CBS will air an unprecedented number of original programming hours this summer. The lineup will include seven total hours of original programming, three of which will air on Sunday. The schedule consists of four dramas and thrice-weekly series Big Brother. For more on CBS’ summer lineup, click here. Broadway actress Laura Benanti is slated to host…
Entertainment news round up for March 8
The Hunger Games producer Nina Jacobson is on board for an adaptation of Donna Tartt’s novel The Goldfinch, which was published last fall and still ranks second on the New York Times bestseller list. The story follows a boy who loses his mother in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and absconds with Fabritius’ painting “The…
Critic deems ‘Brick’ a true modern classic
Rian Johnson’s Brick is, to my mind, the very definition of a modern classic – not only because it’s fantastic, but also because it dares to combine the old and the new in a smart, sexy, and stylish way. A neo-noir story dropped smack into a contemporary setting, Brick is an effortlessly engaging visual and aural delight. Released in…
Entertainment news round-up for March 6
Idris Elba is in final talks to join the cast of Disney’s animated The Jungle Book reboot, directed by Jon Favreau. Elba would voice Shere Khan the tiger. Elba has recently been seen in Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom and Thor: The Dark World. For more on The Jungle Book and on Elba’s other projects, click here. FX…
Short film round-up
For something a little off-kilter, take a look at Cockatoo, an 11-minute short from Australian filmmaker Matthew Jenkin that explores heartbreak and closure. The film follows a man who makes a desperate attempt to get over his previous relationship by hiring an actress from the Reality Dreams agency to play his ex-girlfriend for a few hours….
Critic revels in ‘The Raid: Redemption’
The Raid: Redemption is gorgeous. It’s one hour and 41 minutes of pure, unadulterated violence. I loved every blood-soaked second of it. Before I begin to wax too poetic about the film, I feel that it is my duty as a critic to make a few unfortunate admissions about it: the plot is unimaginative, the dialogue…
Entertainment news round-up for Feb. 28
Platinum Dunes, Mandalay Pictures and Universal have selected Dutch filmmaker Diederik Van Rooijen to direct a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. Plot details for the remake have not yet been released. Van Rooijen is best known for his film Taped. For more information on the project, click here. The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes has signed on to direct…
Entertainment news round-up for Feb. 27
Netflix has acquired exclusive streaming rights to The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life, an Oscar-nominated documentary short about pianist and Holocaust survivor Alice Herz-Sommer. The film will be available April 1. It’s subject, believed to have been the oldest-living Holocaust survivor, died on Sunday at the age of 110. To read more on…
Critic delighted by ‘Frances Ha’
While I frequently say that I want to be Greta Gerwig when I grow up, I certainly don’t aspire to be anything like the woman she portrays in Frances Ha – that is to say, a complete and utter mess. It’s a testament to Gerwig’s abilities and charm that such a character is not only tolerable but downright…
Entertainment news round-up for Feb. 22
NBC has ordered 13 episodes of Shades of Blue, a crime drama starring and executive produced by Jennifer Lopez. Lopez will play a single mother and detective working undercover for the FBI’s anti-corruption task force. The show will premiere during the 2015-16 TV season. For more information on the project, click here. Academy Award-winning costume designer…
Entertainment news round-up for Feb. 17
Netflix has confirmed that Orange Is the New Black will return on June 6. The streaming video service confirmed the date in a bonus blurb at the end of the second season of House of Cards. For more information and a teaser for the new episodes, click here. Beetlejuice actor Michael Keaton told MTV News that he and director…
Entertainment news round-up for Feb. 18
Napoleon Dynamite actor John Heder is set to star in Fox’s new half-hour comedy pilot, entitled Here’s Your Damn Family. Heder will star as a thirty-something living with his mother whose life is upended when she gets married to a man with three teenage children. For more information on the series, click here. The Departed screenwriter William Monahan…
Entertainment news round-up for Feb. 13
Netflix will air the final season of animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, thanks to a new deal with Disney/ABC TV Group and Lucasfilm. The 13-episode season will premiere on the site on March 7th, along with all previous episodes of the show. “Star Wars is one of the most iconic franchises of all time…
Critic floored by ‘Blue Jasmine’
I loved Blue Jasmine, but I will not be able to watch it again for quite some time. Though it is wildly entertaining and impeccably made, it is not a particularly easy film to sit through, with its harsh tone and difficult subject matter. Nevertheless, it is a stunning addition to Woody Allen’s already impressive oeuvre….
