Cicely Tyson

It has its heart in the right place. It has a great cast. It will get nominated for lots of awards. It’s an entertaining film, but very flawed. It’s the story of black maids in Mississippi in the ‘60s, working for rich white families...

Viola Davis has long considered herself a cynic. It's a reflection of the 16 years she has spent in an industry that does little to support the career of black women. It's being a part of a Hollywood that continually asks her to play the "urban single...

"The Help" became a surprise hit at the box office over the summer, grossing more than $175 million worldwide -- and months later, star Viola Davis still seems bowled over by the movie's success. "The Help" star Octavia Spencer says the movie has opened...

After seeing it, I'd say yes. Or possibly. It's impossible to predict which movies will catch on with a broad spectrum of the audience and develop awards' season legs. But “The Help,” Tate Taylor's adaptation of the Kathryn Stockett novel ,...

“Sarah's Key,” a superb Holocaust thriller starring Kristin Scott Thomas, may open as late as Sept. 2, I am now hearing. The release schedule is crowding up and when the only art theater in town gives up the whole summer to a couple of titles,...

“Everything Must Go” — A “great” Will Ferrell comedy? Timely, about a guy who has just lost his job, his wife and his place to live. A bleak Raymond Carver story about an alcoholic that works because it cast the shockingly...

They answer doors, cook and serve meals, change diapers and raise children for parents who are, supposedly, too busy to bother. They do all this with an air of invisibility, ignored except when they're being snapped at. And through it all, “The...

I knew back when I saw “The Help,” in early July, that it was going to draw a certain predictable reaction in certain easily predicted quarters. It's a movie that has any number of vulnerabilities — weaknesses that were bound to earn a...

The Entertainment Weekly that hit the stands yesterday features eye-catching cast reunions. Dig thoses shots of Eric McCormack and Debra Messing jumping to celebrate “Will & Grace.” Look at how happy the “West Wing” actors are...

We keep a running in-house tally of what's opening and when on the cinema scene, and a few times a year, I just dump the dates I have out on the blog here to give you an idea of what's opening, what it's about, and when. As May 6 is the more or less &#...

Dates are changing, studios are firming up release plans, figuring out what will actually be finished in time for this or that target date, in some cases. Films will be picked up at Sundance and find their way into theaters. Documentaries will find a...

Writer, director and co-star Perry goes back to one of his earlier hits with this comedy-drama -- reminiscent of "Couples Retreat" -- that unites several pairs of spouses for a Bahamas vacation. They converse a lot about their respective marriages, one...