Looking Closer
Oprah just picked The Road. Wow. That’s gutsy. The Road is a dark, dark, dark post-apocalyptic work, from all that I’ve read about it. (Check out Adam Walter’s reaction.) (more…) Read more
Oprah just picked The Road. Wow. That’s gutsy. The Road is a dark, dark, dark post-apocalyptic work, from all that I’ve read about it. (Check out Adam Walter’s reaction.) (more…) Read more
If you had told me early on that Indiana Jones 4 would star Cate Blanchett and Ray “Sexy Beast” Winstone, I would never have voiced my pleas to leave the trilogy to rest in peace. (more…) Read more
By the beard of Zeus, it’s… Looking Closer’s Film Forum! REVIEW OF THE WEEK: Nothing makes me sit up and pay attention the way I do when a film critic I admire and respect publishes a review in stark disagreement with my own feelings about a particular film. A couple of weeks ago, I posted my admiration for The Lives of Others. This week, J. Robert Parks really, really disagrees. And it’s the kind of review that stirs things up. It’s... Read more
I have been out of line in some of my statements in relation to 300. I wrote things that made it sound like I was condemning the film. And I made some people who really liked the film uncomfortable. That wasn’t my intention. And I apologize for getting so worked up about it. As a critic, I should not judge films I haven’t seen. That’s unprofessional. Now, technically, I haven’t judged it. I would, in fact, be delighted if I... Read more
A legendary figure from my high-school days … Larry “Bud” Melman, a giant from the glory days of David Letterman … has passed on. (more…) Read more
I’m responding yet again about the movie 300 for this simple reason: I have been baited, again and again, into extremely violent or explicit films that proved to be empty… and worse, even abusive to audiences. I have been told, “You have got to see it!”, and I’ve been promised that all of the graphic material was justified because of what it meant. “It’s about fighting for freedom! It’s about fighting for a higher cause!” Most of the time, I’ve... Read more
Great Odin’s raven! It’s… Looking Closer’s Film Forum! The Wind That Shakes the Barley When the envelopes are torn open and the winners are breathlessly announced on Oscar night, most American moviegoers have already had plenty of opportunities to see the nominated features. But when the Cannes Film Festival crowns the winner of the Palme d’Or each year, only the fortunate festival attendees get to feel the excitement. It often takes months for the rest of the world, America included,... Read more
On March 6, I stepped down from my role as the chairman of the Faith and Film Critics Circle. It was not a difficult decision: With all of the increasing demands on my time from the Through a Screen Darkly and Auralia’s Colors projects, it became obvious to me that I didn’t have the time or resources to be an effective leader for that particular endeavor anymore. I probably should have stepped down six months ago. As I look back... Read more
Oh, no. It’s… Looking Closer’s Film Forum! The soundtrack for this week’s Film Forum is provided by The Arcade Fire’s new abum Neon Bible. How do you get the soundtrack to play while you read the column? Easy. Buy Neon Bible from iTunes and start playing it. The column will be much more exciting to read if you do. Trust me. DO MOVIE CRITICS MATTER? Do movie critics matter? Absolutely not, says Brian Robbins, director of the hit comedy Norbit. Standing... Read more
As a huge fan of The Innocence Mission, I must say I am freaking out a little bit. A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Monsignor Jim Lisante for a program called “Personally Speaking.” (more…) Read more
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