Category Archives: Actors & Creators

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

How do I watch Woody Allen now?

Yesterday I sat down with an old friend. We talked about movies, as we sometimes do, and since we both grew up watching Woody Allen, we talked about the reasons he's been in the news lately. She said, "I can forgive a lot, but this is one thing where I'd leave him on a desert…Read More

Elmore Leonard RIP

Here's Toronto film reviewer Norm Wilner's look back at some of the movies that sprung from his mind. I've always wanted to see Killshot and 52 Pick-Up, and Justified is on a (long) list of TV shows needing to be seen by me.What a great writer. He will be missed.Read More

Roger Ebert 1942-2013

It's hard to overestimate the influence and impact of Roger Ebert. People talk about Pauline Kael with hushed reverence now, but what made Ebert so great, certainly the greatest movie critic in my lifetime, was his ability to communicate in a language everyone could understand. I don't know if that was always true of Kael.…Read More

Farewell Uncle Monty

As my friends know, I am firmly a part of the cult of Bruce Robinson's Withnail & I, having seen the film for the first time as a teenager at a cinema on Baker Street in London. I've seen it countless times since, and have a framed poster from the film (a Ralph Steadman illustration) hanging…Read More

The Films of Steven Soderbergh

One of the biggest disappointments of 2013 (so far) is what appears to be Steven Soderbergh's (seemingly) serious intent to retire from directing movies. Soderbergh is consistently one of the most interesting American filmmakers. He's not often the screenwriter of his projects, but he's certainly an auteur in every other way I can think of.…Read More

10 Great Jack Nicholson Roles

Jack Nicholson has had an enviable career. He's been an A-List actor and leading man for so long he's practicality carved out of stone on Mount Rushmore. His leering mug for years was a staple of the front row at the Oscar telecast — though, interestingly, not recently. Maybe he's in semi-retirement, having gone way…Read More