POSTED // May 15,2013 - There’s a thing that makes me very sad about Star Trek Into Darkness. It’s not the perfect geek storm of an opening gambit that evokes not only the old-school boldly going adventures of the crew of the starship Enterprise,

POSTED // May 10,2013 - What if Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby didn’t have to carry the burden of “The Great Gatsby”? That’s not just some Zen koan-like riddle intended to inspire deep meditation; it’s a question about the way we look at a movie

POSTED // May 3,2013 - The least interesting thing about the otherwise hugely entertaining Iron Man movies is, ironically, Iron Man. The suit of powered flying armor, that is. Hiding Robert Downey Jr. behind a metal mask an

POSTED // May 3,2013 - Somewhere, somewhen, our culture became openly antagonistic to poetry. And that’s making it too easy to dismiss Terrence Malick for the wrong reasons.

POSTED // Apr 26,2013 - Robert Redford hasn’t exactly been shy about his passionate, progressive political commitment over the years. So why does it seems so hard for him to make movies about passionately committed people

POSTED // Apr 19,2013 - Go on! Indulge in the very best movie-promo tie-in ever: the Oblivion-branded Mandatory Memory Wipe, available at the concession stand. Then walk into Oblivion with no recollection of 2001: A Space Odyssey

POSTED // Apr 19,2013 - For all those who found themselves perplexed beyond measure by Shane Carruth’s 2004 debut feature, the infinitely mind-bendy time-travel yarn Primer: It’s not nearly as complicated keeping

POSTED // Apr 12,2013 - At a pivotal moment in the new Jackie Robinson biopic 42, Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) tries to console Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), who’s furious over the abuse and humiliation he’s required to

POSTED // Apr 12,2013 - With the constant drone of the 2012 campaign season still ringing in our ears, it’s hard to imagine building a heroic narrative out of political advertising.

POSTED // Apr 5,2013 - In June 1993, I stood in line at a Northern California multiplex with my then-roommates, awaiting our showtime for Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. One of them in particular had been giddy for weeks leading up