Monthly Archives: September 2008
‘Nick & Norah’s’ Kat Dennings & Me
I wish I were younger Kat Dennings co-stars with Michael Cera in “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” She plays his gradually evolving love interest. (Go Michael). Even though, in this role, she shows glimpses of Irene Dunne and Lauren Bacall … Continue reading
‘Nick & Norah’s’ Michael Cera & Me
Of me and Mike Michael Cera, star of “Superbad,” “Juno” and “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” a romantic comedy of all things that opens Oct. 3 – it just begs the question, why? In every role and appearance, he always … Continue reading
DVD reviews: ‘The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration,’ ‘Leatherheads,’ ‘Sex and the City: The Movie”
“One day, I may ask you for a service…” Actor Joe Mantegna says that, for him, “The Godfather†trilogy is the Italian “Star Wars.†The American Film Institute calls “The Godfather†the second greatest American film (“Citizen Kane†ranks No. … Continue reading
DVD reviews: ‘Made of Honor,’ ‘Young@Heart,’ ‘Speed Racer’
McDreamy and McLuscious are made `of Honor’ In Europe some years ago, I took a side trip to Ireland, expecting the Emerald Isle to look like Shangri-La. It didn’t, but Scotland did. And that country’s beauty permeates the second half … Continue reading
First Chinese-American movie screens Sept. 14
And it’s free. “The Curse of Quon Gwon,†written and directed in 1916 by Oakland filmmaker Marion Wong, then 21, is considered the first Chinese-American movie. Wong, who started the first Chinese-American film company the year before and reportedly kept … Continue reading
DVD reviews: ‘Baby Mama,’ ‘The Forbidden Kingdom,’ ‘Kill Bill’ on Blu-ray, ‘Something Beneath’
Oh, baby I would pay to watch “Saturday Night Live†alums Tina Fey and Amy Poehler do most anything — be still, my imagination — so I went into “Baby Mama†predisposed to be amused. Turns out I liked it … Continue reading
Review: Mortimer drives Hitchcockian “Transsiberian”
A train in the snow with murder Some critics have dubbed “Transsiberian” a Hitchcockian suspense thriller. “Hitchcockian” is such an odd word. OK, so much for that. Emily Mortimer, the reason to see the film, plays the enigmatic wife of … Continue reading
And speaking of Sarah Palin…
First impressions of the candidate, post-speech: 1. Impressive. The down-home, basic-kind-of-gal-thing has a certain appeal. 2. Good pick for McCain, and if I were a republican … 3. I’d hate to be on her wrong side. 4. She seems most … Continue reading
DVD reviews: ‘Then She Found Me,’ ‘Married Life,’ ‘Transformers Two-Disc Special Edition’
Lost and `Found’ Other than first-time-director/star Helen Hunt’s making herself look severe, almost malnourished — so vivid on Blu-ray, it’s distracting — “Then She Found Me†is an engaging meditation on love, marriage, friendship and responsibility. Hunt, who also co-wrote … Continue reading