Colin Quinn – Tough Guy by Ronald Sklar Originally posted on Mar. 10, 2003. We as Americans have always taken for granted that we know Colin Quinn intimately. Of course, as a nation we’re bound to make that presumption since we feel that we have more or less grown up with the dude. Sure, we learn more than … Continue reading
Elton John – Greatest Hits 1970-2002 (Mercury) From 1970 to 1977 Elton John had an almost unprecedented run of musical brilliance, during that time his work with lyricist Bernie Taupin rivaled the work of Lennon and McCartney and Brian Wilson. In this short bridge of time, John recorded about two very good albums a year … Continue reading
Vanessa Paradis – Au Zenith (Barclay/Universal-France) In the United States, Vanessa Paradis is probably best known as Johnny Depp’s live-in girlfriend. Other people may know her as the Chanel model or an actress. But in her native France, she is an institution. Paradis first made waves when she was only 14, with her 1987 international hit … Continue reading
Shania Twain – Up! (Mercury) Never in my life have I seen so many exclamation points as there are in the song listing for Shania Twain’s latest. There are nineteen song titles on Up! and ten exclamation points. It’s almost like a teenaged girl’s diary. Now Shania has a long history of unwieldy titles anyway, and this album’s … Continue reading
Axelle Red – Alive (Virgin-France) I might have never heard of Axelle Red if I weren’t channel surfing one August night last year in the Sofitel Méditerranée in Cannes. With my admittedly rudimentary skills in the French language, I was looking for something, frankly, which I could understand. That’s when I stumbled upon an hour-long interview … Continue reading
George Dzundza Finding Grace in Hack By Jay S. Jacobs You know the face. It is a tough-but-fair mug that has dissolved selflessly into well over seventy roles in a film and television career that has lasted about thirty years. You know the characters. He was Gus Moran, the good–hearted but protective partner of Michael Douglas’ self-destructive cop in Basic Instinct. He was … Continue reading
Rod Stewart – It Had To Be You: The Great American Songbook (J Records) With this album, Rod Stewart gives up any pretense of trying to hold onto his rock and soul following. And that’s fine, he’s well into his late 50s now and rock and roll is supposed to be a young man’s game. He really … Continue reading
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (2002) Starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, Joey Fatone, Gerry Mendicino, Stavroula Logothettis, Constantine Tsapralis, Jayne Eastwood and Ian Gomez. Screenplay by Nia Vardalos. Directed by Joel Zwick. Distributed by Gold Circle Films. 95 minutes. Rated PG. I have a pet … Continue reading
HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS (2003) Starring Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, Adam Goldberg, Michael Michele, Shalom Harlow, Kathryn Hahn, Rebecca Harris, Robert Klein, Bill Kotsatos, Thomas Lennon, David Macniven, Bebe Neuwirth, Annie Parisse and Justin Peroff. Screenplay by Kristen Buckley, Brian Regan and Burr Steers. Directed by Donald Petrie. Distributed by Paramount … Continue reading
ADAPTATION. (2002) Starring Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton, Jay Tavare, G. Paul Davis, Cara Seymour, Stephen Tobolowsky, Gary Farmer, Curtis Hanson, David O. Russell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Judy Greer, Ron Livingston, Brian Cox, Catherine Keener, John Cusack and John Malkovich. Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman. Directed by Spike Jonze. Distributed by … Continue reading
