Birdman: A Box-Office Lion in Winter

Michael Keaton. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures Director Alejandro González Iñárritu reportedly sat down with the legendary Mike Nichols for dinner to discuss his next project, a comedy that would be…

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 

The dragon Smaug flies to Esgaroth to destroy the town, but greater challenges await in the shape of a coming battle for Lonely Mountain. The final part of this trilogy…

Holiday Inn: Where the Treetops Glisten

Marjorie Reynolds, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Photo: Paramount Contemporary viewers might find it curious to see the Fourth of July segment of this musical turn into a full-blown salute…

The Muppet Christmas Carol 

The fourth Muppet movie is the first after Jim Henson’s death and now more clearly than ever is the concept directed at children. A smart commercial move, but I’m sure…

The Sting: Good-Hearted Grifters

Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Photo: Universal One of David S. Ward's first scripts introduced us to the world of confidence men. Not that they hadn't been seen on screen…

Rocky V 

After the last movie's big fight in the Soviet Union, Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) returns home with a brain damage and few financial assets; he starts training a young, promising boxer…

Rocky IV 

Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) wants a comeback in the ring and decides to fight an intimidating Soviet boxer (Dolph Lundgren); the disastrous consequences pull Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) into the biggest…

12 Angry Men: Choosing Life or Death

Photo: United Artists The most famous episode of the CBS anthology series Studio One (1947-1958) is from 1954 and features a teleplay by Reginald Rose. Depicting a process where one…

Rocky III 

Heavyweight champ Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is challenged by a young, very aggressive fighter (Mr. T) and fails to see that the right attitude plays a huge part in winning……

Rocky II 

After the sensational fight that almost ended Apollo Creed's (Carl Weathers) career, the champ feels humiliated and demands a rematch; Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) refuses… at first. After two box-office failures,…