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Hero To Zero: Keaton Returns In ‘Birdman’
What has Michael Keaton been up to lately? I don’t know the answer to that. I know he’s appeared in a handful of movies I haven’t seen — and have no desire to see — such as RoboCop and Need For Speed....
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Gone Girls: Ranking David Fincher’s Films From Least To Most Feminist
The secret is out. If you don’t know the main twist in Gone Girl by now, then I feel sorry for you, because you will undoubtedly be spoiled any minute now, given the level of buzz the film has...
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10 Reasons Why ‘Black Swan’ And ‘Birdman’ Are Actually The Same Movie
Birdman is one the year’s most critically beloved films. It features brilliant performances, breathtaking filmmaking, an off-the-beaten-path score, and unfolds in one long unbroken take (but not...
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Social Media High: Why We’re So Mean To Renee Zellweger
“Renee Zellweger looks like she just got back from a long trip to a Cold Mountain.” I thought that comment was mildly amusing, so I tweeted and put it on Facebook. Less than a minute later, I deleted...
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‘Rigby’ Goes Down: Marriage Is A Bummer From Both Perspectives
Marriage is hard work. Ben Affleck said it, rather awkwardly, in his Oscars acceptance speech for Argo, allowing us to wonder what hells he and Jennifer Garner had been through that caused him to...
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The Laughs, The Smiles, And The Awkward Dead Silence: Fall TV Roulette (Part...
Comedy is hard. I know that to be true. It’s hard to make, and in the case of network sitcoms, it can also be extremely hard to sit through. There are few things more awkward than watching someone try...
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Media Noche: Jake Gyllenhaal Is Bad News In ‘Nightcrawler’
The media is sleazy. We all know this. Films like Network and To Die For have highlighted the unscrupulous methodology of the news media in a way that, if you didn’t look carefully enough, might even...
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Swept Away: Brace For November Sweeps
(Throwback Thursday: A version of the following first appeared in INsite Boston in 2006. Forgive the dated references — including the very notion of sweeps overall, which is all but dead thanks to...
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Anti-Gravity: Nolan’s ‘Interstellar’ Is OK To Go
Last year, Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity blew us away. Not everyone loved the film, but most could agree that it was dazzling to behold on the big screen (especially in 3D) and one giant leap forward in...
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Tender Loving Cherish: ‘The Comeback’ // “Valerie Makes A Pilot”
“Well, I’m mad. And this is about to get messy.” Hello, hello, hello! Note to everyone: The Comeback came back. In 2005, The Comeback was ahead of its time. So ahead of its time, in fact, that no one...
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Mother Of The Year: Oscar-Caliber Turns In ‘Still Alice’&‘Mommy’
Do you want to cry like a baby? Then boy, have I got a pair of films for you. Julianne Moore is one of the most reliable actresses in Hollywood. I daresay she’s never turned in a bad, or even close to...
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Hogging The Bogart: ‘The Comeback’ // “Valerie Tries To Get Yesterday Back”
“Nice to meet you, Jane Benson, Jewish lesbian with an Oscar!” If you want to quote The Comeback, you have an arsenal at your disposal. Chances are you’ll go with, “I don’t need to see that!”, or...
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P.A. Confidential: The Myth Of Movie Magic Exposed!
(Throwback Thursday: A glimpse back at my reasonably short-lived days as a production assistant, and what it taught me about making movies. First published in INsite Boston in April 2006.) Astronauts...
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Network Jizz: ‘The Comeback’ // “Valerie Is Brought To Her Knees”
“I got you, Gingersnaps.” “Valerie Is Brought To Her Knees” introduces us to “Mallory,” the not-so-thinly veiled character Valerie is playing “loosely” based on her time on Room & Bored. She’s got...
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No Good: ‘The Comeback’ // “Valerie Saves The Show”
“I don’t know what kind of candy you’re making, but I’m a coal miner!” As comedies go, The Comeback rides a fine line between the light and the dark. The breezy tone suggests screwball comedy, yet the...
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The Gun Show: Tatum, Ruffalo & Carell Brawl In ‘Foxcatcher’
In its most extreme realizations, the American dream means being the best. Foxcatcher is about three men who already are the best, and want to be better. It is the based-on-a-true-story story of Mark...
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These Boots Are Made For Sobbing: Witherspoon Goes ‘Wild’
Much has been made of the weak Best Actress race this year. The Best Actor field is filled to the brim with potential nominees, enough to fill ten slots with worthy performances from 2014. The Best...
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You’re The Monster: ‘The Comeback’ // “Valerie Is Taken Seriously”
“I don’t care if you’re available or unavailable. I don’t care if you just found out that you have have herpes or hepatitis C from one of those whores that you pay to come to your room on show nights....
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Los Angeles Flays Itself: Cronenberg Tours Hollywood In ‘Maps To The Stars’
If you live in or around Hollywood, you’re likely to see open-top buses filled with tourists, taking a tour of your home like it’s Disneyland. I happen to live near a lot of the attractions on these...
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Red Is The New Orange: ‘The Comeback’ // “Valerie Cooks In The Desert”
“That’s a cautionary tale, huh? That’s what happens, though, you know, when you make show business your whole life, right? You know? Next thing you know, you’re eating kale chips out of a shopping...
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