Fox Searchlight Pictures, Likely Story,

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette, Ben Falcone, Tavi Gevinson, Tracey Fairaway, Eve Hewson, Anjelah Johnson

Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a divorced single Mom whose Daughter’s best friend is much closer to her than her own daughter. Eva is a masseuse and at a party with one of her clients, Marianne (Catherine Keener) she meets a friendly divorced man, Albert (James Gandofini) who also has a daughter soon heading to college, and they hit it off. But when she finds out that Albert is none other than Marianne’s hated ex-husband, things get complicated as she can’t seem to confess to either one and as you would expect, trouble is on the way.

This romantic comedy from 2013 has been in my queue for ages and ages. This is one of the usual rom/coms that feature mismatched couples trying to make the best of a terrible situation. It’s quite predictable, yet it’s really entertaining with a great group of familiar actors. Besides Dreyfus, Gandolfini, and Keener, we also have Toni Collette, Ben Falcone, and more, and so it’s filled with talent. Although about 4 years old already, it’s very current and a lot of fun. This is a simple comedy with lots of light moments, mixed with some very touching and moving moments as the problems pile up. It’s a complex relationship film, and very well done, and worth giving it a shot.

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Legendary Pictures, Universal Pictures,

Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stefania Owen, Krista Stadler


Poor Max (Emjay Anthony) is having the worst Christmas ever. He’s doing his best to keep believing in Santa and has written his letter. But a whole bunch of annoying relatives are showing up to celebrate with them, and the two mean sisters steal his letter and reads it out loud to the whole table. Max has had it and in a fit of rage, he tears the letter up and throws it out the window. Instantly the weather changes as the worst storm in history settles in knocking out power, telephone, and radio/tv. Little did they realize that Max’s lack of Christmas spirit has brought them Krampus, the dark side of St. Nicholas and the Christmas devil to terrorize and take away the family members one by one. This Christmas horror film is based on the German Christmas legend.

This is a very unusual film. Filled with lots of old legends sparked by Krista Stadler who plays the aged Grandmother who knows the stories of Krampus and sets the family straight on the danger. This is a PG-13 horror film, so though it’s really “make you jump” scary, and the monsters (Krampus and his minions) are rather horrific, there’s nothing completely out of the ordinary. David Koechner has the “Cousin Eddie” role that Randy Quaid played so well in Christmas Vacation, and certainly Conchata Ferrell (Charlie Sheen and Ashton Kutcher’s housemaid in 2 1/2 Men) has an excellent role as the grumpy alcoholic Aunt who is not far from her 2 1/2 Men character. She adds a great deal to the mix. Certainly though, the cast was really well put together and they all played off each other very well. There is a great deal of humor in this movie as well, so it doesn’t take itself too seriously. After all, it is a ludicrous situation. There are a couple things you will not want to miss, should you head for the theater for this out of the ordinary Christmas thriller. First, be sure to arrive on time, as the opening sequence is a rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” with a slow motion montage of what looking like Christmas really means in America! It’s a very well done piece. Also, the very end gives us a surprise view of what really happened to the family members who have been killed off one by one throughout the film. All in all it was a very enjoyable film, great music and sound effects, spectacular special effects, and winter scene that truly looks colder than when Lara and Dr. Zhivago stayed in the country for the winter! This was an enjoyable film and if you’re a horror lover, like I am, go spend the 10 bucks to see it.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Bent Nail Productions, Ingenious Film Partners, Kintop Pictures,

Maurice Cole, Toni Collette, Ioan Gruffudd, Hayley Mills, Richard E. Grant, Anne Reid, Daisy Beaumont, Bobby Smalldridge



Zooey (Toni Collette) and Alec (Maurice Cole) are a young couple who long to have a child. But they have many problems and their marriage seems to be coming apart. Unable to conceive, they set their heart on adopting a child, or at least taking in a foster child and they visit an orphanage. Just before Christmas, a young boy arrives at their door claiming to be their foster child. He leads them to seek inside themselves to try to heal the problems in their marriage. But as happy as they are, sometimes things are just too good to be true.

This is a very touching movie. Toni Collette is very good at giving Zooey the pain that she feels and brings it poignantly to the screen. Maurice Cole, as Eli, the 7 year old foster child is an amazing actor. He talks and acts like a grown up and if very helpful in many ways in bringing the couple together and helping them work out their problems. His acting is well worth watching the movie for in itself. It’s very heartwarming and touching and there’s bound to be a few tears due to the way this movie reaches in and touches your soul. It would be a good movie for anytime, but the Christmas season is a great backdrop for this story as it ads strength to many other supernatural holiday films. This is an excellent film, and one that ought to be added to your list of choices for the holidays.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Fox Searchlight Pictures, Cold Spring Pictures, The Montecito Picture Company,

Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Wincott, Jessica Biel, James D’Arcy, Ralph Macchio, Kurtwood Smith, Richard Portnow

This biopic is about Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Alma (Helen Mirren) and is set in 1959. Alfred has run low on ideas, and the studios are trying to force him into directing pictures that are really way too mainstream for Hitch. Meantime, he hears about a new book, a work of fiction based upon the life of serial killer Ed Gein and decides this novel has to be his next picture. The studio disagrees, so Hitch sets out to do the picture on his own, waiving his director’s fee, and paying the entire $800,000 budget on his own.

