[Note: The Exterminating Angels is set for a limited theatrical release starting March 7. IFC Films’ website has the full schedule of release.] When I start watching a movie for review, I fire up my word processor alongside so I can snatch bits of thoughts that drift past while the action unfolds on the screen. … Continue reading
The Baron Cohen name is getting a cardiovascular workout these days. Sasha Baron Cohen is becoming a household name thanks to the big fat success of Borat, and Borat cousin Ash Baron Cohen has been running the entertainment treadmill as well. I was going to make some off the cuff remark about how it pays … Continue reading
If you were a pre-teen in the eighties or nineties, you know the name Alvin Schwartz. Next to Stephen King, he’s probably responsible for warping more fragile little minds than any other author — between 1981 and 1991, he collected and retold tales of American folklore in his Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark … Continue reading
He overcame some long odds to become the governor of California. He’s survived many challenges since. He rebounded from the outright rejection of his definitive ballot initiatives to take the state in a different direction. He’s taken the lead on some of the most important issues of our day from healthcare to stem cells without … Continue reading
As filming on John Rambo gets underway, we’re getting juicy detail after juicy detail. The latest involves the badass who’s going to be opposing one John J. Rambo (please say the J) as he ends lives in the jungles of Myanmar. Apparently realizing that there are few forces in filmdowm much less humans that could … Continue reading
Even though Running Scared hit with all of the impact of a sneeze, it managed to change the way I saw Paul Walker. That is to say…I realized he had a pulse. There wasn’t a lot of convincing proof before then as every role he’d taken required little of him but to smile and stare … Continue reading
The new issue of Empire Magazine has a cover story about Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, along with a bunch of images from the film. Many of the pictures have already been released, but there’s one that caught my eye. It’s The Thing smashing someone who looks an awful lot like Victor Von … Continue reading
Zodiac is journalism. Zodiac is a David Fincher movie unlike any other David Fincher movie. Zodiac feels a lot like a masterpiece. David Fincher’s feature career, with the exception of the disastrous Alien 3, is filled with gimmick films. He uses visual gimmicks, and he often uses storytelling gimmicks. As individual experiences, these gimmick movies … Continue reading
I guess her marriage to Tom Cruise made Nicole Kidman a fan of fakery, because she’s guest-starring on the fifth season of Nip/Tuck. The Oscar-winning Kidman, who met Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy on the set of their film Need, asked the (warden) pope of plastic surgery drama to write her a part on the show. … Continue reading
Battlestar Galactica’s Gaius Baltar is probably one of the most complicated characters on television. After his betrayal led to the destruction of 99% of humanity, Baltar ended up becoming president of the remaining survivors… before surrendering them to an occupying Cylon army. After spending some time living with the Cylons, Baltar is back on the … Continue reading