The rich get richer ...
I picked :"Restrepo" to win Best Documentary Feature. But I am so glad that "Inside Job" won. Now, if only some important people will see it. Maybe some people who so richly deserve it will go to jail.
Movies & More Dan Webster
SUNDAY, FEB. 27, 2011
Some Oscar wins are easy to guess
Just for the record, my friend Leslie Kelly called the Best Musical Score Award. Trent Reznor ... and that other guy.
'Worst Oscars Ever'? The votes are coming in 2
It's still early yet, but I'm already getting text message from friends and family calling this the worst Oscar broadcast ever. Have to say that I agree. One thing I want to point out: "The Lost Thing" was my favorite of the animated shorts. So…
The Oscars -- yawn -- are about to begin.
I've watched the Oscar broadcast since I was a child, which dates back too far to remember. The first image I do remember is Gregory Peck accepting the Best Actor Oscar for "To Kill a Mockingbird," which happened on April 8, 1963. Before that, I…
FRIDAY, FEB. 25, 2011
Everything truly is a remix
If you think that the movies that you watch seem a bit familiar, you're right. And New York-based filmmaker Kirby Ferguson has made a film that proves it. You can access his work by clicking here. Or just take in the first section of "Everything…
One weekend only: Presenting Gregory Bateson
The documentary “An Ecology of Mind,” which won a Golden SpIFFy award at the just-completed Spokane International Film Festival, is playing this weekend only at the Magic Lantern Theatre. Following is the review that I did for Spokane Public Radio. Gregory Bateson isn’t exactly a…
THURSDAY, FEB. 24, 2011
At least the kids are OK
I've found myself of late trying to explain why have no use for the Oscar-nominated film "The Kids Are All Right." That's why I've decided to reprint the review of the film that I wrote for Spokane Public Radio: Lisa Cholodenko's movie "The Kids Are…
TUESDAY, FEB. 22, 2011
Time to go back for a ... Food Fight! 1
While spending the weekend in Santa Ynez, Calif., I didn't have much chance to see movies. Rural central California isn't big on metroplexes, only wineries. So my grad-school buddies and I entertained ourselves by drinking some good beer -- kind of a grad-school tribute --…
THURSDAY, FEB. 17, 2011
Stop by the Magic Lantern when you get a chance
Some pretty interesting stuff playing this weekend at the Magic Lantern. One, the Oscar-nominated shorts, animated and live action, opened last week and will play through next Thursday. Also opening? "An Ecology of Mind," Nore Bateson's documentary feature about her father, Gregory Bateson. The film…
Check out the Leonard Oakland Film Festival
Sorry I'm running so late on this, but the Leonard Oakland Film Festival is beginning tonight. It runs through Saturday, which features the West-Coast premiere of a student film titled "Norman." Click here for the complete schedule.
THURSDAY, FEB. 10, 2011
Five more trivia questions for you movie fans 7
I had a pretty good reaction to my post below in which I described three movie scenes and asked if anyone could identify the movie they were from. So I'm gonna do it again. Here goes: In what movie do a couple of characters run…
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 9, 2011
SpIFF's final weekend ... and Kidman, too
Good weekend for movies coming up. Not just that SpIFF is continuing/concluding but that AMC is, strangely enough, opening a couple of independent/alternative selections. One is the French animated flick "The Illusionist," the other a Nicole Kidman drama titled "Rabbit Hole." Like "Another Year" before…
TUESDAY, FEB. 8, 2011
Despair is the name of Leigh's game
When did we fall into such a collective pit of cinematic despair? You'd be excused for thinking that we had if you, as I did, sat through both "Blue Valentine" and "Another Year" if not back to back then close enough to get depressed. "Blue…
MONDAY, FEB. 7, 2011
He's no longer King of the World
OK. This is just plain pathetic. Even James Cameron's name can't carry the day?
