Screen
No one goes it alone
In his landmark study, “From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film,” Siegfried Kracauer put forth the theory that cinema is...
United in praise
At the end of the first Iron Man, when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) popped up to mention “The Avengers Initiative,” it launched what...
Funny or try
Vinny Thomas was only 15 years old when he first decided to give comedy a try. He was a high schooler at the Denver...
Happiness for you and me
The 1998 Academy Awards Ceremony felt a little bit like a private party James Cameron threw for his monumental Titanic, which sailed away with 11 statues that evening, but that was also the night 57 million Americans met one singer/ songwriter who left almost as ...
Sequel, heal thyself
Pretend you were excited for the big screen version of 21 Jump Street. Yeah, nobody believes you. Writers Michael Bacall and Jonah Hill teamed up with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for the most hilarious, self-aware adaptation of a Richard Greico ...
Wasting time and money
I wanted to enjoy Clash of the Titans. The previews highlighted some terrific special effects and Greek mythology is a fertile field of sweeping sagas, epic stories of men challenging the gods, and strange, amazing creatures. Two problems doomed this otherwise ...
‘Madness in the middle’
If you’ve seen a hundred Westerns, then you’ve seen it a hundred times: a mysterious figure rides into town looking for someone. With guns...
‘Couples Retreat’ a waste of talent, unfunny
Director Peter Billingsley had a tough assignment: take four suburban couples and put them through a series of "relationship building" challenges that were thought-provoking, poignant, revealing and funny. In attempting to accomplish this, he makes everyone a crass ...
