Movie Monday: Iron Man Trumps Great Gatsby
It was a glitzy, gaudy showdown between rich, somewhat shady tycoons at the multiplex this weekend. At one end we found Tony Stark—a flawed techno-genius with a penchant for spectacular houses, fast cars and rip-roaring parties. At the other was Jay Gatsby—a flawed socio-genius with a penchant for … well, spectacular houses, fast cars and […]
Movie Monday: Iron Man 3
It’s too bad that Tony Stark’s Malibu mansion was blown to smithereens. It was a pretty place. But here’s a bit of good news: With the moolah Iron Man 3 collected this weekend, methinks Tony will be able to build a shiny new crib. In fact, he could probably build a spare—you know, just in […]
The Book Was Better
I’ve been re-reading F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby the last few nights, prepping for the release of the film version starring Leonardo DiCaprio (coming out May 10). It’s my third time through the novel and each time, I like it more. Look, I’m obviously a writer. I mess around with language every day, and […]
Movie Monday: Pain & Gain
You could say that our pain was Paramount Pictures’ gain this weekend. Paramount’s kinda-sorta truthy dark comedy Pain & Gain, starring Mark Wahlberg, muscled its way to the top of the box office, flexing its box office biceps with a $20 million gross and clean-and-jerking the weekend’s crown over its steroid-addled head. Sure, Plugged In […]
Movie Monday: Oblivion
Some would say that banking on a superstar is risky business in these CGI-laden days: Big names aren’t as bankable at the box office as they used to be, even ones that have all the right moves. But this week, Tom Cruise jumped into the fray with his eyes wide shut and proved that there […]
Why Are There So Many Heroes Among Us?
There’s nothing good about a national tragedy—other than the good that we see in the midst of one. When two shrapnel-laden bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday, the nation grieved. Three people died. About 170 others were wounded, some seriously. We again were forced to ponder the safety of […]
Movie Monday: 42
Even though he’s been gone for more than 40 years, Jackie Robinson can still smash one out of the park. The baseball biopic 42 circled the bases this weekend, hitting for an estimated $27.3 million and finding a home at the top of the box office. While those might not be the sort of stats […]
Movie Monday: Evil Dead
We must open the book. It’s frightening, I know. Its pages likely hold profane secrets—secrets so terrible that we hesitate to mention them. And yet, because it’s Monday, we must. We must crack open the cover and peer deeply into this ominous tome, steeling ourselves for the horrific truths found therein. Yes, it’s time to […]
Roger Ebert: 1942-2013
Film critic Roger Ebert died yesterday, just a couple of days after he announced he was taking a step back from his job to battle cancer—a fight he had waged off and on since 2002. He was 70. Ebert was arguably the best known and most respected movie critic for decades. A longtime writer for […]
All-American Television (and What It Says About Us)
An alien dropped by the other day. His name was Fred. He was nice enough, this Fred. As soon as he set down his sparkly craft in my back yard, he slithered out and shook my hand with his tentacle, waving his antennae in the friendliest manner. His English was fine (though he spoke with […]
