Tag: Stanley Tucci

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Stanley Tucci Talks About His Struggle With Cancer And Having To Use A Feeding Tube For Months

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60-year-old actor Stanley Tucci is an incredible talent. He’s won three Emmy awards, two Golden Globes, and was even nominated for an Oscar. He made his film debut way back in 1985 and has been acting ever since.

His latest film, Supernova, was praised by critics. It was described as a “heartbreaking look at the emotional toll that comes with accepting mortality.”

And Tucci has personal experience with that. In a recent interview with Vera magazine, Tucci talked about his cancer diagnosis and treatments. He was first diagnosed three years ago with a tumor at the base of his tongue.

The mass was too big to operate on, so they had to treat it with high-dose radiation and chemo, which is something Tucci did not want to do after seeing how it impacted his first wife, who was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I’d vowed I’d never do anything like that, because my first wife died of cancer, and to watch her go through those treatments for years was horrible.

He explained that the treatment/recovery was not only tough on him, but also his kids. He had a feeding tube for six months and could barely make it to their high school graduation.

The good news is that the treatment was successful and he’s feeling a bit better now, but he admits cancer has changed him.

[Cancer] makes you more afraid and less afraid at the same time. I feel much older than I did before I was sick. But you still want to get ahead and get things done.

Here’s to hoping it continues to stay away from him.

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Watch Stanley Tucci And Colin Firth In Trailer For Romantic Drama ‘Supernova’

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StudioCanal has delighted movie fans with the release of the first trailer for ‘Supernova‘ starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci.

The romantic drama, written and directed by Harry Macqueen, stars Firth and Tucci as a longtime couple who decide to take an RV trip across England following an early-onset dementia diagnosis for Tucci’s character.

Sam and Tusker’s road trip will be a test for them as they grapple with Tusker’s diagnosis individually and as a united front.

The movie will premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival later this week. It’ll then be screened at the BFI London Film Festival in October. As of right now, the movie has not found distribution in the U.S., but that will almost certainly change.

It’s hard to imagine a movie starring Firth and Tucci not releasing in the U.S. at some point. Those are two pretty big stars. Plus, the movie looks really solid.

Check out the trailer below…

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Movie Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 – Separating The Final Book Was A Bad Move

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Before I get started on this review, let me say that I knew this was coming. In the last Hunger Games movie I reviewed, I said that I thought separating the final book into two movies was a mistake.

And I was proven right.

Jennifer Lawrence returns as Katniss Everdeen to live out the second part of the Mockingjay novel, which if you’ve read it, you know it’s incredibly dark and depressing. The story finishes up the war between the district and the capital, as Katniss struggles with Peeta’s brainwashing and choosing between him and Gale. All the same characters are back, but more than a few don’t make it to the end.

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The problem with this film is that there is literally no comic relief. Woody Haralson’s Haymitch is sadly absent, leading us to nothing more than a story of teen angst and overwhelming odds. It’s also a lot of repeat from the first two movies. And I mean a lot. The entire climax is yet another repeat of the premise that’s been repeated over, and over, and over again.

Also, the self-importance of this film is a bit much for me. It’s a bit like watching a college play about racism, where a bunch of idiotic newly political kids talk about race inequality like they discovered it. This is a film that thinks it’s more important than it is, rather than yet another movie about a dystopia that has heavy inequality between the upper and lower classes. The heavy handed sermonizing makes it sound like they’re the ones that discovered the fact that there was inequality between the classes to begin with.

The big problem here again, was the separation of the final book into two parts. As a result, the filmmakers were forced to stretch out the last half of a book into a full movie and the struggle to get it done shows.

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I will say I was always dissatisfied with the ending in the novel series. I felt as though it started out strong and lost steam as the books progressed. I also found it annoying that whenever the author didn’t know how to transition a scene, she just has her heroine pass out.

I started to become concerned that Katniss was hypoglycemic.

The filmmakers did nothing to fix this. Instead, they followed the novel format, starting strong and then slowly running out of steam until the series close is decidedly anti-climactic.

It’s a disappointing finish for a story that should have been the ending of the last movie. And the studio is laughing all the way to the bank. Mockingjay Part Two came out on top at the box office, raking in an impressive $102 million. I can understand why they did it. I just wish they hadn’t.

In the end, I found this finale entirely disappointing and depressing. The Hunger Games started out strongly enough, but then failed to deliver in this final installment.

On the upside, at least it’s finally over.

WE GAVE IT : 3 STARS! Watch the Official Trailer and See the Official Movie Poster below

stars

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Movie Review: Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 – A whole butt-load of fluff and Fodder

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Very few new releases came out this past Friday, as it seems very few movie makers were willing to go up against the third installment of the Hunger Games. Considering the fact that the last wildly successful movie ended in a cliff hanger, it’s not surprising that the continuation is crushing it at the box office.

