Written by Jon Williams
Eleven years
and twenty-two movies in, the Marvel
Cinematic Universe is stronger than ever. In its first weekend of release,
the highly anticipated Avengers:
Endgame set a record with over $356 million made at the box office.
That’s nearly $100 million more than the previous record holder for opening
weekend box office gross—last year’s Avengers:
Infinity War, which this movie follows on from. And with the entire
weekend box office totaling $392 million, Endgame
enjoyed a staggering 90% market share. 1 (It’s also worth noting that
the weekend’s second place movie was also from Marvel— Captain
Marvel, adding $8 million to its current $414 million total in its
eighth weekend of release.)
The numbers
are even more astounding on a global scale. Endgame
brought in over $1.2 billion around the globe. Fewer than 40 movies have made
over a billion dollars in the entirety of their theatrical runs, and Endgame did it in just one weekend.2
Infinity War was the previous record
holder in this regard as well; it took 11 days to cross the billion
dollar-mark.3
Ticket sales
for Endgame are likely to remain
strong for the foreseeable future, as those who weren’t able to secure tickets
for opening weekend look to see it for the first time and as die-hard Marvel
fans return for repeat viewings. With that being the case, more box office
records are sure to fall, with all-time marks in its sights. Topping the $937
million domestic record of Star
Wars: The Force Awakens and the $2.8 billion global record of Avatar
will be a tall order, but both are certainly within the realm of possibility.
These films
are popular with library patrons as well as moviegoers. Use the links above to
pre-order Avengers: Endgame and Captain Marvel and get them on your
shelves as soon as they are available, and SmartBrowse on our website to find
other entries in the ever-popular MCU.
Written by Jon Williams
With the Golden Globes taking place this past weekend,
awards season is officially in full swing. As we look back and celebrate the
best of 2018, let’s also take a peek ahead at some of the delights that 2019
has in store for us at the box office.
Marvel movies have dominated the box office for years, and
fans are eagerly anticipating a conclusion to the galaxy-altering conflict that
was set up in last year’s Avengers:
Infinity War. That will come in April, when Avengers: Endgame brings the heroes’ conflict with Thanos to a
close and resolves their fates—for better or worse. Before that, though, comes Captain Marvel in March, starring Brie
Larson as the titular superhero in a ‘90s-set adventure that
introduces her to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then, in July, Spider-Man: Far from Home gives Tom
Holland’s popular webslinger a second
standalone and the MCU its first foray into its next round of
adventures.
Live-action remakes of animated Disney classics have proven
to be popular, and 2019 has some big ones coming. First up is Tim
Burton’s take on Dumbo,
the 1941 tale of a bullied elephant who eventually becomes the star of the
circus when he realizes his large ears can help him to fly. Then in May, as
summer movie season is rounding into full swing, comes Aladdin, starring Will
Smith in the role of the genie who helps humble beggar Aladdin win
the heart of Princess Jasmine. July will see the release of The
Lion King, which sees Jon
Favreau direct a star-studded ensemble cast in a photorealistic
update of the 1994 traditionally animated version.
As popular as these live action movies are, animation, both
traditional and digital, is going nowhere. The fourth installment in the Toy
Story franchise is coming in July, nine years after Toy
Story 3 in 2010, while the sequel to the 2013 blockbuster Frozen
is set to hit theaters just before Thanksgiving. Much closer than either of
those, though, is The Lego Movie 2: The
Second Part, the follow-up to Christopher Miller and Phil Lord’s 2014
hit, in theaters next month. Also in February is How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,
the anticipated final installment in a trilogy that includes films from 2010
and 2014.
Other animated movies coming our way this year include a Secret
Life of Pets sequel (June), an Angry
Birds sequel (August), and a new Addams
Family movie in October.
