Don’t Take Media Influence for Granite
I never really wanted granite countertops before television. I was just dandy with our tile countertops. Have been for years. They support pots and pans. They repel spilled apricot juice. They don’t crack under heat. I mean, what else do we really require of our countertops, functionally speaking? I never really thought of counters as […]
Movie Monday: Cowboys & Smurfs
You’d think the shootout would’ve been a forgone conclusion. Cowboys & Aliens had all the star power, all the firepower and some serious buzz. It had James Bond, Indiana Jones and a load of nasty aliens. Who would’ve thought it could’ve been challenged by a bunch of modified cartoon characters just three apples high? When […]
Oh, Cry Me a Movie
What’s the saddest movie ever? Bambi? Old Yeller? Transformers: Dark of the Moon? Pish. Don’t make the science guy over there in the corner laugh. Oh, sure, those movies might be sad. They might even make some folks shed a tear or two. But if you want to see something that’ll reliably make you bawl […]
Movie Monday: Captain America Takes Down Harry
Harry Potter? Soooo last week. There’s a new hero in theaters now: Or, should I say, a new superhero. Captain America augmented his red, white and blue color scheme this weekend with a whole lotta green—$65.8 million, to be exact. That officially makes Cap the biggest superhero star of the summer (on opening weekend, at […]
The Pen Behind Pooh
About a week ago, I had a chance to talk by phone with Mark Henn. Never heard of him? Not surprising, perhaps, but I’m almost certain you’ve seen his work. Henn is one of the top animators at Walt Disney Studios, working on almost every 2-D American animated movie of consequence for the last 30 […]
Movie Monday: Harry Potter and the Box Office Record Book
The Boy Who Lived had a magical weekend at the multiplex. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 charmed its way to a massive—and I mean massive—$168.6 million take over the three-day run, hexing any and all adversaries that would dare challenge it. If some geeky blogger with a calculator took this week’s pics […]
Just Sit Right Back and You’ll Hear a Tale …
Emmy nominations were released this morning. AMC’s Mad Men again led the way with 19 nominations, including Best Drama. The show is angling for its fourth win in the category in as many years, but will face challenges from three shows on premium cable (HBO’s Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire and Showtime’s Dexter), one […]
Movie Monday: Transformers Still the Boss
The mighty machine that is Transformers: Dark of the Moon, rumbled, bumbled and stumbled its way to another box office victory, crushing Horrible Bosses and a wayward Zookeeper along the way like so much aluminum foil. The Michael Bay (at right) boomfest pounded its way to another $47 million, vaulting its overall take to $261 […]
Casey’s Crucible
Unless you’ve been visiting the moon of Titan for the last few days, you probably know by now that Casey Anthony, accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, was exonerated by a jury of her peers Tuesday. Lots of observers found the verdict shocking, especially Nancy Grace from CNN’s HLN. “The devil is dancing tonight!” […]
Movie Monday: Dark of the Box Office
You can’t keep a good machine down. Transformers: Dark of the Moon flew down to earth and claimed everything it saw for its own clanky empire. The numbers are a little confusing, what with the film opening last Tuesday and with a Fourth of July holiday thrown into the mix. But in short, the Transformers […]
