Clik here to view.
The Life Out Loud: A Conversation with a Young Filmmaker
Certified is a beautifully shot, cleverly told short film about a postal worker whose day goes wonky. I had an opportunity to speak with the filmmaker, Luke Asa Guidici, about his creative journey....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Live From the Sundance Film Festival: Wednesday, Jan. 22
My last day at the Sundance Film Festival ended with a big bang: The Raid 2, Gareth Evans' sequel to his eye-popping 2011 action film The Raid. And it was a good day prior to that, with a pair of...
View ArticleSlack Armada: Music for the Post-Rock Niche
The moniker Slack Armada could conjure a few translations: "lazily armed," or "innate weapon," or "slow moving fleet," or even "quiet power." But none of these translations explains the music of James...
View ArticleDon't Compare Bieber's "Problems" to Britney's Meltdown
When we did our year-end features last month, we included a piece called "Bieber's Best (Read: Worst) Moments of 2013," but after Justin was arrested in Miami for drag racing while drunk and high on...
View ArticleLikable Villains
Television is easily one of the most used mediums of entertainment in today's world. Millions upon millions roll into the world of their favorite shows as an escape and a distraction. There is one...
View ArticleWhy We Can't Stop Pirating -- But We Should
It's purely by coincidence that I'm writing this on pirated software. In just a few hours, to wind down my evening, I'll watch a pirated movie (thanks, Ellen DeGeneres) in the confines of a cozy bed....
View ArticleWhat I Am "Looking" For
As an avid fan of HBO's Girls, my absolute guiltiest pleasure, hearing about a comparably gay equivalent sounded great. From the trailers and behind-the-scenes specials HBO's Looking looks very...
View ArticleFebruary Sweeps -- A Time of Tired Tricks
Nielsen is a research company that compiles information on consumers, but most often we think of it as the TV ratings people. Throughout the year, Nielsen uses electronic metering to get ratings...
View ArticleI Have Been to the Mountain Top
New York, New York: Mountaintops offer dynamic vistas and symbolize not only physical heights but inspiring points of prominence. On the night before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King told a...
View Article'Rake' Review: You Can Bet On Greg Kinnear
Last summer, I popped in the screener of "Rake"'s original pilot and wanted to poke my eyes out. I didn't get how the antics of an alcoholic and gambling-addicted lawyer could be so boring but, boy, oh...
View ArticleSalinger Documentary by Shane Salerno, a Revealing Homerun
Shane Salerno succeeds in solving the riddle of J.D. Salinger's reclusive behavior. Salinger chose to be a recluse when it suited his needs. Folks interviewed during Salerno's documentary said he...
View ArticleSuper Bowl Ads Ahead of the Game
While I don't know who will win next week's Super Bowl game between the Seahawks and the Broncos, I can say with certainty that, for many, the best part of the game will be the commercials. Advertisers...
View ArticleJared Leto Knew Dallas Buyers Club Role Was 'Really Special'
Jared Leto likely never imagined his Dallas Buyers Club role would lead to a Golden Globe -- much less his subsequent Oscar nomination. Still, from the moment he read the script about the early days of...
View ArticleDo You Take Hip Hop Music Seriously? After This You Might
Hip Hop music is constantly the subject of much scrutiny. An entire genre of music is vilified for having empty lyrics about materialism, misogyny and the glorification of violence. Hip Hop music is...
View ArticleOn '12 Years a Slave' and Why We Enjoy Watching Others Suffer
I saw 12 Years a Slave last weekend. On Monday, a friend asked me whether I enjoyed the film and I honestly didn't know how to respond. The story, of a free black man from New York, kidnapped and sold...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Filmmakers Address Gay Seniors Living With HIV in Desert Migration (AUDIO)
This week I talked with filmmakers Daniel Cardone and Marc Smolowitz about their new documentary for the HIV Story Project, Desert Migration. Since HIV treatments have improved, many HIV-positive men...
View ArticleZaki's Review: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
While Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is the latest manifestation of Hollywood's current vogue of restarting storied franchises from the ground up, the previous Ryan film, 2002's The Sum of All Fears, was...
View ArticleLizzie Borden Swings Her Axe in a Lifetime Movie
If you were casting in your mind for a 30-ish actress to play the title role of Lizzie Borden in a television movie about her life, wouldn't Christina Ricci be at the top of your list? There is...
View ArticleApril 1971: I Write Pete Townshend a 32-page Letter, He Sends Me an...
I have been working on a book about my love affair and actual interactive relationship with The Who for at least three years, on and off. I had an enthusiastic publisher all lined up who essentially...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Sundance Interviews: Video With Marisa Tomei, John Lithgow, Alfred Molina...
The Day for Night series traveled to Sundance to talk to some of the filmmakers and cast with films playing at the festival this year. Today's installment includes the teams behind Love is Strange,...
View Article