I went to see Batman Begins alone in an empty theater that had a max cap of fewer than 300 seats. I knew nothing about movies and even less about directors. I made no connection between Christopher Nolan and the … Read More
Author Archives: Bob Hill
Jiro Ono on Developing a Palate (2011)
“In order to make delicious food, you must eat delicious food. The quality of ingredients is important, but you need to develop a palate capable of discerning good and bad. Without good taste you cannot make good food. If your … Read More
Galleria: ‘Sinatra: An American Icon’ @ The New York Public Library for The Performing Arts
How hot is Frank Sinatra? White hot, assuming America’s zeitgeist is to be believed. In addition to rumors that Martin Scorsese will direct a feature-length biopic about Sinatra, Alex Gibney recently assembled a two-part, four-hour HBO documentary about the singer. … Read More
Black Lives, Gray Matters (New York Stands With Baltimore)
Click through for full-image gallery. … Read More
Francis Ford Coppola’s Advice to Young Filmmakers (2008)
“I think my best advice is really contained in the story of what happened to me when I wrote the screenplay of the film, Patton. One of the reasons they explained that they didn’t like it was the opening. I … Read More
A Fair & Balanced Assessment of Taylor Swift’s Celebrity Persona
October 27, 2014 – Taylor Swift celebrates the release of her new album, 1989, with an iHeart Radio Secret Session performed from high atop a sprawling rooftop in Lower Manhattan. After opening with an aptly-titled “Welcome to New York,” the … Read More
Moving On: The Apartment
It is the mornings I remember most, those mid-May sessions drinking coffee in the kitchen; windows open, curtains flagging, the salt-air breeze mingling softly with caffeine. There was no work, or very little of it during the week. The weather … Read More
19 Plot Devices ‘Furious 7’ Completely Stole from Better Movies (or Other Pop-Culture Entities)
1. A Mamacita waving her kerchief to signal the start of a drag race. (Grease) 2. The hero dropping several stories out a window with a woman in his arms, landing on the roof of a car back-first to protect … Read More
Marlon Brando on Success & Failure (1957)
“Too much success can ruin you as surely as too much failure. Of course, you can’t always be a failure. Not and survive. Van Gogh! There’s an example of what can happen when a person never receives any recognition. You … Read More
Moving On: Manslaughter
By Bob Hill John Vollrath filed out of Club Kaladu along with his girlfriend and his sister. Chris and Adam Short followed suit a moment later, slipping out a north-side exit with Joseph Mader a few feet behind. The three of … Read More