Author: Stephanie Jones

(PCM) Producer David Heyman and writer-director Paul King bring Michael Bond’s cherished bear to life in the new trailer and featurette from Heyday Films and Studio Canal for Paddington.

From the beloved novels by Michael Bond and producer David Heyman (Harry Potter), Paddington tells the story of the comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear who travels to the city in search of a home.

Finding himself lost and alone, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined – until he meets the kindly Brown family who read the label around his neck that says “Please look after this bear. Thank you,” and offer him a temporary haven.

It looks as though his luck has changed until this rarest of bears catches the eye of a museum taxidermist.

Paddington, voiced by Ben Whishaw (Perfume: The Story of a Murder, Skyfall), was originally to be … Read more

The post New Hilariously Adorable Trailer and Featurette for ‘Paddington’ also appeared on PCM Reviews.

(PCM) Writer-director Sophie Fillières’ If You Don’t, I Will, the Official Selection of the Berlin Int’l Film Festival, the San Francisco Int’l Film Festival, the Sydney Int’l Film Festival, and the Jerusalem Film Festival, premieres to public U.S. audiences in New York on December 17, 2014.

If You Don’t, I Will follows Pomme and Pierre, a couple who have been together for a long time. Passion and spontaneity have given way to predictability and cold shoulders. But there’s a lingering optimism, a hope they can return to the couple they used to be, attending chic art openings and sharing a laugh like young lovers.

On a hike together one afternoon, Pomme declares her independence by deciding to stay in the woods rather than return to an underwhelming life with Pierre. Pierre tries to get back to normal, despite his worry over her whereabouts and the indelible sense that he’s missing … Read more

The post Sophie Fillières’ Dramedy ‘If You Don’t, I Will’ Opens in NY December 17 also appeared on PCM Reviews.

(PCM) Karen Leigh Hopkins’ Miss Meadows, a dark comedy-thriller starring Katie Holmes in the titular role, follows a saccharine substitute teacher who gets her kicks from killing criminals on the side.

The directorial debut of screenwriter-actress Karen Leigh Hopkins (Stepmom, Because I Said So) received mixed reviews after its premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. The film’s main flaws seem to be it’s jarring shifts in tone and unjustifiably outlandish plot.

Frank Scheck, in his review of Miss Meadows for The Hollywood Reporter, called the film “off-puttingly bizarre,” saying, “unlike its deadly, gun-toting heroine, this darkly satirical comedy misfires.”

Scheck further explains poor rating of the dark comedy saying, “Holmes, using her doe-eyed adorableness to provocative effect, delivers a fine, startlingly off-kilter performance, and Dale is highly appealing as the gentle, accordion-playing sheriff. But director-screenwriter Hopkins is unsuccessful in navigating the absurd storyline’s jarring tonal shifts.”

Miss … Read more

The post Katie Holmes is a Righteous Killer in ‘Miss Meadows’ also appeared on PCM Reviews.

(PCM) Academy Award-nominated writer-director Terrence Malick produces The Better Angles, a biographical drama from director A.J. Edward depicting the early life of the 16th president of the U.S., Abraham Lincoln.

The Better Angels opened to mixed but generally positive reviews after its premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2014 and will open in select theaters nationwide starting November 7.

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter critiqued the film shortly after it’s premiere saying, “Thanks to its indelible image-making and dedication to what could be termed lyrical realism, The Better Angels notably succeeds in creating a vivid impression of the physical and familial circumstances that crucially shaped the heart and mind of the future 16th president, which was certainly the filmmakers’ central goal.”

Having worked together previously on The Tree of Life, To the Wonder, Terrence Malick and A.J. Edwards have also teamed up for … Read more

The post ‘The Better Angels’ Portrays the Hardships Faced By Young Abraham Lincoln also appeared on PCM Reviews.