Movies
So let me get this straight. In 2009, People’s Hottest Bachelor is 23-year-old Chace Crawford. And the actor most likely to star in this year’s biggest box office hit is either 19-year-old Daniel Radcliffe, in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” or 23-year-old Shia LaBeouf in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”
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In these trying economic times, it’s tough to see mediocrity rewarded with piles of money. Whether the benefactor is a banking CEO or, well, an actor, there’s a certain amount of headshaking. Which is why I was struck by Forbes list of Hollywood’s top-earning actors for 2008.
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If you weren’t a kid in the ‘70s, you really missed something special: The world of Sid and Marty Krofft. The release of the new “Land of the Lost” movie has been hitting my nostalgia button bigtime.
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These days, most films are packed wall-to-wall with pops songs. But it takes a special blend of music and cinema to make those moments memorable. For example, try to think of a single song from “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” Nope, I can’t think of any either.
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I’ve never thought much about DVD piracy. But on a recent trip to China, I got to experience it firsthand. Now, of course, being an upright U.S. citizen, I didn’t actually purchase any illegal DVDs, but I did get to check out some flicks courtesy of some Chinese friends. And here’s what just 80 cents American will buy you.
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Growing up in Los Angeles, cars played a big part in my life. I remember my horror the first time my dad taught me to drive on an L.A. freeway. In fact, it was much like the scene in “Clueless” when Dionne tries to negotiate the freeway. But I’ve always loved a good movie car chase.
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I’m no expert on animated movies. I loved them when I was younger, but since I don’t have kids of my own, they’ve never been a priority. Until now.
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While sitting around having drinks Friday night, my friends and I started talking movies. Not a rare occurrence to be sure, but one friend suggested that if you named your favorite film by the following five directors: The Coen Brothers, Wes Anderson, Hal Ashby, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, it would tell a lot about the kind of person you were. We proceeded to do just that and had some pretty fun arguments in the process.
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There’s nothing that bugs me more than entertainment journalism outlets (this one included) who scold celebrities for the bad behavior they make their money covering. The Feb. 27 issue of Entertainment Weekly contained a column by Mark Harris called, “When Actors Attack.” It began with the line “Remember the ‘90s. That serene and dignified period and the history of celebrity meltdowns during which actors knew how to keep their misdeeds relatively private?”
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For me, getting ready for Oscar night means one thing: Indulging in Turner Classic Movies annual 31 Days of Oscar. It’s a chance to discover movies I’ve never seen before, such as the fantastic 1945 film, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” which was Elia Kazan’s first feature film. TCM is also a chance to discover a great performance, such as Jack Lemmon’s Harry Stoner in a movie that feels just right for our economic climate 1973’s “Save the Tiger.”
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