“Taking the Grandstand in ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7′”

Making history fun, and also not exactly true! Continue reading →

Review: Spotlight, 2015, dir. Tom McCarthy

“Bostonians tend toward insularity that often comes off like rudeness. In truth, that stereotypical coarseness is a blend of honesty and austerity: They favor candor over sensitivity, and act like total introverts in the interest of honoring their neighbors’ privacy. Tom McCarthy’s latest film,Spotlight, appreciates that social shuttering better, perhaps, than it appreciates its subject … Continue reading →

Review: Birdman, 2014, dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu

“Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) used to be somebody. Specifically, he used to be Birdman, a once globally beloved superhero turned pathetic pop culture footnote 20 years after his relevance (and his fortune) has faded. He used to soar above the world, patrolling the skies on wings of justice, dispensing law and order to all evildoers … Continue reading →

Review: The Other Guys, 2010, dir. Adam McKay

Wow, Adam McKay– what’s gotten you so worked up? Watching The Other Guys, the answer isn’t particularly secret and nor does McKay seem terribly interested in trying to disguise it. For a bonkers, slapstick, off-the-wall comedy featuring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg swapping back and forth between being the straight man and acting like lunatics, … Continue reading →

Review: Toy Story 3, 2010, dir. Lee Unkrich

Now THAT’S how you close out a series. Or not. Animation giant Pixar’s requisite annual release, Toy Story 3, ends with a final sequence that potentially gives the company the option of producing a fourth entry in their flagship franchise– let’s face it, no characters in the Pixar family are more iconic and immediately recognized … Continue reading →