By John H. Foote With Disney buying 20th Century Fox, one of the oldest, greatest studios in movie history has been brought to its knees, forever now a part of the conglomerates that destroyed Miramax after buying it, and will bring down Marvel, mark my words. As far back as 1935, Fox has been turning…
By Craig Leask This is the second part to my piece on The Big Apple in The Movies. To read part 1, click here. Ghostbusters (1984) Ghostbusters was released in 1984, grossing $238 million in the US and $291 million worldwide. The success of the film launched a media franchise, which included action figures, a…
By Craig Leask This is the second in a series of articles on great cities in the movies. This one focuses on movies filmed in and showcasing The Big Apple – New York City – famous for its diverse neighbourhoods, the Great White Way, delis, Central Park, and New Year’s Eve celebrations. Due to the…
By John H. Foote Freshly minted Academy Award winner Spike Lee continued his track record of being a sore loser last week when he stormed angrily out of the Oscars when Green Book won Best Picture. Visibly upset, Lee strode up the walkway but was not permitted to exit until the acceptance speeches were finished.…
By Craig Leask This is the first of a planned series of articles on great cities in the movies. This one will focus on The City by The Bay, San Francisco. San Francisco is one of those cities which has been immortalized throughout the years: in song – Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in…
By John H. Foote Bruno Ganz, a brilliant actor died last Saturday. In honour of this fine artist, we celebrate his finest performance in DOWNFALL (2005). (****) Is it possible to humanize Adolf Hitler? Is it remotely possible to make human one of the greatest mass murderers in the history of mankind? A man who set a…
By John H. Foote Remember the ritual of going to the movies from our youth? As a film critic and 59 years old, I consider my youth the seventies when I discovered cinema as the most important art form on the planet. You lined up, perhaps purchasing your ticket first. The line snaked around the…
By Clarisse Tenreiro Jessica Chastain is one of the most critically acclaimed actresses in this day and age. While it took some time for the big screen to get hold of her immense talent, she experienced a rapid ascend to fame and gained wide recognition only three years after her film debut as a teenage…
By Alan Hurst The Academy Awards are always the subject of intense scrutiny for performances or films that get left off the ballot or eventual winners that are true head scratchers. But one of the branches of the Academy that has come under the most intense criticism has been the music branch – and that…
By John H. Foote Lots of history was made today as the Academy Award nominations were playfully announced live in Los Angeles and beamed and streamed around the globe. But with history came several major snubs that will be discussed frequently over the next 15 years. Dissecting the nominations this afternoon, I came up with…