The horror movie genre has undergone a renaissance in recent
years, and that looks to continue in 2019. It begins in March with Us, an original film from Jordan
Peele, the writer and director behind the 2017 horror hit Get
Out. In April comes Pet Sematary, a new adaptation of Stephen
King’s 1983
novel and a remake of the 1989
film. Speaking of King adaptations, It: Chapter 2, which follows up the highest-grossing
horror film of all time, comes to theaters in September. In between
those two movies, in June, horror fans can look forward to Child’s Play, a reboot of the 1988
movie that spawned six sequels featuring the iconic murderous doll
Chucky. In August, Scary Stories to Tell
in the Dark comes out, based on Alvin
Schwartz’s collections of tales that have haunted kids’ dreams since
they debuted in 1981. And while it may not quality as horror, exactly (more of
a “zom-com”), the long-awaited sequel to Zombieland
arrives at last in October.
Need more? Tyler Perry’s Madea
returns in March in A Madea Family
Funeral. David Harbour steps into the horn-stumps for a Hellboy
reboot in April. Keanu Reeves is back for a third round as John
Wick in May, while a new generation of Men
in Black hits theaters in June. Quentin
Tarantino’s look at the Manson Family, Once
Upon a Time in Hollywood, comes in July, followed soon after by Hobbs & Shaw, a Fast
and Furious spinoff. In September, Downton
Abbey will make the jump from the small screen to the big screen, while
October will bring adaptations of the popular novels The
Woman in the Window and The
Goldfinch. In November, a third installment of the Kinsgman
series is on its way, before the year finishes strong in December with a new Jumanji
movie and, of course, the third and final film in the Star
Wars sequel trilogy.
So that’s just some of what’s on our radar for 2019 at the
box office, and you can be sure that it’s just a fraction of all the good stuff
that’s coming our way. Let us know what you and your patrons are looking
forward to, and stay tuned for information on when these movies will be
available for you to add to your collections.
Written by Jon Williams
Happy New Year from all of us here at Midwest Tape! We’ve
hit the ground running in 2018, and we’re excited to continue to bring the best
in media to you, your libraries, and your patrons. With that in mind, here’s a
look at some of the most anticipated movies to watch for the in the year to
come.
Marvel’s Cinematic Universe kicked off ten years ago with
2008’s Iron Man, and it’s still going
strong. First up, in February, is a solo adventure from Chadwick Boseman’s
Black Panther, who first appeared in Captain America: Civil War. That
leads into May’s mega superhero team-up flick, Avengers: Infinity War, which unites all Marvel’s standalone heroes
and promises to bring the Guardians
of the Galaxy into the mix as well. Then in July comes Ant-Man and the Wasp, the follow-up to 2015’s Ant-Man starring Paul Rudd. But
that’s by no means all for comic book movies. Another Marvel favorite, the
sequel to the acclaimed Deadpool is expected in June. In
November, X-Men: Dark Phoenix will
continue that franchise where Apocalypse left off. And the DC
Comics franchise continues in December with Aquaman,
the first installment since Justice League.
A big year for adaptations kicks off next month with Fifty Shades Freed, the third
installment of the trilogy adapted from E.L. James’s hugely popular book
series. A month after that, on the opposite end of the spectrum, comes a
new version of A Wrinkle in Time,
based on Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved Newbery
Medal winner. March will also see Steven Speilberg’s adaptation of Ernest
Cline’s rollicking near-future bestseller Ready Player One roll into theaters.
In October, The Girl in the Spider’s Web goes
from the page to the screen, picking up the Millennium Series where David
Lagercrantz took over following Stieg Larsson’s passing. And although not
technically an adaptation, the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,
coming in November, will expand the wizarding world set forth in J.K. Rowling’s
classic Harry Potter novels.
Then there are the sequels and reboots. One of the biggest
will be May’s Solo, the second
standalone Star Wars story after
2016’s Rogue One, this time detailing the
backstory of everyone’s favorite scoundrel and scruffy-looking nerfherder, Han
Solo. In June, Ocean’s 8 will bring
an all-female crew to the beloved heist
movies. Later that month, the long-awaited sequel to Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles finally arrives, and
the next Jurassic World installment will
wreak its havoc as well. The Purge
horror series gets an origin story with The
Purge: The Island, due on Independence Day. In October, Bradley Cooper and
Lady Gaga feature in a new iteration of A
Star Is Born. Michael B. Jordan returns for a second Creed
film, an offshoot of the Rocky
franchise, in November. Then, on Christmas Day comes Mary
Poppins Returns, a sequel to the 1964
Disney classic starring Emily Blunt as the titular nanny and Lin-Manuel
Miranda as her sidekick.
