Daily Archives: January 3, 2013

“Promised Land” is an engaging and entertaining — if preachy —  look at Big Energy and fracking – the land-and-water-wrecking practice of drilling and pumping water and chemicals into the ground to extract natural gas from shale. To Steve Butler … Continue reading →

Glenn Close is very still in her latest film — quiet, never cracking a smile. Playing a member of the staff of an upper crust Dublin hotel in the late 19th century, the idea was to be invisible. Think “Downton … Continue reading →

Yoni Netanyahu was the veteran Israeli commando who led the raid on the airport in Entebbe, Uganda, on July 4, 1976. He died early in that firefight, in which Israeli troops fought off terrorists and their Ugandan protectors to free … Continue reading →

Neil Young is in fine voice, captured live at Toronto’s acoustic treasure, Massey Hall, in Jonathan Demme’s latest Neil Young documentary, “Neil Young Journeys.” This follows “Neil Young Trunk Show” in 2009. And “Neil Young: Heart of Gold.” And those … Continue reading →

In her most famous big screen role, voodoo priestess Tia Dalia in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, Naomi Harris wore grey, clay-lumped dreadlocks and the nastiest teeth stains this side of the invention of toothpaste. But as her turn … Continue reading →

You can count on one hand the number of movies, over the decades, that have depicting Scouting and had the nerve to identify their characters as actual Boy Scouts. Wes Anderson shied away from that label and the official uniform … Continue reading →

It’s the details that stand out whenever a classic film is converted to 3D. With “Finding Nemo,” the shimmering sea surface, scratches on the lens of a diver’s goggles and smudge marks Nemo the clownfish makes when he mashes his … Continue reading →

I like the Producer’s Guild Awards, because they seem to widen the Oscar landscape rather than narrow it. Hell, give “Skyfall” some love, let everybody know that “Brave” and “ParaNorman” are among the best animated films of the year. Here’s … Continue reading →

NOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A FEATURE FILM IN 2012: Period Film ANNA KARENINA Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood ARGO Production Designer: Sharon Seymour DJANGO UNCHAINED Production Designer: J. Michael Riva LES MISÉRABLES Production Designer: Eve Stewart LINCOLN Production … Continue reading →

Movie fans, those with too much time on their hands, love to ponder the imponderable. Why did America flock to see “Ted”? How did Tyler Perry build an empire by donning a dress? What is new about “The Hunger Games,” … Continue reading →