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This week’s episode of our podcast We Are Movie Geeks The Show is up! Hear Wamg’s Michelle McCue, Jim Batts and Tom Stockman discuss the weekend box office. We’ll review Green Room, Keanu, Mother’S Day, and Papa Hemingway In Cuba. Also, Melissa Thompson will call in from L.A. and talk about her visit to the new ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter‘ Theme park at Universal Studios and getting to see the original Delorean car from Back To The Future.

Here’s this week’s show. Have a listen:

http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/Wamg-5-2-54.mp3

The post This Week’s Wamg Podcast – Green Room, Keanu, Mother’S Day, and More! appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.

March 30, 1970. Racing champion Secretariat was born.

After Citation in 1948, Secretariat became the first U.S. Triple Crown winner in 25 years and became the stuff of legend.

New York Post columnist Larry Merchant said:

“Secretariat is the kind of Big Horse that makes grown men weep, even when they are flint-hearted bettors, even when he goes off at 1-10. He is the apparently unflawed hunk of beauty and beast they search for doggedly in the racing charts every day, and never seemed to find. His supporters rhapsodize over him as though he is a four-legged Nureyev, extolling virtues of his musculature, his grace, his urine specimens.” If he were to lose the Belmont, Merchant warned, “the country may turn sullen and mutinous.”

As of 2015, only 12 horses have won the Triple Crown: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), and American Pharoah (2015).

Just as with Secretariat,...

Solid colored gowns and sequin ruled the red carpet at the 2016 Oscars. Filled with reds, greens, blues and yellows, the red carpet was filled with an array of colors. There were plenty of fashion hits at the 88th Academy Awards. Here’s a look our picks for the 10 best from Hollywood’s golden night.

1. Cate Blanchett – She was rocking her ethereal Mother-earth look with all the hand sewn feathers applique – complete with the earrings, the gown was beautiful and flowed and moved perfectly on the red carpet.

2. Charlize Theron – She looked stunning in Furiosa Red by Dior.

3. Alicia Vikander – Outstanding in the custom yellow gown by Louis Vuitton.

4. Jennifer Garner – The cut of this gown was perfection and looked amazing on the actress.

5. Margot Robbie – She looked hot in the Tom Ford dress. The gold, snake-skin gown was such a glamorous Hollywood Oscar dress.

6. Daisy Ridley – The Star Wars actress looked young and fresh.

Another awards season came to a close on Sunday night when the annual Academy Awards were held in Hollywood from the Dolby Theatre. With many of the categories and ultimate winners anyone’s guess up until the end, there were many highlights from the big night. From the red carpet to the performances, check out our look at the best moments from the 88th Oscars.

George Miller and Margaret Sixel.

1. Big winner of the 88th Oscars was George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road. The film received the most wins with six, including Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing. Oh What A Lovely Day!

Mark Rylance poses backstage with the Oscar®

2. The shock of the night was Sylvester Stallone’s Oscar loss for Creed. While all the precursor awards pointed to a win for the Rocky actor,...

Today signals the one week mark as we head into the home stretch to Hollywood’s biggest night, the 88th Academy Awards. For the die-hard awards season watcher, this year’s Oscar race has been both a dream and an absolute hair-pulling nightmare.

The race for Best Picture has never been more exciting with no clear front runner. For the first time in years, it’s anyone’s game and a nail biter down to when the final award is announced.

The precursor guild awards, along with last week’s British Academy Film Awards (the BAFTAs), did little to help the quandary with the predictions. The Big Short received a huge boost when it won the Producers Guild award, while filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu took home the Directors Guild award for helming The Revenant.

The Revenant received 12 nominations and Mad Max: Fury Road has 10 leaving the Oscar pundits with varying predictions.

From an idea, to the script, to filming and finally making its way to the big screen, every movie starts with a great story. The cinematic stories of 2015 inundated audiences with inspiring tales of compassion, happiness, courage and love while being spread over the various genres.