That’s just scratching the surface of all the big movies
coming our way in 2018. Next week we’ll take a look at what else we have to
look forward to in pop culture. In the meantime, let us know what you’re
looking forward to the most, and count on us to keep you informed on when all
these blockbusters—and everything else the new year has to offer—will be
available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD.
Written by Jon Williams
The new year is upon us. We
noted before 2016 ended that it was, in many ways, a difficult year in pop
culture. With the beginning of 2017, however, we have an opportunity to wipe
the slate clean, to rinse out whatever bad taste might be lingering in our
mouths, and get a fresh start. With that in mind, here are just a few of the
cool pop culture projects on the horizon for this year.
For your patrons who like superheroes, there’s a
lot to be excited about. It starts in March with Logan, which will be star Hugh
Jackman’s last hurrah as Wolverine.
In May, the second volume of Guardians of
the Galaxy will follow up the 2014
blockbuster detailing the first adventure of the galactic team of misfits.
Then in June, Spider-Man: Homecoming
gives a solo adventure to Tom Holland as the webslinger, following his
scene-stealing appearance in last summer’s Captain America: Civil War. Later in
the year, Thor: Ragnarok sees Chris
Hemsworth return as the god of thunder for his first standalone since The Dark World. For those who prefer
DC to Marvel, fear not: Wonder Woman gets her own movie in June, as Gal
Gadot builds upon her small role in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
In November, the DC heroes come together for Justice League, much like Marvel’s The Avengers.
Quite a few popular films and series have sequels or
new installments coming to theaters in 2017. Keanu
Reeves is back for a second action-packed round of John Wick in February. The Fast and the Furious gang is back in
April for the highly anticipated The Fate
of the Furious. May’s Alien: Covenant
brings Ridley
Scott back to the director’s chair for a movie that bridges the gap between
Prometheus and Alien. The popular rebooted Planet of the Apes series continues
in July with War for the Planet of the
Apes. October’s still-fairly-mysterious God
Particle is the third installment of the Cloverfield series. In December, the
Barden Bellas return for a third Pitch Perfect movie. And one of the
most anticipated movies of the year also opens that month: the as-yet-untitled Star Wars: Episode VIII, which will pick
up where The Force Awakens left off.
The Force
Awakens itself, of course, is a series continuation, coming after—depending
on your point of view—1983’s Return of the Jedi or 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. Either way, it
was a long time for fans to wait. The same can be said for a pair of
long-awaited sequels finally coming in 2017. First up is T2 Trainspotting, which sees Ewan
McGregor and the rest of the cast from the beloved 1996 original return and
reunite. Then, in October, Harrison
Ford resurrects yet another of his iconic characters for Blade Runner 2049, which comes 35 years
after its sci-fi masterpiece predecessor.
There are also some intriguing book adaptations on
the way. Coming later this month is A Dog’s Purpose, and who’s not a
sucker for a good dog story? That’s followed next month by Fifty Shades Darker, the second
installment in the publishing (and now film)
phenomenon by EL James. Christian audiences can look forward to The Shack in March, based on William
Paul Young’s 2007
bestseller. The hit young adult novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio comes to
theaters in April, starring Room’s Jacob
Tremblay. In October, Jo Nesbo’s bestseller The
Snowman becomes a big-screen adventure. And there is also a pair of highly
anticipated Stephen King adaptations on the way. First up, at the end of July,
is The Dark Tower, based on his multi-book
magnum
opus. In September, there’s It,
one of his most popular books,
which was previously made into a TV
miniseries in 1990.
