‘House of Cards’: A Semi-Maddening Drama That Makes Its Bank On Casting

Kevin Spacey may well be the most talented actor featured on House of Cards, but his portrayal of Frank Underwood pales in comparison to Robin Wright’s portrayal of Claire, as well as Michael Kelly’s portrayal of Douglas Stamper. No surprise … Read MoreRead More

Winter Garden

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A Word Now, Regarding Canadian Director Sarah Polley

The mid-to-late 90s represent a blind spot for me, at least in terms of cinema. I was drunk, for the most part, without money or means. I was living alone, which meant no cable, and I was in between relationships, … Read More

Joan Didion on The San Bernardino Valley (1966)

“This is a story about love and death in the golden land, and begins with the country. The San Bernardino Valley lies only an hour east of Los Angeles by the San Bernardino Freeway but is in certain ways an … Read More

Film Capsule: Grand Piano

Eugenio Mira is a director who understands the difference between a ticking suitcase and a bomb exploding. And he uses that difference to his advantage throughout the movie Grand Piano. Here we find a slice of Old Hollywood – a … Read More

Laird Hamilton on Civil Disobedience (2013)

“There’s a great quote that says, ‘Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty.’ I have children, and we always say the thing that makes kids hard to raise will probably make them great adults. But it’s all that defiance and … Read More

Film Capsule: The Pretty One

Jake Johnson is a comer, a guaranteed presence via every movie he’s appeared in. Generally cast as either the cool-ass Bro (Safety Not Guaranteed) or platonic No (Drinking Buddies), Johnson also plays a recurring character in the FOX sitcom, New … Read More

Moving On: New York

By March of 1995 Mad About You had reached the zenith of its network fame. Boasting the eight o’clock slot in NBC’s Must-See-TV line-up, Paul Reiser’s highly relatable situation comedy functioned as a lead-in to Friends, which was then followed … Read More

Harmony Korine’s Advice To Aspiring Writers (2013)

“Try to be great. Try to give extra. Try to be bold. Try to invent your own reality. Try to do what’s not been done before. Don’t even get started if you’re gonna try to do some mediocre shit, cause … Read More

Film Capsule: Tim’s Vermeer

Consider for a moment the sticktoitiveness required to complete a documentary upon the order of Tim’s Vermeer. First off, Tim’s Vermeer required an artisan. And not just any artisan, mind you. Tim’s Vermeer required an absolutely exceptional artisan … a savant, … Read More