Secondhand Serenade Taking Your Call By Deborah Wagner If you want to launch a music career in this very tough industry, it used to be about who you knew. However, John Vesely – the solo artist who calls himself Secondhand Serenade – is changing all the rules. Vesely is rocketing his own career towards stardom. He … Continue reading
Director John Walter – Talkin’ About a Theater of War and Meryl Streep
Director John Walter Talkin’ About a Theater of War and Meryl Streep by Brad Balfour While Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep garners attention for her role as the authoritarian nun in Doubt, another film – the doc Theater of War out now – offers insight into Steep as an actress, and it grapples with the nature of war as … Continue reading
The Wrestler (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)
THE WRESTLER (2008) Starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry, Wass Stevens, Judah Friedlander, Ernest Miller, Dylan Summers, Tommy Farra, Mike Miller, Marcia Jean Kurtz, John D’Leo, Ajay Naidu and Gregg Bello. Screenplay by Rob Siegel. Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. 115 minutes. Rated R. Much … Continue reading
Valkyrie (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)
VALKYRIE (2008) Starring Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Tom Wilkinson, Jamie Parker, Eddie Izzard, Thomas Kretschmann, Carice van Houten, Christian Berke, Kevin McNally and Tom Hollander. Screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander. Directed by Bryan Singer. Distributed by United Artists. 120 minutes. Rated PG-13. Both director Bryan Singer and star Tom … Continue reading
Frost/Nixon (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)
FROST/NIXON (2008) Starring Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Matthew Macfayden, Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Hall, Toby Jones, Andy Milder, Kate Jennings Grant, Gabriel Jarret, Jim Meskimen, Geoffrey Blake, Clint Howard and Patty McCormack. Screenplay by Peter Morgan. Directed by Ron Howard. Distributed by Universal Pictures. 122 minutes. Rated R. The lessons that the … Continue reading
Kate Winslet Becomes The Reader, Discovers the Nazi Era and Gains Oscar Buzz
Kate Winslet Becomes The Reader, Discovers the Nazi Era and Gains Oscar Buzz by Brad Balfour With both Revolutionary Road and The Reader coming into theaters around the world, this has been quite a creative year for 33-year-old British actress Kate Winslet. There’s Oscar®-talk for each film, with Winslet in line for best actress, best supporting actress or both. … Continue reading
American Teen (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)
AMERICAN TEEN (2008) Featuring Hannah Bailey, Colin Clemens, Geoff Haase, Megan Krizmanich, Mitch Reinholt, Jake Tusing and Ali Wikalinska. Written by Nanette Burnstein. Directed by Nanette Burnstein. Distributed by Paramount Vantage. 95 minutes. Rated PG-13. The dividing line between serious documentaries and reality television gets more and more blurred as the trend becomes more ubiquitous in our … Continue reading
Death Race (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)
DEATH RACE (2008) Starring Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Ian McShane, Tyrese Gibson, Natalie Martinez, Jason Clarke, Fred Koehler, Jacob Vargas, Justin Mader, Max Ryan and the voice of David Carradine. Screenplay by Paul W.S. Anderson. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Distributed by Universal Pictures. 89 minutes. Rated R. This movie is an update of a cheesy 70s drive-in … Continue reading
The Women (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)
THE WOMEN (2008) Starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Carrie Fisher, Cloris Leachman, Debi Mazar, Bette Midler, Joanna Gleason, Ana Gasteyer and Candice Bergen. Screenplay by Diane English. Directed by Diane English. Distributed by Picturehouse Films. 114 minutes. Rated PG-13. The Women is a pretty legendary stalled project in Hollywood. For … Continue reading
Various Artists – The Best of Bond… James Bond (A PopEntertainment.com Music Review)
Various Artists – The Best of Bond… James Bond (Verve) The music behind James Bond has always been part of the allure of the super-spy, a loungy, seductive musical canon tailor-made to naked women dancing in silhouette behind the opening credits – vaguely suggesting danger and the good life. As the Bond film series approaches its 50th anniversary, … Continue reading