These were my 10 favorite shows of 2013: 1. “Bunheads” (Season 1, ABC Family) — I know “Bunheads” was the best show on TV in 2013 because it appealed to both the heart and the mind. And also because — with its dance numbers that attempted to illustrate the mood of the story — it was a […]
“Drinking Buddies” is proof that a movie can be enjoyable to watch even if it fails to make a resonant thematic point. It realistically shows how romances and relationships operate thanks to naturalistic, almost improvisational, performances by four actors playing likable, flawed characters. It had me smiling and frowning. Yet I doubt I’ll remember this film […]
I held off for a while on seeing “Prisoners” because the previews seemed to give away the whole movie: 1) Girls kidnapped, 2) dad (Hugh Jackman) tortures suspect (Paul Dano) who is obviously innocent, 3) the film gains a second meaning as he’s imprisoned by his rage and frustration.
Even though he died in 2012, it seems Ralph McQuarrie’s influence will be felt on the 2014 animated series “Rebels” more so than on any “Star Wars” project since the original trilogy. Artists on the show are purposely adding brushstrokes to the work to give it a very McQuarrie feel, which is appropriate since it […]
Being on the tail end of the “Star Wars” Generation (born in ’78), I loved “Ewoks” — and, among the films, “Return of the Jedi” — before I loved “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” But being a kid, I probably only saw a handful of the episodes when they originally aired in 1985 on […]
Whenever someone brings up the topic of sequels that are better than the original, I always mention “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor” (1985). One, because most likely no one other than me has seen the two Ewok movies, and two, because it clearly fits the bill.
The six episodic “Star Wars” films, adhering to George Lucas’ philosophy of putting story first and not getting too showy about the artistry, don’t wallow in their settings or cultures. They pique our interest, then allow the books and comics to further explore places like Coruscant, Tatooine and Yavin.
Movie reviews: Kristen Bell and Aubrey Plaza play lifeguards struggling with life in “The Lifeguard” and “The To Do List.”
I love “Star Wars” but hate war; it’s a conundrum a lot of fans probably struggle with, and that includes Lando Calrissian trilogy author L. Neil Smith. Getting more specific in this 2006 essay in his web magazine, the Libertarian Enterprise, Smith notes that he loved the first movie and loved the character of Lando, but he […]
“The Fifth Estate” is the liberty-themed movie I was most looking forward to this year. But while it is too loaded with important ideas to dismiss entirely, it is rather disappointing coming on the heels of last year’s very good school-choice-themed “Won’t Back Down” and 2010’s engrossing “The Social Network,” about the rise of Facebook.