His formula is simple: 1) Create a character. 2) Imbue him with social and cultural ignorance and a host of stereotypes and/or insensitive world views. 3) Commit to him on and off the screen. 4) Use character to push boundaries of political correctness and obscenity. 5) Do not stop repeating No. 4. Ever. The success [...]

No risk, no reward — you can’t exactly picture Hollywood execs saying that one too often. The movie industry is almost always about sure bets, especially when studios spend more than $100 million on most of their major films. Sequels, book adaptations — anything familiar with a built-in fan base to justify a high price [...]

Directing can be assessed in countless ways, from the how someone frames a shot to how they interpret the script to simply an ability to get the best out of the talent on screen. Sometimes, they might just be damn good at picking the right projects. The very best directors seem to possess one or [...]

“I have Cancer.” I’ve said this many times, but never to try and pick up someone at a bar. It mostly comes up in conversation while I am out with friends, and I can say it is just as awkward as the movie “50/50” makes it look.

Perhaps this point could be debated, but nothing is more cruelly unfair than serious illness. You can blame murder and war on people, but unless you’re a conspiracy theorist, you can’t sanely blame anyone when someone develops cancer or a similarly vile or fatal illness. Yes, some are preventable, but many simply aren’t. Depressed yet? [...]

This morning, if you are a Netflix subscriber you were apologized to, so let me start off by apologizing for not covering the big Netflix news this summer, which now matters all the more after the most recent announcement. The company’s announced change in pricing structure, which takes effect this month (for me on Wednesday [...]

$168 million in its first weekend. $92.1 million in its first day. $43.5 million in its first public screenings. These are incredible numbers, but allow me to cast a small memory charm on you for a moment. The success of “Harry Potter” goes well, well beyond the current and long-term success of “Harry Potter and the [...]

Personally, the mid-way point in the year is not so much a time for putting together lists of the best films of the year thus far. If you want my take on the best, just look at the scores I’ve given movies released in 2011 so far and you’ll find my top picks (although I’ve [...]

Here’s a trivia question for you: name one first sequel to a pure comedy (the second film in a comedy franchise) that was better than the original. I will give you a few hard returns to think about it. … … … Yup, it’s a trick question. There are none. And that’s a matter of [...]

Whether or not life exists outside of our planet is one of humanity’s defining questions. Ever since Copernicus and the early astronomers proved that the Earth revolved around the sun, not vice-versa, the thought that humans might not be the focal point of the universe became a real possibility. Then, in 1920, Edwin Hubble discovered [...]

Natalie Portman has long been a respected actress, but coming off a Golden Globe win and on the brink of a second career Oscar nomination, the 29-year-old has finally hit her stride and could quite possibly become one of the more in-demand actresses of the next decade.

It’s tough to be funny in the 21st Century. Doesn’t it seem that almost every big movie comedian of the last ten years becomes either annoying or keeps playing the same character way too quickly? I challenge you to find a prolific comedian with an immaculate record, especially north of the year 2000.

I’ve already shared with you the top genre films and my top 10 films of 2010, so now it’s time to take a close look at the year 2010 as it was for movies. Most movie-lovers, myself included, look back in disappointment at this year. The first-half slate of new movies was excruciatingly weak and [...]

They don’t make them like they used to — as archaic as that expression makes me sound. Heck, they don’t even make them at all, practically. Last year, I featured my five favorite Christmas movies, but none of them, naturally, come after 1996. I’m not really complaining about this. Almost every “Christmas movie” that has [...]

Who ever thought a film about a nurse named Gaylord Focker meeting his future in-laws, one of whom is ex-CIA, would ever pave the way for a comedy trilogy? The simple idea to capitalize on the tension of the in-law relationship made “Meet the Parents” a hit with audiences back in 2000 and consequently its [...]