Review - After Lucia

After losing her Mother in a car accident Alejandra and her father relocate to Mexico City for new opportunities but find that starting over can be difficult.

Read More

Review - Wrong

A middle-aged man in denial wakes up to find his dog missing and begins a chaotic search to find his lost pet.

Read More

Review - Kid

A stirring Belgian drama about a family struggling with debt and uncertainty for their future.

Read More

AFI FEST 2012 Guide

November 1st is just around the corner which means AFI FEST 2012 is nearly here! This year the 26th Annual AFI FEST hosts 77 feature length films from 28 countries across 7 different categories including 10 U.S. Premieres, 10 foreign language films in the race for Academy Awards, 6 North American Premieres, and the World Premiere's of "Hitchcock" and Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln". Check out the full details including how to get free tickets to this year's fest and a complete breakdown of all the films screening at AFI FEST 2012 running November 1-8 after the jump...

Read More

Punisher Short: Dirty Laundry

In 2004 Lionsgate released "The Punisher" with Thomas Jane cast as the Marvel comic antihero. The film was poorly received by critics and had a poor showing at the box office. The film was a disappointment every way Lionsgate looked at it. So the studio figured why not try again. Reboot is in vogue, all the studios are doing it. Four years later with Ray Stevenson now wearing the iconic skull on his chest, they released "Punisher: War Zone." Unfortunately, the second attempt was a even bigger flop than the 2004 attempt. After two failed attempts, Lionsgate quietly allowed the rights of Frank Castle aka the Punisher to revert back to Marvel Studios. Fast forward to last weekend at San Diego Comic Con 2012 and Thomas Jane unveiled a new short he's put together with producer Adi Shankar, screenwriter Chad St.John, director Phil Joanou, and artist Tim Bradstreet. What is this short you ask? Well it appears to be Thomas Jane's message that he'd like to be Frank Castle again. Watch the NSFW short "Dirty Laundry" after the jump...

Read More

Review - Brave

A young Scottish princess, who is determined to make her own path, defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom.

Read More

Trailers - The Master

Paul Thomas Anderson is back with his first feature film in five years "The Master," starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Amy Adams. While fans of PT Anderson know it has been a long time coming, it is clear that he wasn't just messing about, he was working on what looks to be a remarkable film. A while back the first teaser hit and left me dumbfounded and now a second teaser has been released in much of the same vein. Take a look at both of these eerie trailers below...

Read More

KCET Summer Cinema Series

KCET's Summer Cinema Series is back and it is full swing having already hosted two dates but there are still seven nights left to attend. Last year I covered KCET's weekly cinema series and this year I have returned to cover what I can (busy schedule permitting). Moderator Pete Hammond is also back behind the microphone asking some great questions to talent of the films being screened. Just what is being screened you ask, take a look below...

Read More

"Bad" Movies I Love

All my life I continue to consume as many movies as I can. Movies of all variety from the schlock on late night cable to highly rated films that are touted as the cream of the crop each year. Movies are my escape, they are my window into new things and perspectives, they give me an outlet from everything else going on in the world. Watching a wide swath of films over the course of my life I have seen countless movies that others may deem as "bad" but for whatever reason I connected with them. These titles gave me some form of joy that may be deemed strange or foreign to others. These are ten "bad" movies I love in no particular order inspired by @bobfreelander of Rupert Pupkin Speaks...

Read More

Letter to Readers

In the four and a half years I have been running this site my frequency of writing has fluctuated up and down. I started this site with lofty goals of becoming a major film news site doing an extreme amount of aggregate blogging. I tried and maintained to write at least three to five posts a day for well over a year. Over the years I refined down my writing into more focused op-ed pieces about stuff that really peeked my interests, coverage of film related events I attended, and reviews of every new theatrical film I saw each calendar year. As you may or may not know I am a full time social science teacher in El Monte High School District. It is my number one profession, a career I hold very dear to my heart. Over the last two years I have been working towards my Clear Credential. It has been a long process with constant reflection and assessment of not only my students but of myself as a professional educator. It is a process that has finally reached its climax and I wanted to share with you my readers the other side of my writing, my educational side. Below I have included a reflection letter to readers on my last two years as a preliminary educator in BTSA working towards my Clear Credential.

