12.24.2012 | By Karen Posada |
I bow down to Quentin Tarantino for having given us some of the best movies I’ve ever seen. From Inglourious Basterds to Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2, his filmography is a collection of favorites, and now comes Django Unchained. This film, also written and directed by the master himself, has his name written all over it. Read More
12.21.2012 | By Jack Rico |
This Is 40, the sequel to Knocked Up, is an honest, mature effort by its director Judd Apatow to tell an unfiltered, comedic look inside the life of a married couple with kids who are about to hit the “dreaded” 40 years of age. Whether directing or producing, Apatow still carries a reputation for creating comedies, often mixed with raunchiness, that become instant classics. Which is why it is disappointing that This Is 40 is his second film that doesn’t reach superlative heights (the first being Funny People). Between hit-and-miss laughs, an obvious lack of rhythm, and an overlong duration of 2 hours and 15 minutes, the movie never quite gels as a whole. Read More
12.18.2012 | By Jack Rico |
Esta semana en el segmento de noticias de cine, “Lengua, Cámara y Acción” en el Luis Jimenez Show por X96.3FM, Univision Radio, Jack Rico habla sobre: el “hacker” de Scarlett Johnasson recibió 10 años de carcel, Vin Diesel será KOJAK en el cine y Quentin Tarantino repsonde a críticas su película de 3 horas DJANGO UNCHAINED es muy larga!
Este segmento en español es el único en los Estados Unidos que se dedica a hablar de noticias de cine. El crítico de cine, Jack Rico, estará reportando las más importantes noticias de Hollywood de una manera conversada, entretenida e informativa, junto a la estrella de la radio, Luis Jimenez. De esta forma, usted se puede mantener al tanto de lo que pasa en Hollywood con una sonrisa en cara. Lengua, Camara y Acción será transmitido cada martes a las 9:50AM.
Además, no se pierda de PELICULEANDO, cada viernes a las 9:50am para escuchar las críticas y recomendaciones de los más recientes estrenos cinematográficos y EN ESPAÑOL! Ustedes pueden escuchar nuestro segmento de cine a través de ‘The Luis Jimenez Show’ cada viernes a las 9:50AM por Univision Radio ‘X96.3FM’ en Nueva York o por la red mundial visitando la página: http://luisjimenezradio.com ‘The Luis Jimenez Radio Show’ on ‘X96.3FM’ en New York, FM 97.7 Fort Myers, 98.5/101.1/100.3 FM, 890AM Boston, 1400AM Lawrence / Lowell Haz cliq al vídeo para escuchar el más reciente segmento radial.
12.17.2012 | By SBC Staff |
Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ the first part of the prequel trilogy, took over the first spot with $84.8 million dollars. This makes the film the best debut for the month of December, which is good news for the studio. It still remains to be seen how much more it will earn or drop during the upcoming last weeks of the year, to see if it can match up to its predecessors LOTR numbers. The movie has received mainly good praise from critics and audiences alike, which is something that’s bound to help it.
‘Rise of the Guardians’ held on to second place with $7.4 million dollars, which gives it just a total of $71.4 million since its opening. This film has not brought in nearly as much money as the studio expected it to.
‘Lincoln’ jumped one spot up reclaiming number three with $7.2 million dollars. The Golden Globe nominations might have helped the film regain interest by those that have not seen it yet; since surely Spielberg is bound to win a couple of awards for this one.
The Top 10 in the Box Office are:
1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – $84.8 mil
2. Rise of the Guardians – $7.4 mil
3. Lincoln – $7.2 mil
4. Skyfall – $7 mil
5. Life of Pi – $5.4 mil
6. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 2 – $5.2 mil
7. Wreck-It Ralph – $3.3 mil
8. Playing for Keeps – $3.2 mil
9. Red Dawn – $2.4 mil
10. Silver Linings Playbook – $2 mil
12.17.2012 | By Karen Posada |
‘The Impossible’ or ‘Lo Imposible’ is a well-crafted natural disaster movie that’s touching, beautiful and definitely haunting. Just from seeing the trailer you know you will need tissues for this one, you would probably need a lot more tissues if the trailer didn’t give most of the movie away. Most films that are based on real life are able to get to the audience and this one certianly is the tear-jerker of the year. The Tsunami this film is based on hit South East Asia 8 years ago, although it might sound like it was a while ago this film makes it feel much more recent because the images and plot are so haunting. One thing to remember though is that wanting to keep so close to the real facts limits the story in itself.
