Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutesRating: R Director: Drew Goddard Quick Impressions: The Cabin in the Woods offers fresh new surprises and an amazingly original twist if you’ve never seen one of Joss Whedon’s TV shows. If you’re like me and have seen all of them, then basically that’s why …
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 …
