Dumbo, Review: Have ears, will fly When they first thought of a new Dumbo, perhaps the best decision Disney and Burton made was to remake their 1941 animation film in live action, adding 3D for the heightened reality effect. The first Dumbo rescued Disney from financial disaster arising out of three previous expensive films. Its 2019 avatar has a different storyline, though the name and the basic premise—that of a baby elephant that can fly--are retained. Abounding in the usual generic ...

Spiderman: Homecoming, Review by Siraj Syed: The Age of Coming This tale of and by (the opening credits say so) Peter Parker is just a shade slower than Transformers 5, which means it is crack-neck, if not break-neck. Nevertheless, that’s some relief. Looks like it is the trend now, and this is what comic/superhero films are going to be all about—hundreds of rapid fire cuts and thousands of barely discernible special effects, all adding up to a good two-and-a half hours or thereab...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent We could run down the Marvel list of past Spider-Men: impish Tobey Maguire, troubled Andrew Garfield, and they were great. But why bother, Spidey fans, because Tom Holland owns the new web-slinger entry SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, which opens July 7. (Hey, is that Jon Favreau in the background photo above? Yes.) Owns it along with his co-starts, that is. Those being Robert Downey, Jr.,  back as his Iron Man/Tony Stark mentor; Michael Keaton as...

Siraj Syed reviews The Founder: Hey Mac, watch out for that Burger! Your McDonald’s burger is not going to be same again. Neither are the fries, or the softees. This is a biopic (read ‘Based on a true story') about the Kroc behind the arches, an American salesman known to the world as Raymond A. Kroc, who consolidated and expanded the two-store enterprise to, nearly, what it is today. Not the founder of the pioneering and iconic fast-food chain, he was more or less solely res...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   The 2015 Oscars, By Adrienne Papp   By Adrienne Papp The Oscars have been handed out, the corks on the champagne bottles have been popped, the winners are all sleeping off their hangovers, and the movie industry has put a wrap on the 2015 Oscars. On Sunday night during the 87th Academy Awards broadcast shown on ABC, “Birdman” took home Best Picture and Best Director...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent   Some actors find themselves between jobs, Michael Keaton found himself between careers.  Now Oscar-nominated for Birdman (Or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), the veteran actor had some “This Is Your Life” moments last night when he received the Modern Master Award from the 30th International Film Festival in Santa Barbara (SBIFF).  “Let’s call it a Renaissance,” intoned Leonard Maltin, who play...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   The 87th OSCAR® Nominees to be Honored at Academy Luncheon, By Adrienne Papp   By Adrienne Papp         More than 150 Oscar nominees, along with 87th Oscars® host Neil Patrick Harris, will come together at noon on Monday, February 2, at the Beverly Hilton when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honors this year&r...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   Inside the 2015 SAG-AFTRA Awards, By Adrienne Papp   Debbie Reynolds and Adrienne Papp By Adrienne Papp One thing about the Hollywood awards season, you can always count on some things that are out-of-left-field unexpected, and there are always things that are completely expected and well-deserved. Voted on by 111,228 eligible SAG-AFTRA members, the SAG Awards are a key event in the buzz creat...

Birdman/The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, Review: The Expected Vice of Knowledge Back in the 1980s and 1990s, actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) was known for his superhero role, Birdman, which spawned two sequels. He refused to do the third. Now a-used-to-be-big-star, Riggan is trying hard to make a comeback through drama, by staging Raymond Carver’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” He will be co-starring with Lesley (Naomi Watts), who is also a movie star...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   87TH OSCARS® NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED   By Adrienne Papp   Directors Alfonso Cuarón and J.J. Abrams, actor Chris Pine and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the nominations for the 87th Academy Awards® today (January 15).  For the first time, nominees in all 24 categories were announced live. Cuarón and Abrams announced the nominees in 11 categories at 5:30 a.m. ...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent When Michael Keaton “was frozen” in a scene for the newly released Birdman, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, according to Edward Norton, who appeared with him at an AFI conversation on 11/8, “you could see he was having trouble.” “I mean, I don’t know if this story is apocryphal,” Norton offered, “but there’s this story I heard (from a director), that when Greta ...

By Maria Esteves – October 25, 2014 The 52nd New York Film Festival 2014 (NYFF52) Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), press conference with director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, cast members actor Michael Keaton, Academy Award nominated supporting actor Edward Norton, actor/stand-up comedian Zach Galifianakis, English actress Andrea Riseborough, Academy Award nominated actress Amy Ryan, actress/model Emma Stone and British actress Naomi Watts moderated by director of...

By Maria Esteves – October 13, 2014 The 52nd New York Film Festival 2014 (NYFF52) Closing Night Gala Presentation of Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu was held at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, Saturday, October 11, 9:00PM. Red carpet arrivals included industry executives, celebrity guests, cast and crew members. BIRDMAN in U.S. theaters Friday, October 17, 2014. Watch Trailer NYFF52 Closing Night Gala Presentation ...

  Actor Michael Keaton, whose 30-year career has included the outrageous ghost in BEETLEJUICE and Batman in BATMAN RETURNS, is the star and director of THE MERRY GENTLEMAN, which had its East Coast premiere last evening at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. The film, a psychological thriller set around the Christmas Holidays in a gray and unforgiving Chicago, casts Keaton as a hit man with a conscience, whose world is crumbling and whose resolve is beginning to waver. Th...