REMEMBERING RICHARD SHERMAN
The first time I visited Richard Sherman, I rang the doorbell of his Beverly Hills home and heard the first seven notes of “It’s a Small World.” Naturally, I smiled. The smile has only faded this past week with…
FURIOSA: A MAD MAX STORY
After forty-five years, it’s amazing that Aussie filmmaker George Miller can still derive compelling ideas from the car-crazy world of Mad Max that he created so long ago. I’d never seen anything like the scrappy stunt work and go-for-broke…
REDISCOVERING ‘THREE GODFATHERS’
There aren’t many stories that have been filmed five separate times—not counting homages and ripoffs—and even fewer that attracted the same A-list director on three occasions, but that is the case with Peter B. Kyne’s Three Godfathers. The director…
SAYING GOODBYE TO FRIENDS
One of the perils of growing older is losing friends and colleagues. This past week or so has been tough, while the three people who died couldn’t have played more different roles in my life. Cari Beauchamp was a…
WOODY ALLEN’S COUP DE CHANCE
Woody Allen likes telling stories. It’s what made his stand-up comedy sets so distinctive. He didn’t simply recite a string of jokes (although he is a masterful joke writer); he told a story and punctuated it with hilarious one-liners.…
MONKEY MAN: MAYHEM WITH A PURPOSE?
Actor Dev Patel, who won over audiences around the globe in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, is flexing his muscles by co-writing, directing, and starring in Monkey Man. By diving into Indian culture, myths, and traditions he attempts to ground his brutal story…
RARE CARTOONS NEW TO BLU-RAY: HOORAY!
One of the many frustrations for fans of vintage cartoons has been their spotty availability on home video. Companies that specialize in public-domain releases have offered bargain vhs cassettes and DVDs for years, but the picture quality is iffy…
