Christian Toto - Page 34

A big-budget zombie film starring Brad Pitt seems like Hollywood’s best stab at  sure thing. Not so fast. For starters. Pitt isn’t a natural fit for a popcorn disaster film like World War Z, heading to theaters in June. More

Adam Carolla has a question for gun control advocates–why won’t you raise your voice about the Sandy Hook-level of violence going on in Chicago, a city with significant gun laws already on the books? Carolla broached the subject during his

The new mobster comedy Stand Up Guys needs a Grumpy Old Men-ectomy – stat. Guys is two movies in one, a tale of aging gangsters trying to relive their glory days, and another geezer comedy about old dudes auditioning for a role

Rebecca Hall’s character in The Awakening is a different kind of ghostbuster. Hall’s Florence Cathcart excels at exposing hucksters trying to trick the grief-stricken into thinking they can connect with their late loved ones. Unfortunately, she’s lousy at examining the

In Hollywood, saying the wrong thing can hurt–or even crush–a career. Just ask Michael Richards of Seinfeld fame. Or director Brett Ratner, who lost his gig producing the Oscars after letting loose with an anti-gay slur. Yet here comes Roseanne

It’s understandable why viewers would greet Hotel Transylvania with arms folded tightly across their chests. Star Adam Sandler’s recent track record (That’s My Boy, Jack & Jill, Just Go with It) represents the weakest span in his populist film resume.

Warner Bros. is celebrating its 90th anniversary by unpacking some of its Best Picture winners from the vault. The new 20 Film Collection: Best Pictures, available now, offers everything from Peter Jackson’s triumphant trilogy topper The Return of the King

It must be good to be Tim Robbins. The Oscar-winning actor, known as one of the film industry’s most vocal liberals, once gave cash to several GOP candidates including Michele Bachmann. Yes, that Michele Bachmann, the former Presidential candidate and

We’ve already seen Jimmy Fallon shamelessly turn over his “Late Night” spotlight to President Barack Obama to put the administration’s spin before the public. Now, Brian Williams of NBC News is getting into the act. Williams, repeating a bit dubbed

The home invasion genre is as irresistible as a cinematic zombie outbreak. Even in crude hands you can’t help but watch, eager for the harried homeowners to strike back at the intruders. Cherry Tree Lane has more on its mind

David Ayer, the unofficial bard of the L.A.P.D, typically traffics in the dirty underside of law enforcement. Films like Training Day, Dark Blue and Street Kings, show cops handcuffing the rules to get their man – or help themselves in

Magdalena Segieda was behind the camera when documentary filmmaker Phelim McAleer asked the director of Gasland an inconvenient question. McAleer asked why Gasland, a film slamming the practice of fracking as being harmful to the environment, didn’t acknowledge the fact that some water could be

President Barack Obama’s first term energized Hollywood in direct proportion to the anger the industry aimed at his predecessor. Gone were the hard-hitting documentaries, protests and anti-authoritative rants that came to typify the celebrity response to two President George W.

FrackNation has yet to make its nationwide debut on Mark Cuban’s AXS TV, but it’s already a model of New Media success. The documentary, which takes a positive look at how the process of fracking can be of enormous benefit

Anti-fracking celebrities are routinely in the press talking about the dangers of digging into shale to potentially make America more energy independent. Stars like Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon and Yoko Ono can get attention–and headlines–simply by calling a news conference

Hollywood celebrities will never stop talking about the horrors of the Blacklist, an era when Communist sympathizers within the industry were hounded for their beliefs, losing work and even their freedom in the worst cases. Yet when stars like Ed

If Jessica Chastain’s CIA agent from Zero Dark Thirty could address the actress’ character from the new horror film Mama the exchange wouldn’t be pretty. What are you thinking? You’re a two-time Oscar nominee wallowing in recycled scares and shoddy

The media furor over news that Korean rapper PSY once belted out an aggressively anti-American song has mostly died down. The rapper apologized, President Barack Obama welcomed him to a Christmas gathering without incident, and the news cycle has since

