Lincoln (2012) — Review

4 of 5 stars
Lincoln (2012)

Did you know that from the time of the Founding Fathers until the time of President Lincoln, the date Thanksgiving was observed varied from state to state? The final Thursday in November had become the customary date in most of the states by the beginning of the nineteenth century, but Thanksgiving was first celebrated on the same date by all states in 1863 by a presidential proclamation of Lincoln.

Influenced by the campaigning of author Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote letters to politicians for around 40 years trying to make it an official holiday, Lincoln proclaimed the date to be the…

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‘Man of Steel’ Trailer Coming With ‘The Hobbit’

‘Man of Steel’ Trailer Coming With ‘The Hobbit’
Entertainment Weekly

Director Zack Snyder told MTV News on Tuesday that the first full trailer for his Superman movie Man of Steel (out June 14, 2013) will unspool before Peter Jackson’s return to Middle Earth. “I can’t wait for The Hobbit,” said Snyder, “so it will be fun to see our crazy Man of Steel trailer and then enjoy The Hobbit because that’s going to be great.”

Awesome! Can’t wait to see it. The Hobbit is going to have plenty to draw me into the theater at this point, despite my disgruntledness with the whole frame rate issue. The Star Trek trailer, and now the Man of Steel trailer is enough to…

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Bryan Singer’s ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ Trailer

Bryan Singer’s ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ Trailer

If you think you know the story, you don’t konw Jack!

Well, this looks like it could be interesting, or at the very least, fun. I personally continue to maintain that Singer is a great directory and have loved his movies that I have seen so I’m just going to assume this will be fantastic.

Jack the Giant Slayer tells the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young…

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‘Breaking Dawn Part 2’ Big Box Office

‘Breaking Dawn Part 2’ Big Box Office
Entertainment Weekly

Say what you will about the Twilight series, but you can’t fault it for being inconsistent.

The popular vampire franchise’s final installment, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, scored the eighth biggest opening weekend of all time with a $141.3 million debut. If Summit’s estimates hold up, that’s just a touch ahead of Breaking Dawn – Part 1, which started with $138.1 million last year, and just a touch behind New Moon, which opened with $142.8 million in 2009.

Impressively, Breaking Dawn – Part 2 also earned $199.6 million in its international debut this weekend, giving it an…

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Skyfall - The Last Stand — Review

3.5 of 5 stars
Skyfall - The Last Stand

I must admit I really toyed with the idea of titling this review “Skyfail”, but that would be low hanging fruit, not to mention it would not completely reflect my opinion of this film.

Let me help you see where I am coming from. I have determined that I am somewhat immune to movie hype. Not completely, not even mostly, but immune enough. I can wade through the hype and figure out whether I think a film is going to be any good or not. Sometimes I am wrong, but more often I am right.

Two of the things with Skyfall that I was very aware of were 1). The hype surrounding this film had…

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McQuarrie to Possibly Helm Next Mission Impossible

McQuarrie to Possibly Helm Next Mission Impossible
Deadline

After directing Tom Cruise in Jack ReacherChristopher McQuarrie is poised to take on the next installment of Cruise’s signature tentpole. I’m told that McQuarrie is the choice to helm the fifth Mission: Impossible film that is in the early stages of being put together by Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions. They will hire writers before making it official, but he’s the guy that Cruise and JJ Abrams want.

M:I-5 is a big priority for the studio after the Brad Bird-directed Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol grossed just under $700 million worldwide. McQuarrie, who won the Oscar…

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Boxee CEO Doesn’t think People Want ‘On Demand’

Boxee CEO Doesn’t think People Want ‘On Demand’
The Verge

The majority of homes are still on traditional set top boxes — their experience has not changed much over the past couple decades. The biggest change has been DVR and video on demand. Even in homes that have a connected TV or a connected Blu-ray player or there’s Netflix on Xbox — if you look at the amount of time spent actually consuming entertainment, the majority of the time is spent with the traditional box and the old UI. That’s the reality right now.

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I’m not sure people want everything on demand. They still want some things live, like sports or reality TV. And there’s the…

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‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ Trailer 2

‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ Trailer 2

You know, this is actually looking pretty good. I really liked the Spider-Man trilogy (yes, all three), and so having Sam Raimi at the helm is encouraging to me. And man, those visuals. Whatever else the film is, it will be beautiful for sure.

Oz the Great and Powerful hits theaters next spring and stars James Franco, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, and Michelle Williams.

 

Christian Bale Stands for Life

Christian Bale Stands for Life
Movieguide.com

“He [Chen] had exposed a program of forced abortion and sterilization in Shandong,” Bale told attendees at a Human Rights First event. “A program of forced abortion means that women are being dragged from their homes against their will. They are being forced to have abortions, sometimes late-term – imagine that – with some women reportedly dying in the process.”

“This is true horror,” he added. “And, in this insane world, this man, Chen, who was helping these women – who was living by some of the most simple, brave and universally admired values – values we teach our children every day,…

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Wreck-it Ralph — Review

4 of 5 stars
Wreck-it Ralph

You may not have realized yet what family film Disney had in store for us this holiday season. What with so many sequels released in recent years from their animation studios, it’s easy to overlook the occasional original story they might release. It only occurred to me the other day as I watched the trailers before a showing of Wreck-it Ralph that this is their holiday theatrical release.

With a budget to the tune of $165,000,000 (estimated) it’s more than surprisingly delightful. This first film — in an undoubtedly new movie franchise — has been well-received. It is sure to attract…

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