Is this really how it all ends? A ragged bit of doggerel to finish out the cinematic X-Men saga? Or at least this incarnation of same. What started as a trenchant study of human nature at its best and worst, as well as a scathingly good time at the movies has, with DARK PHOENIX, devolved… Read More »
Bel Powley and Marielle Heller Share THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL
When I spoke with Bel Powely and Marielle Heller on August 3, 2015, the subject was, of course, sex. Their film, THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, addresses that issues from the first scene, wherein the heroine, 15-year-old Minnie Goetz, proudly tells the audience that she’s just had sex and it was >amazing<. I started… Read More »
Marjane Satrapi Creates PERSEPOLIS
When I talked with Marjane Satrapi on December 12, 2007, the national news was full of the latest example of gun violence in the United States. Before getting down to talking about PERSEPOLIS, based on her autobiographical graphic novel of the same name, she asked me why the pundits were talking about the shooter’s psychology… Read More »
Marjane Satrapi Serves CHICKEN WITH PLUMS
When I spoke with Marjane Satrapi on April 30, 2012, one of the many questions I had for her was why she used live-action instead of animation when she adapted CHICKEN WITH PLUMS from her graphic novel of the same name. Her previous film, PERSEPOLIS, was also adapted from her graphic novel, but echoed its distinctive… Read More »