Movies That Matter (UPDATE): “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”

A few months ago, I wrote about the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, federal legislation that would end the use of chimpanzees in research and experimentation. At that time, I argued that the recent glut of films about primates (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Project Nim,” “Chimpanzee”) have reflected a cultural…

(Re)Casting Call: “The Butler” – Pt. 2

Last week, we looked at the odd casting of “The Butler,” an upcoming film about a White House butler who served seven consecutive presidential administrations. We have already fixed the casting problems with the Eisenhowers and the Kennedys. Today, we look at LBJ and the Reagans. Lyndon Johnson Who they Cast: Liev Schreiber Who they…

(Re)Casting Call: “The Butler” – Pt. 1

A few months ago, I questioned the wisdom of casting Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan in the upcoming Lee Daniels film, “The Butler.” Fonda is a fine actress and, all things being equal, is up to the challenge of playing Reagan, but it seems clear that her personal politics will be distracting. As the film’s…

Politics and Revolution in “The Dark Knight Rises”

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead. No movie exists in a vacuum. Every film is subject to political interpretations and various levels of expectations. This is especially true for the so-called “serious film,” which injects social, political, or cultural criticism into an art form created for the masses. For the American viewing public, “The Dark Knight Rises”…

Ripe for a Remake: “Brewster’s Millions”

If you have never seen 1985’s “Brewster’s Millions,” I wouldn’t recommend you jump to put it at the top of your Netflix queue. It’s not a great movie. It’s not even one of the better comedies of the 1980s, and it certainly does not constitute the best that Richard Pryor and John Candy had to…