In Mockingjay, we again meet up with Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) shortly after she straight up wrecked the giant Hunger Games bubble. She travels to the highly secretive District 13, where she meets up with President Colin (Julienne Moore), while the District prepares for war….that we really won’t get to see because they split the last movie into two separate movies.

I’m going to say it. It was a cheap, sleazy move. Yes, it worked for Twilight, but that was because the final book in the Twilight series was twice as long as the other books and had two distinct parts. This was not the case with the novel Mockingjay was based on. In fact, it might have actually been shorter than the first two books.

So enter a whole butt-load of fluff and fodder to force this into a two parter, no matter how unnecessary. There’s lots of sitting around in war rooms, strategizing and trying to figure out how to cash in on Katniss’ reluctant hero routine. Much of it feels repetitive and dragged out. This movie is by no means as exciting as the first two.

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I’m going to say this, despite my love for the lead in this film. Jennifer Lawrence, you’re getting too old for this sh@t. When the star signed on for the trilogy, she was still in the ingénue stage and was perfect for the part. But after several years, and many more mature rolls, I’m just not feeling it anymore.

The action scenes are played out. Every single district looks the same, as Katniss scales piles of bones and rubble, all while looking sad and world weary.

The late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman is featured heavily in this film, and his sardonic commentary helps break of the monotony. In addition, they’ve added in Elizabeth Banks’ character, though she’s been deglamorized. Both are a welcome breath of air in a heavy movie that felt a bit more like Wag the Dog then an adaptation of a dystopian young adult novel.

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The movie ends on a sour note, with Katniss not even taking part in the most exciting battle scene. Well, I mean, she watches it on a TV, but it’s not really the same as watching her going all “Rambo with a Bow”. Again, this was a result of splitting the movie. Looks like we’re going to have to wait for the unnecessary fourth installment to see her in action.

While not as exciting as the first two, Mockingjay Part 1 still carries forward the same SE quality and acting chops, so it’s not a total letdown. Let down least of all are the producers, who raked in an impressive $120 million on the opening weekend.

WE GAVE IT: 3.5 Stars – Watch the Official Trailer and Official Movie Poster below!

3.5 stars

 

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‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay’ Reveals District 13 Logo, New Website and Character Posters!

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Lionsgate revealed some good new fashioned viral marketing. They released a logo of District 13 and some long awaited character posters.

While Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s character is there along with Beetee I noticed that Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss was missing as well as Liam Hemsworth’s Gale character.  This leads me to believe that the folks at Lionsgate are not done yet.

Along with the pics, they have launched their new viral site: District13.co.in  If you are complaining about the .in instead of .com then you don’t get the clever reference to the President.  “COIN”!  Well played Ms. President, Well Played.

All that appears there right now is static, a small rendering of the District 13 logo, and a big QR code.  If you scan the code with your phone, it takes you to the mobile site where you can login via social media using facebook or twitter.  Then you do a little work to get the posters.

I’m sure there will be more to come.  We have a full 105 days to the movies November 21st release.

[toggle title=”OFFICIAL MOVIE SYNOPSIS”]Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) finds herself in District 13 after she destroys the Games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage.[/toggle]

Teaser Trailer and 6 Character Posters and Log Below – Enjoy

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Movie Review: Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

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Transformers Age of Extinction - Movie PosterIt was a high budget art film; shot by George Bush

2.5 Stars

The fourth sequel of the blockbuster series “Transformers” came out last Friday and quickly shot to the top of the charts, garnering nearly $100 million in its opening weekend. So it just hype, or is Transformers: Age of Extinction really that good?

We start off where we usually start off in a Transformers movie. The town has gone to crap and an evil new villain is planning on changing the course of history. Then, a cast of humans, lead by the ever foxy Marc Walberg teams up with Optimus Prime and the Autobots rise to save the world, yet again.

And it still takes them one hundred and sixty six minutes. Seriously, 2 and a half friggen hours of the same damn thing yet again. Because that’s what it really was. It was the same exact thing as the last three Transformer movers. The only thing changing is the cast.

Also, question. Was Michael Bay trying to make an art film? If not, what was with all the sun set shots? Transformers 4 kind of felt like it was a high budget art film; shot by George Bush. Over the top patriotism and American flags abound, because let’s not forget that America is the center of the universe…even when half the flipping movie is set in China.

I didn’t understand that at all. What did China have to do with anything? I’m serious, someone please explain to me why they went to China, because I totally missed that plot point.

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I will say Mark Wahlberg was pretty great, but he’s always been great. I really haven’t seen that guy fail yet, even when he gets cast in a terrible movie. All the other players were entirely forgettable. I’m pretty sure they threw another hot girl in there, to play the spunky eye-candy heroine, but I really didn’t find her that memorable. She was no Megan Fox and I didn’t find her character that interesting. She did the whole ‘damsel in distress’ thing a few times and I really didn’t care if she made it or not.

