Movies Archives - Page 134 of 139

Five Fabulous Flicks (Plus Two)

June 12, 2009 StayTuned Staff

by Karl J. Paloucek Start the weekend — and next week — right with these films airing June 12-18. All times ET. June 12 Tropic Thunder (2008) This one’s up in the air — depending on your sense of humor, it’s either the funniest movie of 2008 or it’s an OK comedy with Ben Stiller and Jack Black. Regardless, it still yields an Academy Award-nominated performance from Robert Downey Jr. in his controversial role as African-American action-film star Kirk Lazarus, and enough audacity to make it a pop-culture staple. Cinemax (HD), 8pm ET June 13 The Dark Knight (2008) Why […]

“G.I. Joe” … “Monopoly” … I Guess Nostalgia Has Its Place

June 5, 2009 StayTuned Staff

by Karl J. Paloucek Last weekend, one of our dinner guests hinted at the power of branding on the American psyche. The topic at hand was a famous German chain of grocery stores that had to concede to carrying brands it had never previously considered so as to guarantee success in the U.S. market. The story underscored the brand loyalties that are so much a part of the American-consumer mentality. We’ve all heard that studies show that those loyalties start early and can last a lifetime, but why make a study when you can make a movie to prove your […]

Five Fabulous Flicks, Plus Two

June 5, 2009 StayTuned Staff

Start the weekend — and next week — right with these films airing June 5-11. All times ET June 5 Casino Royale (2006) With this film, Daniel Craig overcame the doubt and skepticism of many to become arguably the most thrilling new James Bond since Sean Connery. Playing a more human version of the quintessential superspy, Craig brings a depth and vulnerability absent from previous incarnations. Based on the original Ian Fleming story, this is an appropriate rebirth for the franchise and easily one of the best in the series. USA, 8pm ET June 6 16 Blocks (2006) In 1994 […]

Five Fabulous Flicks, Plus One

May 29, 2009 StayTuned Staff

Start the weekend — and next week — right with these films airing May 29-June 4. All times ET. May 29 Cold Mountain (2003) Keep a hankie handy for this romantic tearjerker set in the waning days of the U.S. Civil War. Based on the bestseller by Charles Frazier and starring Nicole Kidman, Jude Law and Renée Zellweger (with an appearance by Zellweger’s then-beau Jack White), Cold Mountain is one story of heartbreak and longing in a war that was much less forgiving for many others grieving on either side of the conflict. More folksy and romantic than historically accurate. […]

Five Fabulous Flicks

May 22, 2009 StayTuned Staff

Start the weekend — and next week — right with these films airing May 22-28. All times ET. May 22 Sixteen Candles Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald earned Best Actor and Actress Young Artists Awards for their breakout roles in this hilarious comedy about a girl with a crush, a teen heartthrob who finds her intriguing and a geek trying to survive high school who acts as their go-between. Written by John Hughes, who made his debut as a director with this film. Retro, 6:25pm May 23 Mean Girls (2004) Back then, Tina Fey’s career was just starting to […]

VOD Review: The Girlfriend Experience

May 21, 2009 StayTuned Staff

By Stacey Harrison The thrust of Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience is summed up in an exchange between high-priced call girl Chelsea and a reporter interested in her life. He is fascinated by how her clients view her, and how she views them. Do they just want the carnal pleasures, or do they want something deeper? Do they want to know the real you, he asks? If they did, Chelsea says, they wouldn’t be paying me. Shot in 16 days and using mostly nonprofessional actors, Soderbergh is returning to the micro-size project he seemingly needs to do once in awhile […]

Five Fabulous Flicks, Plus 1

May 14, 2009 StayTuned Staff

Don’t overlook these lesser-known and classic films airing May 15-21. All times ET. May 15 Serenity (2005) When Joss Whedon’s short-lived, but much-loved, series Firefly was canceled, fans were left without a proper goodbye. With Serenity, Whedon gives the perfect ending, without alienating any newbies. Full of intense action, drama and excitement that could only be captured in full-length film form, Serenity is a must-see. SCIFI, 6:30pm May 16 McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971) Robert Altman directs this thoughtful Western about a dumb cowboy (Warren Beatty) who teams up with a savvy madam (Julie Christie) to build a whorehouse in […]

“Gossip Girl” Star Szohr Possible Fish Food In “Piranha 3-D”

May 6, 2009 StayTuned Staff

It might be a little disturbing, but it’s undeniable: There’s definitely an audience out there for films that take young, attractive stars and put them in harm’s way — particularly when that star is part of a pop phenomenon that’s both incredibly popular and has the capacity to annoy. Such is the nature of the press release that just sluiced into my inbox regarding Gossip Girl star Jessica Szohr’s upcoming appearance in Piranha 3-D, a remake of 1978’s memorable, limited-budget Jaws knockoff, Piranha. Directed by Alexandre Aja — not long ago responsible for another horror remake, The Hills Have Eyes […]

Five Fabulous Flicks

April 30, 2009 StayTuned Staff

Start the weekend — and next week — right with these films airing May 1-8. All times ET. The Seven Year Itch (1955) Perhaps not in the same league as Wilder’s masterpiece Some Like It Hot, but this iconic send-up of marriage and what happens when the wife and kids are away — and a peculiar blond bombshell moves in upstairs — still stands as one of the great American film comedies. Fox Movie Channel, May 1, 8:13pm ET O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) Sometimes it feels like the Coen Brothers try a bit too hard for the Lynch-like […]

Five Fabulous Flicks

April 24, 2009 StayTuned Staff

There’s a worthy film for every night of your week. Here are our picks for April 26-30. Remember, all airtimes are ET. April 26 The Night of the Hunter (1955) “Leeeaning … leeeaning …” Never has a Protestant hymn been so creepy. Robert Mitchum stars as the preacher with LOVE and HATE tattooed on his fists and an agenda from a place a little south of heaven. TCM, 6pm ET April 27 Sabrina (1995) Nothing will replace Holden, Bogey and Hepburn in the original, but this Sydney Pollack-directed remake appropriately casts Harrison Ford as the uptight stuffed shirt who gets […]