Moviegoers saw the rise of Nwa, true stories of an ongoing cover-up and the economic catastrophe whose effects are still being felt today, journeys of harsh survival but also ones of inspirational hope – both here on earth and on distant worlds – and a re-imaging of the beauty and chaos of the post-apocalyptic world that is Mad Max. Even the new story about Rocky Balboa proved to be a fascinating one as we watched the torch being passed to a new generation. We couldn’t help but feel a whimsy of nostalgia from a visit back to Philadelphia as well as to that Galaxy Far Far Away.

Contributed by Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

Whether we sailed away to fairytale lands, visited far off worlds or made a grand journey on past and present adventures, 2015 cinema provided something for everyone. To be sure, this year’s movies delivered spectacular visuals and rich characters, emotive performances, and stories that gripped you to the bitter end. But as always, it’s the composer’s score that captures the true heart of any film.

On Wednesday the Academy announced that 112 scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 88th Academy Awards.

Here’s our look at the 10 Best Scores from 2015.

Honorable Mention: Krampus by Douglas Pipes

Well-known Yuletide favorites are transformed into “We Wish You A Scary Christmas” and “Krampus Karol of the Bells” in Michael Dougherty’s Krampus. Providing some Christmas frights is Douglas Pipes’ fun and...

Coming this Halloween is the new film Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse. Part comedy, part horror, director Christopher Landon’s latest movie has Scouts saving the world from the Undead. Landon says audiences will be “screaming and laughing their heads off. This movie is an amusement park ride.”

What’s better than the mashup of comedy and horror to get you shrieking in fear! Just like a Reese’s cup – peanut butter and chocolate – the two just go together. Making scary themes into funny romps, while doing it cleverly, is a hard act to pull off. The films that have done it well have become part of the zeitgeist with fans of both genres.

Before you catch Scouts vs Zombies, check out our list of the funniest horror films.

Zombieland

Tallahassee: My mama always told me someday I’d be good at something. Who’d a guessed that something’d be zombie-killing?...

‘The Witch Queen’ in The Last Witch Hunter.

The Witch: I’m not a witch, I’m not a witch!

Sir Bedevere: But you are dressed as one!

The Witch: *They* dressed me up like this!

Crowd: We didn’t! We didn’t…

The Witch: And this isn’t my nose. It’s a false one.

Sir Bedevere: [lifts up her false nose] Well?

Peasant 1: Well, we did do the nose.

Sir Bedevere: The nose?

Peasant 1: And the hat, but she is a witch!

Crowd: Yeah! Burn her! Burn her!

– Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Throughout history, witches have always gotten a bad rap. The Salem Witch Trials proved that.

Things didn’t improve with the birth of cinema. Filmmakers have had a magical time telling the tales of sorcery, magical powers and witchcraft.

Good or bad, funny or downright scary, their stories have fascinated moviegoers and these burnt offerings show no signs of slowing down.

Contributed by Melissa Thompson and Gary Salem

Wamg was among members of the media and invited guests to witness the Grand Opening of Fast and Furious Supercharged, the latest movie-themed attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood. The presentation treated everyone to an extensive display of cars from the movies, a dance performance, speeches by top Universal execs and L.A.’s mayor, all topped off by an exciting assortment of live car stunts including a 90-foot jump through a billboard that caught us by surprise.

After the presentation concluded, we were lucky enough to go on a test-ride of the adrenalin-pumping, high-speed adventure with Dom, Hobbs and the rest of the Fast and Furious gang. Coming at the end of the famous Back-lot Tram Tour, Supercharged literally puts you smack dab in the middle of a high-flying, breakneck speed chase. The technology is pretty cool, in that with the giant 360-degree screen and 3D glasses,...

By Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

On Tuesday evening (June 9), Jurassic World had it’s big Hollywood Premiere at Hollywood and Highland and Tcl Chinese Theatre IMAX.

Hosted by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Hollywood and Highland was transformed into the entrance of Jurassic Park.

Fans caught a glimpse of cast members Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Jake Johnson, Bd Wong, Judy Greer, Brian Tee, Andy Buckley, James Dumont, Michael Papajohn; writer/director Colin Trevorrow; writers Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Derek Connolly; producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley.

