Results tagged “cateblanchett”

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is so expertly crafted that one can't help but marvel at it from a technical viewpoint. As a story, however, the film is just so-so. Sure, it's a provocative premise, but Brad Pitt is almost lifeless as the titular character. Dustin Hoffman is one of the handful of actors whose movies I will always see. Last Chance Harvey is a poignant and wistful reminder that it's never too late to do all for love. What I said about Dustin Hoffman above, same goes for the amazing Michelle Williams. LOOK works better as an idea than an actual movie. Still, Rhys Coiro is fast becoming one of my favorite unknown actors.

While 2008 was no 1999 in terms of truly amazing films, it was better than most may think. Last year, I went with a top 10 that was headed by the wondrous and magical . Accordingly, I've put them at the very top of my list. The rest are in alphabetical order. See each one of them and I promise you will have lived a better life once you're done.

In a bit of a surprise, ($13.4M/$39M).

Making a great film is truly an act of alchemy. How else to explain how an exquisitely and sumptuously crafted film like is a bad film. There are far too many moments of true wonder to consign to that status. Rather, it is an occasionally brilliant film that is interrupted too often by structural awkwardness, strange directorial choices and performance misses. It constantly entices you only to lose you when you're ready to fall.

Plenty of people were disappointed by the latest Indiana Jones adventure, but I thought there were enough vestiges of the original character to make it worthwhile. Note to George, though: you should have stuck with the Darabont draft. Small, foreign films need critical attention to draw in audiences and the AMPAS really blew it by not recognizing .

While with a haul of $25.6M ($257.8M).

By now you've probably read everything you want to read about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. All I'll add is a few interesting stats: the total domestic box office of all the films that Harrison Ford has appeared in is a staggering $3,094,851,491. That's just ahead of the films that George Lucas has produced ($2,977,630,768) and behind the movies that Steven Spielberg has directed ($3,447,944,266). did $25M on Thursday alone so those totals will rise to even more insane levels over the next few months.

Let's get this out of the way right at the top--yes, it's very good and, yes, it is every bit an Indiana Jones movie. Is it another . If it's the last Indiana Jones movie, then Ford, Spielberg and Lucas have all gone out on a very high note. Of course, there are broad hints--both within the movie and from outside interviews with the creative elements--that new adventures might yet be forthcoming. For now, though, let's forget about all that and go back to the New Mexico desert of 1957.

I wasn't completely sold on the idea of having so many different actors portray Bob Dylan in makes much more sense.

is a tiny, unexpected gem.

"No Country For Old Men," "There Will Be Blood," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," and "Atonement" all received nominations for Best Picture this morning, as the Academy Award nominations were announced in Beverly Hills. "No Country" and "There Will Be Blood" are the front runners with eight noms apiece, including a Best Actor nod for perennial Oscar fav Daniel Day-Lewis, and directing nominations for the Coen Bros. and Paul Thomas Anderson. While Javier Bardem was recognized with a Best Supporting nom for his work in "No Country," neither Tommy Lee Jones nor Josh Brolin were nominated for the film (although Jones is in the running for a Best Actor award for his work in "In the Valley of Elah" -- did anybody actually see that?).

Yesterday, famed and veteran Los Angeles fashion designer, Mr. Blackwell, talked up his worst-dressed women list, just released this morning, with LAist. He began the annual list 48 years ago. "I was sick of the ugly clothes that were being presented in the fashion industry and as dress designer I wanted to express my opinion. I never expected it to be this big."

When Sharon Stone wears a gown that looks like she's been shot or Lindsay Lohan goes out in public in an insanely sheer dress, Mr. Blackwell considers their candidacy for his annual top 10 worst dressed. Countless actresses and singers made questionable wardrobe choices in 2007. The overexposed, the under-dressed, and the over-the-top take center stage in this yearly ritual. Tomorrow Mr. Blackwell, the well-known fashion critic and designer, will unveil his 48th Annual Worst-Dressed Women list. LAist asked Mr. Blackwell about dressing movie stars, his favorite style icon, and of course our fascination with fashion disasters.

"Atonement" leads the pack of nominees for the 2008 Golden Globe Awards with seven nods, including top actor nominations for both leads, Keira Knightly and James McAvoy. "American Gangster," "No Country for Old Men," and "Sweeney Todd" also garnered nominations; you can read a partial list of the nominees here at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association website. Hayden Panettiere, Dane Cook, Ryan Reynolds and Quentin Tarantino read the list at the Beverly Hilton at...

While waiting for the premiere of Project Runway, I came across the list of designers that were participating this season. One name caught my eye. This is a name I already knew. He lives in LA. I had noticed several of his designs in photos from red carpet events. His dresses were always the ones I'd put in my 'if I could ever buy' category. Here was his name on the list of designers...

In a shocking upset, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married easily topped the box-office with a much higher than expected $21.5 million haul. Ordinarily, I'm on the side of the underdog, but Perry's movies are so aggresively mediocre that I'm not looking forward to the glut of his product that is now certain to follow. Then again, Why Did I Get Married is hardly worse than The Game Plan which finished second in...

It's a strong weekend for new releases. After a long break, Jim Gray is back in the director's chair with We Own the Night. Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix star as brothers on opposite sides of the law. Reviews have been 50/50, but critics were equally blase about Gray's last flick, The Yards, which I loved. Cate Blanchett is back as Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Reviews have been weaker than those...

Today - Tuesday Clippers @ Jazz (PRIME, 6:00 p.m.) Coyotes @ Kings (Fox Sports, 7:30 p.m.) Ducks @ Sharks (KDOC, 7:30 p.m.) "Emeril's Kicked Up New Years Celebration" (FOOD, 8:00 p.m.) Watch this show with a bottle of vodka, any time Emeril says "kick it", "notch", or refers to the band or the schmucks in the front row, take a shot. "29th Annual Kennedy Center Honors" (CBS, 9:00 p.m.) Andrew Lloyd Webber, Zubin Mehta,...