Eric Bana talks about playing a lawyer in “Closed Circuit,” finding himself in the midst of another topical film (this one is about terrorism and government secrets) and the pleasures of rowing.
Contributor Susan Wloszczyna remembers her stepson and the role movies played in her relationship with him.
In its third season, producer Steven Spielberg’s “Falling Skies” brought in a new team of writers to rethink the allegorical underpinnings of the show. It worked.
From the archives: RogerEbert.com editor Matt Zoller Seitz reprints the first-ever profile of Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson, written for Dallas Observer in 1993
An amazing special Roger made with Gene Siskel in 1990, talking to Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas about the future of movies.
Julie Harris seemed to bring her own special set of tools to the art of acting, making every performance, every line feel like a fresh discovery.
A box set of early Fassbinder films sees him working through pastiches of film noir and melodrama as he fins his way to his distinctive themes and style.
What Dave Chappelle’s walk-off says about the relationship between black entertainers and white audiences; Rising Sun revisited; the gender gap wage lie; nine things introverts do all the time, such as stalking Mark Ruffalo; those appliances you think are off might not be off; your neighborhood airport might be on the decline; a consideration of the selfie.
The IRS recognizes gay marriage; the lost art of the movie poster; the racist underpinnings of Miley’s VMA performance; Paramount’s Blue-ray problem; cinematographer Gökhan Tiryaki speaks; dissecting a “Hannibal” scene; Errol Morris’ new Donald Rumsfeld doc (gulp).
Richard Linklater’s long-gestating”Boyhood”; “Gravity” opens Venice Film Festival; how social media giants should police their sites; haters are gonna hate; life is meaningless in “The Canyons”; Obama’s speech commemorating the March on Washington’s 50th anniversary; a ’70s Tom Waits documentary.
China’s military says “Pacific Rim” is American propaganda; the nudist colony member who just won’t leave; a guide to Craigslist crime; remembering cinematographer Vadim Yusov; a case for the doofus Batman of yore; the 50th anniversary of MLK’s “I Have a Dream Speech”; Park Chan-wook directs a music video.
R. Crumb Illustrates the Religious Experience of Philip K. Dick; Hugh Laurie’s Los Angeles; 15 Things You Absolutely Must Know About Social Media Or Your Face Will Melt Off and Get Eaten by Goats; the portraits of Julia Margaret Cameron; that Cylie Myrus girl rubbed against stuff on the teevee, we heard tell; Breaking Bad “Buried” analyzed in terms of light and shadow; Mercedes kills Hitler.
Dodgers owner wants to buy Los Angeles Times & Chicago Tribune; HuffPo to ban anonymous comments; how NetFlix killed the watercooler moment; how Cracked Magazine reinvented itself; guys with fancy lady hair.
The London Observer’s film critic Philip French retires after 50 years; “Breaking Bad” costar Anna Gunn speculates on why people hate her character; rapper Talib Kweli on sexism, stand your ground laws, and homosexuality in hip-hop; the NYPD’s own personal CIA; New York Times uses the f-word for the first time; montage of superheroes introducing themselves.
Season Three of “Luther” turns Season Two’s theme of random violence on its head, exploring the history behind acts of violence and the future disruptions that violence creates.
Recent books
by Alan Sepinwall and Brett Martin talk about the new “TV revolution,”
but looking at the medium’s past is a reminder that revolutions are
always cyclical.
Tony Leung discusses his preparation for the role of the most famous martial arts master of the 20th century in Wong Kar-Wai’s “The Grandmaster.”