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s tentative steps back into the movie business have consisted of glorified cameos in two Expendables films. With The Last Stand, Schwarzenegger is taking a more serious approach to his comeback–by not taking his image or the film around

Linda Lovelace, who rose to infamy thanks to her starring roles in several ’70s adult films, became a vocal anti-porn crusader in her later years.  You won’t see that side of her story in the upcoming biopic based on her

Free-market champions could be excused for wanting to dismiss Branded, an all-out assault on capitalism’s need for marketing messages. Turns out the film, available now on Blu-ray and DVD, is so hopelessly assembled it will only inspire pity from conservatives.

Liberals have spent years praising Hillary Clinton, calling her smart, tough and tenacious. Did it matter that her record of accomplishment in office was wafer-thin, or that the media is currently letting her skirt blame for the Benghazi debacle? “Saturday

The majority of the producers behind the new military drama Allegiance served their country with honor. That doesn’t mean the film, available this week on

I think we all know what resolution Jon Stewart made on New Year’s Day. I solemnly vow to use my comedic bully pulpit to defend President Barack Obama from any and all critiques. And it’s a safe bet this is

Tonight’s Golden Globes telecast continued the entertainment industry’s tradition of heaping praise on its progressive product. The night’s liberal schmoozing was thick even by Hollywood standards. Lena Dunham, star of the infamous “first time” campaign ad for President Barack Obama,

Any objective viewer would tell you the HBO telefilm “Game Change” was a mess, a poorly orchestrated hit piece on Sarah Palin that bordered on parody while pretending to tell a political cautionary tale. That isn’t stopping the entertainment industry

Showtime isn’t afraid of HBO’s new hipster hit “Girls.” Lena Dunham’s sexually charged series, which returns at 9 p.m. EST tonight, sucks up plenty of oxygen in the press. Showtime counters tonight with fresh episodes of three returning shows to cap its

Lest anyone think liberal politics don’t factor into the names read aloud on Oscar night, consider the case of David Clennon. The veteran actor, perhaps best known for a recurring role on “Thirtysomething,” proudly published an op-ed proclaiming his opposition

From the people who gave us “The Never Ending Story II: The Next Chapter” … Sorry, couldn’t resist. “The Last Exorcism Part II,” out this March, follows the haunted young woman from the 2010 chiller as she learns demonic forces

Conservatives shouldn’t feel paranoid for expecting “Zero Dark Thirty” to be an infomercial for President Barack Obama’s one unabashed triumph – the death of Osama bin Laden. The film’s initial release date, roughly a month before Election Day, merely heightened

Ann McElhinney isn’t afraid of a good fight. McElhinney and her husband, Phelim McAleer, routinely take it to the environmental lobby via films like “Not Evil Just Wrong.” Now, the duo is holding anti-fracking activists’ feet to the cinematic fire with

Real-life couples don’t always generate bona fide sparks on screen. Think Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in “Eyes Wide Shut” or, for a more desultory example, Madonna and Sean Penn in “Shanghai Surprise.” Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell may not

Adam Carolla says he’s been through the “Hollywood washing machine,” and he’s glad not to deal with any more spin cycles. “I’m tired of leaving it up to the judges. You can get a lot of bad hometown calls,” the

Who knew the annual Razzie nominations would become as stale as the high falutin’ Oscars? Years ago, the arrival of the Razzies was a poke in Hollywood’s eye, a chance to remind everyone about the stinkers we suffered through over

Michael Moore is at it again, using an awards banquet to bash his political enemies. Even by the far-left filmmaker’s low standards, last night’s event was beyond the pale. Moore attended the New York Film Critics’ Circle awards dinner in Manhattan

It’s understandable that fans of professionally quirky director Tim Burton have lost faith in recent years. After all, Burton’s underwhelming 2012 release “Dark Shadows” marked the latest artistically sluggish film from the mind behind “Beetlejuice,” “Batman” and “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.”