James Franco Adapts to Gia Coppola in PALO ALTO
It was perhaps inevitable that the other filmmaking Coppolas would come up in my conversation with Gia Coppola on May 2, 2014. The granddaughter of Francis Ford, Gia is … Continue reading
Jonathan Glazer Goes UNDER THE SKIN
Jonathan Glazer read the book on which he based UNDER THE SKIN exactly once before adapting Michael Faber’s novel of the same name. The result is a film that … Continue reading
Oscar and Memory Lane
Now that Alfonso Cuaron has won the Oscar ™ for directing GRAVITY, I hope people will take a look at his previous work, including CHILDREN OF MEN. It’s an exquisite … Continue reading
Monumental Intentions
There is a reason that THE MONUMENTS MEN wasn’t released during the awards season. It has its flaws, some worse than others, but the hate it’s getting mystifies me. My … Continue reading
A Labored LABOR DAY
LABOR DAY will leave you craving peach pie and your money back. Based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard, it is a leaden piece of work … Continue reading
JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT — An Origin Story with A Future
JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT harkens back to those taut Cold War spy thrillers of days gone by. Not the ones with the elements of fantasy to their supervillains, but the … Continue reading
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY Makes A Case for Remakes
There are perhaps more reasons to NOT do a remake of a classic film than reasons to do so, yet THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY is that rare and … Continue reading
12 YEARS A SLAVE — Lupita Nyong’o Interview
12 YEARS A SLAVE, based on the memoir by Solomon Northup, a free man of color who was sold into slavery in the ante-bellum United States, is Lupita Nyong’o feature … Continue reading
Sophie Nelisse, Brian Percival & Geoffrey Rush Embrace THE BOOK THIEF
After spending so much time, and emotionally intense time at that, making THE BOOK THIEF, based on the best-seller by Marcus Zusak, it’s only natural that the film’s director, Brian Percival, … Continue reading
Director Debra Granik & Jennifer Lawrence Crack WINTER’S BONE.
And now a timely blast from the past to re-visit an interview I did with Jennifer Lawrence on April 30.2010 about her first Oscar(tm)-nominated performance in Debra Granik’s WINTER’S BONE. … Continue reading
Killer Movie Reviews 