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Yearly Archives: 2014
Variety: The 10 Best Guilty Pleasures of 2014
Introduction: When Pauline Kael wrote “movies are so rarely great art, that if we can’t appreciate great trash, there is little reason for us to go,” she may as well have been describing some of the films on this list. Combining elements of high and lowbrow art with varying degrees of success, these ten titles make up for in verve, goofiness and style what they lack in depth.
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Variety: Mark Hamill Goes to the Dark Side at Live Reading of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’
Introduction: “Welcome to the first live screening of ‘The Interview!’”
So teased Jason Reitman at the start of Thursday’s live reading of “The Empire Strikes Back” held in downtown Los Angeles. The event, part of Film Independent’s Live Read series, was moved from its previous home at LACMA to the larger Ace Hotel Theatre due to audience demand.
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Variety: ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ at 30: The Best and Worst of Eddie Murphy
Introduction: From the moment he took the stage at 30 Rockefeller Plaza and shouted “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came calling for Eddie Murphy. The comedian’s edgy humor, whip-smart intelligence and go-for-broke energy all but ensured a quick transition to feature films. Beginning his movie career with a series of impressive costarring performances, Murphy made the leap to leading man status in the action-comedy classic “Beverly Hills Cop.” Released on December 5, 1984, it remains his most financially successful live-action film to date. On its 30th anniversary, here’s a look at Eddie Murphy’s ten best roles, plus five that should be forgotten.
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Variety: The 14 Most Evil Bond Villains
A look at some of the deadliest adversaries James Bond has ever faced.
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Variety: The Most Disgusting Comedies Ever Made
Introduction: Some comedies touch the heart, while others stimulate the mind. Most aim to amuse, a few to enlighten. But only one features Jeff Daniels unloading into a toilet for two-minutes straight after drinking a bottle of laxative. When “Dumb and Dumber” premiered 20 years ago, the Farrelly brothers’ raunchy blockbuster pushed cinematic bad taste to the limit, and earned a whopping $247 million worldwide. As its spelling-challenged sequel “Dumb and Dumber To” debuts in theaters on Nov. 14, here’s a look at the sickest, funniest and grossest gross-out comedies of all time.
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Variety: The 10 Most Realistic Space Travel Films
Introduction: A visionary epic that takes viewers from the barren dust bowl of a dying Earth to the furthest reaches of the universe, “Interstellar” is a rare film that combines speculative theory with a degree of scientific accuracy. Using realistic space flight technology to enhance the drama, Christopher Nolan’s deep-think adventure is closer to the spirit of “From the Earth to the Moon” than to pulp fantasy like “Star Wars.” As it prepares to launch on November 7, here are 10 space travel movies that exist within the realm of possibility.
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Variety: The 15 Scariest Films You’ve Never Seen
Introduction: ‘Tis the season to be scary! And what better way to celebrate Halloween than with a stack of macabre movies guaranteed to chill your blood. But once you’ve seen classics like “The Exorcist,” “The Shining” and the entire “Halloween” franchise a dozen times, what’s left to watch? For those brave enough to risk their sanity, here are 15 deeper cuts specially selected to satisfy your hunger for horror.
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Variety: ‘Terminator’ at 30: The Best and Worst Films of Schwarzenegger
Introduction: With his juggernaut physique, six-syllable name and an accent in need of subtitles, Arnold Schwarzenegger was perhaps the most unlikely movie star to emerge from Hollywood in the ’80s. And yet that’s just what happened when “The Terminator” premiered on October 26, 1984. Although he appeared as the title character in “Conan the Barbarian” two years earlier, his frightening turn as an unstoppable cyborg assassin was the breakout role he’d been waiting for. On the 30th anniversary of James Cameron’s sci-fi action classic, here’s a look at Schwarzenegger’s ten best performances, as well as five that should have been terminated.
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Variety: ‘The Terminator’ 30th Anniversary: 6 Things We Learned from Cameron and Hurd
Introduction: Like the cyborg killing machine it’s named for, James Cameron’s sci-fi action classic “The Terminator” is a blockbuster that simply refuses to die. And if the crowd at Wednesday’s 30th anniversary screening at the American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre was any indication, it never will. Writer/director Cameron and writer/producer Gale Anne Hurd were on hand to celebrate three decades of robotic rampage in a lively Q&A moderated by Geoff Boucher.
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Variety: ‘Pulp Fiction’ at 20: Why It’s the Coolest Film of the ’90s
Introduction: Like a shot of adrenaline to the heart, “Pulp Fiction” changed the movie landscape when it opened on Oct. 14, 1994. Quentin Tarantino’s ode to crime and pop-culture was a bold new cinematic vision in a decade that badly needed one. Before “Pulp Fiction,” prestige films like “Dances with Wolves” and “A Few Good Men” seemed content to play it safe, while blockbusters like “Jurassic Park” and “The Fugitive” focused squarely on the mainstream. Overnight, the term ‘Tarantinoesque’ became shorthand for audaciously stylized ultra-violence and genre-bending thrills. On its 20th anniversary, here’s why “Pulp Fiction” remains the coolest movie of the ’90s.
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Matthew Chernov 
