Nell Minow's Blog, page 36
December 20, 2016
Interview: Kevin Costner on “Hidden Figures”
Kevin Costner almost turned down his role in "Hidden Figures." Based on the remarkable true story of African-American women mathematicians at NASA in the 1960's, it is an inspiring, uplifting story of the triumph of intelligence, hard work, dedication, and integrity, despite the powerful obstacles they faced as women of color. But the supervisor character played by Costner was the weakest part of the original script. "My character was one they didn’t have the rights to. So he really was an...
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December 19, 2016
The Best Performances of the Year
Thanks to Rogerebert.com for including my tribute to Viola Davis in the annual round-up of especially memorable performances. Many of these performances were in film that are small-budget or genre and thus are usually overlooked when it comes to awards. Each of the write-ups is a gem. Be sure to check out Angelica Jade Bastién on Natalie Portman, Sheila O'Malley on Trevante Rhodes, Simon Abrams on Stephen...
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Interview: Joby Talbot, Composer for “Sing”
When a movie is called "Sing" and it centers on an "American Idol"-type amateur singing competition -- with animal characters -- it presents something of a challenge for its composer, who has to figure out a way to tie together a wildly and often hilariously disparate bunch of songs and singers. So it was a lot of fun to talk to composer Joby Talbot about how he managed to create a lively and engaging score that meshed with a bunch of iconic tunes from...
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December 18, 2016
Book: The Art of Jay Ward Productions
Featuring almost 1000 images and over 350 pages, The Art of Jay Ward Productions provides the ultimate overview of the Jay Ward studio from its early inception through its many fondly remembered cartoon shows like Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-right, Fractured Fairy Tales, George of the Jungle and Super Chicken, plus animated commercials...
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Tribute: Zsa Zsa Gabor
We mourn the loss of one of the 20th century's most glamorous figures, Zsa Zsa Gabor, who went from teenage Hungarian beauty queen to much-married movie star and died today at age 99.
Long before social media and personal brands, she was a master of self-promotion, including perpetuating and mocking her own image. She said, "I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house." Her nine husbands included hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, actor George Sanders, and the one who...
Long before social media and personal brands, she was a master of self-promotion, including perpetuating and mocking her own image. She said, "I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house." Her nine husbands included hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, actor George Sanders, and the one who...
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My Holiday Must-Watch: A Christmas Carol
My favorite Christmas story is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and I enjoy as many versions as possible every year. I love it in just about any of its movie incarnations. "Bah, humbugs" have been muttered by Scrooges played by top-notch dramatic actors like George C. Scott and Albert Finney, former Miss America Vanessa Williams, former Fonzie Henry Winkler, Jim Carrey, and former "Saturday Night Live" star Bill Murray. I love them all. I've love the...
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December 17, 2016
SPOILER ALERT: Rogue One Secrets
For hard-core "Star Wars" fans only! SPOILER ALERT!
From Slashfilm: What the differences between the trailer and the finished film show us about the reshoots. Particularly interesting is the decision to...
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New on Netflix: Trollhunters from Guillermo del Toro
From the limitless imagination of acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes a tale of two worlds set to collide in the epic saga, "DreamWorks Trollhunters."
When ordinary teenager Jim Lake Jr. stumbles upon a mystical amulet on his way to school one morning, he inadvertently discovers an extraordinary secret civilization of mighty trolls beneath his small town of Arcadia. Suddenly destined to play a crucial role in an ancient battle of good and evil, Jim is determined to save the...
When ordinary teenager Jim Lake Jr. stumbles upon a mystical amulet on his way to school one morning, he inadvertently discovers an extraordinary secret civilization of mighty trolls beneath his small town of Arcadia. Suddenly destined to play a crucial role in an ancient battle of good and evil, Jim is determined to save the...
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December 16, 2016
Trailer: Yellow Day, A New Faith-Based Film for Families
Camp Grace in Mobile, Alabama is the setting for "Yellow Day," a new faith-based film for families to be released on VOD platforms in North America on December 27th 2016, with special church community screenings across the country . The VOD release follows a previous limited theatrical release and will be the first time that the movie is widely available.
"Yellow Day" Stars Drew Seeley (“Another Cinderella Story,” “High School Musical”), Lindsey Shaw (“Pretty Little Liars,”...
"Yellow Day" Stars Drew Seeley (“Another Cinderella Story,” “High School Musical”), Lindsey Shaw (“Pretty Little Liars,”...
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Screenwriter Allan Loeb on “Collateral Beauty”
I was very touched by "Collateral Beauty," the story of a grieving father named Howard (Will Smith) who engages in a very literal way with Death, Love, and Time, and I enjoyed talking to the Allan Loeb, who wrote it.
Three of the characters in the film are actors, and we first see them rehearsing a very literary production. Was that a real play?
Oh, that’s so funny that you asked because I was watching it at the premiere last night and when that scene came on I thought, "I...
Three of the characters in the film are actors, and we first see them rehearsing a very literary production. Was that a real play?
Oh, that’s so funny that you asked because I was watching it at the premiere last night and when that scene came on I thought, "I...
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