12.17.2012 | By SBC Staff |
‘The Guilt Trip’ completely took me by surprise, I actually enjoyed it because it’s funny, sweet and it has an easy way of connecting with the public. No matter where you’re from or how old you are you can relate to this movie because of the relationship between mother and son. Most mothers treat us like children, give us advice and love us even when we are mean to them and that’s where this movie strikes gold. This is almost like your typical buddy comedy, but with a son and mother duo, which is the fun twist.
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Andy Brewster (Seth Rogen) is a scientist who decides to have a cross-country road trip to sell his latest invention. He first lands at mom’s house, Joyce (Barbra Streisand) who’s happy to have her baby boy home. Unexpectedly Andy decides to bring his mom on his weeklong road trip, where they’ll get on each other’s nerves, but will also get closer.
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This movie has plenty of laugh out loud moments, because we’ll all be able to say “my mom does that same thing!†The situations will make you nod in agreement and they will also make you feel embarrassed for poor Andy, but will also make you feel bad for lonely Joyce. The interesting thing about this comedy is that it also gets emotional; our mother is one of the people that pushes our buttons and we are irritated by easily, but no matter what they still love us and we are reminded of that here. You will probably be a little more considerate to mom after this and you will just want to call her or go on a road trip with her shortly after.
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This isn’t the funniest movie of the year, but it certainly is one of the funniest movies these two have done in a while and director’s Anne Fletcher‘s unlikely pairing is what makes it special. It gets more fun after the first half, where Andy feels more at ease and let’s loose. Scriptwriter Dan Fogelman based this film on his own experiment of taking a two-week road trip with his mom across country. Streisand is the strongest part of the film, naturally behaving like a mom being funny and emotional all at once. Rogen takes a little while to find his footing, acting awkwardly at the beginning of the film, but making us laugh with his sarcasm.
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There are some fun cameos throughout the film, which complement the story. The movie is entertaining because it’s unpredictable and you’re wondering what this pair will run into next. It reminds us that our parents have their own lives, problems and are wise even though we don’t often take their advice. This is an enjoyable one to take your mom to or your teens; it’s a good feel family movie for the holiday season.Â
12.14.2012 | By Jack Rico |
Finally, the long awaited prequel to “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit” is finally here. Is it worth going to see? Yes, but… Is it worth paying $20 to see its industry changing 3D? Yes, but… Ok, because of it’s 2hrs and 49 minutes duration will the length make you snore at some point? Maybe… So what’s the deal here!? Bottom line is this: If you like epic fantasy adventure, especially the ones like LOTR, then you will enjoy “The Hobbit”. If you’re not into any of these genre films, you’re going to be annoyed and irate at the experience.
This first of three movies, “The Hobbit” focuses on the life of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), a Hobbit who journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a vigorous group of Dwarves to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug.
Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who at one point was directing this movie, is now the co-writer and has gifted us with a fun action-adventure tale full of imagination and ingenuity. Regrettably, there is excessive character developments in the first half hour that are just too mentally fatiguing, but from there, it’s a slow, steady climb to a rousing climax. Helping the proceedings is the action sequences that seem to be relentless, and in certain instances, overwhelming. Fortunately, del Toro writes in some spots to allow “breaks” to catch our wind and re-immerse ourselves in the plot.
On the other side, director Peter Jackson, director of the previous three “The Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) films, has improved the visuals from his former trilogy, but not necessarily the pacing. Nevertheless, his use of special effects is a crowning cinematic achievement of epic proportions worth watching.
The LOTR movies are targeted for everyone, but in particular to young adult men. It seems that the more adult working moviegoer, male or female, are not very attracted to anything these films have to offer, especially its duration. They find it too long and complicated to keep up with them. Unfortunately, they are right and Jackson would do better, in broadening the audience, if he did make these films shorter and subtracted some of the excess characters. I’m sure Tolkien purists would disagree.
“The Hobbit” no longer carries the hype status that it’s predecessors did back in the early 2000’s, much perhaps because this is the fourth go around, as opposed to a new vision for fantasy that the previous LOTR films promised, yet director Peter Jackson does promise some new tricks up his sleeve.
New to the mix is Jackson’s much talked about visuals shot in 48fps and HFR 3D. What does that all mean? It means a higher, clearer resolution of image and a more brighter sharper 3D. This is all true except that the film ceases to look like film and assumes the appearance of television video. Moviegoers are divided on this. Old school cats are not going to like the way “The Hobbit” looks, but the LED TV owners aren’t going to mind it at all, since it is what they’re used to seeing it at home. Ultimately, there is nothing like seeing film as part of the theatrical movie experience (I own a plasma for the purposes of conserving the film aspect).
