Peculiar Reviewer

From About Schmidt - to Sideways - to The Descendants - Writer/Director Alexander Payne knows how to charm audiences, while establishing a deep emotional connection to the characters in his films. Although his next picture Nebraska was not written by him, it still holds the same formula that has made Payne a critical darling, and Awards show favorite.  Filmed entirely in black-and-white, Bruce Dern plays Woody Grant, an aging alcoholic hellbent on claiming his million dollar sweepstakes prize in Nebraska, along with his estranged son David ( Will Forte ). Woody is so determined to collect his winnings, he begins his journey from Montana to Nebraska by trekking up the road alone. While David wants to stop at places on the way like Mount Rushmore (which his father critiques as laziness), Woody prefers to stop at local bars and begins to realize that he no longer knows the people occupying them. Later joining their family to put this millionaire mission to rest is Woody's u...

This Christmas there won't be any warm and fuzzy elf socks to put on at the movies, as the Christmas Day releases will be more true to real life: family brawls, excess partying, escaped convicts, and boxing matches. So many good flick picks that you may have to give your family a rain check on the whole Christmas thing. Let's take a look at the Big 4: The Wolf of Wall Street , August: Osage County , Labor Day , and Grudge Match . 1. The Wolf of Wall Street Another rise and fall story from Martin Scorsese in his next one The Wolf of Wall Street . The true story of Jordan Belfort's rise in the 1990s to a wealthy stockbroker living it up, followed by crime and corruption, of course. This won't be a stretch for Leonardo DiCaprio - he already ran the '90s. Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and Jean Dujardin costar.  2. August: Osage County Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts . August: Osage County is based on the Pulitzer-winning play by Tracy Letts about the brok...

Disney has released the first official trailer for Maleficent , starring Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning . The baddest Disney villain of them all, Maleficent tells the tale from the villain's perspective, not that of Princess Aurora, as in 1959's Sleeping Beauty . We will all get to see what made Maleficent so wickedly marvelous. The trailer actually looks pretty amazing, and I think Jolie can pull this classic story off. The Disney epic has a release date of May 30, 2014. 

Last night was supposed to be the first live U.S. performance from singer/composer Danny Elfman in 18 years, but because the Halloween show of Danny Elfman’s ‘Music From the Films of Tim Burton’ at the Nokia Theater sold out faster than the Avon lady, two shows were added prior to the original performance. That frustration aside, all the true fans came out on All Hallows’ Eve to spend the night with the master spooky composer, cloaked as their favorite Tim Burton characters. It was a gothic cinematic extravaganza!  Animated conductor John Mauceri commanded the stage with a playfulness as if Danny Elfman was moving Mauceri’s arms himself. Along with the amazing Hollywood Symphony Orchestra and Page LA Choir playing the scores to Burton favorites including, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure , Beetlejuice , Edward Scissorhands , Batman , and The Nightmare Before Christmas , Tim Burton’s personal sketches from the films were projected onto screens.      Dann...

Old chum, Season 3 of FX’s American Horror Story is the season of the witch. This season is filmed entirely in New Orleans, where magic can roam the historical streets. Series creator Ryan Murphy loves women, which is why they have the platform to muck about as they so please on AHS: Coven . Whether they do voodoo, who knew, they would have their sexual ways with whomever they require to fill their needs. We’ve already seen incest, questionable bestiality, and slave porn… and we’re only on Episode 4. Murphy continues to push the boundaries of everything kept in the closet. So why is all this accepted on regular cable you ask? It is women doing the horrific deeds. Female empowerment over female oppressive forces conquers on American Horror Story .  We start in the 1830s, where socialite Madame LaLaurie ( Kathy Bates ) has slaves kept down in her attic – Bates is bathing it like Bathory – in blood. Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon uses a lot of fisheye lenses, causing the viewer ...