At this year’s Ebertfest, the one film I was looking forward to more than any was The Spectacular Now, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (500 Days of Summer) and directed by James Ponsoldt. It has been praised as the most realistic, teen/high school relationship movie you could ever expect to find, something that…
As previously stated, a film should not be remade unless the present technology is far enough beyond that of when the original was made that the present technology would lend itself to a far enough better film. There is another reason – which is when the original film was poorly adapted from another media. Or…
Roger Ebert once said that the only reason to ever remake a movie is if it is a film that relies heavily on technology, and in the years since the original, the technology has improved significantly enough to also improve the movie. Based on that, it seemed like a no-brainer to remake both the 1976…
Almost anyone can name a few obscure comedians who can bust your gut even though few others have ever heard their names. One who kills me is Mike Birbiglia. He’s got a deadpan delivery similar to Stephen Wright (for those over 40) and a delayed, self-deprecating style much like Ellen DeGeneres. He is very relatable…
It would be wrong not to preface this with two undeniable facts: First, I am old. Because I am old, I am no longer part of Hollywood’s target audience. And because I am no longer part of the target audience, I am not likely to enjoy at least half of what La La Land cranks…
One of the toughest films to make is a dark comedy because it’s hard to flip between laughing and watching someone die, but if you need a good example, Bernie, directed by Richard Linklater and starring Jack Black, is the place to start. It’s a sleeper that sneaks up on you in a good way,…
I haven’t done this is a very long time, but something about this picture struck me enough. No pun intended. Every Wednesday Renegade Wisoff-Fields posts a picture prompt challenging writers to create a 100-word story, poem, or whatever works for you. After posting your work on your blog, go back to her site and add your link…
In light of the Johnny Manziel situation, I’m reblogging this from two years ago and adding a little at the end about Johnny Football. I address him at the end. _________________________________________________ Fall is approaching. Fall means two important things: baseball playoffs and football. Football means two important things: college and pro. College football means two…
When the person you look up to the most is a homeless murderer pursued by both the police and bounty hunters, there probably won’t be a whole lot of good in your life. And when your best friend’s name is Neckbone, you have to start to wonder. Ellis, 14, is quietly waiting for something. His…
This is a combination of three old blog posts combined. Also, this was written back when I never capitalized anything. I tried fixing it up, but I’m sure I missed a few things. _________________________________________ i love when there’s a news report about the findings of a new study. My all-time favorite, from a half-dozen years…
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