Los Angeles is home to hundreds of film-related events every year, and even though purist cinephiles often bemoan a lack of access to older films compared to New York, our repertory circuit stacks up pretty well: Cinefamily, the New Beverly, the Egyptian, the Aero, UCLA’s Billy Wilder, LACMA, the list goes on. But nothing in […]
2015 TCM Classic Film Festival: Preview Read More »
“Blue Jasmine” is a type of Woody Allen film that Allen hasn’t made in over a decade: a dramedy that’s more drama than comedy, but isn’t heavily concerned with plot. Perhaps even more than 2011’s “Midnight in Paris,” the movie feels like “vintage Allen,” though I use that term with some level of trepidation because
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The American film industry operates under the general rule that the narrative of any animated film must be simple enough for a small child to follow completely, a practice that harms kids more than it helps them, in that they are, as a result, very rarely exposed to the kind of sophisticated storytelling that might
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In order for an “intertwining stories”-formatted ensemble film to succeed, it must offer engaging characters and/or a compelling overarching thesis to unite each segment. As if all his creative juices were expended on last year’s masterwork “Midnight in Paris,” which achieved both feats, writer/director Woody Allen accomplishes neither in “To Rome with Love,” a turgid,
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We’re barely past the Fourth of July, but that’s not stopping DreamWorks Animation from releasing the trailer for its Holiday Season tent-pole, “Legend of the Guardians,” based on the book by William Joyce. The family-friendly pic tells the story of five children’s heroes – Santa Claus, Jack Frost, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, and the
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Few Hollywood filmmakers have proven themselves to be as tone-deaf as Adam Shankman has during his recent foray into musicals. That Shankman has failed so miserably in the genre is surprising, given his background as a choreographer. But few films–let alone upbeat musicals– are as joyless and utterly lacking an understanding of cinematic kinetics as
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Alec Baldwin has more or less been threatening the end of “30 Rock” for several years, but now the time has come. Today, NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt announced that the critically-revered sitcom’s next 13-episode season will be its last. “I know Tina, Alec, and the rest will deliver some of their best work,” Greenblatt said.
It’s official: “30 Rock” to end next season Read More »
