Monthly Archives: April 2013

Music’s School of Hard Knocks produces another alumna in “Filly Brown,” a gritty and well-acted  Latin hip hop variation of a long reliable formula. Gina Rodriguez delivers a breakout performance in the title role, a tough, two-fisted rapper named Majo … Continue reading →

The cinema’s leading purveyor of Southern Gothic, Jeff Nichols, hands Matthew McConaughey his latest tour de force turn in “Mud,” a down and dirty if entirely-too-long mythic melodrama in the “Tobacco Road” tradition. Nichols (“Shotgun Stories,” “Take Shelter”) has cooked … Continue reading →

“Oblivion” came in at just over $38 million, a quite decent take for a big budget sci-fi film and in the ballpark, at least, of the better Tom Cruise openings in recent years. “42” held on to enough audience to … Continue reading →

At the end of my chat with “Arthur Newman” star Colin Firth Friday, I asked that Evergreen, “What’s next?” He’s got “Gambit” with the Coens coming to theaters. He says the Barbra Streisand directed period piece romance “Skinny and Cat,” … Continue reading →

A very big Friday suggests that the Universal sci-fi thriller “Oblivion” overcame indifferent reviews to open at over $13 million, with a $40 million weekend within reach. That’s impressive. The film has already earned almost $80 million overseas, which is … Continue reading →

It occurred to me, on watching “Oblivion” for a second time last night as I waited to see “The Lords of Salem,” that it is very much an old-fashioned star vehicle. Tom Cruise holds the floor and the screen, and … Continue reading →

It’s Friday morning, time to chat with Mike “The Bulldog” Bianchi and Brian Kravitz over at 740 The Game. At 745, we’ll discuss “Oblivion,” a real “star vehicle” for a star who’s faded a bit — Tom Cruise. Not bad … Continue reading →