Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, December 1,2005

Country musicals

Walk the Line among a few films to explore an authentic American musical genre

Harry Potter may be dominating the box office, but the real story is the strong opening of Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic. Country music is a subject rarely explored by Hollywood, bec

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Wednesday, November 23,2005

War, thrice

There are now three versions of the H.G. Wells' classic

By Marc Sigoloff

More than 50 years have passed since the last movie based on H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, and now, in 2005, there are three new versions. This is a rare opportunity to compa

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Wednesday, November 16,2005

Movie writers

What’s harder than writing? Try making a good film about writers.

By Marc Sigoloff

Writing is a lonely profession, and the subject rarely lends itself to drama. It works if the writer or journalist develops a relationship with a known lunatic, as is the case in two new hig

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, November 10,2005

Rosa's legacy

Hollywood tells the story of the struggle for racial justice

By Marc Sigoloff

The recent passing of Rosa Parks is a reminder of how one person can effect social change. She became an icon in the civil-rights movement by refusing to yield her seat on a bus in Montgomer

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, November 3,2005

Cagey Nicolas

It’s a return to form for Nicolas Cage, an expert at quirky roles

By Marc Sigoloff

The Weather Man appears to be a return to form for Nicolas Cage, who first gained attention with a series of quirky characters in oddball independent features. In recent years, though,

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, October 27,2005

Halloween horrors

Finding a great terror flick takes effort, but here some screamers

By Marc Sigoloff

The last movie that scared me was The Black Pit of Dr. M, and I was 8. I’d probably laugh at it now if I could find it. When I look for a horror film, all I hope for is to be drawn int

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, October 20,2005

Pacino, the sometime mentor

Why's he a role model? He keeps taking risks.

By Marc Sigoloff

Al Pacino is a role model for any actor, and he occasionally finds himself in the mentor role in his characters. Two for the Money has ignited criticism that he plays that role too often. Wo

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Wednesday, October 12,2005

Enduring Foster

Jodie Foster makes the implausible believable

By Marc Sigoloff

A two-decade-old song by the punk band Ism, “John Hinckley, Jr. (What Has Jodie Done to You)?”, mockingly recalls a legacy that might have derailed the career of a lesser actress

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Wednesday, October 5,2005

Wild blue yonder

Does anyone ever have a pleasant airplane ride in the movies?

By Marc Sigoloff

Does anyone ever have a pleasant airplane ride in the movies? If more than a moment is devoted to this form of transportation, something bad happens. If it isn’t mechanical failure, th

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Monday, October 3,2005

Don't abuse the animals

New animal films continue long line of successes

By Marc Sigoloff

March of the Penguins is now the second most successful documentary ever released in the United States, and it is tops in the animal category. March is clearly the movie surprise of the