BRIGSBY BEAR is a unique creation. An absurdist comedy that heralds the triumph of innocence over cynicism, it is heartwarming in its celebration of creativity as applied to obsessive fandom, in this case of the eponymous star of a kid’s television show. It’s that last part that I wanted to discuss with Kyle Mooney and… Read More »
A MINIONS of Diminishing Returns
It must have seemed like such a good idea. Take the loveable little yellow minions from DESPICABLE ME and star them in their own movie. Certainly the eponymous MINIONS features much of what made them so irresistible. There’s that burbling mélange of human and Minion-esque language. The ebullient nature, the eagerness to please, and that… Read More »
35th Annual Razzie Awards — John Wilson is Still Fighting the Good Fight
I learned a long time ago that it’s pretty much impossible not to get facetious with the founder and Head Berry of the Golden Raspberry Awards Foundation. John Wilson, author, raconteur, and bringer down of bloated egos, began his valuable public service 35 years ago, and through the years his righteous drubbing of all that… Read More »
Paul Feig Can Take THE HEAT
My favorite part of talking with Paul Feig about THE HEAT on June 6, 2013 happened right before we started the interview. Having sworn off coffee, he was sipping tea (see photo) and telling me how much he missed a cup o’ java. When I offered to move my coffee where he couldn’t see it,… Read More »
THE PROPOSAL
What almost saves THE PROPOSAL from itself is a pair of performances by Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds that have a bold and bracing bite of snarkiness to them. Alas, the formulaic nature of the script requires that they both warm up to each other and in the process, while their characters find true love,… Read More »
THE BLIND SIDE
THE BLIND SIDE takes what in lesser hands would have been a prime example of the hopelessly hackneyed and saccharine sub-genre of holiday feel-good flick, sports division, and, instead, makes of this uplifting true story a refreshingly sober film that brings good and surprisingly wholesome good cheer. The true story is of how Michael Oher… Read More »
GRAVITY
Alfonso Cuarons GRAVITY is a masterpiece of both action and psychology. It is a film that sends its audience home with many things to ponder, and many lessons learned. It also sends that audience home with a whole new appreciation of air, and Im not sure thats an accident. So abundant here on the surface… Read More »
John Wilson Presents the 2011 Razzie Awards
I’ve interviewed John Wilson, founder and Head Berry of the Golden Raspberry Awards Foundation, every year since 1997. The award, the Razzie, given in a variety of categories to single out the worst of the worst from the previous year’s cinematic flops, is an antidote to the hoopla surrounding those other awards shows. In particular,… Read More »