Review 130min Genre:      Fact-based, Comedy, Drama Director:   Adam McKay Cast:        Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling…and more Writers:    Charles Randolph, Adam McKay & Michael Lewis -Synopsis- Comedy writer/director extraordinaire Adam McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights) wrangles an all-star cast in this tragic tale of corporate greed, stupidity and corruption, about a rag-tag group of Wall Street […]

Review 186min Genre:      Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Western Director:   Quentin Tarantino Cast:        Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samuel L. Jackson…more Writer:     Quentin Tarantino -Synopsis- In the cold post civil war American frontier, a hardened bounty-hunter and his prisoner are joined by extra passengers as they head for an isolated lodge to escape a fierce blizzard, […]

Review 124min Genre:    Fact-based, Comedy, Drama Director: David O. Russell Cast:      Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper…and more Writers:  David O. Russell and Annie Mumolo -Synopsis- Jennifer Lawrence is reunited with director David O. Russell in a semi-biographical comedy/drama based on Joy Mangano and her journey from struggling New York single mom to entrepreneur, […]

Review 95min Genre:      Comedy, Drama, Music Director:   Lenny Abrahamson Cast:        Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal Writers:    Jon Ronson & Peter Straughan -Synopsis- A young man’s mundane life in small-town Ireland is transformed when he joins a bizarre underground experimental pop band fronted by an enigmatic singer who never removes his oversized cartoon costume head, […]

Review 101min Genre:      Comedy Director:   Jonathan Levine Cast:        Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie…more Writer:     Jonathan Levine, Evan Goldberg , Kyle Hunter … and more -Synopsis- As obligations mount up and “maturity” beckons, three thirtysomething New York friends bring a decade old Christmas partying tradition to an end with a drug & sex-fuelled quest to […]

Review 79min Genre:      Comedy, Drama Director:   Paul Weitz Cast:        Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden…and more Writer:     Paul Weitz -Synopsis- When her newly pregnant teenage granddaughter turns up on her doorstep asking for help, a no-nonsense lesbian grandma sets out on a journey to help her grandchild with an abortion, while both teaching and […]

Review 100min Genre:      Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Western Director:   Peter Sohn Cast:        Raymond Ochoa, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Elliott…and more Writers:    Peter Sohn, Erik Benson , Meg LeFauve … and more -Synopsis- In an alternate pre-history where the Dinosaurs survived and live like early humans who consider savage cave-people to be primitive critters, a timid young […]

In an ongoing effort to help aspiring filmmakers and promote independent films, particularly those struggling with distribution and releases, we periodically feature films in our “Indie Spotlight” series for your consideration. Ping Pong Summer (2014) (English Language) 82min Genre:     Comedy Director:  Michael Tully Cast:       Marcello Conte, Judah Friedlander, Susan Sarandon…and more Writer:    Michael Tully -Synopsis- […]

Review 104min Genre:      Fact-based, Comedy, Drama Director:   Nicholas Hytner Cast:        Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent…and more Writer:     Alan Bennett -Synopsis- British film adaptation of the autobiographical play by Alan Bennett, starring Maggie Smith as an eccentric and ornery transient elderly lady who lived in a battered van on his driveway and with whom he […]

Review 88min Genre:      Comedy, Drama Director:   Sean Baker Cast:        Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian…and more Writers:    Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch -Synopsis- A feisty transgender prostitute, aided by her close co-worker friend, goes on an emotional rampage across the gritty streets of Los Angeles as she hunts down her cheating pimp boyfriend and […]

Review 114min Genre:    Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy Director: Ben Stiller Cast:      Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn…and more Writers:  Steve Conrad and James Thurber Walter Mitty is a chronic daydreamer who lives a mundane life as a photograph technician at “Life” magazine, when the company moves online and everyone’s job is threatened, Walter embarks on a […]

Review 118min Genre:     Comedy, Romance, Sci-fi Director:   Yorgos Lanthimos Cast:        Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Léa Seydoux…and more Writers:    Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou In a dystopian alternative reality, where single people are sent to a resort to find a compatible partner within 45 days or they’ll be turned into an animal of their choice and released […]

Review 95min Genre:    Action, Comedy Director: Nima Nourizadeh Cast:      Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace…and more Writer:    Max Landis An anxiety-suffering small-town stoner discovers he is a dormant government super agent after being activated, he’ll need all the skills he never knew existed to protect his sweetheart and survive the forces sent to terminate him […]

Review 103min Genre:      Comedy, Drama Director:   Rick Famuyiwa Cast:        Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons…and more Writer:      Rick Famuyiwa A trio of high-school geeks trying to survive on the streets and “hoods” of southern Los Angeles get caught in a web of drug and gang activity after a chance encounter at a party, as they […]

