 20th century literary greats is also up for several major awards. More modern fare wasn't completely ignored, however, as Moneyball (with six nominations) and The Descendants (with five) are in the running in most of the major categories, including Best Picture.

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(Not Quite All) The Most Anticipated Films of 2012

Posted by Tony Hinds | Tuesday, January 24, 2012 @ 8:03am

The big idea was to feature some of the more highly-anticipated movies from the 2012 film slate -- of which there are many -- however, I’ll admit: a couple clunkers still managed to sneak their way in. But overall, I feel like there is a little something for everybody on this list. In no particular order...

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Walkey Talk: Who the Hell Are the Hollywood Foreign Press?

Posted by Michael Walkey | Sunday, January 22, 2012 @ 7:44pm

Ah, awards season. It’s a great time in Hollywood. With so many awards these days being handed out to doctors, scientists, and educators, it’s about damn time they honour millionaire movie stars! But seriously, for movie fans like me, it’s a chance to see some great films. And if you’re an over analyzer, also like me, it’s a chance to debate which films are the best of the year, discuss whose performances are Oscar worthy, and ask yourself questions like: which films will be remembered ten years from now? And just who are the Hollywood Foreign Press?

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2012 Golden Globes: Winners, Losers, and Thoughts on the Globes Telecast

Posted by Tony Hinds | Monday, January 16, 2012 @ 2:18pm

"So where was I?" That was how host Ricky Gervais opened Sunday's 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards, a nod to the controversy that followed his previous year's hosting gig. His inference: he was going to pick up exactly where he left it last year. He wasn't going to pull any punches. Once again, he was going to raise hell. Well, this time? He didn't. Ricky Gervais (whose film/TV/podcast work I truly love) came across slightly brow-beaten and muted, as if he had perhaps decided to choose his intended comedic targets a bit more carefully this time around. His only remotely cutting line was directed at Jodie Foster and I'll admit, it was fairly good-natured (and very funny). We've known for years, Jodie. Relax, nobody cares.

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Review: A Dangerous Method

Posted by Tony Hinds | Friday, January 13, 2012 @ 7:15pm

As Freud said, "...it's really all about sex."

What could have been a fascinating study of two of the most brilliant and troubled men in the history of medical science devolves into a very well-made but rather frigid melodrama, an unlikely choice for director David Cronenberg. From the book "A Most Dangerous Method" by John Kerr and the subsequent Christopher Hampton play "The Talking Cure", A Dangerous Method follows Dr. Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender on a very good run; see Steve McQueen's Shame) as he is entrusted with a new patient, Sabina Spielrein (Kiera Knightly in the boldest performance of her career), a mentally damaged, anxiety-ridden Jewish-Russian whom Jung hopes to aid using Dr. Sigmund Freud's "Talking Cure". And he does just that, which eventually leads him to the office of Freud himself, played stoically by Viggo Mortensen (in a Golden Globe-nominated role).

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The Joe Johnson Experience: Superheroes Made Me a Better Man

Posted by Joe Johnson | Wednesday, December 28, 2011 @ 8:31am

In an age when entertainment has become the new religion, and celebrities the new deities, the power for big budget fiction to influence people is staggering. Often, this isn't viewed as a good thing -- and often, that would be correct. However, if we are going to chastise an industry for affecting people negatively, it seems only fair we also give credit where it's due.

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Tiesto performs live at the Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol Live Premiere in Rio

Posted by Mark McLeod | Tuesday, December 13, 2011 @ 1:04am

HOLLYWOOD, CA (December 12, 2011) -- Paramount Pictures and Coke Zero announced today they will team up to present the live MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—GHOST PROTOCOL movie premiere in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on December 14th. The live red carpet event will air online beginning at 7:00 p.m. BRST/ 4:00 p.m. EST / 1:00 p.m. PST and will feature a live performance by Grammy®-nominated DJ & Producer Tiësto, who will unveil his brand new re-mix of the famed Mission: Impossible theme song, written by Lalo Schifren, for the first time ever. This special red carpet event will be streamed free at CokeZero.com/Mission, MissionImpossible.com, Livestream.com/MissionImpossible, http://www.facebook.com/tiesto and Coke Zero on Facebook.

The film’s star and producer Tom Cruise, co-star Paula Patton, director Brad Bird and other special celebrity guests will be on-hand in Rio for live interviews with hosts Quddus and Carla Lamarca. As part of this special live-stream, Coke Zero, Tiësto and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—GHOST PROTOCOL fans will be able to ask cast members questions directly from the Livestream chat. In addition, fans will have the opportunity to experience highlights from the multi-city global tour the cast and filmmakers have completed, including stops in Japan, Korea, India, Dubai, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Russia and Italy.

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Walkey Talk: Scorsese in the 21st Century

Posted by Michael Walkey | Thursday, December 1, 2011 @ 10:13am

Do we really need to praise Martin Scorsese any more than he’s been already? Do I have to reiterate the contributions he’s made to film, not just through his endless list of cinematic masterpieces, but also through his contributions and advocacy of film preservation? Do I need to remind you about his passion for cinema?

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