Also, the Autobots, who were once buddy-buddy with the humans are now a threat and are being hunted by the government. Screw plot continuity, Michael Bay needs more conflict!

Of course, this did allow of the excellent addition of Kelsey Grammer as the CIA op in charge of hunting down the Autobots.

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As if this pile of garbage wasn’t going to make a ton of money anyway, the makers decided to cram in as much product placement as humanly possibly. Everything from Bud Lite to Ford F150s make an appearance.

The movie really should have been called Transformers 4: Brought to You by Red Bull. I understand a little bit of product placement, but the placement I saw in this movie was astonishingly bad and obvious.

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Apparently, Bay is threatening to produce two more of these atrocities. Yeah people, this is just the start of yet another trilogy. You know why he’s doing this, right? He needs to raise enough money to produce his own army of evil robots so he can take over the world.

Stop playing right into his hands!        Watch the Official Trailer Below:

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Movie Review: Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014)

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Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014) movie posterNOT AS SMART AS THE ORIGINAL BUT STILL A REAL TREAT

Star Ratings

I am so glad I have a kid, because I can go to children’s movies without looking like a complete weirdo. While occasionally, it might suck to get dragged to the movies to see some crappy piece of merchandizing by Disney (i.e. The Croods), occasionally, it just plain rocks when I get to see films like Mr. Peabody and Sherman.

Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell) is a dog who is a lot like the US Armed forces. He accomplishes more before 6 am than most people do every day. By his side is the mischievous boy sidekick Sherman (Max Charles). The two use their WABAC machine (time machine) to go on crazy adventures though time. Then, Sherman hijacks the machine and accidentally rips a hole in the space/time continuum. It’s up to Mr. Peabody to fix Sherman’s mistake and keep some of the most important events in history from disappearing entirely.

You know when I really like a children’s movie? When it is truly educational and doesn’t fudge facts to fit a stupid plotline (like ‘Barnyards’ male cow lead or ‘Free Birds’ complete obliteration of the facts of the first Thanksgiving.) Mr. Peabody doesn’t fudge facts or pander. In fact, he give a socially conscious satire of many things that might fly over the heads of a children’s audience, but will still resonate with adult viewers.

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If you’re old like me, then you know that this movie is based on an old cartoon of the same name. I don’t know what it was, but when I was a kid, Mr. Peabody could be kind of…well, a snarky asshole to be honest. For some reason, Ty Burrell gives this character a cuddliness that he didn’t have before. His sarcasm and clever quips come across as more “everybody laugh with me’ than “I’m the smartest guy in the room’.

Rob Minkoff, who gave us Stewart Little and the Lion King, manages the direction of this film perfectly. There is never a slow moment and the movie rips through one fast paced bit after another, dropping a little knowledge along the way.

The animation is 3D computer animation, which gives Mr. Peabody and Sherman a new life from the old flat one dimensional cartoons. The movie is a pleasure to the eye, with characters that pop and scenes that captivate the imagination.

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I could have done with a bit less puns. To be 100% honest, this movie is not nearly as smart as the original cartoon, but that’s ok with me. I like to laugh along with cartoons, not feel like they’re laughing about how stupid I am.

If you’re a parent, then you can rest assured that seeing Mr. Peabody and Sherman won’t be a chore. It will be a rare treat. The right casting gave Mr. Peabody some softer edges, while staying true to the original educational nature of the show gave it credibility. Whether you are a baby boomer fan of the original, or looking for a movie to entertain you and your kids, Mr. Peabody and Sherman is worth the watch.

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Transformers: Age of Extinction Full Length Official Trailer Released and 2 Movie Posters

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In what is shaping up to be a great year for movies, Paramount has finally given fans the first Trailer for Transformers: Age of Extinction.  If you are thinking, “Hey didn’t I see the trailer already?”, you are probably referring to the 30 second teaser that we were treated to during the Super Bowl.

What you will see below is the full 2 minute 33 second version that already has 6 million views!  Say bye bye to Shia and hello to Wahlberg.  With Wahlbeg comes the Dinobots, Kelsey Grammer and Peter Cullen and in typical Michael Bay fashion more action and of course more explosions!

The two new movie posters can be seen under the trailer!  “More than meets the Eye” – I couldn’t resist. 

[toggle title=”Official Movie Synopsis”]After the events in the third film, the humans no longer trusts the Transformers and wages a global military crusade to exterminate them all, including the Autobots. Four years later, when Cade Yeager, a struggling inventor, and his daughter discover Optimus Prime, they bring down Autobots, Decepticons and a paranoid government official on them. However, the newly developed robots gain self-awareness and turn against the human race. Toppled with that, the Decepticons have become stronger than before, overwhelming the humans, and preparing to purge them into extinction. Cade, Optimus Prime and the remaining Autobots must band together and align with the ancient Dinobots to save their home.  courtesy of Wikipedia[/toggle]

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