Film/TV

671 results
Page 49
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man: Parrot-loving Russians, beware.

Learning to love "The Avengers'

What I did for love

The mindless “Avengers” films and their various comic-book spinoffs have already wasted hours of my life at a cost of hundreds of dollars, and there's no end in sight. On the other hand, they may have saved my marriage.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Articles 6 minute read
Still talking, writing, and even defending white cops.

Mumia again: Stephen Vittoria's 'Long Distance Revolutionary'

The elephant in the room

Is Mumia Abu-Jamal a cop-killer rightly locked up for life, or a political prisoner whose conviction embodied a racist era in Philadelphia the city will never get past until he is set free? This new documentary argues strongly for the latter viewpoint but passes too quickly over the central question: Was Mumia guilty or innocent?
Robert Zaller

Robert Zaller

Articles 6 minute read
Christie (left), Redford: On the lam from the feds, and the past.

Robert Redford's "The Company You Keep'

Where have all the radicals gone?

Robert Redford's political thriller, The Company You Keep, tracks a former radical on the run from a long-ago crime. It's a liberal's cautionary tale about the dangers of assumed virtue, but not without a sneaking admiration for those who see issues in black and white rather than a mass of gray.
Robert Zaller

Robert Zaller

Articles 6 minute read
Cassel (right) and fellow thieves: If torture doesn't work...

Danny Boyle's "Trance'

Hypnotists rule!

Even a flawed premise can be swept away by real moral quandaries, sparkling dialogue, charismatic actors and characters we actually care about. Unfortunately, Danny Boyle's alleged thriller, Trance, offers no such perks.
Jake Blumgart

Jake Blumgart

Articles 3 minute read

Hooked on "Project Runway'

My ‘Project Runway,' myself

Why am I hooked on “Project Runway” when I should be watching Public TV documentaries about global warming? For the same reason anyone gets hooked on a reality show. It's the psychodrama that seduces us— specifically, our identification with the players in these simulations of real-life conflicts.
Susan E. Washburn

Susan E. Washburn

Articles 5 minute read
Rosendahl: Teenage rebellion, post-Hitler.

Cate Shortland's 'Lore': Germany, year zero

Postwar Germany as a Grimm's fairy tale

Cate Shortland's Lore deals with a moment that Germany— and modern Europe generally— would prefer to forget: the immediate aftermath of the Nazi collapse. Its heroine is a 14-year-old girl who must lead her four younger siblings to safety in a world where rules have ceased to exist.
Robert Zaller

Robert Zaller

Articles 6 minute read
Police eviction notice for a zoning violation: Philadelphia, USA, May 1985.

MOVE: A documentary film, at last

The city that bombed itself, and then suffered amnesia

MOVE. A documentary film directed by Ben Garry, Ryan McKenna, and Matt Sullivan. Screened March 25, 2013 at Earle Mack School of Law, Drexel University.
Robert Zaller

Robert Zaller

Articles 6 minute read
Hoss: A world beyond Orwell.

Christian Petzold's "Barbara'

Escape from paradise

Barbara. A film directed by Christian Petzold. At Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.movieclock.com.
Robert Zaller

Robert Zaller

Articles 5 minute read
Homeless in Portland: Holes in the safety net.

"American Winter' and "A Place at the Table'

There but for the grace of God, or: Can documentaries change the world?

How do you entice people to think about things they'd rather not think about? Two recent documentaries take unflinching looks at poverty and hunger in America,
Kimberly Gadette

Kimberly Gadette

Articles 4 minute read
Dichter: 'You can't make peace using military means.'

Dror Moreh's 'The Gatekeepers'

Can power speak truth?

The Gatekeepers. A film directed by Dror Moreh. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
Robert Zaller

Robert Zaller

Articles 9 minute read