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…
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…
“Snow White and the Huntsman” surprised Hollywood pundits with a $56 million box office haul in its opening weekend. We might be able to chalk this up to teenagers who want to see Kristin Stewart or men who don’t get mind getting dragged to see a Charlize Theron movie, but it’s also clear that the…
People are naturally more interested in politics during a presidential election year. Frankly, the subject is hard to avoid. Come fall, the evening news will lead with the campaign every night. “Saturday Night Live” will all of a sudden be considered relevant again. Lastly, movie studios will take advantage by releasing movies with political themes…
Director Spike Lee has not released a film during the Obama presidency. This was the man who helmed groundbreaking, commercially successful films on race like “Jungle Fever,” “Malcolm X,” and “Do the Right Thing.” When he arrived on the scene with 1986’s “She’s Gotta Have It,” he was hailed as a brave new voice in…
Much like President Obama and marriage equality, my thoughts on “The Avengers” continue to evolve. In my previous review, I implied that the film’s politics do not fall stay strictly within party lines. I still think that statement is true, but its implications say something important. Given the politics of today, “The Avengers” is in…
“If we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.” – Tony Stark/Iron Man in “The Avengers” We ask a lot of the movies. We look to cinema to help us experience things that we can’t in real life. Sometimes it’s as simple as winning the big game or getting the…
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