For a film like Detroit with difficult content thrust upon audiences to endure, this is not a place to seek entertainment or joy. Instead, Detroit is a challenge of cementing respect and achieving an empathy deeper than basic sympathy. Step into a beyond-cautionary tale of history that school books skipped or have forgotten. Let Detroit stir and inspire conversations. Let the emotions, good and bad, come and talk about them.
Read MoreI felt obligated to update an editorial list I made five years ago in 2012 of the best Irish-themed movies in time for celebrating St. Patrick's Day. It was due for a dusting with two new additions. For this list, I opened the field to either movies set in Ireland or those that feature notable Irish characters or stories outside of the Emerald Isle. That possibilities spanned movies both foreign and domestic. Pour the Guinness, heat the corned beef, and enjoy my list of the 10 best Irish-themed movies!
Read MoreA masterfully powerful documentary, “A Doctor’s Sword,” chronicling the reflective and jarring tale of Irish World War II veteran Aidan MacCarthy, recently played as part of the second annual Irish American Movie Hooley at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. One half of this fine film is an astounding you-wouldn't-believe-it-if-I-told-you true story of World War II survival that would make "Unbroken" look like a nursery rhyme. Its calmer other half takes place in a present day where two proud families and two proud countries are forever bonded by shared history.
Read MoreSimply put, "The Martian" from director Ridley Scott and headlining star Matt Damon, is a great survival film. It strikes all of those aforementioned chords of survival essence and entertainment. Giving it the easy labels of "Castaway in Space," "Robinson Crusoe: Astronaut," "Interstellar without Nolanism," "Apollo 13 on Mars," or "The Next Gravity" sells it too short. "The Martian" doesn't need to borrow anything from those five notable survival film stories and can stand confidently aside, or even above them, as an exemplar all its own in the genre. Meet what is sure to go down as one of 2015's best films.
Read More"Ex Machina" has much more good than bad and much more surprise than contrivance when it comes to traversing the mine field that can be the science fiction topic of artificial intelligence, especially with a potentially damning title like that. The high-minded science is there. The ominous ambiance of implications and ramifications is properly defined. "Ex Machina" is very smartly created and makes the list of good (excuse my language) "mindfuck" films, joining the excellent and underseen "The One I Love" from last summer. But, it's still missing that next edge of sharpness or gear to ascend to the next level.
Read MoreIt's time to begin making my formal and official Oscar predictions. In this second post, we look at the musical and sound categories that include original score, original song, sound editing, and sound mixing. Let's do this!
Read MoreIt's time to begin making my formal and official Oscar predictions. In this first post, we look at the visual and artistic technical categories that include cinematography, production design, costumes, makeup/hairstyling, editing, and visual effects. Let's do this!
Read MoreThe scope of this year's slate of biographical films culminates with "Unbroken," the story of Olympian and World War II veteran Louis "Louie" Zamperini. Of all of this year's biopics, this is the one with the highest profile that you've been hearing about for the better part of two years. This is the one getting the widest release, right here on Christmas Day. This is the one with the most continuous Oscar hope since the end of last year's Academy Awards. Even on this very website, in an editorial of long-range Oscar picks for 2015, on the day after the 2014 Oscars, I handicapped and predicted "Unbroken" as the most likely eventual Best Picture frontrunner. Was all of the hype and all of the anticipation rewarded? Would it rank a success or a failure as a biographical film?
Read MoreThe holiday movie season of November and December is what really starts and decides the Oscar race every year and this year's schedule of films is no different. There are some real contenders here looking to make people forget about "Birdman" and "Gone Girl." Let's see what happens. Here is my complete "Holiday Movie Preview" for 2014. Enjoy!
Read MoreHere is the master calendar for the upcoming holiday movie season releases for November and December of 2014. Be sure to check ahead at theaters because release dates shift all the time. Print this out, pin it, or put it on the fridge for the next two months. Enjoy your holidays and enjoy these movies!
Read MoreOnce one awards season ends, another one begins! The winners from last night's 86th Academy Awards can bask in the glow of immortality for a while. Meanwhile, business in Hollywood will quickly shift and move on to the 87th Academy Awards that will happen in February or March of 2015. Here are 15 films to watch for the 2015 Oscars.
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