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
Thinking ahead to Sunday, what’s my overall impression? Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but this seems like a pretty lean year. Unquestionably, there are a few memorable films in the running, but also a lot of filler — some nominees that simply make you scratch your head in wonderment. For instance, I was stunned to find the oppressive Extremely … More Details
As we kick off Oscar month tomorrow, we also honor the birthday of Clark Gable, who picked up a statuette at the seventh Academy Awards ceremony in 1935. He got it for a movie he did not want to do — a comedy called It Happened One Night – and though he would be nominated twice more, he would not … More Details
Just when you start believing there’s no hope for anything daring and original coming out of Movieland, something gets released that surprises you. The Artist is one such movie — and what’s new about it is that it’s old. Or rather — it’s a silent film — not just a spoof à la Mel Brooks’s Silent Movie (1976), but a … 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
Let me simply lead off with the sobering statistic that inspired this piece: While mindless dreck or kiddie fare like “Thor”, “The Hangover-Part 2″ or the latest “Pirates Of The Caribbean” installment all opened on around four thousand screens across the country, when at long last a brilliant, provocative film for grown-ups gets produced- Terrence Malick’s “The Tree Of Life” … More Details
This is not a happy time to be a movie fan who no longer gets carded in bars. Take this weekend’s opening of “Thor” on four thousand screens-a release which reflects the industry’s increasing reliance on that forbidden joy of my childhood – the comic book – to justify its existence. Now before I earn the sobriquet of “film snob” … More Details
You’ll never guess: it’s “originality”. But perhaps, I should explain. A few weeks back, I read an announcement that the now white hot Colin Firth might be signing on for a re-make of “My Fair Lady”. Not since Steve Martin decided to put a new spin on “The Pink Panther” have I been so moved to ask, “Why?” Will a … More Details
No doubt about it: this is a frustrating time to be a movie lover of a certain age and outlook. It seems increasingly evident that Hollywood has been taken over by people who know and care very little about the movies themselves, but who live to target and promote formulaic, forgettable pap to an audience their studies say will pay … More Details
