Laura Prepon Kitchen Confidential by Ronald Sklar “I tend to play women who are intelligent and confident, not these little naïve girls,” Laura Prepon tells me. “I had moved out of my house when I was 15. Maybe it’s from that. I don’t know. But it’s a compliment that people think I have my stuff … Continue reading
Ryan Gosling Rides Hard to Get to The Place Beyond the Pines by Jay S. Jacobs Even though Ryan Gosling is now one of the faces of young Hollywood, don’t tell him that. The guy doesn’t take stardom or gossip columns or “sexiest guy alive” stories seriously, he’s just an artist practicing his craft. And … Continue reading
Pablo Berger Gives a Spanish Flavor to a Beloved Fairy Tale with Blancanieves by Brad Baflour Spanish director Pablo Berger took a leap with his second film, Blancanieves, in re-imagining of the Snow White fable with enough grit to validate the film. However to construct it as a silent film was a real jump into … Continue reading
Charles Eliasch – On the Way to Carnegie Hall by Jay S. Jacobs Carnegie Hall is one of the most renowned musical venues in the world, so it says something about a young performer when he gets his first performance there at merely 20. However, this is where Swedish-born, New York-educated opera singer Charles Eliasch … Continue reading
Taking a Ride on the Florida Georgia Line by Jackie Speiss and Danielle Speiss “Baby you a song, you make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise.” These words from their #1 hit single “Cruise” have become an anthem for duo Florida Georgia Line. Even Taylor Swift has gotten these catchy lyrics stuck in … Continue reading
Alan Light Stands Before the Lord of Song With Nothing on His Lips But “Hallelujah” by Jay S. Jacobs There are certain songs that feel like they were born as classics: the world knew and loved them from their release date. Immediate standards like “Something,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “My Girl” and “Imagine” were fully … Continue reading
Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks and Tom Hooper – Bringing a Broadway Classic to the Big Screen with Les Misérables by Brad Balfour Based on the legendary Victor Hugo novel – by way of the operatic stage musical created around it – the recently released cinematic version of Les Misérables spans 17 … Continue reading
Christoph Waltz Unchained by Brad Balfour When Vienna-born Christoph Waltz got the part of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds, few thought this Austrian actor – well known back home, but a question mark for film fans here – would so define a character and himself through this Quentin Tarantino film. Now with Django Unchained, Tarantino … Continue reading
Michael Haneke Makes A Loving Statement in Amour by Brad Balfour A cultivated couple in their 80s, retired music teachers Georges and Anne have a nice apartment in a fine Parisian neighborhood. One night, after seeing a former student perform, Anne blanks out at home, presaging the condition to come. Afterwards, surgery to correct her blocked … Continue reading
Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin Like The Film’s Subjects, Undefeated Directors Defy Odds and Get An Oscar Nom by Brad Balfour I was glad to have interviewed doc directors Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin – whose film Undefeated cleared nearly all the award hurdles and got into that rarefied place of being a Best Documentary … Continue reading
