In 1977, director Martin Scorsese was on a roll. Hot off the critical and commercial success of Mean Streets, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and Taxi Driver, he was given free rein to do whatever he wished. His pet project…
Based on a subversive set of trading cards, I was intrigued when I learned that Tim Burton had agreed to direct Mars Attacks! Each card graphically depicted a Martian invasion of Earth with lots of gory detail. Knowing that, I…
Given the success of Patton in 1970, it earned ten Oscar nominations, winning Best Actor for George C. Scott, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, a biopic of fellow World War II General Douglas MacArthur seemed inevitable. Released in…
Notoriously difficult to adapt, Hollywood has tried for years to successfully transfer video games to the big screen. Whether it’s Justin Kurzel’s dark “Assassin’s Creed,” or one of Uwe Boll’s several forgettable attempts at the genre, there’s never been a…
With the success of shows like Alias and 24, television shows centered around espionage became popular beginning in the early 2000’s. Debuting in 2010, on the USA Network, Covert Affairs was created by the team of Matt Corman and Chris…
Nearly four years after the release of his Elvis biopic, director Baz Luhrman returns with EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, a dazzling, unconventional concert film and documentary, using never-before-seen concert and archival footage, found in the vaults of Warner Bros.,…
Despite mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike, 1987’s Throw Momma from the Train was a moderate success at the box office and has since become a cult classic of sorts. Inspired by Patricia Highsmith’s novel Strangers on a Train,…
Clint Eastwood’s first American western after the success of Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, Hang ‘Em High was directed by Ted Post, who had worked with Clint on the television series Rawhide. Despite a cast that includes Dennis Hopper, L.Q. Jones,…
Known largely for her role as lifeguard Casey Jean “C.J.” Parker on Baywatch, and endless tabloid stories during her marriage to rocker Tommy Lee, it was easy to write her off as just another Hollywood pinup. In truth, she had…
Once a huge fan of Michael Jackson—Thriller was the first “adult” album I ever bought with my allowance—my fandom cooled as allegations of child molestation swirled around him. Through it all, his most devoted fans defended him with fervor. Given…