127 Hours is a lot. And very little. And all sorts of things. It’s a bit of a slog, it’s beautifully shot, it’s the James Franco show, it’s bloody, it’s tough, but mostly, it’s pretty amazing. There are two superstars who really make 127 Hours what it is (aside, obviously, from Aron Ralston, the […]
The true story of Valerie Plame, the CIA agent who was exposed by the Bush White House as payback for her diplomat husband speaking out of turn, is enthralling. It’s got built-in suspense, fascinating characters, some of the highest stakes ever to make it onto the page of a screenplay. The film stars the excellent […]
It’s been month since I saw I’m Still Here, Casey Affleck’s disturbing and unpleasant documentary about Joaquin Phoenix’s meltdown and coinciding quest to become a rapper. Despite the gross lateness of this review, I actually saw the film the week it came out, before I’d had a chance to read any articles informing me that […]
I have a confession to make. Despite years of soccer-playing, action-figure-collecting, comic-book-reading, action-movie-loving tomboy-ery, I’ve always, truly, wanted to be a Disney princess. But I didn’t want to be just any princess: I wanted to be Belle, the confident heroine who ultimately saves herself and her love with her brains and good heart. This is […]
If I were to remake the list below, Deathly Hallows would easily and handily fall at number 1. It wouldn’t even be a debate. Let’s just get this out of the way, right here: to me, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was easily the best film of the series, the best adaptation of a […]
Earlier this year my father bought Life Magazine’s “100 People Who Changed the World”. I read the thing cover to cover. There were tons of omissions, none quite so confounding to me as Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. My dad didn’t understand why I insisted that the 26-year-old billionaire should be on the list, […]
Full disclosure: Although I’ve never joined a fan club, written a celebrity a letter, or started a blog dedicated to my love for a boy band member, Ben Affleck is the closest thing I have to a life-long celebrity obsession. It’s not even a romantic obsession. I don’t doodle his name on my notebooks, and […]
Teen comedies live or die based on their casts. A brilliant script is a plus, kicking direction can be a boon, and an original concept is always appreciated, but they live or die based on their casts. Think of the very best teen movies (Ten Things I Hate About You, Mean Girls, Can’t Hardly Wait, […]