Blog archives
Film stories in our blog
'Lars and the Real Girl' (Ryan Gosling movie, 2007)
January 9, 2012
Ryan Gosling stars in Lars and the Real Girl as a delusional man in love with a sex doll.
'I Love You Phillip Morris' (Jim Carrey movie, 2009)
December 17, 2011
Jim Carrey stars as Steven Russell in this wild, true story — which feels less true because it stars Jim Carrey.
Philip Seymour Hoffman: 'Jack Goes Boating' (2010 movie)
November 3, 2011
Philip Seymour Hoffman gives us several strong moments of humans close to the breaking point.
'The Kids Are All Right' (2010 movie)
August 11, 2011
Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo add exceptional performances to a very good script, making for a little treasure of a film about family.
'Public Enemies' (2009 Johnny Depp movie)
August 8, 2011
A couple strong scenes of gun violence, but a weak story and characters make for a mediocre movie which should have been much better.
'Crazy Heart' (2009 Jeff Bridges film)
July 25, 2011
Performances by Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal turn what might otherwise be a Hallmark TV movie into a deeper portrait.
Swim with dolphins? Film 'The Cove' shows them killed
July 22, 2011
Flipper dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry and an Oceanic Preservation Society team secretly film the annual killing of 23,000 dolphins at Taiji, Japan.
'The Real Dirt on Farmer John'
July 7, 2011
This wonderful 2005 documentary chronicles the life of farmer John Peterson, of Caledonia, Illinois.
'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' (1988 movie)
April 7, 2011
Based on Milan Kundera’s 1984 novel, this American movie stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, and Lena Olin, and feels like a foreign film.
'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (movie, 2009)
March 8, 2011
Adapted from the first book in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy, the crime thriller stars Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace and includes scenes of brutal violence.
Movie review: 'Spring Forward' (1999)
December 19, 2010
Ned Beatty and Liev Schreiber star in this little-known but outstanding movie about two guys working for a small town parks department.
Time traveler caught on Charlie Chaplin film with cell phone?
October 28, 2010
Does a DVD extra included with a a 1928 Charlie Chaplin film show a peculiar old woman walking by with a modern cell phone?
Topiary star Pearl Fryar: 'A Man Named Pearl'
May 8, 2010
A warm and inspiring movie about Pearl Fryar — Bishopville, South Carolina’s world-renowned master of topiary.
Jaime Escalante and 'ganas'
March 31, 2010
The Spanish word ‘ganas’ is the you-form of the verb meaning ‘gain’ or ‘win’ or ‘earn’ — with an emphasis on desire or drive.
'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' (Woody Allen movie, 2008)
October 11, 2009
I keep waiting for something matching Woody Allen’s previous brilliance, but ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ is not it.
Netflix million dollar prize overlooks the obvious
September 21, 2009
Netflix could give much better movie recommendations if they ditched their 5-star rating system for the standard 4-star system.
'Neil Young: Heart of Gold' (movie, 2006)
May 11, 2009
A simple, functional, and timeless piece of work from Neil Young and Jonathan Demme.
'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly' movie review
April 27, 2009
Very worth watching for the empathy it fosters, reminding us of the harsh limits life can impose, and the unlimited potential of humans to exceed them.
YouTube's new 'Shows' tab: Streaming full-length movies, TV
April 17, 2009
The one that caught my eye first was David Attenborough’s outstanding BBC series, ‘The Life of Birds’.
Movie review: 'Searching for Debra Winger' (2002)
April 13, 2009
Five breathtaking minutes from Jane Fonda are the treasure in Rosanna Arquette’s documentary.
'King of Kings' theme: My Easter movie earworm
April 5, 2009
The 1961 film starring Jeffrey Hunter has always been my personal cheesy Jesus movie.
Rainn Wilson's SoulPancake.com: Fashioning art, spirituality
March 15, 2009
In an interview with Oprah, the comedic actor from ‘The Office’ outlines his new Web project for spiritual social networking through the arts.
Jeff Dowd, inspiration for The Dude in 'Big Lebowski,' joins Peter Himmelman tonight
March 3, 2009
The live, one-hour show starts at 7:00 Pacific or 8:00 Mountain or 9:00 Central or 10:00 Eastern.
The purpose of the Academy Awards: Honoring our healing stories
February 22, 2009
The ‘Rosebud’ episode of ‘Northern Exposure’ illustrates the magic mythological power of movies.
'The Darjeeling Limited' (Owen Wilson, Wes Anderson, 2007)
February 19, 2009
Wes Anderson’s movie about three brothers on a trip to India is awkward, but beautifully shot.
