I’m about halfway through my list of 2012 Oscar nominees for Best Picture. So far, I’ve seen Hugo, Moneyball (which I didn’t have time to review, bummer), The Help, The Tree of Life, and as of last night, Midnight in Paris. I must say I think I’ve found my favorite of them all thus far. [...]

Hmm. I’ve deleted several sentences right out of the gate this morning. Talking about this film is like spooning up mercury, or herding cats. First, let me tell you what type of movie this is not: a date movie linear in its narrative “feel-good” transparent; without deep symbolism for the easily bored or impatient viewer [...]

Intrigue, suspense, betrayal, revenge: all in a day’s work in the political world. But it was done with great flourish in The Ides of March. I’m not a great George Clooney fan (except of his face); nor do I think Ryan Gosling or Evan Rachel Wood are actors I’d count among Hollywood’s “beautiful people.” In fact, [...]

Novel, great. Movie, mehhhh…jury’s still out. Having read Bag of Bones years ago (1998), I thought the film adaptation would blow me away. Yet, there were little niggling things that just kind of spoiled it for me. First, the good: the kid who played Ky (seen at left) was fun to watch. A little too much [...]

Talk about unexpected. Yesterday, good fiend Tom Hanks and I went to see the new Martin Scorsese film, Hugo. Based on the children’s book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the story centers around an orphaned son of a clock maker who lives secretly within the walls of the clock towers in a busy 1930s Paris [...]