The Scorecard Review

Revolutionary Road

Directed by: Sam Mendes
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon
Running Time: 2 hrs
Rating: R

Plot: A married couple (DiCaprio and Winslet) with two children try to survive the banal suburban life of the 1950’s.

Who’s It For? We are all invited to experience the powerful story by Richard Yates, as envisioned by director Sam Mendes and presented by the incredible chemistry of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. But considering all of this, it’s obvious that Revolutionary Road has little shame in packaging itself specifically for one shiny man named Oscar.

Expectations: A boring, one line synopsis I had read for the film intrigued me to no end. How would the chemistry between DiCaprio and Winslet create an absorbing dramatic imbalance in a simple setting that has been predominantly presented by ... Continue Reading

I caught up with Jaime Paglia in the only place possible in Los Angeles … from his car.

The husband and father of two spoke with me about his other love, “Eureka.” The Sci-Fi hit has become a centerpiece for the SCI FI channel. While Paglia navigated the unmoving streets of L.A. we spoke about the show, the strike and I even quizzed him a little to see if he is the all-knowing, all-powerful mind of everything “Eureka.”

For those that aren’t fans of “Eureka” yet, what’s the show about and how do they get caught up?

It’s small town, big secret. To me it’s a blend of “Northern Exposure” with a little bit of “X-Files” or “Twin Peaks” tossed in. A small town sheriff is in charge of a town that looks ... Continue Reading

It’s deja vu all over again.

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, JANUARY 2-4, 2009

Rank. Movie Title - Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Marley and Me - $24.1 million | 3,505 | $106.5 million | 2
2. Bedtime Stories - $20.3 million | 3,684 | $85.4 million | 2
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - $18.4 million | 2,988 | $79.0 million | 2
4. Valkyrie -  $14.0 million | 2,778 | $60.7 million | 2
5. Yes Man - $13.9 million | 3,434 | $79.4 million | 3

Does this look familiar? It should. Exact same top 5 order as last week.

Films like Revolutionary Road, The Wrestler and Gran Torino are doing well, but still sitting in limited release.

Next week we’ll get to see very typical January films … a horror (The Unborn), and ... Continue Reading

The months of January and February are Notorious for offering crumbs of quality scraped from the dishes used at Oscar’s feast. However, some Fanboys might be Taken by surprise with reboots of their favorite horror classics, (My Bloody Valentine, now in 3-D or Friday the 13th).

As for PG-13 horror, that particular sub-genre hasn’t had a classic in a while. Maybe David S. Goyer’s The Unborn can change that. Regardless, there will be a fair share of Youth In Revolt if releases like Hotel for Dogs or even The Pink Panther 2 exist only to educate young viewers on the true horror of the post-Oscar movie calendar.

For the busy marquee topping months of January and February, here is a top 7 list of the most anticipated movies. Other films to ... Continue Reading

It’s he (Nick Allen) and she (Morrow McLaughlin) talking about the new film The Spirit.

She Said

From what I understand of the original Spirit series by Will Eisner, the movie version is a gaudy, heartless sacrilege, but I haven’t been exposed to the original. This is a disadvantage for me, because I have no real grasp of whether the movie even comes close to embodying Eisner’s unique vision (according to everyone else, that’s a big nay); and so I have to go with my gut and my gut wasn’t displeased. The movie was hammy and silly, but fully aware–and thoroughly enjoying–its own hammy silliness. Watching Samuel L. with his bonehead clone thugs (”Huevos,” “Rancheros,” “Pathos,” and “Dildos,” among others) camping it up to a level of ecstatic extremes is ... Continue Reading