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…
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…
Holiday as Character: 6 Films Starring the Fourth of July
Sunbathers pack the beach, practically butting elbows under striped cabanas while boats patrol the nearby water. No one dares breach the surf until one brave soul ventures forward, triggering a surge of swimmers and waders, determined to enjoy their fun…
Mark Ruffalo’s Book-Filled Film Career
In his best roles, Mark Ruffalo is maddeningly endearing. The forty-six-year-old is adept at conveying contradictions: an inherently decent guy with issues, someone you want to yell at one minute and hug the next. Ruffalo creates onscreen characters that we…
Remembering Anne Frank and other WWII youths
Anne Frank is a girl after a film and lit fan’s own heart: a vivacious teen who loved movie stars and words. “I can shake off everything if I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn,” she noted in her…
5 Reasons to Adore Chiwetel Ejiofor
The first thing that strikes you about Chiwetel Ejiofor is his eyes. They’re so expressive, almost hypnotic. So well do they telegraph intelligence and empathy that they do more than linger. They burn. Their intensity clicks faster than pronouncing his…
Penny Dreadful: Horror with a Literary Past
Black- and blue-tinged images unfurl to the low bass of a violin. A rosary. Drops of blood. Tarot cards. A scorpion curling its tail. A scalpel slicing into a cadaver. An insect flailing against a spider’s web. Showtime’s new series…
Andy Serkis: The Man in the Digital Mask
Actors love to disappear into roles, but few have done this as thoroughly as Andy Serkis. His voice, facial expressions, and body language give nuance and life to complex computer-animated characters, bringing him fame and accolades for his work while…
Films That Spun a Web of Romance
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” swings into theaters on Friday, re-teaming Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone as the web-slinging superhero and his girlfriend Gwen Stacy. The two lead actors fell in love with a thwip! on the set of its 2012…