Articles

I've written before that Steven Seagal the action film icon is quite different from Steven Seagal the real-life man. The actual Seagal has been accused of sexual misconduct and of being egomaniacal. He has, without question, cozied up with tyrants like Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and American President Donald Trump. Even his reputation as a bona fide badass is questionable at best; the young...

As I write this review, Sir Ian McKellen is making headlines for being one of the first celebrities to publicly get a COVID-19 vaccine. Clearly he realizes that we must inoculate ourselves against deadly diseases and is using his celebrity status to set a good example. While it remains to be seen how much of the public will follow his lead with the coronavirus pandemic, one thing is clear: When...

Earlier this month I wrote an essay about the aesthetics of fascism, and at first glance "Coriolanus" seems like an easy story to turn to fascistic purposes. Indeed, many actual fascists have embraced William Shakespeare's early 17th century play as their own, and when director/writer Ralph Fiennes updated the story by plopping it in a highly militarized early 21st century context, some wondered...

I loved Roger Ebert, and he hated "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," which poses quite a conundrum for me. The legendary film critic didn't just pan the movie, which was directed by Tom Stoppard (based on his 1966 play of the same name) and starred Gary Oldman and Tim Roth. He gave it zero stars out of four, arguing that "as a movie, this material, freely adapted by Stoppard, is boring and...

Forget for a moment that "Chimes at Midnight" is based on the works of William Shakespeare, widely considered one of the greatest writers in the English language. Forget that it was directed by Orson Welles, widely considered one of the greatest directors in American cinema. Forget that it boasts an all-star cast includes Welles himself, John Gielgud, Keith Baxter, Margaret Rutherford and Jeanne...

"He may be a jerk, but he's a great man. He's brilliant. I mean, you'll never be great or brilliant. You're dependable." Some movies can be summed up in one quote, and this is the one that captures the essence of "The Beach Bum." Harmony Korine's 2019 stoner comedy tells the story of a famous poet known as Moondog (Matthew McConaughey), who despite his obvious talent hasn't published anything in...

Three years before Harmony Korine released "Spring Breakers," he made a microbudget social horror film called "Trash Humpers." That movie, despite having the word "trash" in its title, is actually pretty good. By contrast "Spring Breakers," despite having the refreshing word "Spring" in its title, is pretty trashy. Anyone familiar with the Korine oeuvre will know going into "Spring Breakers"...

I am not schizophrenic, but I identified very deeply with "Julien Donkey-Boy." If you have ever struggled with mental illness — and can handle the movie's distinctly "indie" style — I suspect you will too. Like many films written and directed by Harmony Korine, there isn't much in the way of a plot in "Julien Donkey-Boy," but that's as it should be. This is a movie about a young man with...