Read More

Pledge Support for "Out of Print"

Going to the cinema means the world to me. It is a place for me to escape, a place to be thrilled, shocked, and fall in love. It is a place to introduce me to new ideas and concepts I'd never fathomed. It is my sanctuary. No matter how bad things are, I can always find solace in a darkened theater. One theater in particular that has been a constant source of joy is now in jeopardy. The New Beverly Cinema is a revival theater that exclusively shows 35mm prints, but as you may be aware, studios are heavily pushing to rid the theaters of 35mm entirely. Julia Marchese, an employee of the New Beverly Cinema, has decided to generate awareness of how scarce 35mm could become (if we don't stand up to the studios) and how this digital conversion will hurt revival theater houses across the country. How will she generate this awareness you ask, in the form of a documentary titled "Out of Print" that is currently in the kickstart phase and she needs your help to get this vital documentary made. See how you can help below...

Read More

Trailer - Lawless

John Hillcoat is a director I have my eye on. He has directed two of my favorite movies of the last ten years in "The Road" and "The Proposition." Both of those movies have been essentially swept under the rug despite their impact. It seems that The Weinstein Company is continuing to treat Hillcoat and his work as second fiddle. Back in March TWC bumped Hillcoat's latest film for a second time to Memorial Day weekend, one of the slowest movie going weekends of the year. Despite the Weinstein's treatment of a product that should be heavily promoted I am here to try and keep awareness and interest up for Hillcoat's next feature. Take a look at the latest trailer for the now titled "Lawless" below...

Read More

Hero Complex Fest 2012

An announcement I've been waiting for has finally hit the net, the third annual Hero Complex Fest has been announced. Hero Complex has previously gone out of their way to create outstanding lineups with exciting guests and this year is no different. Take a look for yourself below...

Read More

Review - The Hunger Games

In a dystopian future where the Capitol selects two tributes from twelve districts to play in a annual game that sees tributes fight to the death, a sister sacrifices herself in the place of her younger sibling who is chosen and then propelled into the games.

Read More

Trailer - G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Recently the second trailer for "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" hit the net and I thought it be fun to share with you all. First off, I enjoyed the 'Rise of Cobra" so getting me excited in a sequel wasn't too hard but many did not and I think Paramount has shown they realize that. Take a look for yourself below...

Read More

First Footage From Lost Coast Tapes

One thing that always helps seal interest in a movie is someone you respect telling you how good it is. For Bigfoot enthusiast one person that fits the bill is Bobo from Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot and he's recently gone on record endorsing "The Lost Coast Tapes" calling it "the best Squatch movie I've ever seen." Check out his endorsement and a tiny bit of never before seen footage from the soon to release found-footage horror.

Read More

Nostalgia Patrol - Triplets

Last week we found out that Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase were getting back together in some form and today news comes down the pike that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito will re-team for a sequel to Twins titled "Triplets" with Eddie Murphy being the third brother. Let that soak in for a minute and then read on...

Read More

Trailer & Poster - Step Up Revolution

"Enough with performance art, its time for protest art." And with that line I nearly had a heart attack from joy. The 'Step Up' films are something I hold very dear to my heart. They are light-hearted fare that always satisfies. Great dancing, energetic music, fresh takes on the dance culture and some cheesy romance peppered in for good measure. Today the full-length trailer has hit the net and it has sent me into a state of bliss. See the new "Step Up Revolution" trailer for yourself below...

Read More

Trailer - The Devil's Carnival

Last month we got our first look at Darren Lynn Bousman and Terrance Zdunich's "The Devil's Carnival" and now the full length theatrical trailer is online to enjoy! Not only that but tickets are going fast for the nationwide tour that kicks off Thursday April 5th, 2012 in Los Angeles. Check out the new trailer and how you can witness "The Devil's Carnival" theatrically below...

