Brian

June 21, 2014

Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank

Controversial. Witty. Acerbic. Straightforward. No bullshit. These are all words that can describe the former US Congressman from Massachusetts, Barney Frank. His voyage from local politician to the national stage is documented in Sheila Canavan and Michael Chandler’s “Compared to What: The Improbably Journey of Barney Frank,” which screened last night at the 16th Annual Provincetown Film Festival.

May 31, 2014

Sorcerer

God bless the Film Forum! If it wasn’t for this extraordinary little theater on W. Houston, special engagements of overlooked movies like “Sorcerer” might never be seen on the big screen again, relegated to not-exactly-the-same laptop viewing.

May 20, 2014

Taxi zum Klo

This is an interesting piece for a variety of reasons.

April 24, 2014

August: Osage County

If there were an Olympic category for “Best Team Acting,” this big screen adaptation of Tracy Letts’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play would have swept the competition. Captained by ferocious performances by Meryl Streep (reminding us all of why she IS Meryl Streep) and Julia Roberts, “August: Osage County” invites us in for some seriously dysfunctional family good times.

February 10, 2014

Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages Release Date: June 15, 2012 Runtime: 123 minutes Rating: PG-13 Studio: Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema Director: Adam Shankman Cast: Julianne Hough; Diego Boneta; Alec Baldwin; Russell Brand; Paul Giamatti; Catherine Zeta-Jones; Bryan Cranston; Malin Akerman; Mary J. Blige; Tom Cruise[/two_third] The […]

February 2, 2014

Philip Seymour Hoffman: 1967-2014

I, like many, was shocked to hear about the death of actor/director/writer Philip Seymour Hoffman today, a brilliant artist gone way too soon. While it was known that he had a substance-abuse problem, it is still shocking and troubling to hear of the untimely passing of an artist who contributed […]

December 26, 2013

The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street Release Date: December 25, 2013 Runtime: 180 minutes Rating: very, very R Studio: Paramount Pictures Director: Martin Scorsese Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio; Jonah Hill; Matthew McConaughey; Margot Robbie; Rob Reiner; Kyle Chandler; Jon Bernthal; Jean Dujardin; Joanna Lumley; Ethan Suplee Jordan Belfort’s […]

December 21, 2013

Her

Her Release Date: December 18, 2013 (limited); January 10, 2014 (wide) Runtime: 126 minutes Rating: R Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Director: Spike Jonze Cast: Joaquin Phoenix; Scarlett Johansson (voice); Amy Adams; Chris Pratt; Rooney Mara This one was a total surprise! My expectations were low: another […]

December 13, 2013

The Cutting Edge

The Cutting Edge Release Date: March 27, 1992 Runtime: 101 minutes Rating: PG Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Director: Paul Michael Glaser Cast: D.B. Sweeney; Moira Kelly; Roy Dotrice; Terry O’Quinn; Dwier Brown Ask anyone. I’m a sucker for any movie that ends with the lovers kissing, the music […]

December 1, 2013

Endless Love

Endless Love Release Date: July 17, 1981 Runtime: 116 minutes Rating: R Studio: Universal Pictures Director: Franco Zeffirelli Cast: Brooke Shields; Martin Hewitt; Shirley Knight; Don Murray; James Spader; Richard Kiley; Beatrice Straight Watching this movie, I had an overwhelming feeling of “I get it.” Let me […]

November 10, 2013

Why Mariska Hargitay Is The Patron Saint Of My Apartment

If you’ve ever watched “Law & Order: Special Victim’s Unit,” you know Mariska Hargitay. She’s been on the show since its inception in 1999, one of several spin-offs from Dick Wolf’s wildly popular and NYC-based “Law & Order” franchise (the original and its other spin-offs, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” […]

November 5, 2013

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

The Thomas Crown Affair Release Date: August 6, 1999 Runtime: 113 minutes Rating: R Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Director: John McTiernan Cast: Pierce Brosnan; Rene Russo; Denis Leary; Ben Gazzara; Frankie Faison This is a remake of the Steve McQueen – Faye Dunaway classic, unseen (at least at the […]