female gazing extra: “Men in Film”
A hundred years of handsome Hollywood hotties, from Douglas Fairbanks Sr. to George Clooney, in three and a half minutes…
Peter O’Toole
new this week in U.S., Canadian, and U.K. theaters: ‘Knight and Day,’ ‘Grown Up,’ ‘Get Him to the Greek,’ ‘When in Rome,’ more
U.S. AND CANADA/OPENING WIDE Knight and Day: Tom Cruise does some spy stuff and runs around a lot, while Cameron Diaz does a lot of screaming and runs around like a girl. If you can’t make it to the multiplex, try: • The 39 Steps (1935): Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll are mismatched maybe-spies in … more…
new this week in U.S., Canadian, and U.K. theaters: ‘Get Him to the Greek,’ ‘Splice,’ ‘Death at a Funeral,’ ‘The Brothers Bloom,’ more
U.S. AND CANADA/OPENING WIDE Get Him to the Greek: Rock stars (ie, Russell Brand) are a mess, and the normal people who are their fans (ie, Jonah Hill) are only slightly less a mess. Such is the plight of humanity. If you can’t make it to the multiplex, try: • Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008): Which … more…
the oh-no! DVD of the week: ‘Princess of Persia’
If you’re hoping your straight-to-DVD fantasy action flick is gonna ride the coattails of a big Hollywood blockbuster, you should probably pick your big Hollywood blockbuster better: it doesn’t pay to hitch your wagon to a flop. The epic true story of one woman’s battle to save a nation. King Xerxes is leading the Persians … more…
Ratatouille (review)
Oh, but there is joy in this movie… It fills you up, this wonderful, wonderful movie, with just the simple yet profound connection it’s possible to make with another creature, even if that creature is merely a cartoon rat.
The Last Emperor (review)
When Pu Yi ascended the throne in Peking in 1908, he was only 3 years old. From his short-lived reign to his arrest as a counterrevolutionary in Red China in 1950, he spent his life as little more than a pawn of those who wished to further their own agendas. Nevertheless, director Bernardo Bertolucci’s gorgeous and seductive The Last Emperor imbues this powerless and constantly thwarted figure with a resolute if melancholy grace.
Lawrence of Arabia (review)
T.E. Lawrence was what a friend of mine calls a ‘transethnic,’ like the couple of Italian guys you always see playing bagpipes in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Lawrence of Arabia’s Lawrence (Peter O’Toole, who inhabits the role) tries to explain to an Arab friend how he is ‘different’ from the ‘fat’ people of his home in England’s Oxfordshire, but he can’t seem to make even himself understand. David Lean’s gorgeous film — one of the greatest movies ever made and one of my very favorites — captures this enigmatic man beautifully.
Fairy Tale: A True Story (review)
A charming movie full of great performances with a new-agey undertone that probably offends only me.
