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, big-budget popcorn movies have dominated his image. Many of his choices in that regard have been good, particularly Con Air (1997) and the astounding […]

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 into its dark, creepy world. Finding something worthwhile these days isn’t so […]

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. Wouldn’t you want to learn from someone who does it so well? Movies such as Donnie Brasco and The Recruit […]

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. Jodie Foster survived — there has never been a better actress in movies — but being the obsession of the man who tried to […]

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, the culprit is the human element, as in the current films Red Eye and Flightplan. An even more serious problem is the spate of […]

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 year, and it is hard to understand why these odd birds would attract such a large audience. Animal and nature movies are […]

Watching the rare failure of a great director is disheartening, but, considering Oliver Stone’s track record, he can afford a dud such as Alexander. Stone has made many great films, but he will always have a special place in my heart for Natural Born Killers. Alexander stars Colin Farrell as the Macedonian general who conquered most […]

The surprise success of Wedding Crashers and The 40-Year-Old Virgin may revive the sex-comedy genre, but we are still a long way from its glory days. Today the genre is dominated by trash teen flicks, such as the American Pie trilogy, and moronic adult comedies aimed at a juvenile mentality, such as Deuce Bigalow: Male […]

Terry Gilliam was the least visible member of the comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus, but he has made the greatest impression in the cinema. In fact, he has reached such a high level as a director that his films can’t be judged by normal standards. His current release, The Brothers Grimm, although not a […]

Vince Vaughn may be the reigning king of comedy, yet he really isn’t a comedian. Normally that moniker is bestowed on an actor who began either as a standup comedian or a sketch-comedy actor. Steve Martin and, more recently, Jim Carrey are prime examples. The most fertile training ground is clearly Saturday Night Live, the […]

Why would Wes Craven, who has been called the “king of horror,” fail so miserably with the werewolf film Cursed (2005)? Perhaps his reputation is a little overstated. Craven achieved greater box-office success than Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), John Carpenter (Halloween), and George Romero (Dawn of the Dead), but unlike his rivals he […]