Despite the new 3D which looks like LED TV imagery, the action is the centerpiece of the film. It is an assault on the senses and it is much more abundant than the previous three.
The movie is a fine collection to the pantheon of the LOTR series and purists will definitely enjoy this prequel.
12.14.2012 | By Mack Chico |
NEW YORK – December 14, 2012 – Film Comment’s annual end-of-the-year survey of film critics, journalists, film section editors, and past and present contributors was released today with Leos Carax’s HOLY MOTORS, Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER and Wes Andreson’s MOONRISE KINGDOM taking the top spots among films released in 2012. Among films that made appearances at film festivals or special screenings worldwide, but haven’t been picked up for stateside distribution as of yet, Joachim Lafosse’s OUR CHILDREN, Song Fang’s MEMORIES LOOK AT ME and Alan Berliner’s FIRST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED received the top rankings.
Offering the most comprehensive assessment of the year in film, Film Comment received responses from more than 120 participants including (in alphabetical order): Melissa Anderson (NYFF Selection Committee), David Ansen (LAFF Artistic Director), Richard Brody (The New Yorker), David Fear (Time Out New York), Scott Foundas (The Village Voice), Haden Guest (Director, Harvard Film Archive), Eugene Hernandez (Director of Digital Strategy, Film Society of Lincoln Center), J. Hoberman (Film Comment Contributing Editor), Glenn Kenny (MSN Movies), Stuart Klawans (The Nation), Eric Kohn (IndieWire), Karina Longworth, Scott Macaulay (Filmmaker Magazine), Leonard Maltin (Entertainment Tonight), Todd McCarthy (Hollywood Reporter), Wesley Morris (Boston Globe), Mark Olsen (Los Angeles Times), Andréa Picard (Programmer, Toronto Film Festival’s “Wavelengths” Curator), Jonathan Rosenbaum, Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly), Amy Taubin (Film Comment Contributing Editor and NYFF Selection Committee), and Kenneth Turan (LA Times).
Film Comment’s Top 10 Films Released in 2011 are; 1. Leos Carax’s HOLY MOTORS, 2. Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER, 3. Wes Anderson’s MOONRISE KINGDOM, 4. Jafar Panahi’s & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb’s THIS IS NOT A FILM, 5. Michael Haneke’s AMOUR, 6. Béla Tarr’s THE TURIN HORSE, 7. Jean-Pierre’s & Luc Dardenne’s THE KID WITH A BIKE, 8. Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA, 9. Steven Spielberg’s LINCOLN, and 10. Kathryn Bigelow’s ZERO DARK THIRTY.
The rankings of other films making strong showings during the awards season are Benh Zeitlin’s BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (#14), David O. Russell’s SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (#18), and Ben Affleck’s ARGO (#24).
Film Comment’s survey also ranks films that have screened and made notable appearances at film festivals throughout the year, but remain without distribution in 2012 are 1. Joachim Lafosse’s OUR CHILDREN , 2. Song Fang’s MEMORIES LOOK AT ME, 3. Alan Berliner’s FIRST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED, 4. Ying Liang’s WHEN NIGHT FALLS, 5. Jun Robles Lana’s BWAKAW, 6. Manoel de Oliveira’s GEBO AND THE SHADOW, 7. Nicolas Rey’s DIFFERENTLY, MOLUSSIA, 8. Heinz Emigholz’s PERRET IN FRANCE AND ALGERIA, 9. David Gatten‘s THE EXTRAVAGANT SHADOWS, and 10. Wang Bing’s THREE SISTERS.
LINCOLN will serve as the cover story subject of Film Comment Magazine’s Jan/Feb issue, with THE MASTER, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, and THE KID WITH A BIKE also landing on Film Comment covers this past year. HOLY MOTORS, AMOUR, LINCOLN, Miguel Gomes‘s TABU, Christian Petzold’s BARBARA, Dror Moreh‘s THE GATEKEEPERS, and Ben Rivers‘s TWO YEARS AT SEA, as well as THE KID WITH A BIKE screened at this year’s New York Film Festival. A dozen films in the Unreleased Films category screened at this year’s NYFF, including top ten members OUR CHILDREN, MEMORIES LOOK AT ME, FIRST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED, BWAKAW, and THE EXTRAVAGANT SHADOWS.
