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Displaying Results 1 - 60 (of 60) for All Content
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Review: The Reader by Bernhard SchlinkOf the many books featured on Oprah's book club over the years, perhaps none has gone on to greater acclaim than The Reader. In fact, Bernhard Schlink's novel has been translated into 39 languages since its first publication in 1995....
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The December Boys: Coming-of-Age Film Warms the HeartMany people have been curious as to what kind of careers the young cast of Harry Potter would have now that they're growing up. December Boys is a low-key, sometimes charming little piece about growing up, family and the bonds of friendship.
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Ira and Abby: An Anti-Romantic Romcom About DivorceIs it possible to make an anti-romantic, romantic comedy?
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Becoming Jane: Fall in Love with This OneMost writers are heavily influenced by their own lives. Whether they base characters off of people they know or even rework segements from their own lives - authors often use their own experience as inspiration
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The Movie Cashback - Worth a LookIt may take itself a bit too seriously at times, but Cashback in no uncertain terms announces the arrival of a true artist in Sean Ellis.
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Eagle Vs SharkMovies and television shows about oddballs have been around since at least Revenge of the Nerds a generation ago; however, the last few years they have definitely experienced a rebirth in popularity.
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Rachid Bouchareb's Days of Glory Nominated for Best Foreign Language FilmAs General Sherman once noted "War is hell". Countless books and films have drilled this truism into our heads in the hundred and forty years since. Now imagine fighting for a country that is not even yours and barely aknowledges you.
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Ridley Scott's A Good Year Starring Russel CroweWho would have thought that a Ridley Scott film starring Russell Crowe would play more like a Diane Lane vehicle? A Good Year is very much...
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Copying Beethoven: Hits All the Right NotesIf you were to ask classical music fans who their favorite composer is, most would be split between Mozart and Beethoven. Mozart has already received a stirring tribute in Milos Forman's masterpiece Amadeus, but Beethoven ...
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Accepted: A Comedy About College LifeCollege comedies have been a staple of the Hollywood industry for decades. Dating back to Animal House, studios have continued to pound them out. Accepted, the newest entry into the canon
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ESPN: The Uncensored HistoryLike many 20-something males I am addicted to ESPN. The channel has been a mainstay of sports fanatics for over twenty five years. In ESPN: The Uncensored History, Michael Freeman examines the network's first two decades. The story of how...
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Wordplay: Why Are Crossword Puzzles so Popular?An estimated 50 million Americans do crossword puzzles every week. Why is it so popular? Who are these people? It is certainly an odd passion to those who do not partake in the weekly (or sometimes or with some people daily) hobby.
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Michael Krieger's All the Men in the Sea: The Story of DLB-269, An Oil Pipe Laying Barge Caught in Hurricane Roxanne in 1995All the Men in the Sea is the story of the DLB-269, an oil pipe laying barge, that was caught up in Hurricane Roxanne in 1995. The harrowing story of survival among one of the fiercest storms Mother Nature can create is brilliantly told...
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United 93 : A Powerful TributeThe terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were not that long ago. Most of us have various stories of waking up to the news or being alerted by friends or relatives to the dire situation. The memories are still vivid... -
American DreamzAmerican Dreamz starts with Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant) looking over the last boffo rating numbers for his show. His girlfriend comes in and tells Tweed that she's leaving him. Is Tweed dejected? Hardly.
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The Broker: John Grisham's Foray into the Spy GameGrisham is well known for thrillers involving lawyers. He made his name with books like The Firm and The Pelican Brief in the early 90's and has been pumping out books ever since. His latest is a foray into the political/spy thriller...
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Enemy at the Gates : War Through the Eyes of a SniperWar movies have been with us forever. Of those, not many of those have foucused on the world of the sniper. What makes those soldiers tick? How can they sit for hours on end, hidden away, looking for that one fatal strike?
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Big Fish : Tim Burton's Most Heartfelt StorySome films aren't properly appreciated in their release. Tim Burton's Big Fish is just such a film. It received mostly positive reviews when it was released, but for the most part no raves. It was quickly forgotten on the Awards circuit...
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Walk the Line : Cash Comes to DVDThe mid to late 50's was a time where popular music under went a titanic shift. Rock and Roll was becoming mainstream and young up and comers became overnight sensations. One of the most famous of course was Johnny Cash....
