Emma Thompson
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The Definitive Movies of 1995
30. Sense and Sensibility Directed by: Ang Lee Ang Lee has gone in about eight different directions in terms of genre. His resume includes “The Ice Storm,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” Hulk,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Life of Pi,” and this delightful Jane Austen adaptation, starring Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, and young Kate Winslet. “Sense […] More
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The Definitive Movies of 1995
40. Empire Records Directed by: Allan Moyle Ah, the coming-of-age story. There was no sub-genre more hijacked for a quick buck in the 1990’s. In between the good ones (“Dazed and Confused,” “Boyz in the Hood”), the cheesy ones (“She’s All That,” “She Drives Me Crazy”), and the under-appreciated ones (“The Man in the Moon,” […] More
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Sundance 2015: ‘A Walk in the Woods’ will have you running for the exits
A Walk in the Woods is like a nice, warm blanket. One with a plaid pattern that’s been sitting in your granny’s attic so long it smells like a mixture of mold and “old person” because she only takes it out when the grandkids come over to visit every summer during the State Fair and it’s too hot to use a blanket because she never bothered to get air conditioning after the old box unit overheated and melted down that one wall outlet … More
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‘Men, Women & Children’ is an ambitious mess
Ambition can be the enemy of precision. With its multiple storylines and subplots, there is no denying the overarching ambition of Jason Reitman’s Men, Women & Children. What seems to be missing, however, is the attention to detail required to craft a rewarding and engaging film. The good ideas are undermined by ‘Young Adult’ clichés, and the interesting stories aren’t given enough time to flourish. The end result is a messy little film that doesn’t offer enough insight to warrant enduring the melancholy. More
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‘The Love Punch’ an unmemorable would-be jaunty caper for leads Brosnan and Thompson
The Love Punch Written and directed by Joel Hopkins UK, 2013 The Love Punch is the latest entry in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel subgenre of modern British cinema, in which a group of elder-statesmen performers go to an even remotely exotic locale to partake in a series of hopefully delightful hijinks. This time, it’s […] More
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‘The Love Punch’, with Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson, releases its first trailer
Over the course of their careers, Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson have found success in different cinematic fields. Brosnan has garnered fans from his roles on the television series Remington Steele and from his turn as the iconic spy James Bond, while Thompson is known for her roles in movies such as The Remains of […] More
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Disney Blu-ray Round-up: ‘Saving Mr. Banks’
At a couple points during one of the precious few special features on the Saving Mr. Banks Blu-ray, the people on screen, from the film’s director to family members of some of the men who worked with Walt Disney in the 1930s and 1940s, echo the following talking point: Walt Disney was not a nostalgic […] More
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‘Annie’, the remake of the popular musical with Quvenzhané Wallis, releases its first trailer
The 2012 indie drama Beasts of the Southern Wild brought acclaim for both writer-director Benh Zeitlin and star Quvenzhané Wallis, with many interested to see what the young actress would do next. With her next appearance being a supporting turn in 12 Years a Slave, fans were intrigued to learn of her casting as the […] More
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‘The Jungle Book’ and Racism in Disney’s Animated Features
The release of The Jungle Book on Blu-ray today has become, as when Saving Mr. Banks was unveiled a couple months ago, an unplanned forum on a most thorny issue for the Disney uber-fan: was Walt Disney a racist/sexist/anti-Semite, and if so, was he a super-racist/sexist/anti-Semite, or just your average, garden-variety racist/sexist/anti-Semite? Even though the […] More
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Mousterpiece Cinema, Episode 124: ‘Saving Mr. Banks’
Wind’s in the east…mist comin’ in. Like something is brewin’ and ’bout to begin. Can’t put me finger on what lies in store, but I feel what’s to happen, all happened before. Oh, excuse us, we were just reciting one of our favorite underrated lines from Mary Poppins, the Disney musical classic that happens to be […] More
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‘Saving Mr. Banks’ a hollow reminder of what made ‘Mary Poppins’ so special
Saving Mr. Banks Written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith Directed by John Lee Hancock USA, 2013 “They said only God could make a tree,” Walt Disney says proudly as he strolls down Main Street, U.S.A. in the Disneyland theme park, late in Saving Mr. Banks. Walt, as he prefers to be known, gladhands all […] More
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‘Beautiful Creatures’ a daffy but entertaining ‘Twilight’ retread
Beautiful Creatures Directed by Richard LaGravenese Written by Richard LaGravenese USA, 2013 What Beautiful Creatures has that the Twilight films desperately needed is a refreshing sense of silly self-awareness. The latter books and films, which clearly inspired the former, were frequently funny, if always unintentionally so. (OK, fine, that Michael Sheen yelp in the last […] More