Category Archives: Actors & Creators

10 Great Richard E. Grant roles

The undisputed media star of this year's Academy Awards season—coming to a conclusion with the ceremony on Sunday, February 24—is the Swaziland-born veteran actor Richard E. Grant. Those of us deeply embedded in the cult of his first feature film, Withnail and I, are especially enjoying the various articles about Grant's enthusiasm, and his deft social…Read More

10 Great Tom Hardy roles

I was listening to a podcast recently looking back at Christopher Nolan's Inception, and the hosts mused about Tom Hardy, what an impact his presence had on the film, and whether this was his breakout role in Hollywood. There's no doubt that even in an ensemble as well-assembled as this, his presence shone. One of the…Read More

The Essential Winona Ryder

If the summer of 2016 was good for anything, it was the arrival of Stranger Things on Netflix. The drama channelled the best of early-'80s pop culture and storytelling tropes—borrowing liberally from John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, and Stephen King—with an extra dollop of 21st Century creepiness (see Under The Skin), all delivered in a fresh…Read More

Amy review — You know she was so good

A documentary by Asif Kapadia Kapadia has said he wasn't particularly a fan of the British singer Amy Winehouse, who died in July 2011, before he made this doc. That claim of objectivity—this isn't a fan letter of a movie—is something to keep in mind while watching. With dozens of interviews with people in Winehouse's inner circle,…Read More

Orson Welles at 100

Not that we need any kind of an excuse, but this week would be a terrific time to go back and watch some of Orson Welles' films. Today is his centenary. I confess I haven't seen enough of his work, but if you're wondering where to start, I recommend going with Citizen Kane (1941), which still tops…Read More

A Rosamund Pike primer

I've been spending this week enjoying Rosamund Pike's sudden ascension to stardom. If all the ink spilled on Gone Girl, along with its #1 box office status, is anything to go by, everyone's talking about the 34-year-old British thesp. I've enjoyed her movies for years, and it's great to see someone who has worked hard…Read More

Watching Robin Williams

I figured I'd wait a few days before offering any kind of tribute to Robin Williams. Give the news a chance sink in. It seems to me a universal tragedy; someone so talented, so adored, would feel so despondent as to end his life. Depression doesn't discriminate. Of the more moving remembrances to the Oscar-winning actor…Read More

The Movie Star Roster 2014

Jack Nicholson once said, and I'm paraphrasing, here, that anyone who gets to be a lead in a Hollywood movie has something special. Why? Because too many people want it. If the star didn't have some of that magic pixie dust that appeals to audiences, someone else would have gotten the gig. That shit doesn't…Read More

10 Great Jeff Goldblum roles

It was only recently that I started to appreciate Jeff Goldblum's special appeal. I'd respected him as a character actor who'd flirted with big time stardom, in movies like The Fly and Jurassic Park and Independence Day, but who rarely had his name above the title. It's a good place to be, career wise. It…Read More

Bob Hoskins and Mona Lisa

When I heard the sad news that Bob Hoskins died today at age 71, it made me think of the first movie I saw him in. I'd lived in London for less than a year when Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa came out. It was a tough year for me. A new high school, much larger than the…Read More