But that’s not all! In addition to movies,
television (including streaming services) has become a hot place for book
adaptations to land. Available today on Netflix is A Series of Unfortunate Events, from the popular kids’ fantasy
series. Rationing out those eight episodes will help pass the time until
April, which is a big month. On April 26, Margaret Atwood’s dystopian The
Handmaid’s Tale comes to Hulu. On the 30th, NBC will premiere Midnight, Texas, based on a series by Charlaine
Harris, who also wrote the books that HBO’s True
Blood was based on. Also that month, Neil Gaiman’s fantasy epic American Gods will debut on Starz. Then,
at some point later this year, HBO will have Cormoran Strike, a limited 7-hour series adapted from Robert
Galbraith/J.K. Rowling’s mystery novels The
Cuckoo’s Calling, The
Silkworm, and Career
of Evil.
So that’s just a scratch of the surface of what’s
coming in 2017, and that’s without venturing into music or audiobooks. Please
let us know what you and your patrons are most looking forward to in the comments
section below.
Written by Jon Williams
This year is
shaping up to be a pretty big one for movies. Movies like Insurgent, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Furious 7 have already brought tons
of people to the box office, and others like Avengers: Age of Ultron, Spectre,
and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (to
name just a very few) are still on the horizon. But that’s looking ahead.
Looking back, 2015 also sees a number of classic films celebrating significant
landmark anniversaries.
Going back to
1940, a handful of notable films are celebrating their 75th anniversary this
year. One is The
Grapes of Wrath, an adaptation of the classic John
Steinbeck novel of the same name, starring Henry Ford and John Carradine.
That was also a great year for Disney, which released the animated staples Fantasia and Pinocchio. Unfortunately, both of those titles are in Disney’s
vault at the moment, so if you already have copies of them on your shelves,
consider yourself lucky.
Moving
forward to 1965, some great and notable films are marking 50 years. Doctor
Zhivago is an all-time great film, a romance with the backdrop of World
War I and the Russian Revolution. For a
Few Dollars More (released in 1965 in Italy, but not until 1967 in
North America) is one of the Sergio Leone westerns that helped launch the
career of Clint Eastwood, a career that’s still going strong all these years
later. Thunderball (currently
unavailable, although the novel
by Ian Fleming is) was one of the first James Bond films to feature the
organization SPECTRE as the enemy; fitting, as that’s the title of the Bond
film releasing later this year. Finally, there’s The
Sound of Music, one of the quintessential movie musicals of all time,
which was recently released in a 50th
Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray that includes a ton of
bonus material in addition to the film.
So those are
the big landmark anniversaries—25, 50, and 75 years—for 2015. Anything in
particular catch your eye, or did we miss anything? And don’t forget, there are
plenty of great films celebrating other, not quite as grand anniversaries, such
as Rebel
Without a Cause (60 years), Jaws
(40 years), and Back
to the Future (30 years). You can find these great films are more on
our website.
Written by Jon Williams
You’ve heard
about it, and it’s finally here. Today, Fifty
Shades of Grey opens in theaters, following months of anticipation and
controversy. Based on the first of author E.L. James’s trilogy
of novels, the film (itself the first of a trilogy) is expected to win the
weekend’s box office handily, even against strong competition from Kingsman, another new release, plus
holdovers SpongeBob and American Sniper.
Fifty Shades is the first really highly anticipated
movie to open in 2015, but by no means is it the last. Looking at what’s in
store for the year should have moviegoers feeling pretty excited. First up is a
number of reboots, remakes, and reimaginings, including a live-action version
of Cinderella,
directed by Kenneth Branagh, hitting the screen one month from today. This
summer, you can look for an update of the horror classic Poltergeist,
as well as a new version of Fantastic
Four, with Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell
as the titular superhero quartet. For Christmas, you can look forward to a
remake of Point
Break that features extreme sports in place of surfing in the original.
And finally, if iconic characters are your thing, you won’t want to miss Mr.
Holmes, which stars Sir Ian McKellan as the world’s
most famous detective in his elder days and dealing with a failing memory.