Review 116min Genre:    Action, Adventure, Comedy Director: Guy Ritchie Cast:      Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander…and more Writers:  Guy Ritchie, Lionel Wigram, Jeff Kleeman… and more Big-screen adaptation of the classic 60’s TV show about an American CIA agent and a Soviet KGB agent forced into cooperating to stop a dangerous and shadowy criminal organization […]

In an ongoing effort to help aspiring filmmakers and promote independent films, particularly those struggling with distribution and releases, we periodically feature films in our “Indie Spotlight” series for your consideration. A Dozen Summers (2015) (English Language) 82min (UK) Genre:     Comedy, Drama, Family Director:  Kenton Hall Cast:       Scarlet Hall, Hero Hall, Kenton Hall…and more Writer:    […]

Review 125min Genre:      Comedy, Romance Director:   Judd Apatow Cast:        Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson…and more Writer:     Amy Schumer Amy Schumer stars as an independent, fast-living and commitment-phobic magazine writer who has her long-held beliefs about monogamy challenged when she meets an abnormally good guy in this brash romantic comedy, featuring many of today’s top […]

105min Genre:      Comedy, Sci-fi, Action Director:   Chris Columbus Cast:        Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Peter Dinklage…and more Writers:    Tim Herlihy, Timothy Dowling and Patrick Jean A NASA time capsule sent into outer space in 1982 with examples of human culture, including arcade video games, is intercepted by aliens and interpreted as a declaration of war, […]

Review 94min Genre:     Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family Directors: Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen Cast:       Amy Poehler, Lewis Black, Richard Kind…and more Writer :   Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen, Meg LeFauve… and more From the great minds at Disney/Pixar comes an animated comedy about all of our humble minds and the little voices in our heads, […]

Review 115min Genre:    Comedy Director: Seth MacFarlane Cast:      Seth MacFarlane, Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried…and more Writers:  Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin & Wellesley Wild In a sequel to the surprise comedy hit of 2012 about a sentient foul-mouthed teddy bear, with his new marriage on the rocks a baby seems like the perfect solution but Ted […]

Review 91min Genre:       Family, Animation, Comedy Directors:   Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin Cast:         Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm…and more Writer :     Brian Lynch In a spin-off prequel to the hugely successful ‘Despicable Me’ films, the Minions seek a new evil master to follow after accidentally destroying their overlords throughout history, a quest which […]

Review 93min Genre:    Comedy Director: Peter Bogdanovich Cast:      Imogen Poots, Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston…and more Writers : Peter Bogdanovich, Louise Stratten “Izzy” is a fast-talking Brooklyn call-girl and aspiring actress whose client “meeting” with Broadway director Arnold becomes life-changing when she unknowingly auditions for one of his plays, when everyone agrees Izzy must get the […]

Review 104min Genre:    Comedy Director: Doug Ellin Cast:      Jeremy Piven, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly…and more Writers:  Doug Ellin, Rob Weiss The inevitable movie adaptation of the popular HBO TV series sees superstar actor Vince and his boys continuing to navigate the treacherous waters of Hollywood living, when he steps up to direct and star in […]

Review 120min Genre:     Comedy, Action Director:  Paul Feig Cast:       Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Rose Byrne…and more Writer:    Paul Feig Melissa McCarthy stars as a bumbling CIA analyst “Desk Jockey” turned unlikely best hope of stopping an International Arms dealer, hilarity ensues as she is transformed into an undercover field agent in this Spy-comedy action blockbuster […]

Review 106min Genre:    Comedy, Drama Director: Dan Fogelman Cast:      Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Bobby Cannavale…and more Writer:   Dan Fogelman Danny Collins is a pop-star in the twilight of his career living comfortably and excessively on past glories whose life is changed by a long lost letter from John Lennon, the message is strong enough to […]

Review 102min Genre:      Comedy, Romance Director:   Chris Rock Cast:        Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, J.B. Smoove…and more Writer:     Chris Rock A hard-living superstar comedian now on the straight and narrow and trying to make it as a serious actor tries to juggle a fame obsessed reality TV star fiancée with a stalling career, when he meets […]

Review 97min Genre:      Comedy, Drama Director:   Noah Baumbach Cast:        Ben Stiller, Adam Driver, Naomi Watts…and more Writer:     Noah Baumbach Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts star as a middle-aged New York couple whose predictable and mundane life is turned upside down when they meet a charming young couple who make them question the personal and professional […]

Review 102min Genre:    Drama, Mystery, Comedy Director: John Michael McDonagh Cast:      Brendan Gleeson, Kelly Reilly, Chris O’Dowd …and more Writer:   John Michael McDonagh The life of a good small-town Catholic priest on the rural coast of Ireland is thrown into turmoil when his life is threatened anonymously during confession, as the day of his impending […]

Review 100min Genre:    Comedy, Action Director: Etan Cohen Cast:      Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Craig T. Nelson …and more Writers:  Jay Martel , Ian Roberts , Adam McKay …and more Will Ferrell stars as pampered millionaire James King convicted of hard jail time for fraud who through prejudice hires a young black man Darnell (Kevin Hart) […]

