Film/TV
671 results
Page 52
Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master' (1st review)
Is this Citizen Kane, or The Lost Weekend?
Contrary to its misleading title, The Master isn't about a false messiah but about one of his pathetic acolytes. Director Paul Thomas Anderson seems not to understand that sumptuous photography and penetrating acting are no substitute for story.
Articles
4 minute read
Nick Jarecki's "Arbitrage'
The cost of doing business
Nick Jarecki's debut film is a slick Wall Street drama with a police thriller grafted on. Are Wall Street's Masters of the Universe destined to get away with everything forever? Apparently; but they do pay a price.
Articles
5 minute read
'Marvin Gardens' and Woodstock's lost innocence
Life imitates art: The lost lady of Marvin Gardens
In The King of Marvin Gardens I sensed Bob Rafelson flinging his seasoned assessment of Nixon's America into America's teeth. Perhaps tellingly, the adults involved in this dark and quirky film subsequently flourished, while its only cast member from the Woodstock/Aquarius generation perished.
"Singin' in the Rain' turns 60
A musical that keeps growing on you
What's so special about Singin' in the Rain? No one perceived this musical comedy about the dawn of talking pictures as a classic when it opened in 1952. Two things explain why its popularity continues to grow, 60 year after its premiere.
Articles
3 minute read
"Mansfield Park': Book vs. film
The unmaking of an Austen heroine
How much fidelity does a filmmaker owe to the source novel— especially if the novel's heroine is deliberately plain, boring and unsexy?
Articles
5 minute read
David Frankel's "Hope Springs'
Sexless in America: If Meryl and Tommy Lee can't do it....
Hope Springs is a women's wish-fulfillment film about rekindling that lost spark in your marriage when sex has become more of a job than a joy. If only the Baby Boomers had known the '60s sexual revolution would come to this.
Articles
5 minute read
What I learned from Nora Ephron
What exactly made Nora Ephron so special?
I long for Nora Ephron's recognition, especially since I'm just as witty and urbane as she was. So what was the secret of her success? Let me suggest a few possibilities.
Articles
3 minute read
"Safety Not Guaranteed': Comedies about real people
When is a comedy more than a comedy?
It's easy to laugh at two-dimensional stock characters. But the best comedies find ways to make us laugh at real three-dimensional people.
Articles
4 minute read
Ridley Scott's "Prometheus'
Ridley Scott phones it in
With Prometheus, the acclaimed director Ridley Scott falls afoul of Blumgart's Law, to wit: The bigger the author or director, the more likely he is to be given a free hand, to the detriment of his work.
Articles
3 minute read
"Hysteria' and female sex drive
What women really want
Hysteria is a new film about the invention of the vibrator and its role in liberating women's sexual needs. If only someone could liberate Hollywood from its cinematic cliché needs.
Articles
6 minute read