‘Courageous’ Becomes Top-Grossing Film Made by Sherwood Church

December 22, 2011

The church-made film “Courageous” has become the top-grossing film by Sherwood Baptist Church, passing its previous top film, “Fireproof.”
Courageous passed Fireproof on Saturday (Dec. 17) and finished the weekend with enough to push it to $33.5 million in total gross, bettering Fireproof’s $33.45 million. It is playing in fewer than 100 theaters and comes out on DVD Jan. 17.

The weekend’s receipts means that each film by Sherwood Baptist Church has grossed more than its predecessor. The church — which gets only a portion of the total gross — also made the 2006 film “Facing ...

Written by Jo & Ray · Filed Under Entertainment 

Review: Cruise’s ‘Ghost Protocol’ Is Worth Seeing

December 19, 2011

Release Date: December 16, 2011 (IMAX); December 21, 2011 (wide)
Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Thriller, Sequel
Run Time: 133 min.
Director: Brad Bird
Actors: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Anil Kapoor, Lea Seydoux, Miraj Grbic
Truth be told, a fourth installment of Mission: Impossible feels like a rather tired, even lazy proposition. After all, is there really any mission that’s captivating enough to watch Ethan Hunt accept–again?

But after Knight and Day didnR...

Written by Jo & Ray · Filed Under Entertainment 

Newsboys Announce “God’s Not Dead” Tour

December 15, 2011

On the heels of releasing their highly acclaimed rock worship project, God’s Not Dead, Newsboys will embark this spring on their biggest tour yet, the “God’s Not Dead Tour.”

Kicking off Jan 12th and running through May 5th, the tour will run in over 60 cities across the U.S. The tour is presented by Compassion International, continuing their partnership with Newsboys to raise awareness for child sponsorships. Additionally, a special VIP Pre-Show Meet & Greet Experience will be held nightly with a portion of its proceeds going to support Compassion International’s child trafficking initiatives. Other major sponsors suppor...

Written by Jo & Ray · Filed Under Entertainment 

Review: Stars Fail to Lift ‘New Year’s Eve’

December 12, 2011

Release Date: December 9, 2011
Rating: PG-13 (for language including some sexual references)
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Run Time: 118 min.
Director: Garry Marshall
Actors: Hilary Swank, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, Jessica Biel, Seth Meyers, Halle Berry, Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michelle, Abigail Breslin, Jon Bon Jovi, Sarah Jessica Parker, Katherine Heigl, Ludacris, Sofia Vergara
Memo to Hollywood: If you’ve been considering whether every holiday, major or otherwise, warrants its own star-studded ensemble comedy, the answer is emphatically no.

After all, no one, even if they’re on the top of SantaR...

Written by Jo & Ray · Filed Under Entertainment 

J Edgar: Eastwood’s Personal Political Biopic is Sure to Win DiCaprio an Oscar

December 8, 2011

Director Clint Eastwood’s latest endeavour, J. Edgar, is an ambitious portrait of one of American history’s most conflicted figures, FBI head J. Edgar Hoover. Critics, unanimous in their praise for Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn as the enigmatic Hoover and the film’s visuals, are divided over Eastwood’s handling of the subject matter.

The film charts Hoover’s autocratic five-decade directorship of the FBI and attempts to tease out the story of his much speculated over private life. The biopic deals with the sensational aspects of Hoover’s nefarious ways – blackmai...

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“Dark Knight Rises” Prologue to Be Shown in 32 IMAX Theaters

December 5, 2011

The prologue to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s much-anticipated final “Batman” movie will be shown in 32 IMAX theaters across the U.S., Warner Bros. announced Friday.

The prologue will be shown in advance of select screenings of “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” starting December 16. It will debut in IMAX theaters in Canada that same day.

Starting December 21, the prologue will hit IMAX theaters in the U.K.

Portions of the prologue were shot using IMAX cameras. It is rated PG-13.

Nolan told Empire magazine that the “Dark Knight Rises” prologue is “basically the first ...

Written by Jo & Ray · Filed Under Entertainment 

Another Year (2011)

December 1, 2011

Another Year (2011)

Director: Mike Leigh

Cast: Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen, Lesley Manville, Peter Wight

My Rating: 9/10

In Short: Admirably captures the beauty of seasonal change

Of all the great British directors, I feel like Mike Leigh is the one who simply doesn’t get enough respect. Sure, there are a lot of people who do admire and revere him, but not enough. To me, he is the greatest film director ever to have descended from the isle of Britain. His latest film,Another Year, has been a hit with critics but seems to have flown past audiences outside of Britain. It’s not quite indie, not quite mainstream… so...

Written by Jo & Ray · Filed Under Entertainment 

The Ward

November 29, 2011

A young girl in hospital garbs frantically runs through a southern forest to a decrepit old house which she promptly burns to the ground. She is then picked up by the local authorities and returned to the high risk psychiatric ward where she has to deal with the unfriendly staff and patients as well as ominous ghostly visions which continually haunt her. Now with the help of a caring yet suspicious doctor, she tries to figure out the dark secret behind her institutionalization. Watching a film as inept as “The Ward”, one finds it hard to believe it was directed by “master of terror” John Carpenter who has directed such revered horror outings as “HalloweenR...

Written by Jo & Ray · Filed Under Entertainment 

Review: ‘The Muppets’ Moves Right Along

November 25, 2011

Release Date: November 23, 2011
Rating: PG (for some mild rude humor)
Genre: Family/Comedy
Run Time: 105 min.
Director: James Bobin
Actors: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Jack Black. Alan Arkin, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Mickey Rooney, Rico Rodriguez
Considering his big-screen acting gigs are usually more of the R-rated variety, Jason Segel (Bad Teacher), who also stars in TV’s How I Met Your Mother, isn’t exactly the logical choice for reviving “The Muppets” franchise.

But logical or not, what’s clear from the ge...

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The Immortals: Sex, Violence and Silly Hats

November 21, 2011

There is no canon in Greek myth. They’re fluid, and The Immortals has moulded something of its own out of them, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to hardly any of the legends we know. It’s crazy, balletic, silly, powerful, beautiful, and totally ridiculous; and it’s also amongst the most fun and impressive films that I’ve seen this year.

Theseus lives in a stone town which has conveniently been carved out of rocks looking over a cliff edge, which can’t be very practical, or comfortable when the wind blows, but that doesn’t really matter, because it looks rather impressive...

Written by Jo & Ray · Filed Under Entertainment 

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