Read More

Posters & Screening - Lost Coast Tapes

One movie I am eagerly anticipating is "The Lost Coast Tapes", a found-footage thriller focusing on a reporter and his documentary crew who are out to prove a Bigfoot Hunter claiming to posses the body of a dead Sasquatch in Northern California is a fraud. This is a concept that immediately nabbed my full attention. Bigfoot movies are sorely lacking from cinemas and it is refreshing to know someone else felt the same. To help generate some buzz for the upcoming film, New Breed Entertainment and Freeway Studios have setup a contest to win VIP tickets to a "The Lost Coast Tapes" screening in Los Angeles on April 12th, 2012. Take a look at the fuill details and the first two posters for the thriller below...

Read More

Review - John Carter

A Civil War veteran in search of riches finds himself magically transported to the alien planet of Mars. On Mars, John Carter finds himself thrust in the middle of an age old conflict between rival nations inhabiting the planet.

Read More

Nostalgia Patrol - Aykroyd & Chase Re-Team

Dan Aykroyd revealed on his Facebook page that he and Chevy Chase will re-team. Exactly how they will re-team is shrouded in a bit of mystery but the fact is that these two once great comedians will try to re-kindle some of the laughter they once produced in some capacity. The news initially had me excited but as commonsense started to rear its ugly face, I realized how high the stakes are stacked against these two that this reunion will be a caliber project.

Read More

Tonto and 'Lone Ranger' Revealed

Disney has been toying with a "The Lone Ranger" movie for a while now, but the reality is it is currently in full-blown production. To prove it, Jerry Bruckheimer tweeted the first image of Tonto and the Lone Ranger. Check it out for yourself below.

Read More

Review - Project X

Three high school seniors throw a birthday party in the hopes of becoming recognized at their school.  When the party surpasses their wildest imagination, the three teens are faced with the reality of a party that none of them can control or stop.

Read More

Review - Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

While trying to remain secluded in Eastern Europe, Johnny Blaze finds himself forced to protect a child from the devil in human form.

Read More

Review - The Woman in Black

A young lawyer is sent to a remote English village to tend with some unfinished paperwork, once in the town the lawyer finds himself face to face with a unforgiving ghost who plagues the town.

Read More

Teaser Trailer - The Devil's Carnival

Repo! The Genetic Opera fans have something to be excited for, and I'm not talking about the latest shadowcast show. Darren Lynn Bousman and Terrance Zdunich have teamed up once again to bring us "The Devil's Carnival." While 'Carnival' does not look to be directly linked to 'Repo!,' reports today called it a "follow-up," after viewing the teaser and website it certainly is coming from very similar territory. Take a look at the teaser trailer for yourself below.

Read More

Review - This Means War

Two CIA agents find themselves in a relationship with the same girl and working against each other to win her affections.

Read More

Review - Chronicle

A found footage film that chronicles three high school teens who develop the power of telekinesis after a brief encounter with an foreign object buried in the woods.

Read More

Beetlejuice 2 is a Bad Idea

News has been circling since last September that Warner Brothers and Tim Burton had given screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith the okay to tinker around with some ideas for a potential "Bettlejuice" sequel. It now seems that Seth Grahame-Smith is moving forward with Burton's blessing because he's told Ryan Turek of Shock Till You Drop that he's met with Michael Keaton to talk how to approach a sequel to the beloved 80's film. While Keaton's name conjures up some good feelings about the original, a sequel is a bad idea.

Read More

Superhero Stakes High in 2012

Last summer we saw a bit of a dip in ticket sales for superhero movies at the box office. Whether you want to blame the economy or the characters themselves, audiences didn't flock out to see X-Men: First Class or Captain America quite the way they have previously for Batman, Spider-Man, and more recently Iron Man. This summer has some of comic book's biggest stars hitting the screen and I wonder how receptive general audiences will be. Are this year's superhero movies going to rival last year's numbers or are these superstar superheroes going to bring in the big tickets sales once again?

