In his look at Mark Zuckerberg, through the New Yorker profile of him and the Aaron Sorkin-written film about him, Salon.com writer Dan Gilmour makes a fairly penetrating statement about the movie industry. "Sadly, people have a habit of going to biopics and pictures 'based…
One of my favorite movie quotes: "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through…
I haven't yet gotten out this weekend, certainly not to the movies, which reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite Coen brothers comedies, "Raising Arizona." It's something that fugitive Gale Snoats (John Goodman) says to Edwina McDunnough (Holly Hunter) when she, trying…
This is always a tough time of the year for films fans. It's when the dregs of the summer season are still mired in area theaters, and nothing much that's good is worth a $10 ticket. So imagine the plight of the poor movie blogger.…
It's never completely comfortable for me to be the outsider. OK, for the most part I don't mind bucking popular opinion when it comes to liking or disliking popular film. My comments over the years regarding Michael Bay prove that. But when what I think…
They don't make Westerns anymore, which isn't completely a bad thing. Like any popular movie genre, the Western was responsible for a lot of cinematic crap. Not to mention for creating a myth about the founding of this country that ignored or belittled anyone who…
As a former arts reporter, I used to write stories about all kinds of visual arts. I even did a story once about an artist whose work involved ... road kill. Seriously. And I have a brother who, while attending UC San Diego, studied visual…
Funny, but the last two movies I've seen involve protagonists who have military pasts and who use violent means to achieve their ends. The first was "Harry Brown," a little "Death Wish" type of movie that played for a short while at the Magic Lantern.…
For reasons too boring to go into, I've spent a lot of time lately scouring the Web for interesting stories. In the process, I tend to find some fascinating headlines. Tonight's discovery comes from the Anchorage Daily News: "You shot a porcupine? Now what?" BTW,…
Years from now, when some editor is looking for an image to place with the dictionary definition of the term "action blockbuster," he (or she) is going to search for a poster from Sylvester Stallone's new flick "The Expendables." Yeah, the testosterone in this things-blowed-up-real-good…
If his life had been written as a novel, Pat Tillman would have been too good to be real. As it happened, his Army superiors and others did everything they could to make Tillman's story far better than it really was. You may recall that…
I've sat through any number of horror movies that try to shock. Especially with chainsaws. Whether it's Leatherface, doing his dance in the setting sun, or a vengeful father hunting down the last of the gang that murdered his daughter, the chainsaw announces its presence…
Let's be frank. Stieg Larsson, who wrote obsessively readable novels, was no Tolstoy. Hell, he wasn't even Steven King. The three books in his "Millennium" series are overwritten, filled with too many subplots/digressions and are filled with main plot points that depend too much on…
It used to be that when a director put out his (and most were male) film, that was it. The film opened, it played through maybe a couple of runs, perhaps even later showed up in an abbreviated version on television. But other than cutting…
So, it appears that the one film that I decided NOT to see this weekend, "The Expendables," made the weekend's most money. What a surprise. Actually ... not really. As one box-office expert said, the success of "The Expendables" was about as easy to predict…
So many emotions/thoughts flooded over me during "Restrepo" that it's hard to process them. In fact, I couldn't do it during the screening that I just got out of. So I'm still doing it. "Restrepo" is the title of the documentary about the war in…
Forget what I said immediately below. I ended up going first to see "Eat, Pray, Love." So, yeah, you now know who oversees the social calendar in my house. And what did I think? Well, let's just say that this is about as good as…
Like most people whose taste I respect, I love challenging film. I loved to be pushed and prodded and dared and shocked. All too much of what Hollywood offers me falls way short of doing any of this. So I was happy to find a…
I can't remember the last time two movies opened in Spokane that symbolized such a range of gender-specific tastes. I've heard several women talk about nothing but "Eat, Pray, Love," the Julia Roberts vehicle that was adapted from Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling book. On the other…
Last week I recorded a review of the Danish movie "Terribly Happy" for Spokane Public Radio. Here is a transcription of that review: In terms of popularity, if not critical acclaim, Danish film arrived only recently on the international scene. Oh, sure, films by the…
I recorded a movie review for Spokane Public Radio the other day. I've transcribed it below: Lisa Cholodenko's movie "The Kids Are All Right" is, in its most basic sense, a story of family. But we're not talking about just any traditional family. Nic (Annette…
Still at a loss when HBO canceled "The Sopranos"? Many television fans are. That's why the news that the cable channel's new series, "Boardwalk Empire," feels like a hit is such good news. What with "Mad Men" already beginning its news season, this new era…
You're kidding, right? Arnold Schwarzenegger turns 63 today? Is such a thing even possible? Apparently so. The clock stands still for no one, not even one of the toughest action stars in cinema history. As such, and in the man's honor, I list the top…
As some brainy scientists are discovering, there is some truth behind the notions explored by Christopher Nolan's new movie "Inception." According to Forbes.com, research in the field of dreams (heh-heh) has shown the possibility that dreams can be manipulated. As for actually planting a thought…
I was just running some errands, and I just happened to tune into an editon of NPR's "Fresh Air." The segment featured film director Jay Roach and actor Steve Carell, both of whom were shilling for their new film, "Dinner for Schmucks." Here's what's amazing:…