Entertainment news round-up for Feb. 8
A new study conducted by the Journal of Management Inquiry suggests that while actresses in their 20s earn more than their male counterparts, the ratio reverses once they hit their mid-30s. “While the difference is fairly small, it’s indicative of the other side of the double standard,” said one of the study’s authors, Notre Dame…
Entertainment news round-up for Feb. 6
Longtime Oscars sponsors Coca-Cola and Hyundai have dropped their support of the event, for reasons undisclosed. PepsiCo and General Motors will take their places. Other advertisers set to appear during the March 2 telecast are Johnson & Johnson, AARP, American Express, Mars, McDonald’s, Samsung, Sprint, and Unilever. For more information, click here. Evangeline Lilly is…
Critic falls in love with “About Time”
I’m not entirely sure that there are adequate words to describe the way I feel about About Time. To put it in 21st century parlance, boy, did it give me the feels. I left the theater sniffling like an idiot and craving a substantial quantity of comfort food. Written and directed by Richard Curtis, the film…
Entertainment news round-up for Jan. 31
Friends actor David Schwimmer is returning to the small screen in ABC’s upcoming comedy pilot Irreversible. In addition to starring, Schwimmer will also produce the project, which is based on the Israeli series Bilti Hafich. The original series’ co-creator Segahl Avin co-wrote the American adaptation and may direct the pilot. For more information, click here. Emma Thompson has…
Entertainment news round-up for Jan. 30
Jerry Seinfeld has confirmed that he is planning a Seinfeld reunion. In a radio interview, the actor and comedian described the project as a “short-ish form,” “one-on-one thing” with Larry David. He mentioned that other actors from the show will also be involved. For more information, click here. Former Saturday Night Live actor Bill Hader is in talks to…
Critic finds ‘Frozen’ enjoyable, but not exceptional
I’m among the few people who did not completely adore Frozen. Don’t get me wrong – I thought it was a sweet, charming film with a refreshingly modern message. However, I don’t believe it lives up to the standard set by earlier Disney films. Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, the film follows “Anna” (Kristen…
OCU film series grazes the ‘Meadows’
The Oklahoma City University Film Institute will continue its 32nd season with Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The White Meadows” at 2 p.m. Feb. 9 in the Meinders School of Business Kerr McGee Auditorium. “The White Meadows” is a dreamlike, yet earthbound film about a boatman named Rahmat who navigates the increasingly salty waters of a coastal land, collecting…
Short film round-up
For a delightfully whimsical and slightly melancholy treat, take a look at Cicada Princess, a seven-minute short from Mauchi Baiocchi that blends nature and fantasy to stunning effect. Using remarkably detailed puppetry, Baiocchi presents the life cycle of the cicada as a Cinderella story, narrated beautifully by the always excellent Stephen Fry. It’s a gorgeous little…
Entertainment news round-up for Jan. 26
The Directors Guild gave this year’s top prize to Alfonso Cuaron for his sci-fi thriller Gravity. The award was presented at the organization’s 66th DGA Awards ceremony at the Century Plaza Hotel on Saturday. “This is truly an honor and I’m humbled by it,” Cuaron said in his acceptance speech. “I still have this teen…
Entertainment news round-up for Jan. 21
Apple is currently the sole distributor of Sundance documentary Sepideh. The film, which appeared at Sundance on Sunday, is available for rent or purchase on iTunes for an undefined period of exclusivity. “The really exciting thing for me is that, with iTunes, the most number of people will be able to see this film,” director Berit…
Entertainment news round-up for Jan. 14
Johnny Depp is in talks with Marvel Studios to play Steven Strange in the upcoming Doctor Strange film. Whether or not the actor will take the role will depend on his schedule, which currently includes soon-to-be-greenlit projects such as a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film and an Alice in Wonderland sequel. For more information on the project and on…
Entertainment news round-up for Dec. 6
Disney has taken over the distribution and marketing rights for the Indiana Jones franchise from Paramount. This means that Paramount will still control the rights for the original four films, while Disney will be responsible for any future projects in the franchise. Disney has not yet announced that a fifth Indiana Jones feature is in the works….
