Screen
The rhythm of storytelling
As the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock said, “Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.” And who does the cutting? Editors. Sifting...
Next-best thing
Operatic characters are larger than life. Especially when projected on a 20-foot tall movie screen...
Only kinda good, fellas
Nothing brings back memories of Sean Penn’s history as a serial domestic abuser like watching him revel in a man being drawn-and-quartered by automobiles. What a weird choice to take a cheesy, scene-chewing, 1940s mob-boss role at this point in his career. Cross-...
A matter of persistence
The legacy of Orson Welles looms large in the history of cinema. So large, even Welles himself fell into its blackness.
“The word genius was...
Reasonably entertaining diversion
Oh my God, they’ve shot Dame Helen Mirren! Realizing the Oscar-winning actress is playing a part, and not herself, the thought nonetheless is inescapable when Mirren’s ex-CIA agent takes a bullet in RED. I mean: How dare they...
To infinity, and beyond
“Why am I alive?” she asks.
“I have no idea,” he replies with a kind smile.
Those are the final words of Toy Story 4, Disney/Pixar’s...
Too much violence — despicable
Despicable Me is a surprisingly violent animated movie that suffers from being released within a few weeks of Toy Story 3. Where Toy Story 3 has warm characters who seek to do well by each other, Despicable Me is populated by characters who constantly hurt each ...
Brick-a-Bat
Forget “Don’t Tread on Me.” If Americans really wanted a flag that captures our collective mentality, it would be a morbidly obese snake with...
Special effects addicts only
If you’re a fan of special effects and seek entertainment on the big screen, a few hours of escape and some righteous butt-kicking and loud explosions, and if you’ve already enjoyed Transformers and have forgiven Michael Bay for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen...
