Eat Pray Thank God for Bardem

Much like Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) and Shirley Valentine (1989), Eat Pray Love is one of those “mature woman gone wild” adventure films that sets its sights on not only conquering man but setting the universe in order, bringing balance to the madness, and above all else making sure we all understand the complexity that … Continue reading →

Why He Stands Alone

The challenge in writing about Daniel Day-Lewis is finding the right words in hopes of avoiding the blah blah hyperbole trap. If we can all start with the premise that he is simply our greatest living actor and leap past that as a given I think we might possibly make a few discoveries together. Why is he … Continue reading →

Scott Pilgrim vs. the Status Quo

Hmmmm. How to describe Scott Pilgrim vs. the World? The usual genre descriptions don’t seem to do this one justice. I guess you could call it “boy meets girl” or maybe yet another semi-homoerotic Michael Cera “coming of age teen comedy,” but that barely scratches the surface of this utterly unique, high concept, video gamer’s delight, romantic teen comedy … Continue reading →

Kickin’ it with Molly B.

Los Angeles is a transient town. More so than other major urban areas due to the fact that it hosts the entertainment industry – or just “the industry” as those of us in “the industry” call it. Hollywood and a shot at fame and fortune lure most folks out here. Then “the industry” chews up most and … Continue reading →

More Grown Up With Every Film

Somewhere along the way Adam Sandler grew beyond guilty pleasure and became one of the very few actors making movies we parents can trust to deliver relatively harmless PG-13 family comedies. Sure, there’s always a few below the belt gags and the obligatory sexual innuendos, but for the most part the actor formerly known as … Continue reading →

Where to Begin with Fellini

It’s kind of like sayinig “Hey, I’m going to learn how to be an auto mechanic.” Or “I think maybe I’ll take up bird watching.” Both great ideas, noble in their intent, one practical, one not so much – but with both, where does one start? This is what I find when I mention Fellini … Continue reading →

Why James Dean Matters

He only starred in three films. Three. East of Eden (1955), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and Giant (1956). So how did James Dean become such a transformative legend? An icon for the ages? An actor readily lumped in with the standard-bearers, Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift? From three performances! One outstanding film, one influential but … Continue reading →

Toy Story 3 Has a Friend In Me

‘Woody’ and ‘Buzz’ are back and they’re exactly as we left them. John Lasseter and Pixar Animation Studios brought us the original Toy Story in 1995. It seems like only yesterday that we met Tom Hanks’ ‘Woody’ and Tim Allen’s ‘Buzz Lightyear.’ Although, to be honest, those were simpler times. The internet was not omnipresent, cellphones were not yet … Continue reading →

Tarantino’s Romance Better than his Pulp

I’m in the extreme minority here by declaring that I prefer Jackie Brown to Pulp Fiction. For all of Tarantino’s amazingly unique dialogue, riddled with amusing and surprising pop culture references, lines that double back on each other, alternately setting unnerving tension amidst whimsical banter, I find that Tarantino the hopeless romantic is Tarantino at … Continue reading →