I don't know what I expected from this Rome trip. I do know that I wanted to try to work from here, which necessitated that I get an Internet connection. Which was troublesome. And expensive. And it turns out that it doesn't work well enough…
It's cooler here than you might think, cool enough for us to have pulled out the heavy blankets and, in the morning, to try to get the shower stall steaming as quickly as possible. Of course, getting here was a trial, flying from Washington's National…
I've spent the week in the other Washington -- working in an office just a few blocks from, but within sight of, the White House -- and in a few hours I board a flight that starts a series that will eventually land me in…
The other day, when I was at the AMC and saw "The Ides of March'' -- easily the most cynical film I've seen this year -- I saw a trailer for a little film titled "Norman." And, wow, didn't that look like Spokane in the…
Looks as if the Joseph Gordon Levitt/Set Rogen flick "50/50" is a bit of a bust in terms of box-office take. That's too bad because, 1, it's a pretty good film and, 2, those audiences that actually see the film seem to like it. I…
In honor the the Spokane International Film Festival's special screening of "Pulp Fiction," part of SpIFF's ongoing Professor's Series, which will take place at 7 on Wednesday, I'm gonna share 10 of my favorite family-friendly quotes from Quentin Tarantino's groundbreaking film. If you go, feel…
If you're a fan of the IMAX screens at River Park Square's AMC Theatres, then you may be interested in the following news. Seems the theater is going to rescreen three movies -- "Star Trek," "Inception" and "Fast Five" -- in IMAX format beginning Friday.…
Want to see what a simple concept, driven by a bit of imagination and great production values, can produce? Click on the embed below. Enlarge it to full screen. Multiple viewings are a must. Symmetry from Everynone on Vimeo.
You wanna know what drives movie critics crazy (besides watching overweight people scarf down tubs of overpriced popcorn)? It's the information contained in this Web site.
Fans of the film "Contagion" aren't going to like the following review. But, hey, being contrary is almost obligatory for a film critic. Here, then, is the review that I wrote for Spokane Public Radio: I’m a big fan of subtlety, which is a little…
The idea of making a neo-noir is nothing new (say that five times real fast), even when your intent is to ape the authentic. Even post-"Pulp Fiction," an exercise that Tarantino used to change the very landscape of contemporary noir -- camping it in a…
I love moody little short films, especially when they're attached to songs that seem to match their mood. The one embedded below accompanies a song titled "Sometimes the Stars" by the Australian band The Audreys. Sometimes the Stars from The Audreys on Vimeo.
And I still can't sleep. I think visiting Kosovo has ruined my ability to snooze. Ah, well. I can at least go and see movies. After being out of the country for the past week and a half, I have some catching up to do.…
It started with children carrying candles. It carried on through a parading of the American flag. And it ended, as most things involving Pristina's eighth-annual 9/11 Dedication Film Festival seemed to, with a party, a bit of dancing, a lot of drink and, on this…
Not much to report from Pristina tonight because, this being the final night of the competition, the jury retired to one of Kosovo's many fine restaurant/coffe bars -- in this case People's -- and discussed which films to reward with our first-place honors. And since…
I did a taped interview for Pristina television today at noon. Boy, are they struggling to find airable material. I knocked myself out talking about how honored I was to be at the festival, etc. And, of course, that much is true. I just don't…
You know how it is: It's past midnight on what is now a Friday morning in Pristina, Kosovo, and you've had maybe one too many Peja beers -- "Kosova's Best Beer" -- and you're feeling ... great. Well, yeah, there's that no-sleep thing you've been…
Just took this test and scored a perfect 17. Looks as if I did learn something in school. (Irony alert: in my original post, I misspelled the world "something." That's too funny. Yeah, I learned something ... just not how to spell!)
As my struggle with jet lag continues, I at least have time to check my e-mail in box. I found a link to this Web site, which features the video embedded below. I've seen examples of these Spokane-based guys' work and so have every reason…
It's past midnight here, and I'm still not tired. I attended the opening night of the 9/11 Dedication Film Festival and had a single beer afterward (a Peja), which shows me that I should have had more. Maybe a lot more. Anyway, I'd awakened at…
Oh, and by the way, here's the Web site for the 9/11 Film Festival. The organizers had a bit of trouble and had to change the original URL.
Can't say as I'm a fan of jet lag. Of course, who is? Those are the kinds of thoughts that plague you when, after 33 hours -- broken only by the occasional nap -- you finally fall into a hotel bed. And wake up five…
As I sit here in the Hotel Victory, I've now been awake for, oh, a full 24 hours. OK, I did take a couple of five-minute catnaps on the flight from Spokane to Denver, same for the flight from Denver to D.C., from D.C. to…
I'm sitting in the Vienna airport, waiting for my flight to Pristina, Kosovo. I've been invited to a city where I lived for a couple of months five years ago to be part of a film festival jury -- which is, I have to say,…
Just got out of "The Guard," an amusing little Irish import that gives new meaning to the term self-referential. A comedy about a seemingly comic, but maybe heroic, constable in a small Irish village, played well by Brendan Gleeson, "The Guard" owes a debt to…
