The Revenant hit movie theaters as a big question mark, a gamble. Would audiences be willing to sit through a grueling 2 1/2 hour endurance test that was driven by a contemplative, philosophical spirit - and cost $135 million to make? At a $108 million dollar gross so far going into its third weekend of wide [...]
When two legendary filmmakers sit down to talk for an hour, it's always worthwhile. This discussion, hosted in New York City by the Directors Guild of America, followed a recent DGA screening for Steven Spielberg's Bridge Of Spies. Friend, peer, and fellow icon Martin Scorsese interviews Spielberg about his latest effort, which was recently nominated for 6 Academy [...]
Patience, young Jedis. Without citing any reason in particular (although rumors of rewrites are the alleged cause), Variety is reporting that Disney and Lucasfilm announced today that the release date for the still-untitled Star Wars: Episode VIII - written and directed by Rian Johnson - has been pushed back from May 26, 2017 to December 15, [...]
Enough with the glib media coverage. I couldn't care less what J.J. Abrams' Jedi name is or what his lightsaber color would be. Let the filmmaker talk about how and why he made his film the way he did. Cue the DGA Q&A. After a Director's Guild screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the [...]
One of the reasons Dances With Wolves was such a big success 25 years ago was because of its Oscar-winning cinematography by Dean Semler. On his blog, Evan E. Richards - a Boston-based visual effects artist, cinematographer, and director - did a 440 image photo essay for the 4-hour cut of Costner's epic (click here). Spoiler alert: it basically [...]
***1/2 out of **** Rated R for strong combat violence throughout, bloody images, and strong language Released: January 15, 2016 Runtime: 144 minutes Director: Michael Bay Starring: John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, Pablo Schreiber, David Costabile, Matt Letscher, David Denman, Max Martini, Dominic Fumusa, Demetrius Grosse, David Giuntoli How in the name of Uncle Sam does an American [...]
There are always surprises. Despite largely following the script (I predicted 75 of 106 nominees, or 71% correct), there were still a number of gasps when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced their nominees for the Best in Film for 2015. I'll break those down, but first: the headline. Leading all contenders this year [...]
A bit belated, but as comprehensive as I could make it: here's my take on the best movies for 2015. It begins with the Top 10, in ascending order, then continues with my 11 through 20 choices, and concludes with a brief listing of the other movies I really enjoyed throughout the year. Many film [...]
For the Oscar nerds out there: my predictions of who and what the Academy will nominate his Thursday morning for their 88th Annual Awards - in all categories but three (Live Action Short, Animated Short, and Documentary Short). I wouldn't have a clue where to even begin guessing for those. In the Best Picture race, the Academy rules state there [...]
The final piece of the pre-Oscar Nomination puzzle is in place as the Directors Guild of America named their five nominees for Best Director of 2015. Four were expected, but one's a bit of a shocker. The 2015 DGA nominees are: Alejandro G, Iñárritu, The Revenant Tom McCarthy, Spotlight Adam McKay, The Big Short George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road Ridley Scott, [...]
I Can't Unsee That Movie: film news and reviews by Jeff Huston 