dvd of the week Something about the wildly successful American Sniper struck a chord, and it’s not clear what. Pundits argued about its politics, about whether it was for or against the war in Iraq, whether the film is racist or just murderous, whether it’s true or not, whether or not it deserved to receive…
Chances are you’ve heard of actor and singer Erich Bergen, but if you haven’t yet, it won’t be long before you do. Bergen is close to becoming a household name, being seen weekly in the CBS drama Madam Secretary. Bergen plays Blake Moran, assistant to the secretary of state, played by Tea Leone. The show…
In its first weekend in wide release, American Sniper earned more money than all of the other eight nominees for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards. It made $107 million through the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, a record for a movie in January. By the time the Oscars are given out, it’s…
dvd of the week Supposedly, Jersey Boys, the Four Seasons jukebox musical, deserved its adulation and four Tony Awards. But as a film directed by Clint Eastwood, Jersey Boys is nostalgic pabulum. The film is a typical musical biopic, tracing the rise, peak, fall and redemption of one of the most successful musical acts of…
A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with one of my best friends, a musical theater composer who has impeccable and refined taste. I had mentioned that I was going to review the Jersey Boys movie and he told me that when he saw the stage musical, it was so thrilling, “I wanted to…
(CNN) — Actor Clint Eastwood joined the list of Republicans signing a legal brief in support of same-sex marriage, a person familiar with the document confirmed Thursday. Eastwood has previously lamented the idea of “making a big deal out of gay marriage,” but he’s now joining a chorus of high-profile Republicans that want the Supreme…
In competitive debate, the second team gets extra time to lay out their case and respond to points made by the opening team. Such is President Obama’s task as he accepts the Democratic nomination for a second term tonight. He won’t actually get more network coverage than the Republicans, but he can choose not to…
Bernie is based on Skip Hollandsworth’s 1998 article in Texas Monthly titled “Midnight in the Garden of East Texas.” It was so titled because of its similarity to John Berendt’s massive bestseller “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil:” a picturesque small town, a weird murder, bizarre and hilarious supporting characters, and a protagonist…
The cover of this month’s GQ salutes Leonardo DiCaprio with an accompanying feature on Clint Eastwood in promotion for their new film which will feature DiCaprio playing “the despicable and probably closeted FBI legend, J. Edgar Hoover,” the men’s magazine reports. In their dual interview, Eastwood is candid about his descent from Republican ideas to…
