It’s Oscar season, and you know what that means: films about noted historical figures with titles that are just the protagonist’s first or last name. In the wake of Ray, Capote and Lincoln, but preceding, say, Barack or Lohan, comes Hitchcock, the story of the iconic director as played by Anthony Hopkins (whom we loved Read More
The Tribeca Grand Hotel transformed into a star-studded venue yesterday for the movie screening of The Debt. As camera crews lined the red carpet eagerly waiting for the stars, reporters indulged in gossip and movie critiquing. “No, she slept with this guy and got pregnant with him but actually loves this guy” a reporter exclaimed, Read More
“What you’re going to see today is equal parts audacious, shocking, um, decadent and wildly entertaining,” announced Lionsgate exec Joe Drake before last night’s screening of The Devil’s Double.
An eclectic audience—including Dame Helen Mirren, designer Cynthia Rowley, actress Zoe Lister Jones, Nicole Murphy accompanied by ex-Giant Michael Strahan, and dynamic duo Ice-T and Coco Read More
Nicole Kidman is here, trying to smile up some new interest in both a career that has turned anemic and a movie version of the Broadway play Rabbit Hole, which underscores her rarely tapped depths as a dramatic actress. As movies lose luster and star wattage dims, you wouldn’t guess it this week in Toronto. Read More
There might not be a chill in the air just yet—thanks, global warming!—but as long as the calendar reads December, we’re in Oscar season. The first weekend of the month brings three contenders to multiplexes, but just one (hint: its name rhymes with Schmup in the Schmair) stands a good chance of bringing home the Read More
With the calendar turned over to December and the Carpetbagger blogging once again (now with a new Bagger!), awards season has officially started. And to that we say: finally. In an effort to get a jump on the equally irrelevant Golden Globes, Film Independent announced the nominees for the 25th annual Read More
The Last Station
Running time 112 minutes
Written and directed by Michael Hoffman
Starring James McAvoy, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti, Helen Mirren
Let the drums roll. The arrival of a movie with as much intelligence and artistry as The Last Station should also be accompanied by the sound of trumpets. For the legions of Read More
State of Play
Running time 127 minutes
Written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy and Billy Ray
Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Helen Mirren
State of Play is the latest incoherently written, mass-entertainment gibberish by the overrated Tony Gilroy. Two other writers share the credit, but Read More
Monday: Chuck
With so many television shows getting toe tagged or suffering on life support, it’s probably time to remind everyone that Chuck is one of the most charming, romantic, smart and consistently fun hours of television we watch every week. NBC has already ordered a full second season, but if the Read More
