THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES (2014) review
written by: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro
produced by: Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson
directed by: Peter Jackson
rating: PG-13 (for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence and frightening images)
runtime: 144 min.
U.S. release date: December 17, 2014
It saddens me to admit that I hope this will be my final trip to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth. It’s supposed to be, but you never know with director co-writer/co-producer/director, Peter Jackson, my long-winded and enthusiastic tour guide. Oh, I thoroughly enjoyed his three “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, but now, having seen “The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies”, the end of an overlong and bloated trilogy, I’m just tired and wondering how it is I increasingly lost interest with each cinematic chapter of this epic adaptation. I have some ideas though.
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (2014) review
written by: Anthony McCarten
produced by: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce & AnthonyMcCarten
directed by: James Marsh
rating: PG-13 (for some thematic elements and suggestive material)
runtime: 123 min.
U.S. release date: November 07, 2014 (limited release)
It’s not a compliment that James Marsh’s new film works best with built-in knowledge of its amazing subject. Before watching “The Theory of Everything”, catch Stephen Hawking on YouTube. Unlike his many contemporaries, Hawking has the extraordinary talent of making you feel smarter the longer you hear him speak. He speaks with you rather than above you, and his personality is one of endearing humility.
2014 Chicago Film Critics Awards
It was definitely a night of surprises and disappointments tonight at this year’s awards dinner where the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) announced their picks for the best of the year in film. Yours truly and fortysomething other critics chose winners in 17 categories, a handful of them won by one or two votes – it was that tight. Alas, many of the nominees that I voted for were not chosen, especially the winners in all the acting categories. All four certainly gave worthy performances, but there was a sense of predictability to these winners though. On the flipside, it was surprising that we had a tie in cinematography and to also see Mika Levi’s atmospheric score for “Under the Skin” win. One particular upset for me though was the Swedish drama “Force Majeure” winning for Best Foreign Language over “Ida” the excellent Polish film which should’ve won. I thought both films were great, but “Ida” was the major discovery of the year for me.
ANNOUNCEMENT: The Nominees for the 2014 Chicago Film Critics Awards
Voting is over and the time has come to peruse the list of the 2014 nominees for the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards! Needless to say there the inevitable surprises on this list, but very few disappointments. Winners will be chosen on Monday, December 15th at the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) awards dinner. Below, you’ll find the list and then comments about the nominees by fellow critic and CFCA chairperson, Peter Sobczynski. Without further ado….
SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949) blu-ray review
written by: Harry Brown and James Edward Grant
produced by: Edmund Grainger
directed by: Allan Dwan
rating: not rated
runtime: 100 min.
U.S. release date: December 14, 1949
Blu-ray release date: November 11, 2014
You know what’s crazy? In a career that spanned five decades with almost 200 roles to his name, John Wayne only picked up two Oscar nominations for acting. Yeah, a lot of his movies weren’t going to win an Oscar to begin with. Yeah, many were 1930s serials barely clocking in at an hour. Others were more fan-friendly, not meant to create Oscar buzz. But in one of his best extended spans of pure acting power, the late 1940s, Wayne picked up his first nomination for 1949’s “Sands of Iwo Jima”.
MOONTRAP (1989) blu-ray review
written by: Tex Ragsdale
produced by: Robert Dyke, John Cameron and James R. Courtney
directed by: Robert Dyke
rating: R
runtime: 96 min.
U.S. release date: April 28, 1989
Blu-ray release date: November 18, 2014
If you’ve heard of “Moontrap”, that’s probably because you’re a science fiction and/or horror fan, maybe even a completist. The sci-fi B-movie stars two actors known for those genres, Walter Koenig (Star Trek’s Chekov) and The Man with the Chin, Bruce Campbell (best known for the “Evil Dead” movies). Although I consider myself a fan, I guess I’m not a completist of those genres, since I never got around to seeing this low-budget movie from 1989. For its 25th anniversary, Olive Films has released it for the first time on blu-ray with a remastered transfer, which is how I came to finally watch it. I may have missed its late night cable run back in the day and I never owned a worn VHS copy, but I can still acknowledge the cheese factor of “Moontrap” as something of a cult classic, in the so-bad-its-good category, that is.
THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR (2014) review
written by: Michael Colton, John Aboud and Brandon Sawyer
produced by: Mark Swift, Lara Breay and Tripp Hudson
directed by: Eric Darnell and Simon J. Smith
rating: PG (for mild action and some rude humor)
runtime: 92 min.
U.S. release date: November 26, 2014
Because there absolutely must be a family-friendly, crowd-pleasing movie released during Thanksgiving, Dreamworks Animation (DWA) is releasing “The Penguins of Madagascar”. You know these penguins from the three “Madagascar” animated features (hence the title), where they were often the best part of each movie. But they’re not actually from Madagascar. They have their own past and their own tales to tell. The result is a vibrant, crazy and hilarious romp.
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1
written by: Danny Strong and Peter Craig
produced by: Nina Jacobsen and Jon Kilik
directed by: Francis Lawrence
rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images and thematic material)
runtime: 123 min.
U.S. release date: November 21, 2014
Upon hearing that Mockingjay, the third and final YA novel by Suzanne Collins in The Hunger Games trilogy, would be turned into two movies, my wife, who had read the books acknowledged the logic in that approach. She stated Mockingjay is the least of the three, yet probably the most cinematic. Having seen “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1”. I agree and disagree with her, in that order.
FURY (2014) review
written by: David Ayer
produced by: Bill Block, John Lesher, Alex Ott, Ethan Smith, Brad Pitt & David Ayer
directed by: David Ayer
rated: R (for strong sequences of war violence, some grisly images, and language throughout)
runtime: 134 min.
U.S. release date: October 17, 2014
War movies – any war – were a dime a dozen back in the 1960s, my without a doubt favorite decade for movies. The reasoning was simple: audiences ate them up for good or bad. Like any successful genre, there was an ebb and flow. With 1998’s “Saving Private Ryan”, the war movie (especially World War II) was forever changed. More realism, more violence, less glory and flag-raising. In one of the best war movies since 1998 and still chugging along in theaters, comes David Ayer’s “Fury”. Read more…
ROSEWATER (2014) review
written by: Jon Stewart
produced by: Scott Rudin, Jon Stewart and Gigi Pritzker
directed by: Jon Stewart
rating: R (for language including some crude references and some language)
runtime: 103 min.
U.S. release date: November 14, 2014
Back in March 2013, political satirist and comedian Jon Stewart announced that he would be taking a break from hosting The Daily Show to direct a movie. He had optioned the rights to write and helm an adaptation of Maziar Bahari’s 2011 memoir Then They Came For Me, which was primarily about the Canadian-Iranian journalist’s arrest and 118-day imprisonment while covering the 2009 Iran presidential election. It comes as no surprise to find Stewart making his directorial debut with a sharply focused political perspective.
