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MORTDECAI is DOA

January 25, 2015 By Leave a Comment

MORTDECAI is DOA

Sneaking into theaters without benefit of a press screening, MORTDECAI is a tragically unfunny attempt at lighthearted comedy. Based on the novel Don’t Point that That Thing at Me” by Kyril Bongfiglio, its efforts at whimsy fall flat, while its attempts to attain the quirky begin and end with the waxy curls of Johnny Depp’s… Read More »

Tagged With: books to film, Gwyneth Paltrow, Johnny Depp, Kyril Bonfiglio, narrative

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES

January 4, 2015 By Leave a Comment

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES

And so it is our last visit to Middle Earth, and a bittersweet one it is.  Peter Jackson’s finale to his pair of trilogies is a triumph of spectacle and humanity, notwithstanding that the human beings of the piece are not the main characters. It’s only flaw, and that is a relative one, is that… Read More »

Tagged With: books to film, cinema, fantasy, film, Ian McKellan, J.R.R. Tolkein, Martin Freeman, Peter Jackson, review, sequel

THE HOMESMAN

November 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment

THE HOMESMAN

Tommy Lee Jones is a dour man, at least on screen. His carefully cultivated persona is a laconic one of few words and little patience. It is a character that he plays to perfection, and in THE HOMESMAN,he imbues it with a wonderful, understated quirkiness that makes his star quality all the more charismatic. As… Read More »

Tagged With: books to film, cinema, film, Hilary Swank, madness, movie, Nebraska, prairie, Tommy Lee Jones, western

Jon Stewart and Maziar Bahari – Rosewater

October 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Jon Stewart and Maziar Bahari – Rosewater

As God is my witness, I thought that Jon Stewart knew that Aryan had more than one definition. He didn’t, but it made for a lively way to start my conversation with both him and Maziar Bahari on October 22, 2014. As Bahari pointed out, Iranians are the original Aryans, and he went on to… Read More »

Tagged With: aryan, based on a true story, books to film, cinema, Dr. Strangelove, film, film director, interviews, jon stewart, Maziar Bahari, movie, movies, narrative and tagged 2009 Iranian election, ROSEWATER, Shoreh Agdashloo, Then They Came For Me

JARHEAD

October 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment

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 »

Tagged With: active service, American military, Anthony Swofford, author, based on a true story, books to film, Homer, Illiad, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marine, memoir, narrative, Persian Gulf, scout-sniper, wartime service

THE HELP

October 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment

THE HELP, based on the novel of the same name by Kathryn Stockett, gently but firmly peels away they dry rot of racism that festered beneath the gracious, etiquette obsessed façade of southern gentility before the civil rights movement. What is remarkable, and a remarkably difficult line to walk, is that it does so while… Read More »

Tagged With: Allison Janney, books to film, Bryce Dallas Howard, Cicely Tyson., director, domestic servants, Emma Stone, Jackson, Jessica Chastain, Jim Crow, Kathryn Stockett, Mary Steenburgen, Mississippi, Octavia Spencer, race relations, racial discrimination, racial prejudice, Sissy Spacek, Tate Taylor, THE HELP, Viola Davis, writer

Emma Stone Helps THE HELP

September 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

When I talked with Emma Stone in July 11, 2011, the issue of Vanity Fair with her on the cover had just hit newstands. It seemed wrong not to acknowledge this milestone in a career that is relatively new, but has already shown so much versatility. Bouyant but grounded, Stone spoke with engaging conviction about… Read More »

Tagged With: Allison Janney, books to film, Bryce Dallas Howard, Cicely Tyson., director, domestic servants, Emma Stone, Jackson, Jessica Chastain, Jim Crow, Kathryn Stockett, Mary Steenburgen, Mississippi, Octavia Spencer, race relations, racial discrimination, racial prejudice, Sissy Spacek, Tate Taylor, THE HELP, Viola Davis, writer

Tate Taylor & Octavia Spencer Bring THE HELP to Life

September 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Tate Taylor & Octavia Spencer Bring THE HELP to Life

Click here to listen to the interview. Tate Taylor and Octavia Spencer have a special insight into THE HELP. The novel on which Taylor based his script, which he also directed, was written by his lifelong friend, Kathryn Stockett. Spencer was Taylor’s roommate when she got to know Stockett, and was the inspiration for the… Read More »

Tagged With: Allison Janney, books to film, Bryce Dallas Howard, Cicely Tyson., director, domestic servants, Emma Stone, Jackson, Jessica Chastain, Jim Crow, Kathryn Stockett, Mary Steenburgen, Mississippi, Octavia Spencer, race relations, racial discrimination, racial prejudice, Sissy Spacek, Tate Taylor, THE HELP, Viola Davis, writer

Jonah Hill Plays MONEYBALL

September 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Jonah Hill Plays MONEYBALL

Jonah Hill started his film career in comedies such as SUPERBAD and FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, but his roots are in writing, and his goal is to be a serious actor. When I spoke to him on September 16, 2011, the conversation moved from MONEYBALL, and the journey his character, Peter Brand, makes during the course… Read More »

Tagged With: Baseball, based on a true story, books to film, cinema, CYRUS, drama, film, Jonah HIll, Michael Lewis, MONEYBALL, movies, narrative, Peter Brand, sports

Anthony Swofford Remembers What It’s Like to be A JARHEAD

September 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

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 »

Tagged With: active service, American military, Anthony Swofford, author, based on a true story, books to film, Homer, Illiad, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marine, memoir, narrative, Persian Gulf, scout-sniper, wartime service

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