Review 111min Genre:    Drama, Comedy, Romance Director: Morgan Matthews Cast:      Asa Butterfield, Sally Hawkins, Rafe Spall…and more Writer :  James Graham A mildly autistic and socially inept young math genius travels to Taiwan to try and secure a place in the British “Mathematics Olympics” team and in the process expand the narrow world he has […]

Review 94min Genre:    Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family Director: Tim Johnson Cast:      Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Steve Martin…and more Writers:  Matt Ember, Tom J. Astle , Adam Rex When a cuddly nomadic race of Aliens named the ‘Boov’ decide to settle the Earth and “re-locate” all humans to Australia, a young precocious girl named ‘Tip’ is […]

Review 104min Genre:    Crime, Drama, Comedy, Action Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa Cast:      Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro…and more Writers:  Glenn Ficarra & John Requa A slick veteran con-man recruits a beautiful and talented young apprentice on his latest grandiose scam, his life soon becomes complicated when heart gets in the way of his […]

148min Genre:   Crime, Comedy, Mystery, Drama Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Cast:      Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Katherine Waterston…and more Writers:  Paul Thomas Anderson, Thomas Pynchon…and more Joaquin Phoenix stars as a drug-addicted detective on the sleazy streets of 1970′s L.A. investigating the disappearance of his former girlfriend and her millionaire boyfriend, a genre-splitting dark comedy mystery […]

102min Genre:      Animation, Action, Adventure, Comic-book Directors:  Don Hall, Chris Williams Cast:        Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, James Cromwell…and more Writers:    Jordan Roberts, Daniel Gerson…and more A teenage super-genius teams up with a fluffy medical robot and a group of uber-nerds to form a superhero team tasked with stopping a mysterious and powerful super-villain from […]

106min Genre:    Comedy, Action Director:  David Koepp Cast:       Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor…and more Writers :  Eric Aronson, Kyril Bonfiglioli Johnny Depp stars alongside an all-star cast as eccentric English Aristocrat and art dealer Charlie Mortdecai, recruited by the British government to recover a priceless painting stolen by criminals to fund international terrorism in […]

112min Genre:     Comedy, Action Directors: Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen Cast:       James Franco, Seth Rogen, Randall Park …and more Writers:   Dan Sterling , Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen James Franco and Seth Rogen star as presenter and producer of a typically trashy celebrity tabloid show who are invited to North Korea for an interview […]

119min Genre:     Comedy, Drama Directors: Alejandro González Iñárritu Cast:       Michael Keaton , Edward Norton, Emma Stone …and more Writers:   Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone …and more Michael Keaton ironically stars as an ageing actor, once famous for playing a masked superhero, who stages a Broadway play in order to reclaim past glories while keeping […]

105min Genre:    Drama, Fact-Based, Comedy Director: Tim Burton Cast:      Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston …and more Writers:  Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski Amy Adams stars as world famous US painter Margaret Keane in a true-life story of her early life as an artist in the 50s and relationship with her conman husband Walter, played […]

Week 1 December 2014 This week we celebrate 10 of the most memorable, unexpected and strangely fascinating movie character performances. Let us know what you think and please subscribe for more weekly videos. Welcome to the FilmPhonic “10 of the Best” video series, where we put together 10 of the best examples of a specific […]

86min Genre:    Comedy, Mockumentary Director: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi Cast:      Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh …and more Writers:  Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi A small group of ancient European Vampire housemates invite a camera crew into their lives to get a glimpse of how they cope with the complexities of living in modern day […]

124 min Genre:     Family, Fact-Based, Comedy, Drama, Sport Director:  Craig Gillespie Cast:       Jon Hamm, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal…and more Writers:   Thomas McCarthy Based on a true story, Jon Hamm stars as a down-on-his-luck American sports agent who gambles on a strategy of scouting Indian cricketers through an X-factor-like talent contest to become Major League Baseball […]

104 min Genre:     Comedy, Action Director:  Luke Greenfield Cast:       Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Andy Garcia…and more Writers:   Luke Greenfield , Nicholas Thomas A couple of L.A. friends stuck in a rut decide to impersonate Police officers and take it too far with disastrous and hilarious consequences. Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. […]

121min Genre:    Comic-Book, Action, Adventure, Comedy Director: James Gunn Cast:      Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper…and more Writers:  James Gunn , Nicole Perlman , Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning Adventurer, thief and Galactic rogue Peter Quill is hunted across the corners of space after discovering a powerful and dangerous artifact and is forced to join […]

114min Genre:    Comedy, Drama Director: Jon Favreau Cast:      Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson…and more Writer:   Jon Favreau A top L.A. chef in a creative slump loses his job and reputation through bad social-media etiquette only to take a food truck across America and in the process find himself and fix his relationship […]