No U.S. release date has yet been announced, but it is expected to be out
sometime this year.
If your
favorite franchise isn’t getting a reboot, then chances are good that it’s
getting a sequel, as there are a ton of those on tap for 2015. First on the
docket is Insurgent, coming March 20,
the second in the Divergent
series based on the young
adult novels by Veronica Ross. Staying in the dystopian future genre, this
year will see the conclusion to the Hunger
Games series, as Mockingjay Part
2 debuts in November. The summer a number of blockbusters will have viewers
flocking to theaters for new installments of The
Avengers ( Age of Ultron), Jurassic
Park ( Jurassic World), and Terminator
( Genisys). Daniel Craig takes another
turn as super-spy James Bond in Spectre,
the follow-up to Skyfall.
There will also be new installments for The
Fast and the Furious, Pitch
Perfect, Ted,
and Magic
Mike as the year goes on. And in December, there’s that new Star
Wars movie that has everyone all abuzz.
Of course,
if original fare is more your cup of tea, there’s plenty to look forward to on
that score as well. Later this month, Serena
comes to the screen, starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence and based on
the novel
by Ron Rash. March 6 will see the release of Chappie, the story of a robot who gains intelligence and emotions,
directed and written by Neill Blomkamp, known for District
9 and Elysium.
Child 44, in theaters in April, tells
a story of murder and intrigue in the Soviet Union, based on the bestselling novel
by Tom Rob Smith. In May, look for Tomorrowland,
the sci-fi fantasy from Disney starring George
Clooney. Another Marvel movie, Ant-Man,
comes out in July, with Paul
Rudd playing the tiny superhero. And November looks pretty awesome, with
releases including Quentin
Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight,
Disney/Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur, and
the adaptation of Andy Weir’s acclaimed novel The
Martian, starring Matt
Damon.
Naturally,
this is just scratching the surface of all the amazing films coming our way
this year. As always, look to Midwest Tape for these films as they come
available on DVD and Blu-ray, and let us know what you’re looking forward to
seeing.
Written by Kirk Baird
Even as Lincoln’s
12 Academy Award nominations made the Civil War drama the prohibitive favorite
for the Feb. 24 Oscars, Sunday night’s 70th Annual Golden Globe
presentation might have shaken things up.
The Iran hostage drama Argo
took the Golden Globe for best motion picture as well a trophy for the film’s
director, Ben
Affleck, who was not nominated for an Oscar. Lincoln and director Steven
Spielberg were Golden Globe nominees in both categories.
Daniel
Day-Lewis, as expected, won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama for
his powerful and moving performance as Lincoln.
Overall, Lincoln
was nominated for 7 Golden Globes but won only one.
While Spielberg’s film stumbled at the awards show, the
lavish musical Les Miserables triumphed.
In addition to Hathaway’s expected win, the adaptation of the stage musical
based on Victor
Hugo’s 1862 French historical novel won for best musical or comedy and best
actor in a comedy or musical (Hugh Jackman).
Jessica
Chastain won the best actress in a drama for Zero Dark Thirty. And Jennifer
Lawrence won the best actress in a comedy or musical for Silver Linings Playbook.
Rounding out the film winners as voted by the Hollywood
Foreign Press Association, Brave
won for best animated feature, Amour won best foreign language film, and Adele’s
“Skyfall” won for best original song in a film.
For television, Showtime’s espionage drama Homeland
was the big winner, winning best television series drama, best performance by
an actress in a TV series drama ( Claire
Danes), and best performance by an actor in a TV series drama ( Damian
Lewis). HBO’s new series Girls
took trophies for best television series comedy or musical, and best
performance by an actress in a TV series comedy or musical ( Lena
Dunham), while Don
Cheadle from Showtime’s House
of Lies won best performance by an actor in a TV series comedy or
musical.
Best miniseries or motion picture made for television went
to HBO’s comedy-drama Game
Change, about the 2008 GOP presidential campaign, and to the film’s
star Julianne
Moore as Sarah Palin for best performance by an actress in a miniseries or
motion picture made for television, and to co-star Ed
Harris as John McCain for best performance by an actor in a supporting role
in a series, miniseries or motion picture made for television.
