Judd Apatow has a unique bead on his audience. Whether you want to say he makes chick flicks masquerading as guy flicks or vice-versa, the director/writer/producer can attribute the meteoric rise of his Hollywood star to a near filmic paradox -- romantic comedies with a largely male fan-base.
Street Kings doesn't necessarily require that much explaining. It's a dirty cop flick so firmly set in its genre and flooded with convention that at times it's slightly embarrassing to watch.
In a gushing article last February, "Time" magazine declared George Clooney "The Last Movie Star." In the age of paparazzi surveillance and weekly celebrity meltdowns, Clooney, to "Time" at least, is a vestige of an era where movie stars and morals came in black and white (though some might point out a few shades of grey). Clooney is charming, he's talented, he's agedly handsome, but most importantly, he perpetually seems to have just swaggered out of some swanky, smoky and effortlessly exclusive night club.
I'm a sucker for ghost movies, particularly those involving spirits of the emaciated, dark-black-haired, Asian female variety.
It turns out Jack Black and Mos Def didn't have a "rewind" monopoly this past weekend. The box-office topper Vantage Point could have as easily been titled Be Kind Rewind: Political Thriller Edition.
Around this time of year, many people may be asking, "How exactly are the Oscar awards determined?" Sure, people like to talk about some Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with a select and secret voting membership of about 6,000.
You may be asking yourself, "Case Blackwell and Jeannette Williams? Who the hell are they?" Well, while we aren't exactly University celebrities, for a year now we've been running the Cav Daily single (or double)-handedly and with an iron fist.
Even if you don't recognize John Turturro's name, it's likely you'll recognize his face. His highly ranged and often offbeat performances have kept his services much sought after over the last 25 years.
Back in '88 my mom bought the Cowboy Junkies' second CD, The Trinity Session. The album remained in rotation as I grew up, lead singer Margo Timmons' beautiful, melancholy vocals occasionally serving as the soundtrack to my mom's cooking.
Career defining roles can be a mixed blessing. Billy Bob Thornton had such a role in the critical, box-office and DVD hit Bad Santa.
