Film/TV
675 results
Page 58
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"Battle: Los Angeles': War without complexity
One war we can all celebrate
At their heart, movies like Battle: Los Angeles aren't allegories of patriotism. They're fantasies on war without complexity.
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Articles
3 minute read
Elizabeth Taylor's ultimate lesson
Bedazzled and deprived: Elizabeth Taylor's ultimate lesson
In her prime, whatever Elizabeth Taylor wanted, she took. Only later, when the roles and the men no longer came so easily, did this enormous talent channel her passions into saving and changing the lives of others. That's when she won her deepest respect.
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Articles
6 minute read
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How Paris transformed T.S. Eliot
O, to be a young poet in Paris
In 1910, Paris was the world's intellectual and cultural center and T.S. Eliot was only 22. His year there served as life-long inspiration for his groundbreaking poetry, plays, and criticism.
Articles
2 minute read
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Open letter to film producer Jeffrey Lurie
Memo to a sensitive film producer: Have I got an opportunity for you!
Producer Jeff Lurie is miffed because the director of his Oscar-winning film neglected to thank him at the awards ceremony. As a small-scale filmmaker looking to crash the big time, I will eagerly perform any requisite display of gratitude in exchange for your support.
Articles
3 minute read
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The poetic return of Theophile Gautier
It's not what you said, but how you said it
The best reason to welcome Theophile Gautier's return is that he's so damned entertaining as a poet. When times get hard, we need a little gentle enchantment in our lives.
Articles
4 minute read
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"The King's Speech' reconsidered
On bowing and scraping before The King's Speech
The King's Speech, the much acclaimed film about King George VI's struggle to overcome his stutter, rests on a long-discarded literary premise: the notion that kings and queens are interesting and important people. Isn't it time we stopped bowing and scraping before these innocuous parasites?
Articles
3 minute read
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"Casino Jack': Downfall of a lobbyist
A Congressman's best friend
Casino Jack portrays the legendary lobbyist Jack Abramoff as a Horatio Alger gone sour, working the system until it turns on him. But the film already wears a period air in our post-crash era, where crooks don't merely steal millions but evaporate trillions and get away with it.
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Articles
5 minute read
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The dark side of 'Tiger' parenting
Wusses vs. tigers: And the winner is….
Are we a nation of softies, as Governor Rendell recently claimed? Should we envy the performance-driven Chinese? Funny thing— many kids raised in driven households envy us, and with good reason.
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Articles
5 minute read
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"Worth Dying For': The appeal of Jack Reacher
One man I can trust: The appeal of Jack Reacher
When you're a twice-divorced 73-year-old, living in a trailer and feeling helpless to save the world from going to hell, an invincible fictitious hero like Lee Child's Jack Reacher makes an inspiring companion, even if he is a closet fascist.
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Articles
6 minute read
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Punch-drunk in Hollywood: 'The Fighter'
Requiem for a welterweight
What's worse than having your brains punched out in the ring? How about having your courage and integrity watered down into a Hollywood cliché?
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Articles
4 minute read