Viggo Mortenson promoting “Captain Fantastic” in New York. Photo by Brad Balfour. Viggo Mortensen Acclaimed Actor Gets Oscar Nom Leading Captain Fantastic by Brad Balfour If anyone could relate to the character of Ben Cash – the focus of filmmaker Matt Ross’s feature Captain Fantastic – it’s Viggo Mortensen. The New York-born actor isn’t far removed, practically and philosophically, from his lead character’s situation as a bohemian renegade who pulls his family out of the mai

The Imitation Game THE IMITATION GAME (2014) Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Charles Dance, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Allen Leech, Rory Kinnear, James Northcote, Tom Goodman-Hill, Steven Waddington, Ilan Goodman, Jack Tarlton, Alex Lawther, Tuppence Middleton and Jack Bannon. Screenplay by Graham Moore. Directed by Morten Tyldum. Distributed by The Weinstein Company. 113 minutes. Rated PG-13. The world is full of people who accomplished great things whose na

Michael Keaton at New York Comic-Con 2014. Michael Keaton Soars To Heights of Award Season Through Birdman by Brad Balfour Of all the Mexican new wave directors who emerged in the ’90s, Alejandro González Iñárritu always pushed the envelope further than cohorts Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro. He does so once again with Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance), a dark comic tragedy co-written with Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo that was the

Bradley Cooper stars in “American Sniper.” Bradley Cooper Transforms Himself into an American Sniper by Brad Balfour Master director Clint Eastwood’s latest feature, American Sniper, offers a taut yet complex portrait of the late Iraqi war vet Chris Kyle. With over 160 kills, Kyle was the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. Uncannily portrayed by two-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle), there was much more to this U.S. Navy

Demián Bichir at the New York Press Day for ‘Dom Hemingway.’ The Crosby St. Hotel, SoHo, New York. March 27, 2014. Photo copyright 2014 Jay S. Jacobs Demián Bichir Invitation to the Adventure of a Lifetime by Jay S. Jacobs You’ve been seeing a whole lot of Mexican actor Demián Bichir in the movies and on TV these days.  While Bichir has been a well-known actor in his native land for well over a decade, and even had some show-stopping turns in Hollywood projects like Stephen S

Matthew McConaughey discussing “Dallas Buyers Club.” Photo copyright 2014 Brad Balfour. Matthew McConaughey Discusses Resurrecting His Career with Dallas Buyer’s Club and True Detective by Brad Balfour What a year this has been for actor Matthew McConaughey. After a serious dry spell he’s enjoying a rebirth, finally getting his mojo back as noted in his award winning Dallas Buyer’s Club performance. This 44 year-old has stripped down to his core and rebuilt his career playing

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Sarah Paulson, Lupita Nyong’o and Alfre Woodard Looking Back on 12 Years a Slave by Jay S. Jacobs Director Steve McQueen's film version of former slave Solomon Northrop's autobiography 12 Years a Slave takes an eye-opening look at one of the great shames of American history, the prevalence of the violent slave trade in the 1700s and 1800s. Northrop was a free man who was claimed as a slave and had to spend over a decade in forced servitud

Director Chris Weitz making “A Better Life” with stars José Julián and Demián Bichir. Chris Weitz Helping Others to Find A Better Life by Jay S. Jacobs It is not often that people almost completely change course in Hollywood.  However, after making two straight huge blockbuster films, Chris Weitz has downshifted into the tiny independent drama A Better Life. However, smaller is not necessarily a bad thing.  Weitz started small when he and his brother Paul directed the first A