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Saving Private Ryan : A Look Back at Academy Awards UpsetsThe decision of the Academy Awards to give Best Picture to Crash over Brokeback Mountain got me to thinking about the last time there was an upset in the top category. So I decided to rewatch Spielberg's 1998 classic...
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Dirty: Cops Gone BadCorrupt cop movies have been a staple of Hollywood for a generation. The latest in the pantheon is director Chris Fisher's Dirty.
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Must Love Dogs Generic Romcom on DVDMust Love Dogs is one of the more standard, paint by the numbers, romantic comedies I've seen in awhile. It would be a mistake to say it doesn't have it's charms; it's occassionally pretty funny and the leads both give decent enough performances, but...
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War in Dixie: Book on the Auburn vs. Alabama Football RivalryThere are many great rivalries in college football. Fans of the game instantly think about Army/Navy, Ohio State/Michigan, and several others. In the state of Alabama...
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A Civil War : Army vs. Navy a Year Inside College Football's Purest RivalryI'm a big college football fan, I have been ever since my youth. Some of my earliest memories were watching games on Saturday mornings with my parents. The recent spat of rivavlry games inspired me to pick up...
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King Kong The Eighth Wonder of the WorldPeter Jackson's King Kong is a spectacularly made adventure movie. It is every bit the equal of the 1935 classic, and in many ways even superior.
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Memoirs of a Geisha The Much Anticipated Adaptation of the 1997 Best SellerMemoirs of a Geisha, Rob Marshall's much anticpated adaptation of the 1997 best seller is a mixed bag. Technically flawless and well acted it still fails to totally engage. Still with a fascinating middle section that delves...
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War of the Worlds Will Make Your Heart RaceAlien invasion movies have always been with us. It's a genre that Hollywood loves to revisit. Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds is Hollywood's latest take on the theme. Updating of H.G. Wells' sci-fi classic is not new...
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Jarhead The Horror of Training for WarIt's not really a war movie since there is no combat to speak of. Instead, it focuses of the training and tedium that takes place on the front lines.
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Batman Begins The Dark Knight Returns on DVDBatman has always been the most realistic of the comic book icons. He has no special powers and is for all practical purposes a vigilante. He is someone who could actually exist in the real world (provided he has the kind of money Bruce Wayne does).
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Green Street Hooligans: And We Thought Our Sports Fans Were Nuts!Green Street Hooligans examines the world of London's football(soccer to us) fanatics. Every team has a gang of thugs that goes around and beats the snot out of the opposing fans.
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Dirty Deeds: Newest Gross-Out ComedyDirty Deeds is a the newest addition to the high school, gross out comedy genre. Well, it's not exactly that type of flick, except for some scenes involving a loaf of bread, but it seems to be the genre it was trying to copy...
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Pretty Persuasion: A Dark ComedyMarcos Siega's Pretty Persuasion is one of the darkest comedies of recent years. It's a high school movie, at least on the surface. But nothing is truly safe from being skewered.
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Dukes of Hazzard Not that AmusingI must admit never being much of a fan of the television show Dukes of Hazzard. It was an iconic program, but I found it too silly for me. The film is a valentine to the old show and while it's occasionally amusing...
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Review of "Anticipation: The Real Life Story of Star Wars"Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was probably the most hyped film in history. Many Star Wars fans were disappointed - others loved the first episode of Star Wars.
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The Edukators Chronicles German Political YouthFilms about the political youth movement don't come out very much in the USA. That's why the German export, The Edukators is such a treat. It's a statement on left vs. right politics...Idealism vs. growing up...
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Skeleton Key: A Horror Movie with TeethThe last few years theaters have been invaded by a slew of horror films. Most haven't been anything to write home about however. Skeleton Key is by far one of the best of this recent pack. It may be unbeliveable but...
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The 40-Year-Old VirginThe 40-Year Old Virgin is the latest in a recent line of ridculous comedies. While it does have a few inspred moments and is way more sincere than I would've guessed, I left the theater feeling like I lost more than a few brain cells.
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The Talented Mr. RipleyI must admit to never having read Patricia Highsmith's novel of the same name, but the film is a remarkable achievement that echoes Hitchcock the way few have films have been able to do.
