There is an attitude among some filmmakers that children’s films should be anything but sophisticated, rather, they should be simple in theme and execution and excruciating for anyone over the age of five. Not just the flicks for little kids, either, as evidenced by such recent mush as WHAT A GIRL WANTS. And for those… Read More »
JARHEAD
The history of the military film has had several notable eras, from the melancholy of THE BIG PARADE (featuring the divine John Gilbert in arguably his best role) from the post WWI, silent era, to the jingoistic excesses during and just after WWII with such offerings as an iconic John Wayne THE FLYING LEATHERNECKS, followed… Read More »
Bjorn Lomborg Warns Us to COOL IT
Bjorn Lomborg has been writing about his alternative approach to the environmental crisis for many years, but COOL IT, the documentary based on his book, is Lomborg’s first foray into films. When we spoke on October 18, 2010, why he decided to go that route was one of the many questions I had for him. Lomborg is used to… Read More »
Jason Reitman Is A YOUNG ADULT
When I spoke with Jason Reitman on December 2, 2011, he had just finished the “get to know us” tour for YOUNG ADULT. It was his way of sneaking the film under the radar directly to audiences in seven lucky cities. The film breaks many rules, including the biggest one, the main character doesn’t change.… Read More »
Stephen Chbosky Describes THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
Stephen Chbosky is a patient man. He could have sold the rights to make THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER when he first published that novel in 1999. Instead, he waited until he could not only write the script himself, but also direct. When I spoke with him on August 24, 2012, the first thing… Read More »
Andrew Davis and Louis Sachar’s Perfect HOLES
If I had had any doubts about HOLES being one of the big summer films of 2003, they were all put to rest by the audience reaction the film and its makers received at one of the two press screenings that I went to. The audience was packed with kids of all ages who adored Louis… Read More »
Steinfeld, Jake — I’VE SEEN A LOT OF FAMOUS PEOPLE NAKED, AND THEY’VE GOT NOTHING ON YOU!
I spend a lot of time advising people which movies to NOT waste their money on, as well as putting together contests and giveaways for my faithful readers. When I heard about Jake Steinfeld’s new book, I saw this as a chance to give those same readers a chance to win $200,000 to use in… Read More »
Anthony Swofford Remembers What It’s Like to be A JARHEAD
For someone who has seen action in the Persian Gulf, not to mention survived Marine boot camp, Anthony Swofford is a surprisingly soft-spoken guy. When I spoke to him on October 25, 2005 about JARHEAD, the film version of his memoir of the same name about his time in the Marines, including taking part in Gulf War… Read More »