The ‘Shut Up’ Label
“Don’t listen to him, he’s just a [fill in blank here]” You may not have noticed as the world has subtly changed, but labels have taken on a new role—especially when we stick them on people. We used to think an identifier simply helped clarify who a person was. And I guess things like, “He’s […]
Have Movie, Will Text?
My wife and I both like going to a good movie. She may not ramble on afterwards about a pic’s artistic nuances and production values like I do, but we both dig that immersive moviegoing experience. When it comes to obnoxious seatmates at the cinema, however, our viewing public sensibilities diverge. Where I usually bite […]
The Fine Print’ll Cost Ya
Max Schrems is telling you to watch out. Earlier this year The New York Times reported Max’s ongoing battle with Facebook. It seems that after two or three years of using the social networking page, the Austrian law student suddenly sat up and said, “Hmm,” and began thinking about his personal data. What kind of […]
Do We Really Need Another Total Recall?
If you’ve been looking ahead to this year’s movie offerings, well, you’ve got to admit that the pickins appear to be pretty slim. We’ve got Men In Black (they’re up to what, number 14 now?), a new Spider-Man reboot, oh, and let’s not forget the latest Snow White redux (that makes two this year … […]
A Changing (Miss) Universe
If you’ve had any questions about whether or not our society is going through some cultural twistings and turnings, here’s another news story that lands solidly in the “yep” column. It seems that even the old bikini-and-evening-gown beauty pageants are being escorted into a new day. You may have heard about Jenna Talackova, a Miss […]
Today’s Movie Zoo
OK, so you love a good film. But you’re also a discerning sort that just can’t abide exposing yourself or your family to all the unnecessary garbage that sometimes comes along with today’s pics. So what do you do? Sure, you can stick to the rated-PG-and-lower fare, but that doesn’t always offer much more than […]
Don’t Turn Around … It’s Watching
Let’s face it, we’ve got 4G phones, wireless game consoles and smart TVs. And we’re getting pretty comfortable with all those interconnected devices and the cool one-touch control they give us over our world. Hey, we can finish a business report, start our car and tell our home DVR what to record for our evening […]
A King-Sized Hunger for IMAX
The last three months notwithstanding, it’s no secret that Hollywood has been struggling for the last few years. Movies are more expensive to make, consistently bumping up against, or flat-out shattering the $100 million mark. That, of course, translates to heftier ticket prices—and consumer doldrums. I mean, why would film lovers want to go fork […]
Hungry for Hunger Games?
We’ve made our way through Harry Potter’s magickings and Bella’s Twilight vampire kisses. And here we are at the cusp of yet another young adult novel being transformed into what its makers hope will be cinematic gold. The Hunger Games will hit the theaters March 23, and fans are holding their bated breath. If this […]
A Quick-Burning Flame
We’ve all done it, maybe even accidentally. A misspoken phrase. A stupid choice of words. And the next thing you know, things flare up out of proportion. The book of James warns us that our tongue is a small flame that can start some devastating fires. It’s a pretty good bet, though, that most indiscretions […]