Film.com Movie Blog

John Cusack: Top Five / Bottom Five

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:56:00 PST

There's a little quiet indie movie being released this week called 2012. If you haven't heard of it, check your local arty theater for more details. At the center of this low-budget affair is an actor I'm quite fond of. You know how we do here. It's time to evaluate and lay judgment.

I'm not entirely sure how to create this list. John Cusack is too likable to me. He's made some very bad movies very watchable, which throws my whole game off. If he's in a movie, there's a good chance I will want to…

20 Feature Films Chosen for Best Animated Oscar Nomination Consideration

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:52:00 PST

The list of animated films that will be considered by the Academy for a Best Animation nomination has been released:

9 (review)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

How to Make Your Own Paranormal Activity

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:43:00 PST

Now that Paranormal Activity has made $100 million at the box office after being produced for just $11,000, people are starting to think small. Forget about James Cameron and his half-billion-dollar Avatar budgets. You can't make a profit with those kinds of costs! Any economist will tell you that, if he corners you at a party and you can't find an excuse to get away from him. Tiny budgets and huge returns are the smart way to go.

But how can you make a movie for $11,000? Well, first you need…

Will Movie Theaters Survive the Technological Explosion?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:41:00 PST

With the rise of any technology there also comes drastic changes to the landscape of contemporary culture. Nowhere has this trend been proven and reproven more than in motion pictures and the movie theater. When radio gave way to television, movie theaters took a hit in attendance and thus movies and movie theaters changed, losing their all-encompassing news/cartoon/entertainment angle and focusing more on single- or double-serving movie experiences. The advent of cable television and videotape…

Ranking Wes Anderson's Films

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:16:00 PST

With a mere five films under his director/writer belt, plus another in theaters this month, Wes Anderson doesn't need to match the mass-production of other moviemakers to make an impact. We remember his name despite the eight-year gap between the Oscar-nominated The Royal Tenenbaums and his upcoming release The Fantastic Mr. Fox. The absurdly amusing adventures of his quirky yet touchingly familiar misfits linger in our brains long after most cookie-cutter Hollywood blockbusters have faded from…

Marine Corps Birthday Movies

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:56:00 PST

In honor of the 234th birthday of the Marine Corps, we've whipped up five solid movies that feature Marines.
Note: This list is by no means definitive; if we've left your favorite off, let us know!
1. Full Metal Jacket
Released: 1987
Box Office: $88 million (adjusted for inflation)
2. Hell in the Pacific
Released: 1968
3. A Few Good Men
Released: 1992
Box Office: $374 million (adjusted for inflation)
4. Heartbreak Ridge
Released: 1986
Box Office: $84 million (adjusted for inflation)
5. The D.I.
Released…

What's the Big Deal?: Touch of Evil (1958)

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:14:00 PST

A seedy border town, a fiery explosion, a corrupt cop, a family of drug lords -- Orson Welles' Touch of Evil has plenty of good old-fashioned entertainment. To read its plot description, you'd think it was no more vital a part of the canon than any other black-and-white crime thriller, yet it is spoken of in reverent tones as a "classic" and a "masterpiece." So what's the big deal? Is it more than just populist entertainment? Or is it just really, really good populist entertainment?

The…

Big Hitter: 2012, Avatar's Budget, Seann William Scott, and a Seattle New Moon Contest

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:20:00 PST

What I'm Seeing This Week
2012, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Youth in Revolt. I'm oddly excited for all three of these films, though for wildly divergent reasons. 2012 looks to be either a heap of fun or an absolute disaster (which could be fun). Fantastic Mr. Fox is another chance to peek inside Wes Anderson's brain, a fascinating and worthwhile cinematic vacation. Youth in Revolt was one of my favorite books of the past decade, and I think Michael Cera is the perfect Nick Twisp. So I'm hopeful!
Wh…

Hollywood's 10 Best Alien Stories

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:22:00 PST

When Hollywood looks to the skies and brings to us beings from another world, the result is rarely good for humanity. In fact, it usually means trouble. But sometimes, just sometimes, it means box office gold and some of the greatest movies ever made. This week, with the release of the alien abduction film The Fourth Kind, we once again look to the skies and give pause to think about the very best of previous visitations.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
This Steven Spielberg classic is the…

Review: The Box is Uber Creepy Yet Interesting

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:23:00 PST

"Not an easy film to talk about, but one worth seeing."

The Box is not an easy film to talk about. Almost every description of the film will end up as a spoiler, it's fairly high concept, and it has a few glaring problems. However, The Box also presents huge moral dilemmas and is a genuine candidate for "cult-classic" status. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it, perhaps some amalgamation of confused and captivated. Yes, The Box confustivated me.
Borrowing from the synopsis:…