Inherent Vice and The Wedding Ringer (NEW) Trailers

Legendary filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson returns quicker than usual with his latest work, Inherent Vice. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Larry "Doc" Sportello, a quirky L.A. detective who begins to look into the disappearance of his former girlfriend. Adapted from a Thomas Pynchon novel, Inherent Vice is clearly on the awards season radar for just about everyone.Early in 2015 Kevin Hart will team up with the underrated Josh Gad in The Wedding Ringer. Gad stars as a friendless groom who hires the most impressive "Best Man" that money can buy (Hart) to help create a wonderful wedding experience. The W

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2014 Philadelphia Film Festival Preview

In about two and a half weeks the City of Brotherly Love will be kicking off its 23rd annual film festival. Bringing hundreds of the finest festival circuit films from all over the world, this year's lineup features everything from lesser known indie movies, to an animated Disney title, to some potential heavyweight Oscar contenders. For more information on the festival visit the Philadelphia Film Society's website and, as this year's tagline reads, "see something you'll never forget". Now, here's a look at the movies I'm most eager to catch during this 11 day film-watching frenzy.Honorable M

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Kill the Messenger

Film: Kill the MessengerStarring: Jeremy Renner (American Hustle) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Smashed)Director: Michael CuestaU.S. Release: October 10th, 2014 (Limited - Rated R)Genre: DramaRuntime: 112 minutesBrace yourself, because we could be in for a fantastic finish to the 2014 cinematic year. With an extensive list of highly anticipated features that begin with next weekend's release, David Fincher's Gone Girl, there are plenty of reasons for optimism. But for me, the first film up is one I highlighted in my Fall Oscar Preview, Homeland director Michael Cuesta's adapted biopic, Ki

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The Interview (Red Band) and Men, Women & Children Trailers

After their wildly successful go-around with 2013's This Is the End, James Franco and Seth Rogen return with the insanely premised, The Interview. The duo star as a producer (Rogen) and popular television host (Franco) who are granted an interview with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. But when the CIA shows up at their doorstep requesting that they assassinate the U.S. enemy, the unlikely pair of heroes agree to risk their lives and "take out" the threat. The Interview opens on Christmas and appears to have all the makings of another vulgar comedy hit.On a more serious note, director Jason Re

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Big Eyes and A Most Violent Year Trailers

Love him or hate him, Tim Burton has made plenty of memorable movies throughout the course of his lengthy career. This year, some anticipate that Burton will restore his Oscar-level of filmmaking with the upcoming biopic, Big Eyes. Amy Adams stars as Margaret Keane, a timid female artist whose husband (Christoph Waltz) claimed credit for all of her popular paintings during the 1950s and 1960s. Big Eyes appears to have the makings of something special with two perennial Oscar-contending performers (Adams and Waltz), as well as Burton's unique vision to a truly captivating story.In other potent

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The Best Comedians Turned Dramatic Actors

At this year's Sundance Film Festival one of the most talked-about premiers was Craig Johnson's drama, The Skeleton Twins. Starring a pair of Saturday Night Live alumni in Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, everyone was shockingly impressed with how easily the comedians transitioned to dramatic roles. And while The Skeleton Twins opened in limited release this past week to overwhelmingly positive reviews, I've decided to devote September's Movie List of the Month to the Greatest Comedians Turned Dramatic Actors (click here for August's List).Honorable Mention: Adam Sandler (Punch Drunk Lo

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THG: Mockingjay - Part 1 and Serena Trailers

One of the largest franchises in Hollywood returns this November with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1. In the newest installment, Jennifer Lawrence returns as Katniss in District 13 after she destroys the games forever and is forced to safe Peeta and a nation looking to her for courage. Here's the first extended look into what we can expect from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1.It's a busy year for the mega-star Jennifer Lawrence as she also stars as the title character in the upcoming Depression-era drama, Serena. George Pemberton (played by Bradley Cooper) is forced to consider t

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The Best of 2014 ... So Far (Part II)

Yesterday I began a short two-part series taking a look at the Top 10 films released in 2014 so far. Numbers 6 through 10 included some early year comedies, some brand new September releases and a money-making summer blockbuster. But before the wave of Fall Oscar contenders begin crashing into theatres all across the country, here are my 5 best films of 2014 so far.5. Guardians of the GalaxyI'd be the first to admit that I had zero interest in another Marvel superhero franchise sweeping across the globe. However, they got it right with Guardians of the Galaxy. Superior even to the overly-love

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Best of 2014 ... So Far (Part I)

As we approach the middle of September, we're about to head into the Fall movie season where dozens of Oscar hopefuls will battle for a chance to reign supreme. But before that happens, I've decided to spend the next two days breaking down my Top 10 Films of 2014 (so far). As it happens every year, many of these early-year releases and summer blockbusters will fade into the background and never find their way to my final list of 2014 in late-December. So if you're seeking a title or two to catch in the upcoming weeks, here's the first portion of this year's releases that you'll want to check

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Fury (NEW) and Horrible Bosses 2 Trailers

A lot has changed over the last six weeks when I outlined my Fall Oscar Preview. Action connoisseur David Ayer's highly anticipated and presumed awards season contender, Fury, has pushed its release date up a month to October 17th. Brad Pitt stars as an army sergeant in command of a Sherman tank unit who's forced to lead his team on a deadly mission in Europe against the Nazis during World War II. Check out the new trailer for Fury below.On a much lighter note, Warner Bros. Pictures has released another sneak peak into the comedy sequel Horrible Bosses 2. The same dim-witted trio attempt to s

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The Drop

Film: The DropStarring: Tom Hardy (Lawless), James Gandolfini (Enough Said) and Noomi Rapace (Prometheus)Director: Michael R. Roskam (Bullhead)U.S. Release: September 12th, 2014 (Rated R)Genre: DramaRuntime: 106 minutesSurprisingly, it's been nearly 15 months since we lost the gifted actor James Gandolfini. And with his final onscreen performance in the upcoming crime-drama The Drop reaching theatres this weekend, for movie lovers everywhere, only now is the reality of our loss beginning to sink in. Adapted from the Dennis Lehane (author of Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River) short story titled

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DVD Outlook: September 2014

The barren Summer months of watered-down releases have finally come and gone. August left much to be desired, but September promises to deliver a fantastic collection of films arriving on DVD. Two of 2014's finest early-year offerings headline a strong class of titles work checking out this month.Chef - 3 stars out of 4 - (Read my full review here)Jon Favreau puts all of his many talents on display as the writer, director and star of Chef, a heartwarming tale of a culinary genius desperately searching for a reasonable platform to creatively express his passion for cooking. And after a differe

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