In many people’s eyes, being a film critic might be a pretty frivolous enterprise. I’ll admit that watching a movie for two hours with a box of popcorn and taking notes before picking apart their artistic merits doesn’t exactly rank
Imagine you’re an average American guy, minding your own business on a train across Europe when the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen tells you that she wants you to come with her. If you’re a normal dude, you’re at
True love is a hard thing to define, for there are as many ways to describe it as there are longstanding couples on this planet. For some, it’s about the romance, for others about being an emotional rock of support
There are many kinds of prisons in this world, some literal and some figurative but no less destructive to the basic human need for freedom. And from childhood, one fairy tale that teaches us about that imprisonment and quest to
There comes a time in many movie stars’ careers when they decide they want to take chances, and break the mold in which their image has been cast. Think of happy-go-lucky Tom Hanks playing a gay lawyer dying of AIDS
About a decade ago, Russell Crowe was on a career roll that was almost unprecedented in Hollywood history, scoring Best Actor Oscar nominations three years in a row for 1999’s “The Insider,” 2000’s “Gladiator” and 2001’s “A Beautiful Mind,” while
Everyone’s got a cocky side about something, a skill in which they’re a little too confident about their abilities and are sure they can do no wrong. For Aron Ralston, that confidence covered his outdoor adventuring skills, and it almost
A night at the movies can be many things if you’re lucky – filled with laughter, tears, love or awe. And during Halloween season, plenty of movies try to play on our fears, even as most horror movies are absolutely
While surfing Facebook at work a couple weeks ago (ye who’s without that sin can cast the first stone), I found a status update from my 15 year old niece in Alabama that took me right back to my own
Ever since the late great John Hughes stopped cranking out classic high-school films like “The Breakfast Club” and “Pretty in Pink” at the end of the 1980s, finding a teen movie with any true psychological depth has been a nearly
There is perhaps no greater mystery than what happens to each of us after we die, and in a healthy family, perhaps no greater love than that between its members. Two new films of uncommon depth and emotional power tackle
Everyone wants to enjoy their retirement, whether they’re noble people like a schoolteacher or a fireman, or as ruthlessly coldblooded as a black ops agent or Hillary Clinton. But some professions don’t lend themselves easily to kicking back on a
Taking a look at the big media picture, and especially among our brethren, on the Right such as Fox and Breitbart, it might seem that the biggest story of the year is the Tea Party movement. It’s supposed to be
Anyone who pays attention to the movies knows that Hollywood loves to mine the same ideas over and over again. Whether via sequels, remakes or reboots, the big-studio machinery will take hold of nearly any idea that clicks with viewers
When it comes to conservative political satire, there’s probably no more popular practitioner of the form than P.J. O’Rourke. Having overcome his own crazy hippie days in the ’60s, O’Rourke went on to become one of the defining writers of
Way back in 1987, filmmaker Oliver Stone achieved an amazing double-whammy at the box office and Academy Awards with the one-two punch of “Wall Street” and “Platoon.” While “Platoon” managed to win Best Picture and “Wall Street” scored the Best
Joining the family business – whether following in a parent’s footsteps as a doctor, lawyer, plumber or tow-truck driver – is a frequent American tradition. But for dozens, perhaps hundreds, of men in the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown, the family
After a summer of entertaining yet mostly unspectacular films, you might be asking yourself, “Is there anything truly unique in theatres?” Well, count your lucky stars, for the “Mesrine” films hit big-city art theatres last weekend, and will likely keep
Writer James Ellroy suffered the murder of his mother, Jean Hilliker, at the age of 10 – just three months after he angrily told her he wished she would die in response to being struck by her – and has
As the famous saying goes, “Pride goeth before the fall.” And perhaps there’s no moment of greater pride in the world of entertainment than being nominated for an Oscar – a fact that Joaquin Phoenix knows all too well after
Long-distance relationships have always been a true test of love and fidelity for any couple attempting them, but at least in the modern age of cellphones and Skype and occasionally cheap air travel, it’s easier to keep the flame going
From the time they’re young children, most people are taught that there’s good and evil in the world, along with angels and demons, God as well as the devil. But while many continue to believe in this cosmic supernatural battle
It’s always a surprise when you go into a movie theatre expecting one thing, and wind up with a completely different kind of experience. Usually that surprise is an unpleasant one, when a movie starring a superstar turns out to
While growing up in the ’80s, one of the most popular genres of films were buddy-cop films. Filled with wisecracking banter between two mismatched, big-city cops – one fat, one fit; or one black, one white – along with fast-paced
Love or hate them, the 1980s had an impact on pop culture that the world has never quite shaken. From the advent of music videos to ridiculous hair to flashy films and TV shows, everything seemed bigger, louder and brasher
