The posting for the “BEST OF 2011” is now up. You may either click the link below or go to the home page and access all lists from the past few years. Don’t forget to pass it along to all movie lovers … and go to the comments section to let me know your favorites of 2011.
https://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/annual-bests-2/best-of-2011/
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Posted by David Ferguson
TMI (Today’s Movie Info)
GEORGE CLOONEY had his first TV credit at age 7 on “The Nick Clooney Show”, a local Lexington Kentucky talk show hosted by his father. George became a TV star playing Dr. Doug Ross on “ER” in 1994. Director Robert Rodriguez gave him his first big movie break with From Dusk Til Dawn (1996), and he became a mega-star alongside Jennifer Lopez in Out of Sight (1998). Since then, he has gone on to international fame and won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Syriana (2005). He has also directed 4 feature films … including an Oscar nomination for Good Night, and Good Luck (2005). However, it wasn’t always champagne and caviar (nod to Robin Leach) for Clooney. He tried out (didn’t make it) for the Cincinnati Reds, spent some time as a young man working in tobacco fields, and when he finally moved to Los Angeles, he slept in Charlie Sheen‘s closet. George’s aunt was Rosemary Clooney, a very popular singer and actress who got her start in the 1950’s. George has Oscar hopes again this year with two films: The Descendants and The Ides of March. He will next appear in the sci-fi thriller Gravity from director Alfonso Cuaron. Expected release date: November 21, 2012
Leave a Comment » | TMI Dailies | Tagged: George Clooney | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson
TMI (Today’s Movie Info)
FRITZ LANG directed two ground-breaking films: M and Metropolis
Metropolis (1927) was the first big budget Sci-Fi movie and was said to be Adolph Hitler’s favorite film. The robot became George Lucas’ inspiration for C-3PO in Star Wars (1977).
M (1931) was the first Film Noir and loosely based on the real life serial killer Peter Kuerten, the “Vampire of Dusseldorf”. Germany banned the film in 1934 and it was not released again until 1966. The use of voiceover narration was ground-breaking, as was specific music for a character. Peter Lorre‘s character whistles ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ from Edvard Grieg‘s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1. (although Fritz Lang actually recorded the whistling)
In 1934 Joseph Goebbels offered Lang the position of the Head of the German Cinema Institute. Fritz was anti-Nazi, so he refused and fled Germany soon after. Lang made movies in the U.S. until 1960 and passed away in 1976. His early films influenced future filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Luis Bunuel and Orson Welles.
Leave a Comment » | TMI Dailies | Tagged: Fritz Lang | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson
TMI (Today’s Movie Info)
ELF, the 2003 blockbuster that has since become a Christmas TV tradition, stars Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf. Did you know that Jim Carrey was originally slated for the role? In one of the first scenes, Ming Ming the elf is played by Peter Billingsley … better known to most as Ralphie Parker from A Christmas Story (1983). Leon the Snowman is voiced by Leon Redbone, who also sings “Baby It’s Cold Outside” with Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel, and “Christmas Island” on the soundtrack. Lastly, the director Jon Favreau also directed Iron Man and Iron Man II, and wrote the script for Swingers (1996).
And don’t forget “to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup! “
2 Comments | TMI Dailies | Tagged: Jon Favreau, Leon Redbone, Peter Billingsley, Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson
TMI (Today’s Movie Info)
DANIEL RADCLIFFE was cast at age 11 (left) for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The final Harry Potter film was the number 1 film at the box office for 2011. Radcliffe is now 22 years old (below) and his next film is a remake of the 1989 ghost story (based on the book by Susan Hill) The Woman in Black. Radcliffe plays an attorney settling the affairs of an unsettled spirit. Do you think he can make the transition from child star to adult actor? Expected release date: February 3, 2012
2 Comments | TMI Dailies | Tagged: Daniel Radcliffe | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson
TMI (Today’s Movie Info)
Christopher Nolan and crew are in post-production for the final entry in his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. The story picks up 8 years after The Dark Knight and again features Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, and Michael Caine as Alfred. This time Batman faces off against the hulking, one-man army Bane, played by Tom Hardy. There is also an appearance by Catwoman, played by Anne Hathaway. Nolan has stated that there will be approximately 50 minutes of IMAX footage in this final chapter. Release date is July 20, 2012
Leave a Comment » | TMI Dailies | Tagged: Anne Hathaway, Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hardy | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson
TMI (Today’s Movie Info)
BOX OFFICE: Domestic (U.S.) 2011
Leave a Comment » | TMI Dailies | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson
TMI (Today’s Movie Info)
ABRAHAM LINCOLN is the subject of Steven Spielberg‘s next film. With two films currently in theatres (The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse), Spielberg is already deep into production of Lincoln, which is based on the book “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The film features an incredibly deep cast led by Daniel Day-Lewis (left) as Honest Abe. The supporting cast includes Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Todd Lincoln, Jared Harris as Ulysses S Grant, and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens. Anticipated release date: Christmas 2012
Leave a Comment » | TMI Dailies | Tagged: Daniel Day-Lewis, Jared Harris, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sally Field, Steven Spielberg, Tommy Lee Jones | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson
HAPPY NEW YEAR! A year-end thanks to all of you wise folks who are loyal followers and/or contributors to Movie Reviews From the Dark. And an especially big thank you to those who have referred others to the site.
