They meet at a party. She’s known for having a few drinks and more than a few playmates. He’s the quiet, controlled type. They go for a drive, and he wraps his arms around her from behind, tying a scarf…
Dave Bautista and Other Wrestlers Who’ve Gone from Mat to Screen
With a summer blockbuster behind him and a role as a henchman in a James Bond film on the horizon, Dave Bautista is the latest professional wrestler to flip successfully from the ring to the multiplex. “Wrestling is storytelling,” Bautista…
Pinocchio Redux in “The Avengers: Age of Ultron”
Few writer-directors today have a pop-culture touch like Joss Whedon, so it’s thrilling to see the helmer of “The Avengers” twist an icon like Pinocchio into Frankenstein’s monster for the superhero team’s sequel. However, it’s not entirely unexpected: The themes…
“Big Hero 6” and the Need for Cute
Disney’s “Big Hero 6” looks too intense for my 4-year-old son to tolerate, but the trailer alone has made him (and me) enamored with Baymax. This robot is unlike any we’ve seen onscreen. His inflatable, soft limbs and belly remind…
The Radiant, Enigmatic Rosamund Pike
She’s played a Bond girl and a Greek queen, but Rosamund Pike is an enigma to American audiences – just what director David Fincher wanted for the wife at the center of the toxic marital thriller “Gone Girl.” “Rosamund was…
Taken with Trustworthy Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson’s voice purrs with conviction, even when he disguises his native Irish brogue. It’s one reason that moviegoers have followed him from acclaimed dramatic films to action flicks. Whether playing a knight, a priest, a sex researcher, or an…
Remembering Robin Williams
I’ve cried for three celebrity deaths: Kurt Cobain, whose music was a big part of my youth; Roger Ebert, whose reviews and writing were like a friendly voice for most of my life; and Robin Williams, whose characters in films…
Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Voice Acting
“Guardians of the Galaxy” is one of the freshest sci-fi hits in years thanks to its loopy humor, stunning visuals, characters’ chemistry, and amazing voice actors. Earning a record $94 million for an August debut, the Marvel Studios film has…
World War I History Through the Movies
June 28, 2014, marks the 100th anniversary of the official start of World War I, sometimes called the Great War or “the war to end all wars” (a phrase attributed both to H.G. Wells and President Woodrow Wilson). The four-year…