trailer break: ‘Defiance’

Take a break from work: watch a movie trailer… It’s the other Daniel Craig movie this fall — the not-James Bond one. He gets to be all heroic in this one, it seems. Not sure what the Bond movie will be having him do… Also: Craig with both Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell? It’s like … more…

watch it: “John McCain Losing His Cool”

I’m in England at the moment, where I’m getting an, um, interesting perspective on the American presidential campaigning. So just to be perverse, all this week I’m highlighting YouTube video of Republican candidate John McCain, for two reasons. 1) He’s a nut, and as many people as possible need to know that before they go … more…

5 reasons I’m psyched for ‘Synecdoche, New York’

All this week! 5 movies I’m psyched for in October, and 5 reasons why. No. 1: Synecdoche, New York [opens limited October 24]. 1. Gonzo screenwriter Charlie Kaufman makes his debut as a director, working from his own script. Will that make this even more deliciously bizarre than the movies he merely wrote — such … more…

Paul Newman, 1925–2008

I heard about Paul Newman’s death tonight from the front page of a newspaper in a gas station in Stratford-upon-Avon, which means it must have been announced yesterday. Feel free to chat here about favorite Newman roles and other public works (spaghetti sauce, charitable works, etc.).

a few random thoughts from England

still life: mobile (new) with cup of tea (empty) 1) The M40 looks like the New Jersey Turnpike (except for the sheep). 2) Not only have I not seen a single movie since I’ve been in England, I haven’t seen a single movie theater. There is apparently a cinema in Stratford-upon-Avon, but I haven’t come … more…

where the Stratford theater crowd hangs out

This is the streetside patio at the Dirty Duck, right down the street from the RSC’s Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon… and it’s where lots of actors stop by for a pint after the show. There wasn’t a theater crowd the night I took this shot, but a few nights later, the patio was mobbed by … more…

trailer break: ‘Fireproof’

Take a break from work: watch a movie trailer… Oh noes! Kirk Cameron is a hero with everyone in the whole wide world except his wife! And a real man’s gotta be a hero to his wife before he can be a hero to anybody else, or he ain’t a real man. Promise Keepers: The … more…