The Playlist

Roger Ebert Names 'Argo' As The Best Movie Of 2012

By Kevin Jagernauth
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December 27, 2012 6:16 PM
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21 Comments

News

While there have been many, many 2012 lists and recaps, the year isn't over until Roger Ebert weighs in with his favorites, and today he's done so, dropping his list of the best movies he saw in 2012. And as usual, it's a mix of more popular choices, with some love shown to smaller, foreign films that might not get the shine otherwise.

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Oscars: Taking The Temperature Of The Race As 'Les Miserables' & 'Zero Dark Thirty' Screen

By Oliver Lyttelton
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November 26, 2012 10:57 AM
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13 Comments

Awards

With Thanksgiving over and done with, we've arguably reached the mid-point of the awards season. Things will be kicking off with the Independent Spirit nominations arriving tomorrow, and the New York Film Critics Circle and National Board of Review following next week. And with Oscar ballots going out not long after, almost every film has been screened, with "Les Miserables" and "Zero Dark Thirty" making their debuts over the weekend to press and industry types, leaving "Django Unchained" the last major contender to be seen by critics. And many of the big movies, including "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Life Of Pi" most recently, have now been seen by audiences too.

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Watch: Go Behind The Sounds Of 'Lincoln,' 'Skyfall' & 'Flight' With These Extensive Featurettes

By Charlie Schmidlin
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November 19, 2012 12:22 PM
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0 Comments

News

For over five years now, the Soundworks Collective video series has illuminated the nuanced soundscapes of award-nominated (and other deserving) films, including “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” “War Horse,” and “Inception,” and now as we're reaching the apex of Oscar-hopeful-season, a new slate has dropped online.

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Budweiser Asking To Be Removed From 'Flight'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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November 6, 2012 10:38 AM
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4 Comments

News

Opening strong this past weekend, and as we just noted, now looking like a potential Oscar player, things are going very well for Paramount and "Flight," but there could be some turbulence ahead. As you know, Denzel Washington plays a booze-soaked pilot who manages the heroic feat of landing a doomed flight. However, one of the companies that's seen in his liquor cabinet is asking to be taken out of the movie.

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Oscars: Can 'Flight' & 'Hitchcock' Earn More Than Just Acting Nominations?

By Oliver Lyttelton
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November 6, 2012 9:58 AM
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2 Comments

Awards

Now that we're into November, things are really starting to get underway and we're about to see an onslaught of Oscar contenders. Last month had a couple of hopefuls with "Argo" and "The Sessions," but from the release of Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" this Friday, awards bait comes thick and fast, with virtually every week seeing at least one film heading into release.

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'Flight' Director Robert Zemeckis Talks Denzel Washington's Moral Ambiguity, The Future of 'Roger Rabbit 2' & More

By Charlie Schmidlin
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November 5, 2012 3:03 PM
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0 Comments

Interviews

His storied career brimming with underdog personalities faced with extreme spectacle, director Robert Zemeckis has seemingly found his fireworks this time in the recognizable face of one man: Denzel Washington. In his just-released drama, “Flight” -- which secured a fantastic opening this past weekend to the tune of $25 million -- the actor plays William “Whip” Whitaker, an alcoholic airline pilot responsible for expertly crash-landing a damaged aircraft mid-flight, and it is Zemeckis' choice of cinematic focus that marks his altered approach.

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Weekend Box Office: 'Wreck-It Ralph' Levels Up To First Place With Biggest Disney Animation Opening Ever

By Gabe Toro
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November 4, 2012 11:57 AM
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8 Comments

Box Office

A week after theaters on the East Coast faced Hurricane Sandy, business was back to normal in Hollywood, with Disney debuting “Wreck-It Ralph” to a nearly $50 million gross. This is the biggest stateside Disney Animation Studios opening ever, which, coming off the acquisition of Lucasfilms, suggests the studio has had a very good week. U mad, Hollywood?

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What Are You Seeing This Weekend? 'Flight' & 'Wreck-It Ralph' Touch Down In Theaters

By Emma Bernstein
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November 2, 2012 3:01 PM
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2 Comments

News

This weekend belongs to the acting community, as many of the new films feature a big name star (or six). Alright, thespians – you headline those films! And there’s no shortage of variety in tone or style: Denzel is serious, Alicia makes you giggle, Philip scowls, and Russell dextrously throws knives. Let us know in the comments who you decide to spend your time with at the Cineplex!

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Review: Promising Alcoholism Drama ‘Flight’ Often Hits Rock Bottom

By Rodrigo Perez
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November 1, 2012 2:56 PM
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1 Comment

Reviews

After 12 years immersed (lost?) in the world of motion capture, Robert Zemeckis re-emerges into live-action filmmaking for “Flight,” an engaging and initially very promising drama about alcoholism, redemption and forgiveness that grows uneven and long-winded as it progresses, eventually clocking in at just under 2 hours and 20 minutes. Featuring a thrilling, terrifying opening, plus many of the potent, moving elements that a conventional but admirable morality drama might boast, “Flight" is often undone by its very unsubtle choices and its problematic, strained last act.

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5 Alcoholism Dramas To Drink In Before Denzel Washington's 'Flight'

By Simon Abrams
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November 1, 2012 11:00 AM
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8 Comments

Features

“Flight” is as strong as it is because it never pulls punches when it comes to portraying the dark side of protagonist Whip Whitaker’s (Denzel Washington) alcoholism. Whip’s character arc is as moving as it is because he’s surrounded by people that don’t know how to help him and people that want to hide him away so he can’t further embarrass them. Addiction is presented as an individual’s choice, albeit one that is incredibly hard to stop making, and “Flight” is just the latest in a line of humane and unsentimental dramas about alcoholics. From the horrors of finding one more drink in “The Lost Weekend” to the bitterly funny skid row life depicted in both “Barfly” and “Factotum,” this list is dedicated to films that neither baby their audience nor judge their protagonists too harshly. So before you see “Flight,” check out these five superior alcoholism dramas.

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