Adapted from the 1975 play by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer—and in turn, Singer’s earlier short story “Yentl the Yeshiva Boy,” Yentl was a true passion project for Barbra Streisand, which took her more than a decade to bring…
Edinburgh, 1932. Jean Brodie (Maggie Smith) is a dedicated teacher at the very conservative Marcia Blaine School for Girls. “I am in the business of putting old heads on young shoulders,” she says to her class, “and all my girls…
We open on a man jogging, seen only from behind. His strong gate, and forceful breathing suggests he jogs with purpose. Then, a title card slams down over a blaring synth, as if to confirm our suspicions. This man isn’t…
There are no homicidal maniacs on the loose, nonetheless, Todd Haynes’ Safe is a truly terrifying film. The horror comes from what at first appears normal and familiar—life in the suburbs. ‘Typical life’ gives way to a self-inflicted, existential crisis…
Based on a comic that first appeared in 1984, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) had a successful movie franchise in the 1990s, and has been revived in director Jonathan Liebesman’s (Wrath of the Titans, Battle Los Angeles) 2014 live…
Premiering on Broadway in November of 1987, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical Into the Woods is a comedic fusion of several well-known fairytales bringing Jack and his magic beanstalk into the same story as Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Little Red…
Extremely controversial when it was released in 1974, The Night Porter remains uncomfortable experience largely because it refuses to provide clear, and easy answers for what is going on. The setting is Vienna, 1957. Max (Dirk Bogarde), a forty-something bachelor,…
No matter what one might of thought of her as person, it’s hard to deny that Joan Crawford was very smart in selecting her film roles. Keen to stay within her range, by the 1940’s Ms. Crawford found herself in…
Light on plot, and heavy on testosterone, Sylvester Stallone returned to action genre relevancy with The Expendables series. With each film. Stallone assembles an all-star cast of action heroes for two hours of high octane mayhem. There’s not really much…
When dismissing Elvis Presley’s films, most people are likely considering his post Blue Hawaii (1962) work, which can be can be considered nothing more than fluff, largely designed to maintain his popularity, and promote his recording career. Elvis’ earlier films…