Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes Rating: R Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller Quick Impressions: I think I like Dave Franco better than James Franco (which is easy since I don’t particularly like James Franco). But isn’t it weird that Dave Franco always seems to play a high school student …
Running Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes Rating: PG-13 Director: Andrew Stanton Quick Impressions: Thanks to its beyond inept marketing campaign, I’ve been dreading John Carter for what seems like an eternity. Since at least last summer, I’ve been seeing the torturous, over-pushed preview every time I set foot in a …
Running Time: 1 hour, 26 minutes Rating: PG Directors: Chris Renaud, Kyle Bada Quick Impressions: Unlike other Seuss classics, The Lorax never played a very prominent role in my childhood because it had the same effect on my mother that Chinatown has on me—i.e., it depressed her into a stupor …
Running Time: 1 hour, 51 minutes Rating: R Directors: Scott Waugh, Mouse McCoy Quick Impressions: It’s a good thing I never spent my childhood dreaming of becoming a Navy SEAL because I have about as much chance of becoming an elephant seal. I’m far too anxious for stress-fraught careers like …
Running Time: 1 hour, 51 minutes Rating: R Director: Lynne Ramsay Quick Impressions: As we left the theater, my husband said, “I think they needed to do more than talk about Kevin.” My own impression of the film found fault with a different aspect of the title. Memo to Tilda …
Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes Rating: G Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi Quick Impressions: My three-year-old was incredibly excited about this movie. On Friday afternoon, when I showed her the preview on my laptop, she demanded five back-to-back encore viewings, and then we had a long, animated discussion about whether Arrietty …
Bérénice Bejo Age: 35 Film: The Artist Role: Peppy Miller, an up-and-coming star of talkies who has an early, career-making brush with silent star George Valentin and carries a torch for him even after his rapid fall into obscurity. Nomination History: This is Bejo’s first nomination. Why She Should Win …
Kenneth Branagh Age: 51 Film: My Week with Marilyn Role: Sir Laurence Olivier Nomination History: Previously nominated for Best Actor for Henry V (1989). Previously nominated for Best Director for Henry V (1989). Previously nominated for Best Adapted screenplay for Hamlet (1996). Previously nominated for Best Live-Action Short Film for Swan …
Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes Rating: PG-13 Director: James Watkins Quick Impressions: This would be a great movie for a slumber party! Early on, there are plenty of long, silent stretches perfect for silly jokes and fits of giggling. (And the jokes would come naturally for any Harry Potter …
Glenn Close Age: 64 Film: Albert Nobbs Role: Albert Nobbs, a woman posing as a man in order to work as a waiter and live safely in nineteenth century Dublin. Nomination History: Previously nominated for Best Actress three times for The Big Chill (1983), Fatal Attraction (1987), and Dangerous Liaisons (1988). Previously …