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The Last Samurai: A Stunning SpectacleI've always been a sucker for big historical epics. That said, I recently rewatched Ed Zwick's The Last Samurai, and was once again thoroughly impressed with it's stunning spectacle.
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Birth of a Nation Still Sparks ControversyPerhaps no film in history is more reviled than Birth of Nation. It is also true th at few films have had as much praise showered upon them. For nearly ninety years D. W. Griffith's epic has spawned debate from both camps.
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An Empire of Their OwnNeal Gabler delves into the beginning of the American film industry in An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood. The book is a fascinating history of the earliest film moguls who sought to gain respectability thru the movies.
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'The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln' by Anthony GrossAbraham Lincoln is one of our most beloved Presidents. We all had to memorize portions of the Gettysburg Address (or the whole thing) in school and get the impression that he was a stuffy old codger. Many people do not realize how hilarious he was
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Cinderella Man is a WinnerJames J. Braddock's comeback from the bread lines of New Jersey to becoming the heavyweight champion of the world is told in Cinderella Man. Ron Howard's film is a character study, a boxing picture, and most of all a crowd pleaser.
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AdaptationAdaptation is a love letter to writers looking for originality everywhere. It's also a stinging attack on the Hollywood formula
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The Terminal: A Decent RomcomSteven Spielberg rarely makes a bad movie. Even his lesser efforts are usually worthwhile. Such is the case with The Terminal.
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Jude Law Remakes '60s Hit AlfieSome roles seem tailor made for certain actors. Such is the case with Jude Law and Alfie. Admittedly I never saw the original version from the 60's but I can't imagine anyone else playing this character.
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Bridget Jones and the Edge of Reason Just OkaySequels are very dicey ventures. Some movie universes set themselves up for them while others don't at all.
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Mean Creek: A Fascinating Study of TeenagersMean Creek is a fascinating study of teenagers and how they deal with revenge, peer pressure, and react to crisis.
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Rock School: The Real School of RockDon Argott's documentary Rock School takes us inside the Paul Green School of Rock in some absolutely hilarious ways.
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Revenge of the Sith: Star Wars is Part of ChildhoodGrowing up in the 1980's, it was nearly impossible not to become a Star Wars fan. Whether it was having lightsaber duels on the playground, playing with the action figures, or discussing the films ad naseum - it was a vital part of my childhood.
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Up for Grabs - The Story of Barry Bonds' Record Homerun BallI'm a huge sports fan. So I was pretty aware of the controversy that surrounded the record homerun ball that Barry Bonds hit in October of '01.
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Crichton Delivers Again with 'State of Fear'Michael Crichton is famous for his techno-thrillers which he has been writing since the early The Andromeda Strain a generation ago. He's discussed time travel, alien life forms, computer technology, genetic cloning, and nano technology...
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Abraham Lincoln's AssassinationEmerson Peck tells us in the introduction that he was always fascinated by Lincoln's assassination and felt that a book focusing solely on the event should be written
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The Race for the Triple CrownJoe Drape is an award-winning sportswriter at the New York Times. After Charismatic lost out on his Triple Crown bid in 1999 he decided to follow a year at the races, the ups and downs for this book.
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Almost AmericaMuch like the United States, Canada is a country of immigrants. In Almost America we follow a family as they leave Italy behind in hopes of a better future on this side of the Atlantic.
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American Graffiti: An American ClassicTeenagers think their parents were never teenagers. Parents forget what it was like to be in that weird place called high school when everything and yet nothing seemed possible.
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Galveston and the 1900 StormGrowing up in Texas it's impossible not to hear about the Galveston storm of 1900 that destroyed the city and killed at least 6 thousand people.
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The Big Lebowski: A Cult ClassicIf you're in the need of a film to belly laugh you up definitely catch this one
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Hustle & FlowThis kind of story has been done before with films like The Commitments, or even October Sky. The theme of chasing a dream and never giving up resonates with everyone. Even pimps and drug dealers.
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Ridley Scott's Kingdom of HeavenRidley Scott's new Crusade epic explodes off the screen with energy. At times breathtaking, gruesome and yet surprisingly complex this film does not shy away from the brutality of the time period.