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Downton Abbey Season 4

Immune to Lady Mary's charms

Downton Abbey is merely the latest soap set in the great homes of Britain to take America by storm. What's the appeal?

Jackie Schifalacqua

Jan 04, 2014 Articles 3 minute read

Carrie Underwood vs. Julie Andrews

Carrie Underwood confronts the Maria problem

It was a gutsy move when country singer Carrie Underwood took on the role of Maria in NBC TV’s live presentation of The Sound of Music— a role that belonged, in many viewers’ minds, to Julie Andrews. How do we deal with a change in our expectations when someone else takes on the role?

Naomi Orwin

Dec 21, 2013 Articles 5 minute read

Is George Bailey happy? Who really gives a damn?

It’s Not Such A Wonderful Life

Where are you, Clarence, now that we really need you?

Here’s a thought for the holiday season: Haven’t you seen It’s A Wonderful Life enough already? Don’t you have anything better to do with your time, especially now that the film is owned by the 21st Century’s answer to Mr. Potter?

Perry Block

Dec 07, 2013 Articles 3 minute read

‘The Best Man Holiday’

Why leave your living room?

Today you can rent any movie right from your living room to stream on your giant flat-screen TV. But watching this piece of feel-good holiday fluff with a very appreciative audience made me remember the benefits of the movie theater experience.

Alaina Johns

Nov 26, 2013 Articles 5 minute read

Léger’s ‘Ballet Mécanique’ at Art Museum

Léger and Antheil, together at last

Fernand Léger’s experimental 1924 film was too short for Georges Antheil’s avant-garde musical score. Now the two have been joined together at last, to visually stunning and aurally exciting effect.

Steve Cohen

Nov 18, 2013 Articles 2 minute read

Sophie Nelisse takes comfort where she finds it.

Brian Percival’s ‘The Book Thief’

Horrible events in pastel colors

The Book Thief paints the horrors of Nazi Germany in fairy tale pastels— which may be the only way today’s generations can begin to make sense of the unthinkable.

Naomi Orwin

Nov 17, 2013 Articles 5 minute read

Hemsworth with Portman: Still pompous, but less wooden.

‘Thor: The Dark World’

Between superhero and myth

For 50 years, Marvel Comics’ Thor character has straddled the uneasy divide between the fantastic and the mundane. The latest installment of Thor’s cinematic franchise is a mixed bag but does a decent job of balancing the two genres.

Gary L. Day

Nov 12, 2013 Articles 3 minute read

More lessons from the Cape May Film Festival

Cutting students some slack

Jackie Atkins dismissed the student work at the Cape May Film Festival as not worth watching. That perspective ignores the learning curve that all artists experience.

Susan Beth Lehman

Nov 06, 2013 Articles 3 minute read

Ingram in ‘Boardwalk II’: At last, a grownup.

Lessons from the Cape May Film Festival

Those who can, do; those who can’t, attend film schools

Why do America’s many film schools produce so few good movies? And why are the best films made by school dropouts with real-world experience? To ask the question is to answer it.