As a fan of Stephen King, I must admit that I was not thrilled with “The Shining” when it first came out. As an admirer of director Stanley Kubrick, I understood his need to make the film his own, yet I felt betrayed that some of my favorite scenes in the book didn’t make it into Kubrick’s screenplay (co-written with Diane Johnson). Read the rest of this entry »
Somewhere around 1969, there was a pocket of time when Hollywood made films about people. Many defend the time as the birth of the independent film, smaller movies that engaged us with their characters, dialogue, and spirit. Events in these films were shaped by the characters, as opposed to the blockbuster films where events shaped the characters. Read the rest of this entry »
In 1660, with the return of Charles II to the English throne, theater, the visual arts, science and sexual intercourse flourish. Thirteen years later, in the middle of political and economical problems, Charles II asks the return of his friend John Wilmot, aka the second Earl of Rochester, from the exile to London. John is a morally corrupt, drunkard and sexually active cynical poet, and the King asks him to prepare a play for the French ambassador to make him pleased Read the rest of this entry »
Painted with the brush strokes of a master, “Road to Perdition” emerges as the best film of the year so far, a dark, stormy tale of fathers and sons and how the fine line between loyalty and betrayal can blur at a moments notice. Read the rest of this entry »
Painted with the brush strokes of a master, “Road to Perdition” emerges as the best film of the year so far, a dark, stormy tale of fathers and sons and how the fine line between loyalty and betrayal can blur at a moments notice. Read the rest of this entry »
Anyone who lives near the ocean knows and understands its power and seduction. The sea is a mighty mistress, one who demands total respect. Cross her and she can be unrelenting in her ferociousness. Respect her, and she can open up the world to anyone willing to take advantage of her riches. Read the rest of this entry »
Until 1968, zombies were traditionally portrayed as just the walking dead. More scary than menacing. Director George Romero changed all of that when he released “Night of the Living Dead.” Romero’s zombies did more than drag their dead bodies from point A to point B. They stopped for snacks. Read the rest of this entry »
As first dates go, assistant publisher Carol Hunnicutt (Anne Archer) has had better. Carol lets a friend set her up on a blind date, and at first glance, her date Michael Tarlow (J.T. Walsh) doesn’t seem to be a bad guy. While having drinks in the Los Angeles hotel bar, he gets a note and has to go to his suite to make a phone call. Read the rest of this entry »
A Jewish woman from Detroit who became a boxing manager, guiding several major careers. This film focuses on her relationship with one boxer (Epps), who’s reportedly a composite of several including Toney, McKart and Hearns. Kallen eventually left her husband of 30 years, and moved to Los Angeles, becoming the commissioner of the International Female Boxers Association Read the rest of this entry »
Obviously “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” isn’t a particular favorite of the church. Some have called it blasphemous. Others have called it sacrilegious. I believe it’s neither. Read the rest of this entry »
Taken at face value, Kinsey is a funny, touching but occasionally disturbing look at the man whose name became synonymous with sex. Like A Beautiful Mind, Ron Howard’s shiny reflection of mathematician John Nash, Kinsey doesn’t pretend to a definitive portrait. Instead, it opens up avenues of discussion that will continue long after the film ends. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m not sure if it’s a knee jerk reaction to the current climate of feeling helpless, but Hollywood has once again embraced the vigilante. With local, national and international fears constantly on the front burner of our collective minds, it’s no wonder we look to the movies to take back control of our lives. Sure, it may just be a cinematic fix, but when we are reduced to fear junkies, any fix will do. Read the rest of this entry »
“Smokey and the Bandit” didn’t start the non-stop car chase craze that followed in it’s wake. Hal Needham’s 1977 action-comedy came a full year after Roger Corman and American International Pictures delivered “Cannonball,” “Eat My Dust” and “The Gumball Rally,” and two years after “Death Race 2000.”
In a quiet, isolated village in olde Pennsylvania, there lies a pact between the people of the village and the creatures who reside in the surrounding woods: the townspeople do not enter the woods, and the creatures do not enter the village. The pact stays true for many years, but when Lucius Hunt seeks medical supplies from the towns beyond the wood, the pact is challenged. Animal carcasses, devoid of fur, begin to appear around the village, causing the council of elders to fear for the safety of the village, the pact, and so much more Read the rest of this entry »
Frankie Dunn has trained and managed some incredible fighters during a lifetime spent in the ring. The most important lesson he teaches his boxers is the one that rules life: above all, always protect yourself. In the wake of a painful estrangement from his daughter, Frankie has been unwilling to let himself get close to anyone for a very long time Read the rest of this entry »