Movie Features

Year-in-Advance 2012 Oscar Predictions

Is it ridiculous that I’m looking so far ahead into next year’s Oscar race? Absolutely. After all, The King’s Speech took the Academy Award for Best Picture two weeks ago. Furthermore, the majority of this year’s Oscar contenders look to hit theaters in the latter half of the year, particularly in the last three months. We don’t even know how the critics and industry groups will react to the majority of these films. All I can do at this point is guess how things will turn out, but when isn’t that the case?

Box Office Wizard (3.11.11)

Dead Derrick Discusses: Fairy Tales of Terror

Most people when asked about horror would describe the genre as being dark, gritty, scary, and without pity or remorse. I beg to differ. Horror is one of the few genres that can range from the absolutely absurd to the brutally realistic. The films I will be discussing today are of the absurd and fantastical quality. There are modern films and films dating back to the 1910s that could be described as dark fairy tales.

The Evolution of Alien Invasion Movies

The possibility of life in other corners of the universe has inspired and driven the world’s countries and best scientists to spend infinite time and resources on pursuing an answer to that question. At the same time, it’s also inspired some of the greatest literary and creative minds, eventually spawning what we have come to refer to endearingly as “alien invasion movies.” This sub-genre has been making a tremendous comeback lately, and while you could dismiss it as fantastical entertainment, it cannot and should not be divorced from one of our planet’s few truly and sincerely existential questions: Are we or aren’t we alone?

Trailer Tracker: Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots and more

Our featured trailer this week is the sequel to the hit animated film starring everyone’s favourite pudgy panda, Po in DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda 2. Also from the popular studio is Puss in Boots which gives Antonio Banderas a chance to strut his stuff sans ogre’s Shrek and Fiona and the loud-mouthed Donkey. 

Box Office Wizard (3.4.11)

March Movie Preview

In movies, it’s not “beware the ides of March.” After the doldrums of January and February films, things finally start to pick up in March and this month looks like it could hold the first memorable films of 2012. From the animated film Rango with Johnny Depp opening Friday to Zack Snyder’s much-anticipated original film Sucker Punch on Mar. 25, there’s a high ceiling as things turn to spring.

Beyond “2001”: A Look at Trippy Sci-Fi Films

In anticipation of The Adjustment Bureau—and to honor one of the greatest films ever—let’s take a look at some of moviedom’s most famous (or infamous) sci-fi flicks and judge just how trippy and smart they are. Films will be rated, fittingly, on a scale of 0 to 5 HALs.

Five Directors Who Should Try Animation

The results for Rango look promising and early reviews are raves, saying the film could finally break Pixar’s streak of winning Best Animated Feature at next year’s Oscars. So, what appears to be a successful switch from live-action to animation begs the question: if Verbinski can do it, who else could? Here are five directors that ought to be able to make an awesome animated feature.

The 1st Annual Academy Aweirds

Outrage and scandal at the AMPAS! In a bizarre and controversial role, president of The Academy Tom Sherak declared that he was “unsatisfied and bored” with all the nominees for this year’s Oscars and asserted that all the current nominees in all categories would become inelligible for further contention.