Read More

Teaser Trailer - Step Up 4

Maybe you'd call it a guilty pleasure but I have no shame in the fact that I thoroughly enjoy the 'Step Up' films. They remind me how much I enjoy watching amazing dancers strut their stuff. Much like the 'Fast and the Furious' films, the Step Up movies grab a niche and have done a thrilling job showing off the various forms of dance. Today our first look at where the fourth film in the series "Step Up 4" is set and just what we can expect hit the net. Take a look at the announcement for yourself below.

Read More

Trailer - Gob Bless America

I've been a fan of  Bobcat Goldthwait since his stand-up days but his recent effort behind the camera has really made me take notice of what he has to say. His latest focuses on Frank, a terminally ill man who is disgusted with our society and begins a killing spree aimed on who he deems sickening. "God Bless America" is number ten on my most anticipated for 2012 and having now seen this trailer, that ten should be listed in uppercase bold because it looks like Bobcat has another solid movie on his hands. Check out the Red Band Trailer below.

Read More

The "Untold" Spider-Man?

We've known for some time that Sony decided to remake / reboot Spider-Man but now it seems time Sony starts to rev up interest. Let's face it, the last swing around New York City with Spidey wasn't very well received by fans despite making plenty of money at the box office for the studio. Instead of continuing that story arc, Sony's decided to start over with "(500) Days of Summer" director Marc Webb behind the camera and fairly fresh faced Andrew Garfield as our new friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Question is, how interested are people going to be in seeing a new moodier spin on something they've already seen? Sony seems to be well aware of that and has begun peddling an advertising onslaught that will explain exactly why "The Amazing Spider-Man" will be so much different. They are calling it "The Untold Story." See for yourself below.

Read More

Review - The Grey

After a plane crash strands an oil drilling team in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness, the group must try to survive against not only the freezing temperatures and harsh elements, but a pack of wolves whose hunting territory they've invaded.

Read More

Trailer - Casa de mi Padre

Will Ferrell is an enigma for me, at times I love his schtick and others I can't stand it. Usually it is evident from the onset if I am going to be interested in a Ferrell project and his latest, a Spanish language effort, looks to be a scream! Late last year our first teaser for "Casa de mi Padre" was released and I instantly catapulted this project as a potential best for Ferrell. That initial teaser made me think Armando Alvarez could be a rival to Ron Burgundy. Thankfully the full length trailer keeps my hopes up. Check it out for yourself below.

Read More

'Prometheus' Still Stirs Questions

Over the weekend Amy Kaufman from the L.A. Times Hero Complex released an engaging interview with screenwriter Damon Lindelof on the promise of "Prometheus" being epic. Along with the interview was a brand new image of Noomi Rapace in some sort of corridor look at something off camera. The new image ended up stirring up more questions in me than the interview, because this new image clearly features not one but two space jockeys. The Space Jockey has been the one definite link we can all make between 'Prometheus' and 'Alien' but it also has become a constant source of discussion and intrigue. We want to know how and why the Space Jockey links 'Alien' to 'Prometheus'. Below I've put together a few things I have noticed pertaining to the Space Jockeys and how they might play into Ridley Scott's latest scifi.

Read More

Trailer - Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson remains one of my favorite working directors. The man just has a certain flare to his films that appeals to me. This first trailer for his latest film "Moonrise Kingdom," is smothered in that particular Anderson flare. See for yourself after the jump.

Read More

Help, Rewind This! Movie

All the best movies come from some passionate place we love and some friends of mine via Twitter, are asking for our help to finish up a documentary about VHS movies. Its no secret that home video had a major impact on our society and this film aims to tell that story through a series of engaging interviews with filmmakers, video store owners, and VHS collectors alike. The production team are 90% done with the doc they've been working on for nearly two years and your help is going to help get it finished. Take a look below to see the first trailer for "Rewind This!" and how you can help get this passionate project about the transformation of media finished.

Read More

Can Burton Be Original Again?

News recently broke that Tim Burton is in talks with Warner Brothers to direct a new live-action Pinocchio with Robert Downey Jr. possibly set to star. This feels like the umpteenth time the children's book has been adapted in some form, however the ever so popular trend these days is a new twist, and here we will see the story of Pinocchio told from Geppetto's perspective. Despite of my lack of enthusiasm for this "new" version of Pinocchio, the news reminded me how badly I long for another original Tim Burton story. It seems like it has been forever, has it?

