One of the singular joys of living in New York City is The Metropolitan Museum of Art, conveniently situated right across the Park from us. I was reminded of this on Wednesday when I attended their “Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity” exhibition. Combining artwork and costumes, it showed how the finest French impressionist painters of the late-19th century were celebrating Paris … More Details
With spring gently settling on the East Coast, I feel once again I’ve emerged from a confining cocoon of my own making. I don’t like cold, I don’t like snow, I don’t like winter sports. For me, everything goes decidedly downhill (no pun intended) after New Year’s. But now, I’m renewed. I raise my face to the sun, and movie … More Details
I recognize these musings about this year’s Oscar ceremony may be coming in a little late, but I like to take a few days to absorb all the coverage, let the breathless hubbub die down and reach a few conclusions in the quiet, cold light of day. This year I went so far as to poll my Facebook fans for … More Details
It was nice to see Silver Linings Playbook on the list of nominees for Best Picture this year. Mind you- I’ll lay odds it won’t win, and fun as it is, against the field it faces it probably shouldn’t. Still, it’s reassuring that Oscar can pay tribute to a comedy with its most important award. Remember the story of the … More Details
Though my own hit rate on Oscar predictions was just a bit over fifty percent, I was still smiling at the end credits. Coming off last year’s debacle hosted by zombie-like James Franco and the impossibly chirpy Anne Hathaway, it was gratifying to see the Academy finally pull off a halfway decent telecast. Beyond the return of recurring host Billy … More Details
No doubt: it’s been a very good year for both these stars. And much as I admire Jean Dujardin’s sublime performance in The Artist, my hunch is that the industry will favor one of its own on Oscar night. So who will it be — George or Brad? I’m saving my prediction for a later Oscar piece, but for now … More Details
With Martin Luther King’s birthday just past us, and Black History month coming up, the time seems right to celebrate those invaluable films that shed light on the black community’s long struggle for equal rights in this country. Even for those of us who think we know the story well, it’s one that always bears repeating, both for ourselves and … More Details
Should we call him “Spartacus”? Or “Champion”? Both names certainly fit the man. Kirk Douglas turns 95 tomorrow, and he is still very much with us. (Over the past couple of years, I’ve spotted him and his beloved wife Anne twice in New York City, once in a restaurant and once at the theatre.) He embodies the American Dream because … More Details
Believe it or not, in a pop culture filled with mindless reality shows and slick formula franchises, there are still a few players out there whose work offers a glimmer of hope that originality and intelligence can prevail. Tilda Swinton is one such player. It is heartening that at 50, her career is in red-hot mode. Her next film, We … More Details
A couple of months ago, I addressed the issue of younger people categorically refusing to watch black and white movies. Now I’m turning my attention to the avoidance of foreign language films, a pattern which unfortunately is not just found among our youth. Americans of all ages it seems are willing to forgo even outstanding movies that just happen to … More Details