Joaquin Phoenix on 'Late Show with David Letterman'
February 12, 2009
Was Joaquin Phoenix’s disoriented ‘Late Show with David Letterman’ appearance all part of a “hilarious documentary”?
'No Country for Old Men' review (2007 movie)
January 30, 2009
Not just another masterpiece of an action thriller, but a meditation on futility and death.
How Jerry Taft and TweetDeck found me fresh eggs, dead body
January 25, 2009
During a movie intermission, I try out TweetDeck’s ‘search’ feature and find a dead body and fresh eggs nearby.
Next big movie buzz: 'Black Dynamite'
December 14, 2008
The buzz is building for ‘Black Dynamite,’ an upcoming spoof of ’60s and ’70s blaxploitation movies.
Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP is getting panned
December 6, 2008
If Gwyneth Paltrow wants to be the Thin White Next Oprah, she may need to kick her GOOP down a notch.
'Pan's Labyrinth' (Guillermo del Toro movie, 2006)
June 30, 2008
Guillermo del Toro’s companion piece to ‘The Devil’s Backbone’ is not quite as brilliant as that film, but it’s still very worthwhile.
'Shine a Light': Martin Scorsese's new Rolling Stones movie
March 30, 2008
Yes — another Stones movie, this time on the big, big screen. It turns out to be a very enjoyable show.
'Volver' (Penelope Cruz movie, 2006 )
March 5, 2008
Penélope Cruz is stunning in this well-crafted Spanish story from Pedro Almodóvar.
Gael García Bernal, 'The Motorcycle Diaries' (film, 2004)
January 22, 2008
An atmospheric buddy picture about a South American road trip taken by Alberto Granado and Che Guevara.
Im Cooked: Christopher Walken's peculiar Chicken with Pears
November 1, 2007
Im Cooked is a new site featuring cooking videos, including this one from the beloved actor.
Movie review: 'The Departed' (2006)
October 18, 2007
Martin Scorsese’s exciting, suspenseful remake of a Hong Kong thriller with a great performance from Jack Nicholson.
'The War' -- WWII movie by Ken Burns on PBS
September 26, 2007
An excellent documentary, resulting from years of searching and assembly.
'V for Vendetta' movie (Natalie Portman, 2006)
September 19, 2007
A hokey adaptation of a graphic novel that is nevertheless impressive for its oppresive political atmosphere.
'Jesus Camp' movie review
September 13, 2007
This documentary follows three children attending an unsettling and militant Christian camp.
'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada' (Tommy Lee Jones, 2005)
July 11, 2007
A little masterpiece from Tommy Lee Jones. Fantastic storytelling.
'An Inconvenient Truth': The movie about Al Gore, global warming
April 27, 2007
There’s too much hagiography of Al Gore, but this is still a very worthwhile movie about the very survival of our planet.
Joseph Campbell on mythology, religion, and art
March 26, 2007
Mythological stories of the hero journey fill the history of religion. Joseph Campbell taught the power of myths.
"In Spite of Ourselves" / John Prine and Iris DeMent
March 23, 2007
A video clip from the old ‘Sessions at West 54th Street’ show.
'Tsotsi' movie review (Presley Chweneyagae, 2005)
February 19, 2007
High-quality work, neatly made, and engaging both to watch and to listen to.
Movie review: 'Blogumentary'
February 11, 2007
Watch the full movie online — a look at the blogging phenomenon and a number of the most well-known bloggers.
Movie review: 'North Country' (2005)
January 9, 2007
A satisfying, quality version of a fairly standard type of story.
Movie review: 'Howl's Moving Castle' (2004)
December 11, 2006
Visually impressive at times, this animated tale is unfortunately unfocused — and includes the voice of Billy Crystal.
'Shopgirl' movie (Steve Martin, Claire Danes)
November 6, 2006
There is no real life here. Ray Porter is a blank and empty man and Steve Martin’s writing is ridiculously spare and stilted.
'Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill': Mark Bittner's feral parrots
October 15, 2006
A fascinating study of San Francisco’s conure parrots and a man who developed a close friendship with them.
Movie review: 'Brothers' (2004)
August 18, 2006
Fine directing and performances turn an ordinary script into a good movie.
Movie review: 'Step Into Liquid' (2003)
August 11, 2006
This so-so surfing documentary showcases the sport at several unusual locations.
Movie review: 'Tokyo Story' (1953)
August 3, 2006
An excellent depiction of the same small slights and kindnesses, awkwardness and grace, pride and humility that we all experience every day.
Movie review: 'Sin City' (2005)
June 22, 2006
It is really violent and gruesome from beginning to end. At the same time, it actually is a good deal of fun.
