Jeff Pfeiffer, Author at StayTuned Magazine

VOD Spotlight: “Devil” closes in

December 21, 2010 Jeff Pfeiffer

Devil is the first installment of The Night Chronicles, a series of terrifying stories conceived by M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) that he turns into movies with up-and-coming filmmakers. As these talented writers and directors bring Shyamalan’s tales to life, he collaborates with them on new ways to scare us all. Things get off to a creepy start with Devil, in which five people trapped in an elevator come to realize that one of them is the devil. As those on the outside try in vain to free them, the remaining passengers realize that the only way to survive […]

‘Tis the season for Christmas films

December 20, 2010 Jeff Pfeiffer

With Christmas falling on a Saturday this year, there’s one last full week — well, almost — before St. Nick makes his annual rounds. Thanks to television, DVD and Blu-ray, there also are chances to give yourself some extra holiday cheer with movies that invoke the yuletide. Here’s a look at some of our favorites, those that are very traditional in their use of the holidays … and others, not as much. Traditional: White Christmas (1954), Jay Bobbin: A sure sign of the season, this enduring delight — reutilizing elements of the earlier Holiday Inn, including Irving Berlin music — […]

VOD Spotlight: Becoming “Nanny McPhee”

December 17, 2010 Jeff Pfeiffer

In Nanny McPhee Returns, the ever-helpful Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson, who also wrote and co-executive produced the film) comes to the aid of a harried young mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal) trying to run the family farm while her husband is on duty during World War II. When some snooty cousins move in, the nanny sets to work teaching them proper manners and respect. Thompson, who starred in the original 2005 film Nanny McPhee, reprises her fun role as the title nanny. While McPhee’s magic is similar to a Mary Poppins, her physical appearance — complete with warts, facial hair and a […]

VOD Spotlight: Affleck and Renner on “The Town”

December 17, 2010 Jeff Pfeiffer

Ben Affleck directs and stars in The Town, playing Doug MacRay, the head of a crew of thieves that robs banks — and who forms a relationship with one of the group’s former hostages. And, with the FBI struggling to bring them down, their worst enemy may be the hothead in their group. The Town is based on the novel Prince of Thieves, written by Chuck Hogan. Hailing from Massachusetts, Hogan situated the crime drama in the Charlestown area for a reason: the Boston neighborhood has produced more bank and armored car robbers than any other single square mile in […]

VOD Spotlight: On animating the “Owls of Ga’Hoole”

December 17, 2010 Jeff Pfeiffer

Acclaimed filmmaker Zack Snyder (Watchmen) makes his animation debut with the fantasy family adventure Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, based on the beloved Guardians of Ga’Hoole books by Kathryn Lasky. It’s a visually stunning story about young barn owls that are captured by a cult of owls that want to train them to become soldiers. The crew worked hard to capture the real look of owls in the animation. Production designer Simon Whiteley, who spent time at an owl sanctuary in England and became something of an owl expert during production, states, “When working with owls in […]

Holiday pomp and circumstance on TNT’s “Christmas in Washington”

December 15, 2010 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jay Bobbin Interesting gatherings are in many people’s holiday plans, and Ellen DeGeneres has a big one on tap. The award-winning comedian and syndicated talk show star spends a Christmas in Washington by hosting the annual TNT variety special Friday, Dec. 17. Taped the previous weekend at the National Building Museum in the nation’s capital – before an audience that was slated to include President and Mrs. Obama – the program features Mariah Carey, Annie Lennox, Andrea Bocelli, Matthew Morrison (Glee), Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) and Maxwell as showcased performers.

VOD Spotlight: DiCaprio’s leap of faith into “Inception”

December 7, 2010 Jeff Pfeiffer

Before he creates a character, Leonardo DiCaprio likes to immerse himself in the facts. Who was this person, before the story started? What was his background? What are his loves, his hates, his fears? In movies set in a specific period, like Gangs of New York or Shutter Island, it means researching the era. If the character’s a real-life one — young Howard Hughes in The Aviator, the FBI chief in the upcoming Hoover — the hunt goes deeper. But when he got the script for Inception — a metaphysical mystery set in parallel dreamscapes debuting Dec. 7 on On […]

Online holiday greeting offer from ABC’s “The Middle”

December 6, 2010 Jeff Pfeiffer

From ABC: Brick, better known as actor Atticus Shaffer, the youngest child in ABC’s hit comedy The Middle, is offering his unique and hilarious, unorthodox advice for the holidays and beyond in free, quirky personalized online video greetings, beginning on Monday, December 6 and available at ABC.com at http://GreetingsFromBrick.com. Once on ABC.com, senders can select from hundreds of names, locations and holiday and event phrases recorded by Atticus, which are seamlessly merged into a fully customized greeting, developed by StarGreetz. The video greeting features Atticus and addresses consumers in a personalized way, resulting in literally millions of one-of-a-kind combinations. Simply […]

Ideas to get in the holiday mood from Phineas and Ferb

December 6, 2010 Jeff Pfeiffer

Phineas and Ferb, from the Disney Channel hit series, have provided us with some ways in which they would make Christmas extraordinary: Perry the Platypus Fruit Cake What says Christmas more than a fruit cake? Well, at Christmastime, Phineas and Ferb like to make a fruitcake in honor of someone who’s very special to them. Here’s what you do. First, get a rectangular fruit cake, either homemade or store bought, and stick a graham cracker into it at one of the smaller ends. On the opposite end, stick a quarter of a piece of orange peel. Now, and this part […]

FOX announces “Raising Hope” casting “crawl”

November 30, 2010 Jeff Pfeiffer

FOX is giving tiny tykes the opportunity of a lifetime by hosting a casting “crawl” for the hit comedy series Raising Hope. The lucky little winner — 3 years old or younger — will receive a trip for four to Hollywood and a visit to the Raising Hope set and the chance to hang out with the cast and crew of the show, along with a crawl-on role. Interested parents should upload photos or videos of their babies to www.facebook.com/raisinghope. Members of the public will vote on their favorite entrant, and the winner will be chosen from the 25 entries […]