Greta Gerwig Makes Little Women with Big Characters and Award Ambitions by Brad Balfour Of the controversies associated with this year’s Oscars, the absence of women among many of its categories – especially Best Director – have highlighted the inequity of this award’s process. Of the many women creators considered, Little Women director Greta Gerwig’s … Continue reading
PARASITE (2019) Starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Chang Hyae-jin, Lee Sun-kyun, Lee Jung-eun, Jeong Ji-so, Jung Hyeon-jun, Park Myung-hoon, Park Geun and Park Seo-joon. Screenplay by Bong Joon-ho & Han Jin-won. Directed by Bong Joon-ho. Distributed by Neon. 132 minutes. Rated R. Ever since its big win at last … Continue reading
Luke Davies An Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter Enters the Lion Den by Jay S. Jacobs When Luke Davies first heard the story of Saroo Brierley – an Indian man who lost his way home as a five year old boy, ended up getting adopted by a couple in Australia, and only found his birth family 25 years … Continue reading
CAROL (2015) Starring Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, Carrie Brownstein, Cory Michael Smith, John Magaro, Kevin Crowley, Nik Pajic, Trent Rowland, Sadie Heim, KK Heim, Amy Warner, Michael Haney, Wendy Lardin, Pamela Evans Haynes, Greg Violand and Michael Ward. Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy. Directed by Todd Haynes. Distributed by The … Continue reading
Bradley Cooper Transforms Himself into an American Sniper by Brad Balfour Master director Clint Eastwood’s latest feature, American Sniper, offers a taut yet complex portrait of the late Iraqi war vet Chris Kyle. With over 160 kills, Kyle was the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. Uncannily portrayed by two-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper … Continue reading
Demián Bichir Invitation to the Adventure of a Lifetime by Jay S. Jacobs You’ve been seeing a whole lot of Mexican actor Demián Bichir in the movies and on TV these days. While Bichir has been a well-known actor in his native land for well over a decade, and even had some show-stopping turns in … Continue reading
The Wolf of Wall Street In 1987, the year that The Wolf of Wall Street begins, Michael Douglas starred as Gordon Gekko, the ultimate symbol of Reagan-era self-indulgent avarice in Oliver Stone’s cautionary tale Wall Street. Gekko became a symbol for materialism and coined a mantra for the ravenous, gluttonous, self-obsessed, win-at-all-cost quest for money. … 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
Mickey Rourke A Requiem for Rourke — Battling His Way Back To Stardom and the Oscar Nom Through The Wrestler by Brad Balfour You got to hand it to roughhouse actor Mickey Rourke. When he makes a comeback, he makes a helluva comeback. For thirteen years, the now-aging actor — once the superstar who had made 9 … Continue reading
Frank Langella Transforms in Frost/Nixon by Brad Balfour Few performances can rival veteran actor Frank Langella’s portrait of the late President Richard Nixon in the Ron Howard film, Frost/Nixon. Originally a stage play — based on the actual interviews conducted by British TV talk show host David Frost in 1977 — the cinematic version fleshes out … Continue reading
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