I must confess, I’m not much a fan of the western genre. While only a recent handful of the dusty tales have genuinely appealed to me (including ‘Silverado,’ ‘The Quick and the Dead,’ and ‘Unforgiven’) I typically don’t seek out these [...]
I was working in the book business when Louis de Bernières novel, "Captain Corelli’s Mandolin," first came out and I can attest to the fact that it created quite a stir and was widely read by all types of people who would have typically shied [...]
"Ghost World" is a film that resides near the top of just about every film critic’s top ten list for 2001. Unfortunately, this was not an easy movie to market and even all the accolades didn’t lead to much box office success. One look at the [...]
Today, more than ever, the media loves to scrutinize the media. And now, as it has been throughout history, this kind of coverage can, at times, thrive on sensationalism. So, whenever a product is labeled as "controversial" or [...]
"The Tiger of Eschnapur" and "The Indian Tomb" were two of the last films directed by the acclaimed German director Fritz Lang. Based on a story Lang originally co-authored in 1921 (and which was made into a wonderful silent film [...]
People will always want more of a good thing. Which is why, when ABC canceled the TV show "Twin Peaks" in 1991 after a 29-episode run, the ravenous fans of the show demanded more. Despite the fact that the central conceit of the show, the murder [...]
"The Prime Gig" is a movie about the art of the con which boasts an impressive cast but, in the end, really adds nothing new to the age-old adage, "Never trust a con." Vince Vaughn stars as Pendelton "Penny" Wise, a [...]
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch, " a flamboyant, touching rock musical in the vein of "The Rocky Horror Show," is the brainchild of actor/writer John Cameron Mitchell. What started as an improv character became an off-Broadway hit, [...]
"Burden of Dreams" may have been the title to the 1982 documentary about German filmmaker Werner Herzog’s journey into the Amazon to shoot his epic adventure "Fitzcarraldo, " but the moniker also handily applies to the misfit [...]
There’s something unique about war movies made while the conflict they portray is still raging. They tend to offer a snapshot of the sensibilities of the general public at a time of great uncertainty and, while often rife with unfortunate racial [...]