Originally released in 1993, Spielberg’s Jurassic Park provided moviegoers with a film that connected with global audiences of all ages and has since become an indelible part of their cultural collective memory. Based on Michael Crichton’s blend of science fiction and boundless imagination, the film left audiences breathless and asking the question: “Could this actually happen?...

It was a roar heard around the galaxy.

The latest trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was unveiled on Thursday with fans watching it on YouTube and Facebook more than 25 million times. The buzz on it is insane!

Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaacs as well as veterans of the original saga Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, and Peter Mayhew joined director J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy (producer) as they kicked off Star Wars Celebration and gave those assembled at the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, CA a first look.

Now that the Force is back, it left millions of fans dissecting every inch of the new trailer. What’s with the new weapons? Who was Mark Hamill referring to? Will it be some reincarnation thing using the force? Is it the reason the force has awakened? And will Abrams include Darth/Anakin in the 7th film.

By Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

The Oscars are always filled with memorable moments, but these are the seven we think will be talked about long after Sunday’s Academy Awards.

Photos: ©A.M.P.A.S.

1. Dame Julie Andrews surprised the crowd at the end of the Sound Of Music tribute and brought the house down at the Dolby Theatre. The tribute for the beloved 50 year old movie was introduced by Scarlett Johansson and beautifully sung by Lady Gaga.

2. Tears from David Oyelowo after the “Glory” performance from Common and John Legend. “Glory” went onto win Best Song.

3. Tim McGraw singing “I’m Not Gonna Miss You.”

4. Opening number, “Moving Pictures,” made us fall in love with movies all over again.

5. John Travolta and Idina Menzel on stage together to present Best Song after last year’s “Adele Dazeem” snafu. Idina Menzel introduced Travolta “Glom Gazingo”.

6. Eddie Murphy rockin...

By Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

Not even the rain could spoil the gorgeous fashions on the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood prior to the 87th Academy Awards.

Gold may have been the winning color of the evening, but white was the color on the carpet. From Faith Hill and Marion Cotillard to Julianne Moore and Lupita Nyong’o, the actresses were in jaw-dropping works of art.

60’s mod was the theme of the Dior Couture gown worn by Marion Cotillard. Proving why the French invented couture, it was hands down our best dressed of the night. The hair, the earrings – it was exquisite.

Photos: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Lupita Nyong’o was ravishing with the elaborate pearl beading.

There were 6,000 pearls on her Calvin Klein dress.

Faith Hill was stunning in white in J. Mendel. The whole thing was beautiful.

Julianne Moore was in Custom Chanel.

By Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

This year there are 30 nominees in the animated category, between the Short and Features. “Don’t we love these people who bring us the magic?,” said Academy Governor Bill Kroyer as The Academy celebrated the Feature Animated films on Thursday.

The Academy presented their seventh annual event celebrating the nominees for Best Animated Feature Film.

Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, who won last year’s Animated Feature Film Oscar for Frozen, moderated the discussion with all the nominated filmmakers from Big Hero 6, The Boxtrolls, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Song Of The Sea and The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya. This year’s nominated films come from around the world and encompass traditional animation, computer animation and stop-motion, and the evening also featured clips from each film.

Prior to the panel discussion, a few of the nominees spoke with Wamg.

Nominees Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold,...

©A.M.P.A.S.

By Melissa Thompson, Gary Salem and Michelle McCue

Oscar Week 2015 has arrived. The week kicked off with the filmmakers of the Oscar nominated short films.

Actor Sean Astin hosted the Academy’s “Oscar Celebrates: Shorts” event on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Astin was a perfect choice. His short film Kangaroo Court was nominated for an Oscar back in 1995, and its quite obvious he has a passion for the genre.

He spoke about what it was like when he was nominated in that category and being excited about the possibility of winning (It was actually a tie between 2 shorts that year, and his film was not one of them). Said Astin wryly, “I told myself we probably came in 3rd.”

He was very engaging in Q&A panel and asked the perfect smart and brief questions to keep things moving along.

Jerry Goldsmith, Planet Of The Apes (1968) Nominee for Best Original Score for a Motion Picture

By Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

As 2014 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of the best movie music from this past year. The backbone of any movie, audiences heard rocket engines roar, traveled through Lego worlds and made spiritual connections all thanks to the musical vision of the composer.

