Judging a century (and change) by Vogue covers
A few months ago, Abrams put out a beautiful coffee table book devoted to the ten-year reign of editor Glenda Bailey at Harper’s Bazaar, but to be fair to that magazine’s major competitor they have...
View Article‘Hemingway & Gellhorn’: stars enliven campy, hyperbolic biopic
Most of my writer friends with HBO were appalled by “Hemingway & Gellhorn” when it premiered on the cable giant last year. They didn’t just dislike it, they hated it. Still, I wondered how bad...
View ArticleVanity Fair shifts gears with ‘World War Z’/Brad Pitt cover
In a refreshing change of pace, the current Vanity Fair cover sports the face of a movie star who did not agree to be interviewed for the story inside. Brad Pitt is the coverboy for a very interesting...
View ArticleJennifer Lawrence — the sky is the limit
What a year Jennifer Lawrence has had — an Oscar win for “Silver Linings Playbook” last winter; a starring role in one of the biggest box office hits of the fall (“The Hunger Games: Chasing Fire”); and...
View Article‘Nymphomaniac, Vol. 1’: Lars von Trier on sex and love
The most interesting movie of the new year — Lars von Trier’s “Nymphomaniac, Vol. 1” — won’t be playing in theaters until tomorrow, but it has been available from the various video-on-demand services...
View Article‘Under the Skin’: not knowing what’s going on
The British director Jonathan Glazer has often been compared with Stanley Kubrick — both for the obvious control-freak tendencies that go into producing such a stunning visual style, and for a glacial...
View ArticleHave you seen the Nicole Kidman cult film ‘Birth’?
If I was asked to pick the most unjustly neglected film of the past decade, I would probably cite the 2004 Jonathan Glazer picture “Birth” which has remained off most people’s radar despite a strong...
View ArticleThe year of Scarlett Johansson
Although she’s been a star for more than a decade, Scarlett Johansson didn’t do a lot for me as a movie actress until this year. I enjoyed her performances in “Lost in Translation” and “Vicky Cristina...
View Article‘Captivated’: the origins of ‘reality’ television
HBO is unveiling a terrific new documentary Monday at 9 p.m. — Jeremiah Zagar’s “Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart.” The film looks back at that sensational case in New Hamphire 24 years ago when...
View ArticleRent it now: ‘Not Quite Hollywood’ celebrates Aussie trash
When we think about the Australian movies of the 1970s and 1980s most of us recall art house hits such as “Picnic at Hanging Rock” and “Breaker Morant,” but as the documentary “Not Quite Hollywood”...
View Article‘How to Watch…’: more wisdom from David Thomson
David Thomson has carved out his own path as a film critic, steering away from regular reviewing in favor of an eclectic series of books ranging from “Why Acting Matters” to “The Alien Quartet.” The...
View ArticleThe mystery of free YouTube movies deepens
Have you dug into the Paramount Vault yet? I’m talking about the YouTube channel the movie studio set up four months ago that features hundreds of movies free for the watching. Of course, few Paramount...
View Article‘She Made Me Laugh’: what is a ‘friend’?
Readers and critics have been arguing about Richard Cohen’s Nora Ephron memoir/biography since it was published earlier this month. “She Made Me Laugh: My Friend Nora Ephron” (Simon and Schuster) has...
View Article‘Stoppers’: getting a great shot
The new Abrams book “Stoppers” delves into the mysteries of high level magazine photography. The gorgeous volume is dedicated to the work of Vogue sittings editor Phyliss Posnick, who acts as the...
View ArticleA miscalculation in ‘Call Me By Your Name’
The terrific film version of the Andre Aciman novel “Call Me By Your Name” seems to be on its way to scooping up many year-end critics’ prizes and at least a few Oscars early next year. The movie has...
View Article‘The Gift’: a stalker drama with a twist
When “Fatal Attraction” became a box office and audience sensation 30 years ago I was appalled that the filmmakers felt it necessary to kill the demented stalker played so effectively by Glenn Close....
View Article‘Stoppers’: getting a great shot
The Abrams book “Stoppers” delves into the mysteries of high level magazine photography. The gorgeous volume is dedicated to the work of Vogue sittings editor Phyliss Posnick, who has acted as the...
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