Film Buffs

Christmas is a time for family. How better to spend it than by sharing a few laughs that cross generational borders? The Christmas miracle is finding a flick that entertains adults encouraging terribly inappropriate antics that would earn otherwise nice boys and girls a lump of coal from Santa Claus. When in doubt, these three Christmas comedy classics are sure to keep the holiday spirit bellowing from deep within your candy-cane filled gut. 1. A Christmas Story What could be more perfect for the family to enjoy on Christmas than a movie explicitly titled A Christmas Story. Not only does it guard against the dangers of licking frozen objects and asking your parents for potentially dangerous presents, but same quirky family anecdotes have stood the test of time, capturing the hearts and minds of audiences since 1983. With a The Wonder Years style narration and youthful perspective of household dynamics, this timeless tale has reverberated with viewers of all ages for generations now. Best of all, it airs for 24 hours straight on TBS every Christmas Day, so no need to waste time or money on a rental.2 & 3.Home Alone & Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Want to appreciate the comfort of family this holiday season? A three hour double feature of Kevin McAllister with no one to turn to but his bag of tricks, learning to appreciate the idiosyncrasies of relatives alongside the true meaning of Christmas is sure to provide a little entertainment and perspective. Read more »

This summer’s upcoming releases make for a long list of re-made movies and best-sellers turned motion pictures. Eclipse, the third movie in the Twilight saga may be the most anticipated movie of the season but it is also a film that appeals to one, relatively narrow, demographic. Being the third in the series and based on a book also make it nothing extremely original to Hollywood. Inception on the other hand, may be this summer’s saving grace. This sci-fi flick tells the story of Dom Cobb (Dicaprio) who has the rare ability to steal information from people’s minds while they are dreaming. In the ultimate mission, Cobb is tasked with, not stealing, but implanting an idea into someone’s dream. With the tagline “your mind is the scene of the crime,” this film has the potential to perform very well at the box office. Read more »

A whole generation (23 years to be exact) after Oliver Stone’s release of the original morality tale, the sequel “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” tested the waters at Cannes and found them as warm as the French location would suggest.Critics on location for the premiere at Cannes were quite a buzz. From all reports, Gordon Gekko is a changed man whom no longer goes by his famous mantra “Greed is good.” Michael Douglas reprises the role, with the character fresh out of a prison sentence resulting from the original film’s events.Instead, Gekko’s pushing a book he authored that condemns his characteristically greedy ways established in the first film that critic Julian Sancton suggests in a Vanity Fair review reached a generation to only inspire them to seek riches and follow his path. The IMDb Cannes 2010 blog suggests that perhaps Stone is trying to make amends for creating the appealing anti-hero in the first place. Read more »

Following millennia upon millennia of plays and other performing arts which hark back to the very beginning of human civilization, film is the modern inheritor of so many different attributes, virtues and vices of humanity. Ever since the first silent films were made in the early 20^th century society has had a profound love affair with filmone full of highs and lows, the good and the bad, the memorable and the forgettable. In honor of the tremendous importance which film exerts on our modern society, and in light of the fact that there are always countless film buffs out there looking for an opportunity to refine their trivia prowess, here we’ve assembled a list of the most-winning actors and films of the silver screen ever since the Oscarsthe most prestigious film award of them allhave been around. Read on and see just how informed a film buff you really are!The Big Kahunas: to start off our list, it only seems fitting to honor those films that have reaped the most Oscars all around in all the categories. These epics of the big screen left an indelible impression on our souls and on our psyche as a broader society, and any and all film buffs simply must be aware of them. Which are we referencing in particular? True gems such as Ben-Hur, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, each of which pulled in 11 Oscar wins in alla true feat of cinematographic ability! Read more »

While summertime might mean getting away from the grind of your desk job and heading to the beach, it also means freedom and a more carefree lifestyle for a number of different reasons. And for anyone, regardless of if you’re on your way to the last remaining drive-in movie theater or standing in line at the latest megaplex, part of the fun of summer is definitely the summer blockbuster film.If you look back over the course of the past decade or so, there have been some seriously great summer films, though lately the focus does seem to be more towards sweeping action adventures and not so much the more down-to-earth or low-key films that might have won people’s hearts a few years back. And film studios are starting to get a whole lot smarter. To get together guys and girls without having any fights over whether a movie is a chick flick or an action adventure story, a lot of the bigger studios are rolling out all the stops for the months of June, July, and August. This means you should expect to see films that combine shoot-em-up sequences with romantic plot lines, or at least dreamy actors. Some of the most successful franchises lately, including “Pirates of the Caribbean,” have worked this technique as well as it can possibly be handled. Read more »

When it comes to choosing how to spend your hard-earned money, sometimes it helps to enlist the help of a professional or the consensus of the group. Nowhere is this more obvious than with movies. If you count on a single film critic in the local newspaper, you might find yourself disappointed a lot of the time. After all, a critic probably has completely different priorities than you do when it comes to heading to the movies. If you want to read a specific person’s opinions on the latest blockbuster films and art house sensations alike, it makes more sense to go online and check out a particular blog or official website instead.Of course, there are better options for those who aren’t quite cinephiles, but who enjoy a nice trip to the theater every so often. If you’re less interested in epic cinema and don’t know your Fellini from your George Lucas, it might make more sense to look towards the consensus of popular opinion. After all, there are those who see the cinema as a chance to focus on advancing at, and there are those who could care less what happened in Germany or France 60 years ago to change the film movement. The fact is that there are just as many films being made right now in America that focus on entertaining, and that’s often the main purpose for those who simply want to know which flick is best for the whole family on Friday night. Read more »