In a mix that was soulful, haunting and fun, this year’s soundtracks covered a range of emotions, from light to dark, to atmospheric and assaultive.

Our Top 15 scores wouldn’t be complete without an honorable mention…

Michael Giacchino – Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes

The story about the birth of a civilization and “restart” for the planet Earth was no more prevalent than with the emotional reality of composer Michael Giacchino’s score. Director Matt Reeves’ sequel to 2011’s...

Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ Edge Of Tomorrow grossed $111.1 million, making it the weekend’s #1 film internationally and worldwide.

Read Jim Batts’ review Here.

Read Melissa Thompson’s interview with the film’s composer, Christophe Beck, Here.

Internationally, the film has been in limited release for 12 days, including Wednesday openings, and debuted in an additional 36 countries over the weekend, earning an impressive $82 million, including returns in Russia with $8.6 million, China with $25 million, and Korea at $16.6 million. The international cumulative gross now stands at $111 million. On the domestic side, in its first three days of release, Edge Of Tomorrow has grossed $29.1 million, bringing the worldwide total to $140.1 million..

Rentrak’s Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian commented, “Warner Bros. “Edge of Tomorrow” puts the international marketplace on “Cruise” control topping the chart with $82 million in 63 markets while Disney’s “Maleficent” reaches $335 million worldwide. Fox’s “The Fault in Our Stars...

In the tradition of occasion-based horror movies such as Graduation Day, April Fool's Day, Final Exam, Black Christmas, Halloween, New Year's Evil, and more comes a new slasher ready to take his aggression out on nubile young victims! Get set for Founders Day!

From the Press Release

MainFrame Pictures is proud to announce the release of the official concept trailer for their forthcoming feature film Founders Day.

Principal photography on the trailer took place entirely in the state of Connecticut from August 14-18, 2013. The production included 18 actors, 20 crew members, and dozens of extras from across the Northeast.

In Founders Day the quaint suburban town of Fairfield is shaken by the shocking murder of high school student Melissa Thompson. The prime suspect is jailed, and the residents look to the town's bicentennial celebration to provide a sense of strength and normalcy. When more bodies turn up, however, the citizens of Fairfield...

By Melissa Thompson and Michelle McCue

After last year’s complete disaster with host Seth MacFarlane, expectations for this year’s Oscar telecast were high. Producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan smartly brought back previous host Ellen DeGeneres to host the 86th Academy Awards and they did not disappoint.

The Wrap is reporting Sunday’s big show are up slightly over last year’s numbers and appear to be the highest-rated Oscars since 2005, according to very early numbers.

From funny and emotional to the upsets and what-were-they-thinking, here are the ten big moments from the night.

French film Mr. Hublot beats out the favorite, Disney’s Get A Horse!, in the Animated Short category.

American Hustle and Wolf Of Wall Street shut out.

Bill Murray honors Harold Ramis before announcing Best Cinematography.

Lupita Nyong’o’s emotional speech. “When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me...

We’re getting closer to Hollywood’s night to shine – the Oscars. This year’s nominations are a bevy of brilliant films, performances and crafts, the motion picture industry at its best.

The Academy Awards is the gold standard by which every other awards show is measured, because when it comes to the biggest night in film, nobody does it better than Oscar!

In anticipation of the star-studded night at the Dolby Theatre, the gang at Wamg has chosen their favorite nominees – from the Best Picture and Best Acting categories to the technical categories, here’s a close-up look at our Top 10 Favorite nominees.

Best Picture – American Hustle

By Jim Batts

The Best Picture Oscar usually goes to the film that shines a light on a social injustice, a historical event, or individuals battling injury or disease. The most wildly entertaining (sorry Marty and Leo, but three hours of arrogant...

Contributed by Melissa Thompson and Michelle McCue

One of the all-time giants of comedy, in both film and TV, has sadly passed away. Actor Sid Caesar has died at the age of 91. Larry King announced the news via Twitter, according to Variety.