Written by Kirk Baird
The year is over. But before we march completely into 2013, let’s glance back at some of my favorite films of 2012.
Argo: Ben Affleck stars as Tony Mendez, the CIA operative who pulled off the daring rescue of six Americans in hiding at the home of the Canadian Embassy ambassador in Iran during the hostage crisis in Tehran. Affleck’s most impressive work is behind the camera, directing a gripping drama that almost never lets up its relenting pace. Even though we know how the true story ends, it’s a testament to Affleck that we sweat it out anyway.
The Avengers: Leave it to a comic-book geek to reinvent the superhero film…again. Writer-director Joss Whedon’s The Avengers is far removed from Christopher Nolan’s deadly serious reflections on what motivates masked avengers and villains, and amps up the fun, action, and a surprising amount of laughs as six superheroes band together and fight an evil god, an alien army, and each other.
Lincoln: Steven Spielberg delivers his most ambitious work yet in this stirring epic of behind-the-scenes politics in the waning days of the Civil War, as Lincoln marshals support for an anti-slavery amendment among a bitterly divided Congress. Tony Kushner’s weighty screenplay resonates with modern-day relevancy, and the superb ensemble is led by Daniel Day-Lewis as a president driven by conscience, not popularity.
Ruby Sparks: Zoe Kazan wrote and stars in this edgy, funny, and occasionally painful to watch romantic comedy about a celebrated literary genius (played by Kazan’s real-life boyfriend Paul Dano) who writes his ideal woman into existence, falls in love with her, discovers he can control her by whatever he types, and must deal with the consequences of that ability as their relationship changes.
Silver Linings Playbook: Bradley Cooper is terrific as a husband shattered by his wife’s affair as is Jennifer Lawrence as a neighborhood woman who offers to help. Writer-director David O. Russell’s brilliant comedy drama, based on Matthew Quick’s novel, of two emotionally crippled people who find love and coping mechanisms in a Philadelphia suburb redefines the possibilities of what a romantic comedy can be — and should be.
Zero Dark Thirty: The Oscar-winning team of director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal ( The Hurt Locker) deliver a riveting and mostly true account of the U.S. government’s hunt for Osama bin Laden. Jessica Chastain stars as CIA operative Maya, who sacrifices her personal life, breaks government rules, and violates her own code of ethics in her decade-long obsession to find the terrorist leader.
Life of Pi: Ang Lee’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s bestselling novel offers serious subtext involving questions of God, faith, and humanity as part of this wondrous tale of a boy stranded on a lifeboat with a tiger. Lee nimbly straddles the worlds of indie drama and big-budget release with aplomb, and produces a gorgeous spectacle that entrances and amazes at almost every turn.
DOCUMENTARIES:
The House I Live In: Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki examines America’s never-ending crusade against drugs with an articulate and persuasive group of journalists, law enforcement officials, victims, as well as the creator of The Wire David Simon and a Lincoln historian -- all of whom make a sobering case that the biggest casualty in the war on drugs are young, impoverished black men.
The Imposter: In 1997, Nicholas Barclay, a Texas teenager missing for three years, suddenly and mysteriously appeared in Spain. His story of being kidnapped and held as a sex slave for years was stunning. And none of it was true. That’s just the beginning of this fascinating account of a young French con man named Frédéric Bourdin who fooled the missing teen’s family for three years. Or did he?
Searching for Sugar Man: Detroit folk singer Rodriguez was considered Motown’s answer to Bob Dylan in the early 1970s. Then he disappeared. Yet in South Africa he emerged as an anti-establishment icon to the young. So what ever happened to Rodriguez? That’s what a pair of his fans in South Africa wanted to know. Searching for Sugar Man is their dogged quest to find the answers.
MOVIES THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE LIST, BUT ARE WORTH SEEING:
Here are some other 2012 films that didn’t quite make my best-of list, but are certainly worth your time.
