In 2012, Ted carried animated impresario and musical enthusiast Seth MacFarlane‘s naughty sensibilities to their natural, R-rated, big screen terminus, and raked in nearly $550 million worldwide. (A sequel, naturally, is in the works for next summer.) With the new comedy A Million Ways To Die in the West, multi-hyphenate MacFarlane heartily affixes a bull’s-eye to his back, starring in his second film behind the camera — a scattershot affair that mixes his characteristically crass and off-kilter sense of humor with affable goofiness and sentimentality. For the full, original review, from Paste, click here. (Universal, R, 116 minutes)
Daily Archives: June 2, 2014
Angelina Jolie Talks Maleficent
If heroism endures, so too does villainy, as Maleficent proves. After all, the titular enchantress was the principal antagonizing force in Disney’s animated Sleeping Beauty more than five decades ago. Now she’s the focal point of her own movie — a fanciful feminist re-imagining of the same basic tale starring Angelina Jolie in the title role. At the film’s recent Los Angeles press day, Jolie said words in a roundtable conversation with reporters. Excerpts of those words are over at ShockYa, so click here for the read.
Half of a Yellow Sun
A well-intentioned historical drama that unfolds in the 1960s against the backdrop of the Nigerian Civil War, Half of a Yellow Sun features a couple strong lead performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie Newton, plus the sort of high stakes and stark socioeconomic class conflict that often lends itself to engaging adaptation. But the film gets caught up in the undertow of mawkish melodrama early on, never to fully recover. For the full, original review, from ShockYa, click here. (Monterey Media, R, 113 minutes)
Director Robert Stromberg Talks Maleficent
Did I take part in the Los Angeles press day for Maleficent the week before last? Yes, yes I did. A roundtable chat with director Robert Stromberg is excerpted over at ShockYa, if you feel the need to check it out.