While he was a TV pioneer with Your Show Of Shows (1950–1954) and Caesar’s Hour (1954–1957), most of us came to know him as ‘Melville Crump’ from director Stanley Kramer’s It’S A Mad Mad Mad Mad World co-staring Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney and Jonathan Winters, ‘Barney’ in the ensemble disaster movie Airport 1975 and as ‘Coach Calhoun’ in Grease alongside Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta.

“I don’t take myself too seriously,” he told People in 1989. “I just laugh at myself a lot and call myself a dummy.”

Read the full report at Variety Here.

Here are two examples of what it meant to be funny.

We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes DVD release details for Chastity Bites, trailers for Alter Ego and Founders Day, The Walking Dead Hawaii poster, reviews for The Halloween Experience: Volume One, Open Grave, and Still: The Web Series, and much more:

Chastity Bites DVD Release Details: “Grand Entertainment Group (Geg) wants You to celebrate “Women in Horror” month this February with the DVD release of Chastity Bites on February 11. The horror-comedy, which has been slaying festival audiences and has been praised by media, is created by a team of strong and vibrant women including writer/producer Lotti Pharriss Knowles, co-producer Wendi Mirabella and executive producer/lead actress Allison Scagliotti (Syfy’s “Warehouse 13″).

Directed by John V. Knowles (Shadow.Net), the film stars Francia Raisa (ABC Family’s “Secret Life of the American Teenager”); Louise Griffiths...

MainFrame Pictures have released the teaser trailer for their forthcoming feature film Founders Day, which comes from writer/director/producer Erik C. Bloomquist, a Connecticut-based actor and filmmaker whose recent film Midnight Brew, starring Kyle Edward Cranston and Greta Quezada, recently played the Trinity Film Festival and took home the Screener’s Choice Award.

In Founders Day, the quaint, suburban town of Fairfield is shaken by the shocking murder of high school student, Melissa Thompson. The prime suspect is jailed, and the residents look to the town’s bicentennial celebration to provide a sense of strength and normalcy. When more bodies turn up, however, the citizens of Fairfield grow increasingly suspicious of one another. With no clear motive, everyone is a suspect.

Having shot the trailer in August 2013, Bloomquist and his team expect to shoot Founders Day in Connecticut in Autumn 2014 and release the film in Autumn 2015.

For more info on Founders Day,...

Contributed by Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

The Best Song skirmish continues.

Last week, AMPAS announced that their Board of Governors had voted to rescind the Original Song nomination for “Alone Yet Not Alone,” music by Bruce Broughton and lyric by Dennis Spiegel. The decision was prompted by the discovery that Broughton, a former Governor and current Music Branch executive committee member, had emailed members of the branch to make them aware of his submission during the nominations voting period.

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs stated in the press release that, “No matter how well-intentioned the communication, using one’s position as a former governor and current executive committee member to personally promote one’s own Oscar submission creates the appearance of an unfair advantage.”

On Saturday, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences issued another statement regarding the decision due to all the flack they’ve received and this time,...

In today's Indie Beat, we have a concept trailer (meaning the footage for the trailer was shot for the trailer to garner interest for the final film) for the upcoming thriller, Founders Day. Come inside to learn more about the film being shot in Conneticut, and check out the trailer!

Here at Cinelinx we like to talk about all aspects of filmmaking and movie news. To that end, we have Indie Beat where we highlight some of the latest news, trailers, and PR releases from the indie filmmaker scene. So if you're an independent filmmaker and want some coverage on our site, be sure to drop us a line at jordan@cinelinx.com .

MainFrame Pictures is proud to announce the release of the official concept trailer for their forthcoming feature film Founders Day. Principal photography on the trailer took place entirely in the state of Connecticut from August 14-18, 2013. Production included 18 actors,...

Contributed by Melissa Thompson and Michelle McCue

Movies, Muppets and The Matrix. With only a few days until Super Bowl Xlviii and the Broncos/Seahawks matchup, the best Commercials of the year are already getting a lot of early buzz. The Big Game ads have become the water cooler talk the day after.

Instead of just films, we decided on a mashup of both cinema trailers and super cute ads. Puppies, cattle, horses, and cars along with Noah, Spider-Man, Captain America and A-listers are featured in these previews from the best Big Game ads of 2014.

