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Movies / TV

Cannes Films Focus on Transition, but Many Seem Stalled

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Cannes, France — Every film festival presents the temptation to find an overarching theme, even if a filmgoer has to stand on her tippy-toes to find it. But even to the most jaded, this year’s Cannes Film Festival presented undeniable links, not just between the films being shown in and out of competition, but between what was happening on and off screen. No sooner had The Great Gatsby - Baz …

The Party’s Over in This ‘Hangover’

Saturday, May 25, 2013

After The Hangover Part II, more than one critic took filmmaker Todd Phillips to task for too slavishly following the first movie’s winning formula, ingredient for ingredient. For a story so heavily dependent on the element of surprise — both ours and that of the characters — why couldn’t he manage to nudge …

‘Epic’: A World’s Huge Problems

Saturday, May 25, 2013

In calling itself Epic the new CGI adventure based on children’s author and illustrator William Joyce’s The Leaf Men might be guilty of overselling itself, just a bit. Yes, the movie is certainly more swollen in scope and tone than Joyce’s eco-themed picture book on which it’s (very loosely) based. That 2001 story of the secret, teeming life of a garden had a …

Michael Douglas Keeps Forging Ahead

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

pasadena, Calif. — One thing you can count on in Hollywood is that actor-producer Michael Douglas always does the unexpected. When he first started he became the hot new actor in the TV series The Streets of San …

‘Star Trek’ Takes on Terrorism

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America are: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than …

Weinstein Showcases Films at Cannes

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Cannes, France (ap) — The Weinstein Co.’s fall slate of awards contenders will feature a glamorous Grace Kelly, a brawny Nelson Mandela and a mysterious J.D. Salinger. Harvey Weinstein previewed some of his company’s most anticipated upcoming releases …

Dartmouth Senior Shooting Feature Film in Hanover

Friday, May 17, 2013

San Luis Obispo, midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, has at least three claims to fame. The first is that it is the home of the world’s first motel, built in 1925; the second is that in …

Young Cast Shines in ‘Into Darkness’

Friday, May 17, 2013

The nervy reboot of the Star Trek franchise by action impresario J.J. Abrams can be summed up, quite simply, as a triumph of casting. From the moment Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana showed up in Abrams’s …

Everyone Still Goes to Cannes

Friday, May 17, 2013

Cannes, France — It’s been 42 years since I first covered the Cannes Film Festival. Arriving on the French Riviera this week, I was struck by how Cannes has remained the quintessential place for film, despite enormous changes …

Online Video Producers Are Making More Shows for Women

Monday, May 6, 2013

Philadelphia — When it comes to online video, men aren’t the boss anymore. Rapidly growing in numbers and influence, female viewers are reshaping original programming at major platforms such as AOL, Hulu and YouTube. WIGS, YouTube’s popular women’s channel, marked its first anniversary with the premiere Friday of …

Iron Man 3: Six Questions and Answers

Saturday, May 4, 2013

It’s ‘deja-view’ all over again. Just like last May, it’s Marvel that kicks off the popcorn movie season with a superhero franchise. And if the global box office is any indicator, the new Iron Man 3 (already nearing …

A Sharp Domestic Comedy Masked as a Mega-Movie (N.Y.)

Saturday, May 4, 2013

New York — It’s tricky — and ultimately, perhaps, meaningless —to evaluate a movie like Iron Man 3 as an aesthetic object. Before it’s anything else, this is a Disney-Marvel product, the latest release from a massive global entertainment empire with enough revenue-earning power that the film’s distribution …

Documentaries Remain Vital; Hopkins Center to Host Some of the Best

Friday, May 3, 2013

The record of the average American feature film in the past decade has been, on the whole, rather dismal. The word “puerile” leaps to mind. American documentary film, on the other hand, is as vigorous, provocative and engaging …