We’re in a golden age of television, what with the increasing diversity and abundance of original, high-quality cable programming. Great new shows crop up at an alarming rate, so it’s easy to let them pass you by. You don’t want this to be the case with Syfy’s cool new upcoming series “Helix,” which premieres January […]
Sponsored Video: Syfy’s “Helix” Premieres January 10 Read More »
Another year, another AFI Fest. It’s hard to believe I’ve been attending this Los Angeles institution for seven years now, but there’s nothing I look forward to more each November. And while I’m no longer able to see the ludicrous number of movies I once was—back in 2007 and 2008, I ignored my undergraduate obligations
AFI Fest 2013: “The Wind Rises” & “Vic + Flo Saw a Bear” Read More »
Call it “The Lost Episode.” James and I recorded this edition of the Critic Speak Podcast nearly a month ago, but then life got in the way and I didn’t have a chance to edit and upload it until today. My sincerest apologies. When you hit play, imagine you’ve just sent your DeLorean back to
Critic Speak Podcast: Episode 14 (Guest Greg Sestero) Read More »
“Hey, Teach, sit down and let me get you a pastry,” said Rachel Engel, one of the theater managers for the Milwaukee Film Festival, in an effort to soften the blow. Technical glitches forced the cancellation of “Drug War,” Johnnie To’s latest Hong Kong action ballet. For To junkies like me, a film and literature
Notes from the 2013 Milwaukee Film Festival Read More »
Iranian filmmaker Maryam Sepehri (left) won an award at the 2013 Milwaukee Film Festival for “Habibeh,” a documentary about painter Habibeh Bedayat (right). In the dead of night she labors, trance-like, over a canvas. By the end of “Habibeh,” viewers will comprehend all of the thorny reasons why this fascinating woman—a painter, mother, teacher, and
MFF Interview: A Conversation with Maryam Sepehri Read More »
When it was announced that Columbia’s new version of Stephen King’s “Carrie,” originally immortalized by Brian De Palma’s 1976 film, would be directed by Kimberly Peirce, there was reason to be optimistic. Peirce, who has made just one other movie since her groundbreaking 1999 debut “Boys Don’t Cry” (the overlooked soldier drama “Stop-Loss”), presumably would
Review: “Carrie” (2013) Read More »
“Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” is the first film to bear the “Jackass” name that doesn’t open with a disclaimer. It’s perhaps a sign of the gang’s aging, particularly on the part of frontman Johnny Knoxville, that their new film is light on potentially deadly stunts. Knoxville and Co. (actually, minus much of the Co., though
Review: “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” Read More »
“Escape Plan” is the first film to feature both A-list ’80s action gods, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, in starring roles. Forget the action-fantasy “The Expendables” and its sequel; those were Stallone’s films. Here, the two share top billing and a nearly equal amount of screen time. And it’s with that shared time one can
Review: “Escape Plan” Read More »
Many movies at this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival, which closed October 10, were epic in scope, but the very best film, “Closed Curtain,” tapered into smaller and smaller space until filmgoers were locked inside the mind of a single individual—the director, Jafar Panahi. After releasing five allegories critical of his home country of Iran, Panahi
MFF Review: “Closed Curtain” Read More »
It’s a big week for the Critic Speak Podcast, as James and I are joined for nearly a full half-hour by Tommy Wiseau, the writer/director/producer/star of the 2003 cult sensation “The Room.” Wiseau joined us to promote his appearances at Landmark’s Ken Cinema in San Diego at Midnight on October 11 & 12 (this coming
Critic Speak Podcast: Episode 13 (Guest Tommy Wiseau) Read More »