All are guaranteed to have you laughing and crying.

The Budweiser Clydesdale spot gets ya right there…sniff sniff.

The post Big Game Superbowl 2014 Commercials Include The Muppets, Noah, Spider-man, Captain America, British Villains and The Matrix’s Morpheus appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.

Contributed by Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

For many, Christmas morning came today in the form of the annual Oscar nominations announcement.

Actor Chris Hemsworth and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the nominations for the 86th Academy Awards today (January 16) at a 5:38 a.m. Pt live news conference attended by more than 400 international media representatives. Wamg was once again invited to the big event.

American Hustle and Gravity were the films of the day with 10 nominations, followed by a great showing for Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave with 9 nods.

Captain Phillips, Nebraska and Dallas Buyers Club saw 6 each, while Spike Jonze’s Her and Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf Of Wall Street garnered 5 a piece.

Of note, all the 9 Best Picture nominees were released in the last part of the 2013.

Gravity – October 3, 2013

Captain Phillips – October 10, 2013

12 Years a Slave – October 17, 2013

Dallas Buyers Club – November 1, 2013

Nebraska – November 15, 2013

Philomena – November...

Contributed By: Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

Well, we’ve just returned from AMPAS with our credentials badge for Wamg to be among the many outlets covering the Academy Awards nominations tomorrow morning.

With the announcement less than 24 hours away, and for the Oscar obsessivas (like us), this has been one of the toughest years to call. Even those of us who compulsively watch the race 365 days a year, all the categories are wide open, with expected surprises and snubs. This is always the best type of Oscar race to watch and we’ll bring you the news of who gets in and who isn’t invited to Hollywood’s biggest party of the year.

Actor, and tall-drink-of-cool-water, Chris Hemsworth and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs will announce the 86th Academy Awards nominations on Thursday, January 16.

Boone Isaacs and Hemsworth will unveil the nominations at a 5:38 a.

Contributed by Melissa Thompson and Michelle McCue

The sets. The hair and makeup. The cinematography. The story. The sound. All of the work of talented crafts people are pulled together under the very heart of any good movie – the score.

With the Academy Award nominations on Thursday, January 16, looming like the drumline at the head of a marching band, we thought we’d have a look back at some of the finer scores of 2013.

Listen and watch a handful of Hollywood’s leading composers discuss the art of scoring a film in The Hollywood Reporter’s round table discussion. With one hundred fourteen scores from 2013 vying for nominations in the Original Score category for the 86th Oscars, we suspect some of these names will be announced .

(THR)

Honorable Mention: Inside Llewyn Davis from T Bone Burnett.

The soundtrack for Inside Llewyn Davis transported us to another time and place. The...

( This review by Melissa Thompson was originally posted on July 18, 2013. Blackfish opens in the St. Louis area on August 2, 2013 exclusively at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas )

In Gabriella Cowperthwaite’s stunning documentary, Blackfish, we get a glimpse into the devastatingly sad life of Tilikum, a killer whale that has spent the majority of his life in captivity at Sea World in Orlando, Florida, where tragically, he was responsible for the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that before Dawn, at another sea park, Tilikum was responsible for the deaths of two other people – unbeknownst to the trainers that were in the pool with Tilikum on a daily basis in Orlando. Blackfish sets out not only to uncover why this happened in the first place, but also to shine a long overdue light on the injustice of keeping killer whales, or Orcas, in captivity.

Told mostly...

We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes trailers for 100 Bloody Acres and Teacher’s Day, a first look at a scene from Ditch Day Massacre, and more:

First Trailer for 100 Bloody Acres: “In 100 Bloody Acres, brothers Reg and Lindsay Morgan are struggling to keep their organic blood and bone fertilizer business in motion. Their secret “recipe” for success (using dead car crash victims in their product) was a huge boon to business, but lately supply has been gravely low. Months have passed since their last find, and an important new customer is now waiting on a delivery. When junior partner Reg (Damon Herriman of Justified) stumbles upon 3 travelers stranded on a remote country road, he cooks up a radical solution to their problem, and a way of finally gaining the respect of his bossy big...