Is it possible to feel nostalgic for a decade you never experienced? Either way, God bless Canada and the years between 1960 and 1976 for giving us The Band, and cheers to Martin Scorcese for giving us one of the best concert films ever made in The Last Waltz. It sounds a little sentimental and […]
There are a few things potential viewers want to know about Mandy Moore’s leading role in A Walk to Remember (Warner Brothers) before they shell out eight bucks for a ticket. Is it easy for Moore to juggle her teen-pop stardom and a budding movie career? Was changing from a blonde to a brunette a […]
Arena Stage’s “Of Mice and Men” overcomes the obstacle of telling a story that everyone has heard by maintaining suspense throughout. Director Liz Diamond creates conflict with a unique juxtaposition of complex human emotions. Unfortunately, Diamond pays far too much attention to conflicts among supporting characters and distracts the audience from the central themes of […]
Justin Theroux has sat on the sidelines long enough. A relatively new kid on the block, Theroux has quickly built a resume playing supporting roles in movies such as I Shot Andy Warhol and American Psycho. Tired of minor roles, Theroux has now hustled his way into the lead of Mulholland Drive, a new film […]
To name a movie Don’t Say a Word, film director Gary Fleder was asking for trouble. He had to have known the audience might be confused as to what the phrase was referring to – a request for no talking in the theater or a plea to critics repulsed by this misguided movie. The plot […]
Rock Star, starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston, has everything you would expect from a film about an ’80s heavy metal band: hair spray, leather pants, big hair, mascara and overall extravagance. Who could ask for anything more? The answer is anyone, because Rock Star‘s real story – only touched upon in the movie – […]
At one point in Pavilion of Women, the film’s star Madame Wu says, “I feel like a frog living in a well only seeing a small portion of the sky.” The figurative sky opens a little too much in this movie, which is great for Wu but a bit vexing for the audience. It is […]
Few can argue that Woody Allen makes great romantic comedies. His films, including such classics as Hannah and Her Sisters, are a mix between a Neil Simon play and a trip to the psychotherapist. Allen’s movies are reliably funny, smart and timeless in their observations of sexually dysfunctional relationships. If only director Peter Chelsom’s Town […]
The first image in director Marziyeh Meshkini’s The Day I Became a Woman is a makeshift raft’s empty mast – two sticks tied together without a sail filmed against a cloudless blue sky. But the film soon weaves its own sail with a touching plot and beautiful scenery. Meshkini’s episodic tale of three Iranian women […]
Film director John Waters spoke freely with GW students Wednesday night about some of the factors that influence his eccentric movies. He said his influences include Wicked Witch of the West, murder trials and the youth of America. Students from “Silver Screen,” a Community Living and Learning program for freshmen interested in films and acting, […]