I can’t hear the word “Nebraska” without thinking of the Bruce Springsteen album of the same name. While it was not a commercial success, it was critically acclaimed for its stark, stripped-down look at the underside of life. It featured a black-and-white cover and included songs about murder, desperation, and hope. Nebraska the film, written…
Reasons You Can’t Sleep “There are two kinds of people in Alaska,” said the bartender. “Those who are born here and those who come here to escape something. I wasn’t born here.” I wouldn’t know if it is true, but it’s a fabulous movie line. She, the bartender, says this after realizing that detective who…
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…
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…
There was likely a moment, and a table, at which sat writer Will Reiser and producers at Summit Entertainment, and someone had to say, “It’s about a guy whose girlfriend cheats on him, his father has Alzheimer’s, and he gets cancer.” And at some point, someone else had to lean forward in a chair, maybe…
One of the rumors that followed the release of Skyfall was that this would be Daniel Craig’s last Bond film, rumors likely started because Bond is seriously injured in the newest of the 50-year old series. The injury throws his reflexes off, slightly diminishes his strength, and even leaves a little psychological damage. However, by…
For many years/films I completely disliked Will Ferrell on screen because it seemed that he played every role with the same over-the-top hyper-enthusiasm (see: Old School, Semi Pro, Step Brothers, Wedding Crashers, Talladega Nights, most SNL appearances). But when Jon Favreau directed him in Elf, Ferrell showed that – with the right director – there was…
Abraham Lincoln has been the focus of more book and movie titles than any other American president in history, and deservedly so even if you take away the tragic assassination. To sit in the chair that decides the future of an entire nation, knowing that half of that nation will not just hate you but…
Flight: Do a Barrel Roll! (Review) (via The Cinematic Katzenjammer) . Read my review posted on a fabulous website for movies, games, and more. A pilot, a drug addict, and a cancer patient walk into a stairwell. No, that’s not the beginning of a bad joke, but it is the beginning of a moment at…
Breakthroughs in technology are usually exploited in two places: commercials and porn. Combine the two, and you get a bastardized version of the Mob. When time travel is both created and then outlawed by the year 2073, the Mob in the future uses it to transport their intended murder victims into the past where a…
