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Leonard Maltin
Wrath Of The Titans—movie review
- By Leonard Maltin
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- March 30, 2012 1:00 AM
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- 4 Comments
I remember feeling a certain amount of wrath over the ham-handed 3-D effects in 2010’s 'Clash of the Titans', but the film itself wasn’t bad: uneven, to be sure, but strengthened by adhering to the story template of the 1981 movie of the same name, written by Beverley Cross. If I were 12 years old I would have loved it.
UPA Cartoons—At Last!
- By Leonard Maltin
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- March 28, 2012 1:00 AM
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- 7 Comments
I’m proud to be associated with TCM’s exclusive new three-disc DVD set of 'Jolly Frolics', the innovative, award winning UPA cartoons that have been neglected on home video so long. I’m speaking of 'Gerald McBoing Boing', 'Unicorn in the Garden', 'The Tell-Tale Heart', 'Rooty Toot Toot', and the first Mister Magoo cartoon, Ragtime Bear, among others. These shorts, made by former Disney staffers who embraced modern art and graphics, wowed pop-culture critics, audiences, and Oscar voters in the late 1940s and 50s, but haven’t been readily accessible in recent years.
Napoleon, Triumphant
- By Leonard Maltin
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- March 26, 2012 4:03 AM
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- 20 Comments
“Thrilling” is the only word to describe the experience of watching Abel Gance’s 5½ hour epic 'Napoleon', at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California this weekend, accompanied by Carl Davis and the Oakland East Bay Symphony. There are two more performances next weekend, and if you don’t make an effort to be there you’ll miss one of the great moviegoing events of your life.
The Hunger Games—movie review
- By Leonard Maltin
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- March 22, 2012 8:53 PM
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- 27 Comments
As someone who hasn’t read Suzanne Collins’ trilogy of novels, going to see 'The Hunger Games' “cold,” I felt comforted by the presence of two young actors I admire, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. Given the downbeat nature of the story, set in a bleak future world, having warm-blooded actors who can bring life and depth to their characters is crucial.
More Cinefest Adventures…
- By Leonard Maltin
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- March 21, 2012 8:31 PM
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- 5 Comments
Cinefest is a feast of rare silent and early-talkie pictures, with three rotating pianists (all of them gifted) providing accompaniment. If the only surviving print of a film is incomplete, like the appealing Clara Bow-Buddy Rogers romantic comedy Get Your Man (1927), directed by Dorothy Arzner, we’re happy to see what remains. If the only way to watch an early silent feature from theatrical producers Klaw and Erlanger is in a 16mm version copied from a paper print (originally deposited at the Library of Congress for copyright purposes), we’re curious. That particular film, Classmates (1914), turned out to be an interesting one, too, featuring Blanche Sweet, Henry B. Walthall, Marshall Neilan, and Lionel Barrymore.
Buried Treasure Unearthed at Cinefest—Part One
- By Leonard Maltin
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- March 20, 2012 7:23 PM
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- 3 Comments
The weather was unseasonably warm, but it scarcely mattered to the hundreds of diehard film buffs who gathered just outside Syracuse, New York last weekend for the 38th annual Cinefest. Inside the Holiday Inn in Liverpool there were rare short subjects and features, including two “re-premieres” of movies unseen in their original form since 1929 and 1930, 'His Captive Woman' and 'Mamba'.
St. Patrick's Day Photos
- By Leonard Maltin
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- March 17, 2012 1:00 AM
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- 4 Comments
All good wishes for a happy St. Patrick’s Day from me—and two of the cutest Our Gang kids from the early-talkie period, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins and Mary Ann Jackson. The original caption from the 1929-30 season refers to them as “a couple of Micks.” Hard-working publicists at every studio in Hollywood hauled out the shamrocks for poses such as this on an annual basis—no less so at the comedy headquarters of producer (and Our Gang creator) Hal Roach, himself of Irish heritage. (In fact, there is a veteran Irish standup comedian who bears the same name.) My collection seems to be shy of other corny publicity shots to commemorate this March holiday, so I hope you will indulge me if I post some other Irish-themed photos instead.
21 Jump Street—movie review
- By Leonard Maltin
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- March 16, 2012 1:00 AM
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- 3 Comments
Following in the hallowed footsteps of 'The Brady Bunch Movie', '21 Jump Street' revives a vintage TV series and subverts it at the same time. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who have written and directed TV and theatrical animation such as 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs', resist the temptation to turn this into a live-action cartoon, which is all to the good. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are well cast as former high school rivals who meet up again as police academy students and become friends.
Jeff, Who Lives At Home—movie review
- By Leonard Maltin
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- March 16, 2012 12:50 AM
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- 1 Comment
When micro-indie filmmakers Jay and Mark Duplass spun their success with movies like 'The Puffy Chair' into an opportunity to work with full-scale crews and name actors, there were doubts that they could maintain their spontaneous approach and indie credibility. 'Cyrus' dispelled those feelings, and 'Jeff, Who Lives at Home' confirms their ability to make pictures that don’t look or sound like anyone else’s.
The Kid with a Bike—movie review
- By Leonard Maltin
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- March 16, 2012 12:45 AM
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- 0 Comments
I became enamored of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s work when I saw their devastating film 'La Promesse' in 1996. I’ve followed their careers ever since, and while I don’t love everything they do, when they hit the mark they create understated but deeply moving dramas that are uniquely their own. 'The Kid with a Bike' is their latest effort and it is among their best.
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