One of the unheralded auteurs of modern American cinema, James Gray has made just five features since his debut at at age 24 with 1994's Little Odessa, but they comprise a unique and personal world portrayed with dynamic classicism -- and in many ways have charted the evolution to acting greatness of his frequent collaborator, Joaquin Phoenix. Gray's latest, The Immigrant, reunites him with Phoenix for a '20s period piece about a Polish woman (Marion Cotillard) who lands on Ellis Island and falls into a wayward life of survival. Gray and Phoenix were on hand at the New York Film Festival recently to discuss the movie.
Alfonso Cuarón's outer space survival thriller Gravity defied conventions both creatively and commercially and smashed the opening weekend record for October with a sensational $55.6M, according to estimates, to lead the North American box office accounting for half of all ticket sales in the top ten. The Warner Bros. release starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney took advantage of a perfect storm of sensational reviews, strong starpower, and awards buzz attracting a huge turnout which was especially impressive given that it was an original film with no built-in audience. It opened like a summer tentpole.
On TV tonight: American Dad!, Betrayal, Bob's Burgers, Eastbound & Down, Family Guy, Hello Ladies, Homeland, Masters of Sex, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, The Good Wife, The Mentalist, The Simpsons, Boardwalk Empire, Last Tango in Halifax, Low Winter Sun and Witches of East End.
This week's Ketchup is heavy on movie development news stories involving fantasy/fairy tales (The Chronicles of Narnia, Maleficent, and Happily Ever After), science fiction (Chappie and Home), comedy sequels (Horrible Bosses 2 and Ted 2), and comic book adaptations in general (almost everything else).
This week, Christy breaks down the heart-pounding thriller Gravity, as well as historically based Parkland, and on home video, the family-friendly The Croods.
On TV tonight: Anger Management, Elementary, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, Parks and Recreation, The Big Bang Theory, The Crazy Ones, The Michael J. Fox Show, The Millers, The Originals, Scandal, Sean Saves the World, Two and a Half Men, Vampire Diaries and Welcome to the Family.
Once upon a time, it looked like Ben Affleck might spend the rest of his career in little-seen duds like Jersey Girl and Surviving Christmas -- a precipitous fall for a guy who won an Oscar at the age of 25 and starred in blockbusters like Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and The Sum of All Fears. Now just look how things have changed: Having reinvented himself as a critically lauded director with 2007's Gone Baby Gone, Ben's back in front of the camera this weekend in Runner Runner, playing the sleazy head of an online gambling empire who lures a college student (Justin Timberlake) into his operation. What better time to take a fond look back at Mr. Affleck's critical highlights, Total Recall style?
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