The Sessions: John Hawkes and Helen Hunt are dazzling as a man immobilized by polio as a child and an understanding sex surrogate who agrees to help him lose his virginity.
Beasts of the Southern Wild: Director Benh Zeitlin’s stunning debut about a post-apocalyptic future is full of relevant commentary about our post-Katrina world.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi: This quiet and beautiful documentary about an 85-year-old Japanese sushi master has as much to say about culture and tradition as it does food.
The Queen of Versailles: Director Lauren Greenfield’s documentary is proof that our economic collapse affected almost everyone, including a billionaire Florida businessman and his eccentric, shop-a-holic wife.
Moonrise Kingdom: Wes Anderson’s quirky comedy of young love and those adults trying to prevent it is his warmest and most human film in years.
The Dark Knight Rises: Christopher Nolan’s finale to his Batman trilogy wasn’t the epic we hoped for, but it was at worst a spectacular misfire.
Hyde Park on Hudson: Quibble with the film’s historical accuracy, but its star Bill Murray and his charismatic FDR is an old-school triumph.
The Cabin in the Woods: Just when you thought the zombie-horror genre was dead, Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard give it a jolt of new life with their wild script.
Take This Waltz: Others were more enamored with writer-director Sarah Polley’s love story gone wrong, but the ho-hum drama cracks this list for Michelle Williams’s heartbreaking performance as a wife who sacrifices what she has for what she wants.
Skyfall: Daniel Craig as 007 and Oscar winner Judi Dench as M, plus Oscar-winner Javier Bardem as the revenge-minded villain and Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes at the helm equals arguably the best James Bond movie ever.
Written by Kirk Baird
The Detroit Film Critics Society — of which I’m a member — announced Friday its Best of 2012 winners in 10 categories, with writer-director David O. Russell’s romantic-comedy Silver Linings Playbook leading the way.
The dramatic and funny story of two emotionally crippled people who find love and coping mechanisms, Silver Linings Playbook received nods for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay (Russell), Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), and Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro).
The film stars The Hangover’s Bradley Cooper as Pat, a schoolteacher who suffers a mental breakdown after he discovers his wife is having an affair, and Lawrence as Tiffany, a neighborhood woman who helps Pat rebuild his life by offering to reconnect him with his estranged wife.
De Niro and Jacki Weaver play Pat’s parents, who have issues of their own, including his father’s obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s a wonderfully honest film, anchored with a terrific cast from top down, though Silver Linings Playbook did not win for Best Ensemble. Steven Spielberg's Civil War epic Lincoln took that category, along with Daniel Day-Lewis as Best Actor for his towering performance as the 16th U.S. President.
Anne Hathaway won Best Supporting Actress for her haunting turn as the tragic Fantine in Les Miserables.
Breakthrough was awarded to Zoe Kazan for her lively fresh script and funny-turned-heartbreaking performance in Ruby Sparks, the story of a woman literally written into being, and Best Documentary went to Jiro Dreams of Sushi, the enchanting appreciation of an 85-year-old culinary artist who has devoted his life to making sushi.
The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in 2007, and consists of 17 film critics who write or broadcast in the Detroit area, as well as other major cities throughout Michigan and, in my case, northwest Ohio. Each critic submitted his top five picks in the 10 categories.
Here’s the full listing of nominees:
1. BEST PICTURE
2. BEST
DIRECTOR
- BEN AFFLECK - ARGO
- JUAN ANTONIO BAYONA – THE IMPOSSIBLE
- KATHERINE BIGELOW – ZERO DARK THIRTY
- SARAH POLLEY – TAKE THIS WALTZ
- DAVID O. RUSSELL – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
3. BEST
ACTOR
- BRADLEY COOPER – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
- JOHN HAWKES – THE SESSIONS
- DANIEL DAY-LEWIS - LINCOLN
- BILL MURRAY – HYDE PARK ON HUDSON
- JOAQUIN PHOENIX – THE MASTER
4. BEST
ACTRESS
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