Film Comment editor Gavin Smith said, “Film Comment’s annual Best Films lists offer a comprehensive look at the year in film by combining the viewpoints of most of the magazine’s staff and contributors as well as many of America’s most influential film critics, writers and minds – with a specific emphasis this year on soliciting votes both in print and online.”
THE COMPLETE FILM COMMENT 2012 BEST-OF FILMS LISTS
RELEASED 2012
1. Holy Motors
Director: Leos Carax
2. The Master
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
3. Moonrise Kingdom
Director: Wes Anderson
4. This Is Not a Film
Directors: Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
5. Amour
Director: Michael Haneke
6. The Turin Horse
Director: Béla Tarr
7. The Kid With a Bike
Directors: Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
8. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
9. Lincoln
Director: Steven Spielberg
10. Zero Dark Thirty
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Rankings #11 – #20
11. Tabu, Director: Miguel Gomes
12. The Deep Blue Sea, Director: Terence Davies
13. Bernie, Director: Richard Linklater
14. Beasts of the Southern Wild, Director: Benh Zeitlin
15. Cosmopolis, Director: David Cronenberg
16. Barbara, Director: Christian Petzold
17. The Loneliest Planet, Director: Julia Loktev
18. Silver Linings Playbook, Director: David O. Russell
19. Oslo, August 31st, Director: Joachim Trier
20. Neighboring Sounds, Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Rankings #21 – #30
21. Django Unchained, Director: Quentin Tarantino
22. Almayer’s Folly, Director: Chantal Akerman
23. Magic Mike, Director: Steven Soderbergh
24. Argo, Director: Ben Affleck
25. Attenberg, Director: Athina Rachel Tsangari
26. The Color Wheel, Director: Alex Ross Perry
27. Rust and Bone, Director: Jacques Audiard
28. Killer Joe, Director: William Friedkin
29. Looper, Director: Rian Johnson
30. Life of Pi, Director: Ang Lee
Rankings #31 – #40
31. A Man Vanishes, Director: Shohei Imamura
32. Skyfall, Director: Sam Mendes
33. The Gatekeepers, Director: Dror Moreh
34. Elena, Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev
35. Haywire, Director: Steven Soderbergh
36. Damsels in Distress, Director: Whit Stillman
37. Abendland, Director: Nikolaus Geyrhalter
38. Two Years at Sea, Director: Ben Rivers
39. How to Survive a Plague, Director: David France
40. Keep the Lights On, Director: Ira Sachs
Rankings #41 – #50
41. A Burning Hot Summer, Director: Philippe Garrel
42. Miss Bala, Director: Gerardo Naranjo
43. Footnote, Director: Joseph Cedar
44. Compliance, Director: Craig Zobel
45. Alps, Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
46. Kill List, Director: Ben Wheatley
47. Farewell, My Queen, Director: Benoît Jacquot
48. In Another Country, Director: Hong Sang-soo
49. The Dark Knight Rises, Director: Christopher Nolan
50. The Day He Arrives, Director: Hong Sang-soo
12.12.2012 | By Jack Rico |
Esta semana en el segmento de noticias de cine, “Lengua, Cámara y Acción” en el Luis Jimenez Show por X96.3FM, Univision Radio, Jack Rico habla sobre: la muerte inesperada de Jenni Rivera, nuevos carros con cajas Blu-Ray y la demanda contra Indiana Jones.
Este segmento en español es el único en los Estados Unidos que se dedica a hablar de noticias de cine. El crítico de cine, Jack Rico, estará reportando las más importantes noticias de Hollywood de una manera conversada, entretenida e informativa, junto a la estrella de la radio, Luis Jimenez. De esta forma, usted se puede mantener al tanto de lo que pasa en Hollywood con una sonrisa en cara. Lengua, Camara y Acción será transmitido cada martes a las 9:50AM.
Además, no se pierda de PELICULEANDO, cada viernes a las 9:50am para escuchar las críticas y recomendaciones de los más recientes estrenos cinematográficos y EN ESPAÑOL! Ustedes pueden escuchar nuestro segmento de cine a través de ‘The Luis Jimenez Show’ cada viernes a las 9:50AM por Univision Radio ‘X96.3FM’ en Nueva York o por la red mundial visitando la página: http://luisjimenezradio.com ‘The Luis Jimenez Radio Show’ on ‘X96.3FM’ en New York, FM 97.7 Fort Myers, 98.5/101.1/100.3 FM, 890AM Boston, 1400AM Lawrence / Lowell Haz cliq al vídeo para escuchar el más reciente segmento radial.
