On the day of Sidney Lumet's death, I celebrated by doing what he might have wanted. I went to the movies. Of course, Lumet - whose forte was serious drama - might not have endorsed the movie that I saw: the remake of "Arthur," starring…
Spokane, as I told Spokane Public Radio listeners, is fortunate to have a number of decent film festivals that, over the course of each year, offer us films that we might not otherwise even hear of. One of my favorites is the Spokane Jewish Cultural…
There's a whole new menu of films opening today, but I'm still caught up in "Source Code," which was last Friday's opener. That's appropriate since the film is all about space and time. Directed by Duncan Jones, the same Brit director who gave us the…
Don't forget that, beginning Saturday, the Spokane Jewish Cultural Film Festival begins its three-day run on Saturday at The MAC. Go here for more information. Below: Trailer for "Saviors in the Night."
Varied weekend of movies coming this weekend: "Hanna": Irish actress Saoirse Ronan plays a kind of mutant teen who, trained by daddy, goes after her mean mommy (Cate Blanchett). "Your Highness": Danny McBride and James Franco play mismatched brothers in this sword-and-sorcery comedy, which is…
For a free evening of film and conversation, you might want to check out an event that is occurring tonight at the Gonzaga University School of Law. A screening of the film "Posada: A Night to Cross All Borders" will begin at 7 p.m. at…
We're still more than a week away, but one of my favorite area film events -- the Spokane Jewish Film Festival -- will begin its three-day 2011 run on Saturday, April 9, at the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture. The event has a new…
My friend Pete Porter pointed out that, due to a typo, my post below about Farley Granger was a bit ironic. In making a point about Granger's name being unique, I misspelled it "Farkey." Whoa. Unique is one thing. Outright strange is something else. So…
So, word came this morning that Farley Granger had died. Unlike Elizabeth Taylor, that name doesn't mean a whole lot to members of my generation. Granger, who was 85 when he died Sunday in Manhattan, was a contemporary of my father. But even my father…
It's the time of year when nothing interesting is coming out, except maybe at the Magic Lantern. Among the mainstream openings: "Source Code" (sci-fi mystery starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a guy trying to manipulate time so that he can foil a terroritst attack), "Insidious" (evil…
Re. my post on "Sucker Punch" below, Boxofficemojo offers up some interesting news: 1, While Zack Snyder's film opened on 3,900 screens (at 3,033 different locations), it took in only about $19 million, less even than "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules," which though…
It's been a long, long time since I have seen a film as gloriously, glamorously and ridiculously wrongheaded as "Sucker PUnch." All the way through this exercise in excess I kepe asking myself, "What were they thinking?" By "they," I mean Zack Snyder and the…
Unlike what seems to be most critics, I don't resent Sophia Coppola. Sure, she may never have gotten the chance to make a film had her dad not been one of the greatest directors of all time. Or, I should say, Francis Ford Coppola has…
You've likely heard of the 48-Hour Film Festival. Well, get ready for a festival that does it two hours longer, 50 Hour Slam: Inland Northwest Film Festival. Yes, beginning April 1, teams of filmmakers will have 50 hours to write, shoot and edit three-to-six-minute-long films…
The Bookseller magaizine holds an annual competition for the oddest book titles. It's been doing so, with only two lapses, since 1978. This year's nominees were particularly worthy: "What Color Is Your Dog?" "Managing a Dental Practice the Genghis Khan Way," "Myth of the Social…
Elizabeth Taylor is dead. That doesn't mean much to a contemporary audience, but her passing marks another close to Hollywood's golden era. Taylor came along when the studio system still ruled, when stars were tied to contracts that had them working steadily in projects that,…
Sometimes I hate computers. I had just started writing a blog post for the new legal thriller "The Lincoln Lawyer" when, poof, my copy disappeared. Just ... that ... fast. But, hey, so what? It's not like my prose is golden, or that the movie…
The trick to writing a good screenplay, it seems to me, is being able to come up with something more than merely a good concept. To me, a good screenplay offers up a full story, one that takes you to its natural end and leaves…
I was at the Moran Prairie Library tonight to give a short talk before the Get Lit! screening of "The Deer Hunter." Unfortunately, due to the lack of publicity, only one guy showed up. Which didn't bother me because then I didn't have to do…
OK, I wasn't expecting greatness from "Red Riding Hood." But given its Grimm Brothers roots, I thought it might be more than ... well, "Twilight Redux." But no. Bringing up "Twilight" in relation to "Red Riding Hood" is appropriate for a number of reasons. One,…
I've never thought of Aaron Eckhart as an action hero. Yeah, he was Harvey Dent/Two-Face in "The Dark Knight," and he shared billing with two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank in "The Core" (which had the two of them drilling to the center of the Earth,…
Back in Spokane, following a quick trip to Washington, D.C., and I'm ready to see some movies. It's way too early for the summer season, but one of the first blockbusters -- "Battle: Los Angeles" -- opened today. So maybe that's a good place to…
Here I sit in Washington, D.C., in the midst of a rainstorm, with family having deserted me. No plans to see movies in theater over the next three or more days, but I did catch a TV screening of the DVD documentary "8: The Mormon…
We're already into March ... and it's still snowing. Wonder what that says for what the weather's going to be like for the rest of 2011. Regardless, opera lovers should like what's coming to the AMC River Park Square Theatres over the weekend: A special…
In this company, which includes Christopher Nolan and David Fincher, and Tom Hooper wins Best Director? Gotta give it to Oscar: Never do the expected.
