Rose Byrne is Hollywood's Secret MVP

Rose Byrne may not be a household name, but she's certainly a household face. The Australian actress has been in a lot of mainstream movies, ranging from horror to comedies to superhero movies to musicals. Byrne made herself into a reliable character actor, often being cast in versatile projects and being comfortable in all of them. Did you see X-Men: First Class? Or Insidious? Or Bridesmaids? Yup, she was in them. Or maybe you know her from five seasons of Damages with Glenn Close. Rose Byrne seems to be bursting under the surface, ready for A-list. And considering she's of major value to all her projects, Byrne has become Hollywood's secret MVP.

Rose Byrne made her name in Australia, in several well-regarded Australian movies. FYI I have not seen any of her movies from down under but according to Wikipedia she was good in them. Byrne's first major Hollywood role was in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. She played Dorme, handmaiden to Senator Amidala (Natalie Portman). She did more Hollywood movies, such as Troy, Wicker Park, Sunshine directed by Danny Boyle, Adam, and her pre-breakout movies Insidious and Get Him to the Greek. All Rose Byrne needed was a major breakout movie.

The Calm Defiance in VEER ZAARA

Legendary Bollywood director Yash Chopra's penultimate film is the romantic epic drama Veer Zaara. Released in 2004, the film starred major Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and Rani Mukherji, with supporting turns from Kirron Kher, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Boman Irani, Manoj Bajpai, Divya Dutta, and Anupam Kher. At the time, Veer-Zaara was one of the most anticipated films for a few reasons. First of all, that stacked cast. Second, it was Chopra's return to directing after seven years. Finally, its soundtrack consisted of unused tunes from the esteemed late composer Madan Mohan. Yash Chopra, who passed away in 2012, is one of my favorite directors. His filmmaking is lush and romantic in Veer-Zaara, often using the camera to bridge the gap between the traditional and the modern.

Veer-Zaara is a story of romantic rebellion curtailed by honor and duty. Zaara Haayat Khan (Zinta) is a Pakistani young woman who defies her parents to travel to India to spread the ashes of the woman who raised her. In India, she meets Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh (Khan) and over the next few days Veer and Zaara fall in love, as he helps complete her task. However, Zaara is facing an arranged marriage back in Pakistan, so the two separate. Back in Pakistan, however, Zaara's mind keeps going back to Veer. I wanted to deconstruct my favorite scene in the film where Zaara tells her mother Miriam (Kirron Kher) about Veer. This scene uses tracking shots, different angles, and editing to complement the dialogue and thematic elements.

Why I'm Glad the New GHOSTBUSTERS Isn't a "Passing the Torch" Sequel

People who follow entertainment news are probably familiar with all the nonsense going on with the Ghostbusters reboot coming out in July. Basically, the Paul Feig directed comedy stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon. Some people, mostly men who aren't used to the world not catering and pandering to their tastes, are upset that their beloved franchise is being turned into a gimmick. Articles upon articles are being written about this Internet controversy. Just a simple google search will deliver some great essays on why the vitriol against the new film is inherently sexist, with one guy even posting a six minute video on YouTube about why he won't even see the new movie. Click here for the best one from Birth.Movies.Death.'s Devin Faraci.

Granted, the trailers for Ghostbusters 2016 have not been that great. But I have to mention that trailers for Feig's previous films--especially Spy and Bridesmaids--were pretty uninspiring. The films themselves have been total treasures. Paul Feig uses his privilege as a white male director to tell stories about women friendships and struggles women face in becoming the best versions of themselves. His previous three films, including the action comedy The Heat, gave women (especially in their late 30s and early 40s) the space to be funny and slapsticky. It's awesome that the new Ghostbusters has an all-women cast. The movie is guaranteed to pass the Bechdel Test several times over, and considering the talent involved, it's sure to be funny all heck.

The CAPTAIN AMERICA Trilogy is Near Perfect

Back in April, AMC Theaters was advertising its Marvel Cinematic Universe marathon. They do this pretty much every year, letting superfans enjoy a marathon of the previous movies in the franchise. Then the last movie in the marathon is a special screening of the newest entry. The movie theater chain offers some fun prizes for trivia questions, and they give each audience member some minor merchandise. Last year, I saw The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron double feature. I got a poster and an Avengers lanyard. It was a fun time; everyone was excited and clapping and laughing.

This year, I was surprised to find out that the marathon leading up Captain America: Civil War would include not only Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier but also The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. That's five movies and just under 12 hours of movie. I could do that at home (and have done so, albeit spread out over a weekend). But 12 hours in a movie theater, with nothing but popcorn or pizza for eating. That does not seem pleasurable. But I was annoyed with the inclusion of Avengers and Age of Ultron for the Captain America marathon for a different reason. The Captain America trilogy is near perfect, and it deserves to be recognized as a standalone series of films.

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: A Box Office Question Mark

Let's take a trip down memory lane. It's early 2010. After making a killing at the box office--and winning 3 Oscars off 9 nominations for its troubles--Avatar's power at the box office is slowly waning. Avatar had completely redefined the 3D experience for movie goers, leaving audiences wanting more. Now that 3D movies were back in fashion thanks to James Cameron's sci-fi epic, it was only natural that movie studios would cash in on the trend.

In March 2010, Disney released Alice in Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton. The film starred relative neewcomer Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, with a host of well-known actors in voice roles. The film went on to gross over $1 billion dollars back in 2010, so now we're getting a sequel. Most of the cast is returning, but Tim Burton is being replaced by James Bobin (The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted). Alice Through the Looking Glass is a big question mark box office wise. I mean, did anyone want a sequel to Alice in Wonderland?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe Sticks the Landing in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (Review)

The idea of pitting Iron Man and Captain America against each other is distressing. This was especially true back in October 2014, when the movie was announced. As characters both familiar and new were being announced for the project, the film was looking harder and harder to pull off. Expectations were high after the stellar Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but the (unfairly) lukewarm response to Avengers: Age of Ultron made Captain America: Civil War seem like a large gamble. I am happy to report that I really enjoyed the third Captain America movie. And the film very much feels like a grand finale to a long-standing movie series.

Captain America: Civil War stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Chadwick Boseman, Jeremy Renner, Paul Bettany, Tom Holland, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Daniel Bruhl, and William Hurt. The film reunites directors Joe and Anthony Russo with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, cinematographer Trent Opaloch, and composer Henry Jackman who all worked on The Winter Soldier. Longtime MCU editors Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt also worked on the film.

9 (More) Great Movies to Enjoy on Mother's Day

Apparently there's a movie called Mother's Day out in theaters. I heard it's bad, like bad-bad. So instead I decided to list some better flicks to check out with your mom (or to watch and think of your mother if you can't be with her like me). Please check the first part of this list from back in 2014.

Aliens (1986)
This sequel to the 1979 classic is a landmark movie for several reasons. It was one of the first science fiction movies to get an acting award nomination (for star Sigourney Weaver). But it also leaned into its feminist instincts, with star Ripley facing against the alien. Also Ripley taps into her maternal side by protecting the little kid Newt. This movie is pretty bonkers, and great for those sci-fi loving moms.