The Equalizer 2, Review: Unequal combat When you have one man battling four or more mercenaries, the combat is apparently unequal. Turns out that the inequality is in favour of the one man, since he is played by Denzel Washington, the protagonist, who does the requisite equalising. Washington is not the quintessential action hero, though he tries hard to be one. Passable stuff that keeps you mildly excited with its action, and takes pains to make the story move at a reasonable pace, making th...

London Has Fallen, Review: The Butler did it If he can save the White House, can London be far behind? To be accurate, it never really fell. Yes, London Bridge was blown up. A few hundred armed terrorists, with a few dozen combat vehicles, had gained access to the city’s communications network, donned local police uniforms, blown-up most of the historical monuments and deployed surface to air missiles locked at the escaping US President’s helicopter, and all was well, until Mike B...

  Only a few weeks away from FEST – Training Ground, FEST announced the return of one of the festival's all time star speakers: Academy Award Winning Actress MELISSA LEO! Melissa Leo is one of the most in demand actresses in the world right now, Winner of an Oscar for her performance on The Fighter Melissa is surely one of the great actresses of our time, and is step by step also becoming one of the most awarded actresses in activity. Melissa Leo starred as the mother of boxe...

By Maria Esteves – October 17, 2012   The 50th New York Film Festival 2012(NYFF50) Closing Night World Premiere of FLIGHT by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis commenced Sunday, October 14, 6:00 PM at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, red carpet arrivals included industry executives, festival directors, celebrity guests, cast and crew from FLIGHT (Brian Geraghty, Bruce Greenwood, Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Jam...

By Maria Esteves – October 19, 2012 The 50th New York Film Festival 2012 (NYFF50) presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center Closing Night World Premiere of FLIGHT, by Academy Award winning director Robert Zemeckis commenced Sunday, October 14, 6:30 PM at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, New York. FLIGHT is compelling, heroic and a suspense thriller about a commercial airline pilot Captain Whitaker (Denzel Washington) with extraordinary skills who struggles with issues of c...

By Maria Esteves – October 17, 2012 The 50th New York Film Festival 2012 (NYFF50) presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center Closing Night World Premiere press screening of FLIGHT, by Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis was held at the Walter Reade Theater, Sunday, October 14, 9:00 AM. A live press conference immediately followed with director Zemeckis, screenwriter John Gatins, casts members John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Melissa Leo, Bruce Greenwood and Academy Award-winnin...

Maria Esteves – February 23, 2012 Oscar Week New York 2012 Sixth Annual Meet the Oscars, Grand Central exhibit ribbon cutting opening ceremony presented by New York program director Patrick Harrison, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and hosted by Academy Award winning actress Melissa Leo (The Fighter, 2011) was held at Vanderbilt Hall East Side, Grand Central Terminal, New York, Wednesday, February 22, 2012, 10:00 AM. This year’s Meet the Oscar, Grand Central showcase H...

1. Hi Jordan! We’ve never met but your film “Argo” was an official selection here at ÉCU in 2007. Tell us a bit about your new film, “The Sea Is All I Know”…Well it’s a film about love. The film stars Academy Award winner Melissa Leo [The Fighter] and Peter Gerety. It follows an estranged couple as they come to terms with their adult, terminally ill daughter’s request to help her die with dignity.2. You chose to avoid doing the whole film festival circuit in favour of a run at t...

 This was my first year covering the LA Film Festival.  I first remember going to some screenings in past years when it was held at the Sunset 5 in Hollywood, and later some parties and mixers in Westwood and at the W Hotel.  After Cannes, June is also a busy month for film festivals around the world.  This year, there was a greater focus on international film at the Festival. I spoke with new Executive Program Director Rebecca Yeldham at the award brunch, and shared how we enjoyed meeti...

An impromptu conversation that took place in the Lobero Theater green room was the direct result of an accidental drop off of both Melissa Leo and Rosemarie DeWitt at a red carpet event, albeit not for the Virtuosos Awards, but for the surf film Waveriders.    “Looking for something hot to do in Santa Barbara?  Check out the new film Surfer Dude … no wait, Super Dude, yeah, that’s funnier.  Okay, Super Dude it is … I saw lights, I saw a red carpet … did I look at th...