Monthly Archives: April 2016

Whatever quality it was that made Dave Eggers the “It Boy” of American literature ever since the modestly-titled “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” plum evades big screen translation in “A Hologram for the King.” A misshapen, aimless midlife crisis … Continue reading →

One LA woman, a sometime actress and producer, remembers stepping over this listless, very elderly homeless woman sitting on the curb of Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. Another woman, a sometime producer, endured a chewing out by the old lady … Continue reading →

The best thrillers blast through fear and demand action. They drag you to the edge of your seat. They make you shout at the screen, or at least mutter your response to whatever life-threatening scenario is unfolding before you. You’re … Continue reading →

August is, realistically, the first crack in the window of “Oscar season,” when movies with any sort of buzz/potential open with hopes of having the legs to stick around to October. The story of McDonald’s empire builder Ray Kroc, starring … Continue reading →

For all the near photo-realism of today’s generation of computer-generated effects, there’s still something to be said for old-fashioned, tactile costumes and make-up, for real settings and real scenery. Want to show an ogre? Dress up a very tall man, … Continue reading →

The Filmmakers’ Generation has but a handful of saints. More than a few of them are Italian-American. Most have had to fall back on their reputations in recent years. Some got too rich to keep working. Some tried to do … Continue reading →

Even Kristen Stewart knew the world was in no need of a sequel to that dreary “Snow White and the Huntsman” movie she made. But being pointless turns out to be the least of the shortcomings of “The Huntsman: Winter’s … Continue reading →

It’s just a tiny slice of pop culture trivia, meaningless in the greater historical sagas of the lives of The President and The King. But you can’t look at that photo of Elvis Presley meeting Richard Nixon in The Oval … Continue reading →

Rave all you like about the computer-generated imagery, the gorgeous 3D jungle flora and fauna of Disney’s latest version of “The Jungle Book.” You will forget about all that technology within minutes of the opening credits. The interface between a … Continue reading →

Mercurial, menacing, charismatic and deep — those are the traits that made Don Cheadle the right guy to take on mythic jazzman and icon of cool Miles Davis. Cheadle suggests, in not-quite-equal measure, each of those facets of persona in … Continue reading →