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Archives for : November2021

Interview: Alex Wolff talks “Pig”

PIG is the sleeper hit that has stayed with me since viewing earlier this year. The film follows a truffle hunter (Nicolas Cage) who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness, but must return to Portland in search of his beloved, stolen, truffle pig.

The film also stars Alex Wolff, who plays opposite Cage as rich kid Amir. It’s a role Wolff values for many reasons, including his admiration for Cage. “Nick is on a very small list of what I believe is the greatest artist. Nic is a like a magician in making you feel like you’re an equal. Making you feel like you’re in this together. So I think initially it was like wow like this the Nicolas Cage. The person I modeled my career after. But it’s just Nic now, we developed a deep, profound, long lasting, friendship that has been one of the most rewarding of my life,” Wolff explains. He proceed to say that Cage is a person he really clicked with and they filmed this project during a time when they both needed each other.

In the film, Nicolas Cage’s character, Rob, is a former, world-renowned chef who remembers every meal he ever cooked. And when I asked Alex, what’s the most memorable meal he’s ever had, he responded, “Wow do you know I actually haven’t been asked that question, but I feel like if I were a reporter that would be a question I’d ask. A meal that I remember, there’s a few thanksgivings ago my mom made a meal that was really good and I’ll never forget it. That, and then, Thanksgiving about seven years ago in the south with my dad’s family. They made some sweet potatoes with a little bit of marshmallows on top and I’ll never forget it. Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the year.”

PIG has been raved among critics and audiences, currently rated 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film features powerful performances and an unforgettable screenplay. “Every step of the way this movie has shocked me. I just feel like I’m trying to take it in and I never expect this to happen again because it’s just one in a million,” Wolff added.

If you have yet to see PIG, it’s truly a must see. Nicolas Cage is at his best, and the film will leave craving more.

Rating: 4.75/5

PIG is now available On Demand.

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Movie Review: “Belfast” & “King Richard”

“Belfast” is director/writer, Kenneth Branagh’s newest film that tells the story of a young boy and his working class family during the troubling late 1960s. “King Richard” follows tennis legends, Venus and Serena Williams’s journey to success and how their father, Richard Williams, helped guide them there. I review both Oscar contending films.

“Belfast” is currently playing in theaters and “King Richard” opens in theaters and on HBOMax November 19, 2021.

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Sixth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Award Winners

(Brooklyn, NY – November 14, 2021) – The Critics Choice Association (CCA) has unveiled the winners of the Sixth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, that recognize the year’s finest achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of qualified CCA members. 

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) topped every category in which it was nominated, winning the evening’s most prestigious award for Best Documentary Feature, as well as Best Director (TIE), Best First Documentary Feature, Best Editing, Best Archival Documentary and Best Music Documentary. 

There was a tie for Best Director between Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson for Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin for The Rescue.

In addition to the tie for Best Director, The Rescue received the awards for Best Cinematography and Best Score.

Winners of the Sixth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

BEST DIRECTOR (TIE)

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson – Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

BEST DIRECTOR (TIE)

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin – The Rescue

BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson – Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

David Katznelson, Ian Seabrook and Picha Srisansanee – The Rescue

BEST EDITING

Joshua L. Pearson – Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

BEST SCORE

Daniel Pemberton – The Rescue

BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

BEST HISTORICAL OR BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY

Val

BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY

The Crime of the Century

BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY

Becoming Cousteau

BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY

The Alpinist

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY

The Queen of Basketball

BEST NARRATION

Val

MOST COMPELLING LIVING SUBJECTS OF A DOCUMENTARY (HONOR)

Ady Barkan – Not Going Quietly (Greenwich Entertainment)
Selma Blair – Introducing, Selma Blair (Discovery+)
Pete Buttigieg – Mayor Pete (Amazon Studios)
Anthony Fauci – Fauci (Magnolia Pictures/National Geographic Documentary Films)
Ben Fong-Torres – Like a Rolling Stone: The Life and Times of Ben Fong-Torres (StudioLA.TV)
Val Kilmer – Val (Amazon Studios)
Ron and Russell Mael – The Sparks Brothers (Focus Features)
Rita Moreno – Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It (Roadside Attractions)
Valerie Taylor – Playing With Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story (Disney+)

“Love is Love is Love” Interview with Eleanor Coppola

“The latest feature film from award-winning director Eleanor Coppola (Paris Can Wait, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse), LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE tells three stories that explore love, commitment, and loyalty between couples and friends.  In the film’s first story TWO FOR DINNER, a married couple (Joanne Whalley and Chris Messina) find an unconventional way to transcend long distance through technology, but discover they were farther apart than they knew.  In SAILING LESSON, a long-married couple (Kathy Baker and Marshall Bell) tries to reignite their honeymoon-phase heat through a spontaneous sailing trip… and unexpected events arise.  And in LATE LUNCH, a young woman (Maya Kazan) who recently lost her mother gathers together a group of her mother’s friends (including Cybill Shepherd, Rosanna Arquette, and Rita Wilson) to share memories.  Surprising revelations ensue.”

I spoke with director Eleanor Coppola about the film, her inspiration behind the stories, how the movie speaks to underserved audience, and much more.

Blue Fox Entertainment will release LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, November 12 and on VOD Tuesday, December 14.

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“Love is Love is Love” Interview with Eleanor Coppola

Movie Review: “Eternals”

“Eternals” introduces a new, diverse group of immortal superheroes. Marvel Studios gives audiences another cinematic experience in this visually stunning and moving film. Watch my review of the movie and a preview of the upcoming sci-fi/comedy, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”.

“Eternals” opens in theaters November 5, 2021 and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” opens November 19, 2021.

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