The director and studio behind the documentary "Bully" won their battle to have the movie’s rating lowered from the restricted R-rating down to PG-13. Even though it doesn’t have any explicit sex scenes or extreme violence, "Bully" was deemed more risqué than "The Hunger Games," a film about kids killing kids. Ethan Noble, is the chairman of Motion Picture Consulting. He helps filmmakers and studios get the ratings that they want.
The annual worst movie awards the Razzies gave all 10 prizes to Adam Sandlers "Jack and Jill". It's the first time in the 32-year history of the Razzies that a movie has won every category. Kristen Meizner, Takeaway Culture Producer and co-host of the Movie Date podcast, joins us to talk about the worst movie she's ever seen and what makes a bad movie... good.
In Steven Soderbergh's latest movie, the "Ocean's Eleven" director recruits mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano to play the heroine in the action-packed "Haywire." Both the director and actor joined The Takeaway to talk about their unlikely pairing for Carano's first movie. Now we hear about the movie from Movie Date podcasters Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer, culture producer for the Takeaway.
In music, there are few things more insane than an amateur going and trying to sit down with a real player. But that's just what John Hockenberry did earlier this week, when he went to the house of comedian, author and banjo aficionado Steve Martin. A documentary called "Give Me the Banjo" airs tonight, and is narrated by Martin. But in the comedian's New York City apartment, talking about the banjo — as well as Martin's long career in comedy and interest in music — was augmented by some performance and a lesson or two.
Abigail Breslin was just 10 years old when she got the breakthrough role that changed her life. She appeared in the cult film "Little Miss Sunshine" as the youngest of a very dysfunctional family who pull together to help her achieve her dream of entering a beauty pageant. As a result, she became the youngest actress ever to be nominated for an Academy Award. She’s now fifteen years old and is starring in "Janie Jones," an independent film about another dysfunctional family.
The film adaptation of “The Help” has been out since last week, and reviews are mixed. Some say the film depicts the lives of African-American domestic workers with too much levity. Discussions abound about the movie's treatment of the sensitive relationship between white women and black domestic servants — many of them negative.
It's Oscar weekend and we're letting you play judge. Register your votes for The Takeaway's Movie Date Oscar poll. We'll let you know how well you did Monday morning. And you can watch the Oscars and compare your answers with The Academy on Sunday at 8pm EST on ABC.
Fill in your choices below.
This weekend’s big movie releases include a highly anticipated adaptation of woman's mid-life memoir, and a highly anticipated adaptation of a comic-book about an angsty musician in love.
But alongside the self-discovery depicted in “Eat, Pray, Love” and the sensitivity of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” theater-goers have one other big option to choose from: "The Expendables," a violent, punching, shooting, yelling testosterone-fest.
But there’s something funny about "The Expendables." Specifically, all the stars are washed-up geriatric '80s action heroes, including Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, and a short cameo by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In 2003, Valerie Plame Wilson went from being an undercover CIA officer specializing in nuclear proliferation to a reluctant celebrity when members of the Bush administration outed her to the press. She has stayed mostly out of the public eye since, but now she’s lending her expertise and her voice to "Countdown to Zero," a new documentary about nuclear weapons by many of the same people who made "An Inconvenient Truth."
Legendary indie director Todd Solondz talks with us about pushing the boundaries of storytelling, and the balance between discomfort and honesty in his films, which include "Welcome to the Dollhouse, "Happiness," and "Palindromes." He also shares insights on his new movie, "Life During Wartime." It's a sequel/retelling of "Happiness" that goes into limited release today.
Twenty-one years ago, Gus Van Sant brought the story of James Fogle, the narcotics-stealing "Drugstore Cowboy," to the screen. This week, Fogle, now 73-years-old, was arrested again - for robbing a pharmacy.
In these top 25 grossing romantic comedies of all time, 1) Did the guy get the girl and 2) Who's the girl?
Let us know in the comments, and listen to the answer here:
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