NOTE: This article was originally posted on April 5, 2012. I reposted it today because, well, I thought it might be relevant. Last week, supporters of health care reform may have seen their hopes and dreams go up in flames. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr., tasked with defending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in…
“History prefers legends to men.” – from the trailer of “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” It happens every so often. Two movies with similar plots and subject matter are released within a very short period of time. Think “Armageddon” and “Deep Impact.” Or “K-9” and “Turner and Hooch.” Or all of those body-swap movies from the…
Very quickly, it has become chic to hate on “The Newsroom.” Aaron Sorkin’s new drama has premiered to uncharacteristically mediocre reviews. Variety laments that “the series doesn’t match the lofty crests of Sorkin’s finest work.” The New York Times says that the show “chokes on its own sanctimony.” And the Washington Post finds that “Sorkin’s…
A personal post this morning. I went to visit my grandmother this past weekend. She is 90 years old, and her health is in decline. It was wonderful to see her and difficult to leave, especially knowing that it may have been our last goodbye. “Grandmother” means something different to everyone, but for me, the…
Nobody is going to confuse “Weekend at Bernie’s” for a comedic masterpiece. Even though it was popular enough to spawn a sequel, it is mostly thought of with the kind of nostalgia you are vaguely embarrassed about. Like, “I can’t believe we liked that movie.” I look back on it fondly because it was a…
It was hard not to be disappointed by Sunday night’s season finale of “Veep.” In spite of their faults, we grew to like these characters over the course of these eight episodes. After all, it’s easy to root for people walking a tight rope in tandem. But in the season finale, it all came crashing…
An exciting thought came to me while watching the opening scenes of “Prometheus”: this movie does not think I’m stupid. This film trusts that I can go a few scenes without knowing exactly what is going on. It trusts that I can live with a little uncertainty. Which is to say, “Prometheus” is a true…
Say what you will about MTV, but they have always promoted participatory democracy. In 1992, they launched the “Choose or Lose” campaign, urging their viewers to vote – presumably for the president challenger, Bill Clinton. Clinton courted the youth vote with an appearance on MTV and won. MTV has continued its campaign, even though they…
Reel Change 
You must be logged in to post a comment.