Like it’s title, The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford can feel like too much on the plate, let alone the movie theater marquee. Truth be told, on my first attempt to watch it the sonorous narration, beautiful photography and leisurely pacing conspired to lull me into a sound sleep. Not a [...]
In Bruges finds its central metaphor in a Hieronymus Bosch vision of purgatory, a crazy mishmash that’s beautiful, disturbing, funny, and ultimately a way station to the next plane of existence for those depicted. As is Bruges itself in the skewed vision of writer/director Martin McDonough, reteaming Brendan Gleeson, star of his first feature Six [...]
The recession claimed another victim this week as GM announced the shutdown of the storied Pontiac brand. Pontiac represented both the best and the worst of car design at GM over the years, evolving from a staid image in the 1950s to the so-called “excitement” brand by the early 1980s. Along the way it boosted [...]
Bea Arthur, star of groundbreaking sitcoms Maude and The Golden Girls as well as numerous Broadway shows, has died. Tall and deep voiced, the actress born Bernice Frankel in New York found success on and off-Broadway for years after studying acting at the New School for Social Research before TV came calling.
A few weeks ago we looked at the best albums of 1969 – now it’s time to take a look at that year’s best films. It was a year when the line between exploitation pic and blockbuster were blurrier than ever and when the close of a tumultuous decade was cause for reflection around the [...]
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