Midnight in Paris (2011)

Midnight in Paris (2011) – Do you ever see stuff about like the free love revolution in the 1960s and think “damn, it would be great to be around then?” You’re not thinking about the details, like how everyone probably smelled and the “free love” in question was generally unprotected so herpes was probably everywhere. … Continue reading

Deja Vu All Over Again…

This article (a rare non-review) was originally published on 12ftdwende.com on 23 April 2010. I saw a movie this past week (actually three but only one is relevant to this particular op-ed). It was a madcap comedy about the many things that go wrong at a funeral. It is called Death at a Funeral and … Continue reading

Hamlet (2009)

Hamlet (2009) – So I’ve probably read Hamlet maybe a half-dozen times. I’ve never seen a stage production but this is probably the fourth or fifth film version I have seen of it (favorite is still Franco Zeffirelli’s 1990 version). It’s from the Royal Shakespeare Company and features the same cast as the acclaimed stage … Continue reading

Modernized Shakespeare

The following article originally appeared on 12ftdwende.com on 1 April 2011… Regular readers (do I even have those?) have surely noticed by now that at the end of each article I have been merrily endorsing the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival, reminding people that they can follow it on Twitter (@sacshakes), “like” it on Facebook, or particularly … Continue reading

Frankenstein (1931)

Frankenstein (1931) – So I have saved the best for not-quite-last (since some of the other movies I intend to watch are sequels to this one). Frankenstein is my favorite of the old Universal Monster movies. It’s also the most popular with five sequels and a crossover with Abbott and Costello. Boris Karloff and Jack … Continue reading

My Big Ass Oscar Article 2012

If you want to know what I felt were the best movies of the year etc. then that’s a different article altogether (one that can be read here). This is about the Oscars. For most categories, I just offer a quick pick for what WILL win and a brief explanation for why I think that. … Continue reading

Pirate Radio (2009)

Pirate Radio (2009) aka The Boat that Rocked — I am a fan of British Invasion rock music from the 1960s as well as “sticking it to the man” stories so I suppose I was somewhat predisposed to enjoy this one. It’s lightweight fun, but I have to emphasize the fun part. Plus an excellent … Continue reading

My Week with Marilyn (2011)

My Week with Marilyn (2011) – Oscar-bait season is here at last, and with it we get our first front-runner for Best Actress: two-time nominee Michelle Williams (though Meryl Streep has a movie about Margaret Thatcher coming up later this year so it’s too early to declare Williams the victor). Back in the days of … Continue reading

As You Like It (2006)

As You Like It (2006) — I have seen two of Kenneth Branagh’s previous Shakespeare films. One, Much Ado About Nothing, I quite liked. The other, Hamlet, I have several issues with. As You Like It I like, mostly due to the cast and performances. The film is transplanted to Japan, after it was opened … Continue reading