Read More

Favorite Old Movies Seen in 2011

A friend of mine on Twitter @bobfreelander, who loves making lists on his blog Rupert Pupkin Speaks, each year makes a Best of Year End List but instead of being comprised of the Favorite New Movies within a given year, it is a list comprised of the Favorite Old Movies he's seen for the first time in a given year. For instance your friends have always scoffed at how you've never seen "Deliverance" so you finally decide to see it and you love it like everyone else has always raved. That film would count for consideration on this particular Favorite Old Movies Year End List. Being an avid movie watcher, I loved the sound of this idea so I went ahead and copycatted Mr. @bobfreelander (with his blessing of course). Within 2011 I watched 492 movies, 268 of those movies were first time watches, and 122 of those titles could be considered under the stipulations listed above for my own Favorite Old Movies Seen in 2011 list.

Read More

Paranormal Wave in 2012

Hollywood is a predictable wave of reactionary studio film making. One studio hits it big with a successful franchise or genre idea so the other studios follow suit trying to steal a piece of that particular demographic. Like how Pixar and "Toy Story" created a surge of new CGI animation in late 90's, the success's of "Superman II" and Tim Burton's "Batman" spawned the superhero genre, horror movies like James Wan's "Saw" and Eli Roth's "Hostel" generated a bunch of torture horror titles, "The Blair Witch" created an entire genre of found-footage films. Take vampire movies, they have been around forever but a film like "Twilight" is a success and it brings on a whole new wave of romantically spun fantasy-genre titles. This is a perpetual cycle in Hollywood that can create both good and bad titles. Looking ahead at 2012 calendar it appears the next wave is ready to hit, one based off the box office success of the "Paranormal Activity" films, unfortunately this wave doesn't look like too fun to ride.

Read More

Trailer - ParaNorman

A few days ago while watching some new trailers via Hulu Plus I came across a new stop-motion film by people who brought us "Coraline" caled "ParaNorman" and it looks good enough I had to share it with you. Take a look at the trailer and poster below...

Read More

12 Anticipated in 2012

Happy New Year! It is that time to look ahead at 2012 and what upcoming theatrical releases we are excited for, or more specifically, which titles I'm totally itching to see. Right off the bat 2012 seems loaded with movies worth seeing and while in the past I've done Top 25 Anticipated, think this year will just go with 12. Why twelve, I don't know it is 2012, it rhymes, or maybe I'm just being lazy but its what I've decided to do.

Read More

Top 10 of 2011

Another year has come and gone. One way I always put the year to bed is a Top 10 list. Ten movies that, in my opinion, were the best this particular year had to offer. In 2011 I watched 492 movies, 268 of those movies seen were for the first time and 146 of those first time watches were titles that had a theatrical release in the U.S. within 2011. This year was a really good year for a lot of really good movies. As I narrowed down my list of movies watched I had close to 60 titles, all of which were memorable films I would recommend and champion from here on out. Needless to say it took some work for me to definitively say these are my Top 10 in 2011 but after much deliberation, I've done it. Some titles were much easier to include while others had been pulled, re-positioned, and replaced a number of times before finally reaching their official spot in the Top 10.

Read More

Top Movie Honors in 2011

Top 10 lists never seems to be enough to tell you about all the quality cinema within a given year. 2011, like so many other years housed a plethora of good movies that I feel like I need to share with all of you. In order to do that the way I see fit, I've decided to break down 2011's best films into ten genre based categories i.e. Foreign, Drama, Horror, Festivals, etc. You'll notice there isn't a set number of films in each group, just the titles I felt necessary to share from this calendar year under my criteria for consideration (films must have at least a New and York and Los Angeles limited release within the calendar year to be considered). Some categories are low because of so few quality titles or because I did not see enough quality titles in that particular sub-category to include more. There is also no set ranking here, the titles are just listed in random order. So without further ado, here we go...

Read More