To get into a discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to open oneself to a myriad of opinions and emotions. Everyone has a strong view of what should happen and is expected to pick a side without much room for nuance or the multiple shades of gray that make up such a complicated and heart- […]
Film
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Driving Me Crazy
Cars 3 is a drag….race
I think my favorite thing about the third movie in the “Cars” franchise isn’t the story, characters or animation, but the fact that it doesn’t acknowledge the direly terrible second movie at all. I’m a diehard Pixar fanatic (does that make me a “Pixiehead?”), so I’ll go see their latest offering no matter what, but […]
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Who Run the World?
A blockbuster superhero movie with a female in the lead. Finally.
“Be careful in the world of men, Diana. They do not deserve you.” For the last 20 years, Hollywood has made several half-assed attempts at making a “Wonder Woman” movie. At different times throughout the years, Sandra Bullock, Lucy Lawless, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Mariah Carey were all slated to play the Amazonian princess. No one […]
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Cruise Control
The Mummy Unravels Itself
Love him or hate him, Tom Cruise is very good at committing himself. To solid movies, to dangerous stunt work and lots of intense running, but most importantly, to entertaining us the best he possibly can. I usually try to separate the art from the artist (since I still enjoy the films of Woody Allen […]
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Johnny’s Depths
The latest “Pirates” finds new lows
I don’t like Johnny Depp anymore. We’ll always have “Edward Scissorhands” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” but his schtick hasn’t just gotten old, it’s become a bit unbearable. Not even taking into account his tabloid-fodder personal life, he’s become a caricature of what he once was. The thing that used to make Depp […]
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Blockbuster Season
Another big, dumb and fun summer at the movies
Last week we took a look at the indie releases coming out over the summer months for those who want to avoid the explosive hyperbole of the omnipresent blockbusters. Since I love a small French drama just as much as watching The Rock punch his way into my heart, this week we take a look […]
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Blockbusters for Adults
A summer movie preview
Once again we’re heading into the summer blockbuster season, but it means a lot less than it used to. Superhero movies, Vin Diesel franchises and giant monster flicks are released year round now instead of during the small summer window. Over the last decade, Hollywood has been in the franchise business more than ever before, […]
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Illegal Aliens
Chestbursters in paradise
I’ve always believed the real thematic purpose of the “Alien” franchise was to highlight the ineffable terror of the unknowable. That somewhere, whether it’s deep under the ocean or hundreds of thousands of miles out in the blackness of space, there’s something truly alien that will swallow you up so profoundly that no one would […]
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Legend of the Bored
King Arthur is a swing and a myth
Why is it so hard for Hollywood to get the story of King Arthur right? Cinematic adaptations of Arthurian legend go all the way back to a 1904 silent film based on Wagner’s 1882 opera “Parsifal,” but very few of them have captured what makes the story special in the first place. Films like “Camelot” […]
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Inside Amy Schumer
Snatched is a trainwreck
Sometime after her popularity exploded during the first season of her show, Amy Schumer became not just the most popular female comedian in years, but also a feminist icon almost overnight. She fought back against misogynist culture by not allowing the typical body shaming of the Hollywood elite to change her looks, and her sex-positive […]