12.11.2012 | By Jack Rico |
Es difÃcil ver en tiempo real un clásico instantáneo, pero eso será lo que usted experimentará cuando vea la comedia clasificada R – “Tedâ€. Es discutiblemente la mejor comedia de 2012 y una de las mejores desde “The Hangover†del 2009. La cinta es pura ‘shock comedia’ y sumamente chistosa, logrando producir risas que te harán llorar, toser fuertemente y hasta… ofenderte. Sin embargo, pudo haber sido aún mejor si la duración del filme fuese un poco más corta. Hubo momentos en que era obvio que no habÃa mucho material jocundo para sostener un film de 1 hora y 46 minutos. 16 minutos menos hubiese hecho toda la diferencia.
En esta comedia de acción real y de animación digital, vemos la historia de un niño de Boston, John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), que convive con un adorable osito de peluche que cobró vida después de un deseo infantil… y que, desde entonces, se niega a abandonarle. La mayor parte de la pelÃcula transcurre con un adulto John de 35 años de edad y Ted (voz proporcionado por Seth MacFarlane) dando vueltas fumando marihuana. Ted inexplicablemente continua fumando hierba y perico, seduciendo a prostitutas, corrompiendo a John con fiestas llenas de alcohol y usando un vocabulario tan obsceno que el film deberÃa de ser clasificado NC-17. Ted también se convierte en un importante obstáculo en la relación romántica entre John y su novia de cuatro años, Lori (Mila Kunis). Eventualmente, ella se vuelve tan cansada de las payasadas de Ted y la irresponsabilidad de John, que le exige escoger entre Ted o ella. Esto solo le complica las cosas más a John.Â
La comedia aquà es espectacular y se puede describir como “shock comedia†– aquellos chistes que ofende con su sexualidad gráfica, situaciones perversas y depravadas y dialogo altamente cargados con obscenidades. Pero son dos factores que claramente establecen las risas y el éxito del film. La primera, y la más importante, es el oso de peluche Ted. La asociación que tenemos con peluches es algo infantil, sano e inocente. Colocandolo en extremas situaciones contradictorios como las susodichas, inyectan una inquietante y nerviosa risa involuntaria difÃcil de cohibir. El segundo factor al éxito y risas incontrolables es ver a un macho-man musculoso comportandose como un pleno niño. Wahlberg nuevamente nos sació y atontó con su talento cómico y actúa estos personajes cómicos con mucha autenticidad y convencimiento. Si vas con un amigo o amiga, será inevitable no reirte.
Seth MacFarlane, el creador de la serie “Padre de familiaâ€, hace su debut como director y pega un jonron como guionista, director y la voz de “Tedâ€. Aunque no catalogarÃa la pelÃcula como una obra maestra cómica, se aproxima muy cercano a ella. Él nos provee con una historia original y un humor refrescante que no podremos olvidar por semanas. Pero con el fin de estirar la duración del largometraje, MacFarlane inserta algunas subtramas impares que apaciguan el ritmo cómico del film. Además, muy buen toque de darnos una fuerte dosis de nostalgia de los años 80 y apariciones especiales que incluyenNorah Jones, Tom Skerritt, y Ryan Reynolds.Â
Mila Kunis por su parte desempeña un papel de tercera a Ted y Wahlberg. Si su trabajo en ‘Friends with Benefits’ es alguna indicación de su talento en comedias bruscas, ella fue un total desperdicio aquÃ. Mejor hubiesen escogido a una cara menos relevante. El guión, sin duda, defrauda a Kunis y su papel requerÃa más que solo un aspecto atractivo.
Los efectos especiales del oso Ted son increÃbles. Uno se olvida por completo que es un efecto creado en un ordenador especial. Los detalles de su pelo, ojos y sus manerismos lo dejarán patidifusos.Â
Fuera de poder mantener el tempo jocoso por casi dos horas continuas, y una que otras deficiencias minúsculas no merecedoras de resaltar aquÃ, “Ted†es un clásico de la comedia para los próximos cuantos años hasta que llegue su secuela. Eso sÃ, por favor tenga cautela que este osito no es Winnie the Pooh, es más bien el Diablo dentro de Winnie the Pooh. Muchos padres podrÃan malinterpretar el avance y pensar que es una pelÃcula de familia. Este largometraje es exclusivamente para adultos con un sentido de humor muy fresco y experimentado. Sin mentirles, “Ted†es tan buena, que merece ser vista múltiples veces!