There are a couple of announcements I would like to make:
1. The annual “Best of” list will be posted in a couple of weeks. New York and L.A. have a distinct advantage since all Oscar-eligible movies get a year-end release in those cities. We aren’t quite as fortunate in Dallas.
2. Beginning January 1, 2012 the site will have a new feature: TMI (Today’s Movie Info). Each day I will post a (hopefully) interesting movie-related tidbit. My self-imposed guidelines are very flexible, so expect just about anything.
Please continue to pass along your comments … and as always, I certainly appreciate you “enriching” the lives of others by recommending the site!
Bring on 2012!!
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Posted by David Ferguson
Greetings again from the darkness. In the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan, director Steven Spielberg provided us with one of the most horrific and terrifyingly realistic and violent examples of war ever shown on screen. Here, he takes a much different approach. Though the bulk of the movie takes place during World War I, Spielberg manages to withhold the brutal atrocities, while never once losing the impact and fear experienced by the soldiers. And while it’s uncertain whether this approach makes for a better film, it is obviously a more accessible and uplifting story because of it.
Based on the children’s book by Michael Morpurgo, and of course on the hugely successful stage runs in both London and New York, this movie is really the story of an unbreakable bond between a sincere farm boy named Albert (newcomer Jeremy Irvine) and a majestic horse named Joey. We witness the early bonding and training sessions between the two, which allows us to swallow some of the more improbable coincidences that occur later in the story. When the war breaks out, Albert’s dad (Peter Mullan) sells the horse to the cavalry so that he can save the farm by paying the landlord (David Thewlis). Fortunately, Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) agrees to keep Joey as his personal horse and return him to Albert after the war.
War is unpredictable, and Joey gets passed from the British to the Germans to a French farmer’s daughter, back to the Germans and back to the British. Along the way, we witness what a remarkable creature the horse is. Were he a man, he would be a most decorated officer. Instead, we witness how little value the military places on animals … even the beautiful ones. There are numerous scenes that make will make you uncomfortable with the cruelty shown, but just as many that will make you smile with joy. The already famous scene that features Joey’s unfortunate conflict with barbed wire and fence posts will have you squirming in your seat, while also scratching your head in wonderment.
Though many of the events and sequences are a bit of a stretch to believe (the time-out in No Man’s Land), the one thing you will never doubt is the beauty of the film. It’s epic nature recalls Doctor Zhivago or Lawrence of Arabia (though not at the overall level of either of those films), and the photography reminds me of John Ford‘s best work. Off the top of my head, I would say it is the most beautifully photographed movie since Terrence Malick‘s Days of Heaven in 1978. Spielberg’s long time DP Janusz Kaminski is at his best here and will surely be recognized by the Academy for his cinematography.
Many of the British actors are recognizable (Emily Watson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Kebbell, Eddie Marsan, David Kross), but it’s key that Spielberg cast no “movie stars”, only quality actors. The stars of the film and the story are the horse and the visuals. It should also be noted that the great John Williams delivers another perfect score … one that would run away with the Oscar in many years.
No need to be frightened off because the story is based during World War I. It’s not for the youngest of kids, but this is an uplifting, sentimental and emotional movie for most everyone. It is peak Spielberg working with sentiments and subject matter with which he so excels.
SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you enjoy being swept away by the emotions and grand scale of an epic film OR you would like a primer to war films that goes a bit easy on the gore.
SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you are expecting similar war reality to Saving Private Ryan OR you have a hard time suspending disbelief for some rather remarkable coincidences
watch the trailer:
Leave a Comment » | Drama, War | Tagged: Benedict Cumberbatch, David Kross, David Thewlis, Eddie Marsan, Emily Watson, Janusz Kaminski, Jeremy Irvine, John Williams, Michael Morpurgo, Niels Arestrup, Peter Mullan, Steven Spielberg, Toby Kebbell, Tom Hiddleston | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson
Movie Reviews from the Dark 