FRIDAY, FEB. 4, 2011
Let's begin the weekend with a German heist flick
A fair number of good movies are playing in Spokane this weekend. Most interesting, of course, are the selections from the 13th Spokane International Film Festival. But of the mainstream openings, James Cameron's "Sanctum" -- the cave adventure that can be seen in 3-D --…
THURSDAY, FEB. 3, 2011
Not for cinefiles only, SpIFF starts tonight
OK, my moment of Grammar Police now over, back to sanity I go. Tonight's the opening of the 13th International Film Festival. The German film "My Words, My Lies ... My Love" plays at the AMC River Park Square Theatres just over an hour from…
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 2, 2011
NPR, your reporters don't speak too good
During the years I worked at newspapers, I attracted the occasional attention of what we called the Grammar Police. These were, for the most part, people who seemed intent on protecting the English language from those of us who, on occasion, abused the language's rules.…
MONDAY, JAN. 31, 2011
Do you believe in magic ... and ghooooosts?
According to at least one poll, a third of American believe in ghosts -- about the same percentage that believes in UFOs. And 23 percent believe that they actually have seen ghosts or been in the presence of one. This, of course, explains the popularity…
SUNDAY, JAN. 30, 2011
Love doesn't come easily in 'Blue Valentine' 2
After seeing Derek Cianfrance's film "Blue Valentine," I was stuck with two thoughts: 1, This has to be one of the saddest movies ever made. 2, Ryan Gosling got ripped off. Gosling plays Dean, a decent guy and loving father who falls in love with…
FRIDAY, JAN. 28, 2011
SpIFF begins Thursday ... with a lie
I'm hadly the first to point this out, but it bears repeating: The 13th Spokane International Film Festival begins its 11-day run on Thursday with a screening of "My Words, My Lies -- My Love" at AMC's River Park Square Theatres. Go here to check…
THURSDAY, JAN. 27, 2011
Can you guess this movie trio? 7
I just wrote a review of "No Strings Attached" for Spokane Public Radio, which will run on Friday and Saturday. But I thought I would share part of it here: "But the way a movie ends is important. It's what you're left with when you…
TUESDAY, JAN. 25, 2011
2011 Oscar noms aren't all right, just OK 2
Don't know if he did it this morning, but my friend Tim -- who shared several Sundance experiences with me -- used to get up early so he could see host an Oscar-announcement party. Not for me. I love the Oscars, but not that early.…
MONDAY, JAN. 24, 2011
By any other name, these would still have flopped
It's tempting to think that every movie that comes from Hollywood is a million-dollar smash. You may not go and see, for example, "Season of the Witch" -- and who could blame you? -- but surely someone will. Not necessarily. According to this boxofficemojo.com story,…
Uh, does Jeff Bridges have a foot fetish? 1
Oscar nominations are out tomorrow. Question is, who will end up on the long list of nominees? Natalie Portman has to be a favorite for "Black Swan." Not only did she win the Golden Globe but, based on her animated performance in "No Strings Attached,"…
SUNDAY, JAN. 23, 2011
'No Strings Attached' is decent ... no kidding 3
It's funny about pre-screening expectations. I had to be forced to see "No Strings Attached" because, 1, it stars Ashton Kutcher and, 2, because it stars Ashton Kutcher. Did I mention that it stars Ashton Kutcher? Surprise, surprise, "No Strings Attached" is an entertaining, enjoyable…
Dan Webster has filled a number of positions at The Spokesman-Review from 1981 to 2009. He started as a sportswriter, was a sports desk copy chief at the Spokane Chronicle for two years, served as assistant features editor and, beginning in 1984, worked at several jobs at once: books editor, columnist, film reviewer and award-winning features writer.
In 2003, he created one of the newspaper's first blogs, "Movies & More." He continues to write for The Spokesman-Review's Web site, Spokane7.com, and he both reviews movies for Spokane Public Radio and serves as co-host of the radio station's popular movie-discussion show "Movies 101."