The event programmers in my suburban school district in the late ’60s and early ’70s were somewhat adventurous, or so I like to think. They seemed to want to offer a diverse menu during our elementary and junior high movie breaks, rather than feeding time-killers through their humming 16mm projectors. Yes, we were beset
Actors don’t like to be typecast. Exhibit A is Paul Rudd, who has made a career out of playing funny parts in goofy comedies, examples include: Knocked Up, Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and I Love You, Man. Even when Rudd went the action route, it was as the semi-tongue-in-cheek superhero, Ant-Man. But in The Catcher
Many of the nation’s filmgoers will satisfy their annual Halloween movie fix this month with Venom, Goosebumps 2 or the this-is-the-last-one-we-promise Halloween reboot with the indestructible Michael Myers and the inimitable Jamie Lee Curtis. But at the Flint Institute of Arts, the cinematic Halloweens are less conventional. This October, the museum’s scheduled monster-related pictures are
Has it really been ten years since “Semi-Pro?” The 2008 release of the Will Ferrell basketball comedy showed off Flint as a bona fide Hollywood movie locale. But now that Michigan’s program of tax credits for filmmakers has been gone for a few years, ending an era in which Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino), Drew Barrymore
When I was the film reviewer at The Flint Journal, I tended to allow criticism of my criticism to roll off my back. So, when an irate caller railed at me for giving away a spoiler in my newly-published review of Independence Day, I shrugged (to myself, of course, after apologizing profusely on the phone)
One of the pleasures of the gold-standard Turner Classic Movies channel is its showcasing of film noir – the loosely defined class of taut, violent, often-fatalistic 1940s and 1950s crime thrillers that hinted at a seamier world below the postwar surface. TCM presents a regular “Noir Alley” feature on Sunday mornings, but these movies are
Great art is supposed to make you think hard and often feel uncomfortable doing it. Such is the case with The Square, a dark comedy from Sweden in which A Night at the Museum meets Curb Your Enthusiasm – with squirm-inducing results. Set for screening April 6-8 at the Flint Institute of Arts, The Square
What’s the worst motion picture of all time? Well, as I have acquired the ability to walk into my backyard – right now – and aim my smartphone wherever I’d like, the distinction is fluid and the possibilities are endless. Present company excepted? Okay … I used to think the Worst Movie Ever was Reefer
Who is Hedy Lamarr, and why should we care about her? A Hollywood star in the 1940s, Lamarr was better known for her dazzling beauty than her middling thespianship. You may be too young to remember her; but imagine Scarlett Johansson developing a cutting-edge cancer treatment, or Olivia Munn discovering a new planet in the
Not long ago, Turner Classic Movies filled my television screen with yet another showing of Lust for Life, the still-popular 1950s biopic starring Kirk Douglas. Not long after, I could tune in my radio to hear the haunting 1970s Don McLean ballad, “Vincent.” Both works explore the misunderstood genius of Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch
The end of each year brings many life-affirming traditions: family gatherings, gift-giving, the joy of … uh, imbibing. And part of finishing each calendar period is to remember, and reflect upon, who among us we’ve lost; thus, the appearance of numerous necrology recaps every December. Who of interest died this year? We’ll be reminded. So
Like a Thanksgiving repast filled with gastronomical options spicy, sweet and sour, there’s seemingly something for everybody to consume at the movies as the year-end holidays approach. There are the usual multiplex-popcorn blockbusters, which this month means Thor: Ragnarok (co-starring The Hulk!) and DC’s competing Justice League. (The Last Jedi isn’t due until mid-December, FYI.)
