Watching FADING GIGOLO the new movie written, directed by, and starring John Turturrro, is like joining a crazy conversation in progress-- and trying to catch up. Woody Allen plays an old bookseller named Murray-- who is closing up shop, but is hardly out of ideas. In fact, he's got a dilly: he's pitching his friend [...]
There are certain films whose time has passed and THE OTHER WOMAN is one of those. The cultural clock has been ticking and material like this has expired. Or so I thought. Apparently the "throwbacks" among us who think such films are in any way clever, funny, or entertaining-- still exist. The film is a [...]
HURRY!! FREE PASSES to a Fathom Eventsâ one-night presentation âSHATNERâS WORLDâ 5 PEOPLE WHO RESPOND (via âContact Joyceâ on home page) WITH THEIR FULL NAME AND MAILING ADDRESS HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN A PASS FOR TWO! Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 7:00 PM at a Framingham Theater. (Theater will be named when notified.) âSHATNERâS [...]
Two quick reviews before the weekend! NOAH is a crazy film by Darren Aronofsky (THE FOUNTAIN, BLACK SWAN) manifesting the filmmaker's trademark tussle with the unknowable and a feverish attempt to reconcile good and evil, faith and fear, while yoking the otherworldly to concrete reality. Russell Crowe as Noah gets the message to build an [...]
The modern day spinner of cinematic fairytales, Wes Anderson, is like that other "Andersen"--Hans Christian-- in his telling of layered fables that have adults, as well as children in their sights. But Wes Anderson accentuates the comedy, like "concupiscent curds" atop a heady brew of murder, mutilation, and even deeper mayhem. His latest THE GRAND [...]
IT'S OSCAR TIME and I'm so excited! Here's my very first VIDEO blog post for Boston.com featuring a preview and my predictions for the big show! ELLEN is hosting, PINK, U-2, and BETTE MIDLER are performing and all the stars will be out on the red carpet. Here's my on-camera preview and predictions for the [...]
Leave it to a pair of magicians to take the magic out of a great work of art, then raise even deeper questions than they answer. TIM'S VERMEER floored me. It really messed with my head. Dutch master painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), known for his extraordinary sense of composition, pristine technique, and light--his canvases seem [...]
I am sitting here as a nor'easter wails outside, thinking about WINTER'S TALE and how cold it left me. It's also not going to do much for the ravishing young actress whose character "Lady Sybil" was killed off in DOWNTOWN ABBEY--Jessica Brown Findlay. Her career will remain in the deep freeze until a better movie [...]
Look. I love the arts. And this is a FANTASTIC a story about rescuing artistic masterpieces from Nazis and returning them to their owners-- I mean, what could be better than that?!! Well, having seen THE MONUMENTS MEN-- just about anything. This is one of those hidden chapters of World War II that begs to [...]
The race is ON! Chris "Thor" Hemsworth helped hammer home the 86th Oscar nominations with Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs and the results are pretty much as I expected: AMERICAN HUSTLE and GRAVITY tied for most nominations--10 each, followed by 12 YEARS A SLAVE with 9! What I'm delighted about? Matthew McConaughey. It's his year [...]
