Ellen Page Nurtures the Screen In Juno by Brad Balfour When Juno was first released, who would have believed that this quirky comedy with a strong female perspective on youthful sexuality and teen pregnancy written by an ex-stripper would so resonate with both the public and the awards-nominating community? But impact it did, garnering key Oscar nominations, … Continue reading
George A. Romero Relives His Zombies Through the Diary of the Dead by Brad Balfour For independent filmmakers, George A. Romero is one of the great culture heroes. Back in the 1960s, this Pittsburgh resident (he went from NYC to Carnegie Mellon U.) reared himself up and decided he was going to make movies with … Continue reading
Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe Oppose Each Other in American Gangster by Brad Balfour What a pairing. Actors Denzel Washington (Training Day) and Russell Crowe (Gladiator) play two opposing forces in the struggle between an upwardly mobile black guy and upwardly mobile, distinctly Jewish guy during the ’70s in American Gangster. The black man starts out … Continue reading
Mary-Louise Parker Learns A Lot About The Spiderwick Chronicles by Brad Balfour It may have required an intoxicant for actress Mary-Louise Parker to play the perplexed mom who learns about The Spiderwick Chronicles the hard way – through an attack from goblins – she eventually gets a handle on the fantastic situation behind this incredible tale. Parker … Continue reading
Breckin Meyer Blue Period by Jay S. Jacobs With interest in politics at a high-water mark in the United States due to an unusually intriguing race for President, perhaps it is a happy coincidence that the film Blue State positions a breezy romantic comedy in the midst of ancient history: the fallout of the Bush-Kerry election of 2004. … Continue reading
Martin McDonagh Going Back to Bruges by Jay S. Jacobs Irish playwright Martin McDonagh has never played by the rules in the theater, so it should be of no surprise that his feature film debut as a screenwriter and director would be a quirky, fascinating affair. In Bruges tells the slightly surreal, definitely funny and often … Continue reading
Colin Farrell and Clémence Poésy Love and Death in Bruges by Jay S. Jacobs After a few years of toiling on big-budget blockbusters that only occasionally took flight – Oliver Stone’s Alexander and Michael Mann’s Miami Vice come to mind – Colin Farrell has definitely downsized for his latest two roles. Ironically, in both Martin … Continue reading
Charlie Gracie What More Could You Ask? By Ronald Sklar Usually, it’s the other way around for Paul McCartney, but in this instance, it was Sir Paul who had always wanted to meet a certain musician who had influenced him in his early years. The year: 2000. Philadelphia native Charlie Gracie, the influence in question, was scheduled … Continue reading
Lesley Gore Out There on Her Own by Ronald Sklar Lesley Gore was scoring monster hits long before the age of Britney, Lindsay and Jessica. Her signature song, “It’s My Party (And I’ll Cry If I Want To)” is one for the ages, enduring longer – and remaining more recognizable and beloved – than any … Continue reading
Mike Papantonio Progressively Speaking by Ronald Sklar Say what you want about lawyers – and you probably do – you can’t accuse attorney Mike Papantonio of selling his soul to the highest bidder. In fact, the only green he cares about is environment-friendly, safe for babies and other beings who will eventually inherit the earth. … Continue reading
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