Carl Kozlowski - Page 3

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

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

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

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

Robert Duvall has been an American cinematic icon for nearly five decades, ever since his memorable debut as Boo Radley in the 1962 film adaptation of “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Since then, he’s been in some of the greatest films

It’s hard to really notice eccentric people in a modern city the size of Los Angeles, where millions upon millions of residents tend to blur together as they rush past each other in their cars. But in rural America, the

Think back to your high school days, and you’ll likely remember at least one classmate who never quite fit in, even among the nerds and geeks. Someone who just sat in the corner with a book or a journal, letting

I’ll never forget the magic of growing up watching Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and the rest of the “Looney Tunes” pantheon of characters each and every Saturday morning in the ’70s and ’80s. They all had an anarchic spirit in

In 1987, Arnold Schwarzenegger took a big leap forward in his movie-star career by taking the lead role in “Predator,” a highly entertaining and effective mix of sci-fi action and horror that pushed him to do his first real acting

Some people just need one good person to believe in them in order to transform their lives. Sometimes that transformation is dramatic, but more often it’s one that just brings a person from loneliness to love, depression to happiness, a

There’s perhaps nothing more heartbreaking to a filmmaker than knowing that their first major film was considered their masterpiece, and that the rest of their career was a slow progression into frustration, mediocrity, or – worst of all – sheer

Some movies strain for their laughs, while others just have to turn the camera on their stars and the guffaws will flow. “Grown Ups” is one of the latter, a laid-back yet hilarious film that doesn’t have much of a

[Ed. Note: Big Hollywood is proud to be among only a handful of film sites chosen to premiere the new “Narnia” trailer: “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” which won’t be officially released until Friday. Carl has more below. ]

Movies based on TV shows are often some of the most painful offerings studios have to offer. Whether suffering through the big-screen versions of “The Beverly Hillbillies” or “Car 54, Where Are You?”, “My Favorite Martian” or this summer’s mega-bomb

Perhaps no other actor in the modern era has been able to slip into the skin of morally conflicted characters as well as Michael Douglas. Granted, he was kicking around Hollywood for nearly 20 years before his back-to-back breakthrough to

The new billboards for the fourth and ostensibly final “Shrek” movie, “Shrek Forever After,” feature Shrek helplessly tied down by the nefarious Rumpelstiltskin, the green ogre’s worried eyes accentuated by the slogan “What the Shrek Just Happened?” Unfortunately, fans of

I grew up in the fairly small city of Little Rock, Arkansas, and from as early as I can remember, I wanted to escape to Los Angeles or New York City and enter the world of showbiz. I watched and

Amid a spring movie season awash in mega-budgeted, big-studio releases, only one film has consistently shot up the box office charts week after week – rising more than 200 percent last weekend alone. That film is the delightfully funny movie

Imagine the pressure of pulling off the perfect film — then immediately being expected to top yourself. That was pretty much the situation faced by Robert Downey Jr. and director Jon Favreau with “Iron Man.” When that superhero flew into

Very few romantic comedies these days manage to get both the romance and the comedy right. But the surprisingly well-written, deftly cast and impressively scored new film “The Back-Up Plan” manages to be a rare success on both fronts. —–

“You can hear the entire audio of Carl’s exclusive Cheech & Chong interview on his radio show “Grand Theft Audio” from 6 to 8 p.m. PST on THIS Thursday night at www.latalkradio.com, channel one. Free downloadable podcasts will be available

Funerals are normally solemn occasions, filled with a combination of grief for the death of a loved one, joy at their passing into a “better place” in the afterlife, and fond remembrances of what the deceased meant to each of

Incredibly entertaining and ridiculously violent, “Kick-Ass” is also perhaps the most jaw-droppingly audacious superhero movie to date. Depicting what happens when a teenage comic book fan (Aaron Johnson) with no superpowers decides to follow his fictional heroes into cleaning up

Nearly every long-term couple hits some rough patches – periods in time where they lose their once-boiling attraction for each other and perhaps even forget what they loved about their partners in the first place. Phil and Claire Foster, a