Anthony Hopkins does a great job portraying Alfred Hitchcock, one of my favorite directors of all time. This is just a small slice of the life of Hitch, and hardly mentions all the stuff that happened before this, with his British career, which was awesome, and by the time period of this film, Hitch is old. Most people think he ought to just retire, but he’s having none of that. It also was a time when his wife and partner got really tired of his stubbornness and failure to listen to her, so it is also a bad time for their marriage. Psycho is arguably Hitch’s best film, and it is a very interesting time when he redefined himself and horror cinema at the same time. Since Paramount had no plans to promote this debacle, Hitch did the promotion himself and developed some interesting methods of setting the buzz for this film in motion. As such, lines were huge, and the film earned over 33 million despite it’s $800,000 budget and no studio help promoting this film.

Warning! If you haven’t seen Psycho, the DON’T watch this film until you’ve seen it. Psycho is a very unique film and definitely one not to miss, but watching Hitchcock first will completely spoil the film as it gives away huge spoilers in the plot. This film also debunks several of the myths that surrounded the making of the film. Helen Mirren’s role as Alma, Hitch’s wife, is very well done too. This woman was his muse and he could never have done what he did without her, but she must have had to endure a lot keeping him happy. We’re watching the making of Psycho, so several other key characters have a lot to do in this film. Janet Leigh is played by Scarlett Johansson, one of the weak point of the film. Hopkins is much more Hitchcock than Scarlett is Janet Leigh, but she does at least look a bit like her. Jessica Biel is here too, as actress Vera Miles who played Janet’s sister in Psycho.

All in all, this film shows us a lot of the genius that was Hitchcock, and it is very entertaining. I’ve always been a fan of his work, but now I feel like I know the man a lot better. He was a complex man who has many facets, and this helps us get to know a lot more about him. The scene of Hitchcock watching Psycho in a theater with a packed audience is very touching and one of my favorite moments of the film. Though he was a genius, like all of us, he was very insecure and just couldn’t risk joining the audience, though their reaction meant the world to him.

This is a beautiful movie, and captures Hollywood of 1959-60 perfectly. I really enjoyed this film, and recommend it for anyone who is at all interested in either Psycho or Alfred Hitchcock. It’s a wonderful movie.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Albuquerque Studios, DreamWorks SKG, Gaeta / Rosenzweig Films

Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Imogen Poots, Toni Collette, Dave Franco, Grace Phipps, Reid Ewing


Teenager Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) suspects that his new neighbor, the strange and confusing Jerry Dandrige (Colin Farrell), is a vampire. Charley turns to a self-styled vampire expert and Vegas magician and showman, Peter Vincent (David Tennant), for help. Vincent proves pretty useless, and it’s up to Charley to save his mom, Jane (Toni Collette), and girlfriend, Amy, from the seductive bloodsucker next door.

This remake of the 1985 horror film goes much more for horror than for comedy as the original did. Though there are some truly funny scenes, especially when Vincent is involved. He’s a very “Arthur” like alcoholic, playboy, rich as sin, but basically useless character, basically this is the vampire movie that vampire movies should be like. It’s pretty scary and has some very good nightmare inducing scenes in it, for sure! It was actually not bad. This particular breed of vampires are very tough to deal with, and it takes everything they have to survive. Vincent’s statement that you don’t hunt vampires, you survive if you can, is a good one.

Very well acted and the desert scenes in this little subdivision out in the Vegas desert is really perfect for this kind of thing. Working all night and sleeping all day is a lifestyle that fits in well in Vegas. They are remote enough to not be able to get any help, but the constant view of the Vegas skyline in the distance is a reminder of the place that’s not far away. I saw this film in 3D and the 3D effects were very good. I’m beginning to not think about the extra couple dollars spent on the 3D glasses each time because it really adds to my enjoyment of the film. I know some people cannot stand 3D, but for me, it’s a great add to many films. This is one of them. In a season with a lot of horror films coming out, this is one that could get lost in the shuffle, especially as it’s a remake, but I certainly like it better than the original and it is a vampire film I could “sink my teeth into” (pun intended). Enjoy!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

Here is the preview for the 1985 “original” version

 

 

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