Jon Batiste and Matthew Heineman Through Award-nominated doc American Symphony Musician’s Compositional Achievement and His Wife’s Battle to Overcome Cancer are Examined by Brad Balfour In 2015, when Stephen Colbert launched his version of The Late Show – taking over from David Letterman – one of his first moves was to invite musician Jon Batiste … Continue reading
This Year’s Oscars Were About Much More Than Will Smith’s Face Punch by Brad Balfour All the brouhaha about actor Will Smith slapping presenter Chris Rock at the 94th annual Academy Awards ceremony has overshadowed other aspects and wins from that evening. Yes, Smith’s actions loom large in the public’s mind. It was one thing … Continue reading
Oscars On My Mind – To Worry About Them in This Age of Greater Anxiety The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony Dolby Theatre Los Angeles Feb. 9th, 2020 airs live on ABC starting at 8 pm Yes, I have been anguishing over the upcoming Oscars far more than I should in light of all the other … Continue reading
Viggo Mortensen Acclaimed Actor Gets Oscar Nom Leading Captain Fantastic by Brad Balfour If anyone could relate to the character of Ben Cash – the focus of filmmaker Matt Ross’s feature Captain Fantastic – it’s Viggo Mortensen. The New York-born actor isn’t far removed, practically and philosophically, from his lead character’s situation as a bohemian … 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
MUSTANG (2015) Starring Gunes Nezihe Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscan, Ilayda Akdogan, Nihal Koldas, Ayberk Pekcan, Serife Kara, Suzanne Marrot, Aynur Komecoglu, Sevval Aydin, Enes Surum, Burak Yigit, Erol Afsin, Aziz Komecoglu, Kadir Celebi, Muzeyyen Celebi, Aykut Karatay, Ercan Koksal, Serpil Ucar, Huseyin Baysal, Bahar Karimoglu and Seril Reis. Screenplay by Deniz … 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
Jude Law Tony or Not Tony, That is the Question by Brad Balfour With the Tony Awards taking place Sunday, June 13, 2010, the Broadway award season will be over – so nominee Jude Law spoke about his expectations and insights, both in his respective shows and in the season in general. This season has a few … Continue reading
Steph Green Living on the Short Circuit by Jay S. Jacobs It’s not like film directors just appear working feature films with no prior experience. Most great directors have gotten their feet wet working on short films: including Steven Spielberg (“Amblin’”), Martin Scorsese (“What’s A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This?”), … Continue reading
James Mangold A Director Walks the Fine Line Towards the Oscars by Brad Balfour Throughout his career, New York-born director James Mangold has offered an uncanny look at relationships since his first film Heavy, whether it be with cops (Cop Land), women (Girl, Interrupted), or a couple (Kate and Leopold). Now, with his latest, Walk the Line, he again examines a couple … Continue reading
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