7 HOME MOVIES COLUMNS
Documentaries show another side of Abu Ghraib story
7/4/2008 | In a class that I taught at Gonzaga University a few years ago, the subject of Abu Ghraib prison came up. The discussion was appropriate.
SIFF promoter finds his niche
5/30/2008 | Cal Ledbetter didn't grow up near a movie theater. As residents of Lacrosse, Wash., Ledbetter and his family had to drive an hour or more to Moscow, Idaho, to see the current releases.
This bet may not go smoothly
5/23/2008 | Sometime Monday morning, I'm likely to be standing in line at the Ben & Jerry's franchise at River Park Square, buying one of those fruity smoothies they sell there.
SIFF a chance to see world through cinema
5/16/2008 | Three weeks back from New York's Tribeca Film Festival, and I'm already preparing for my next big film-festival adventure. This one, though, is held on an annual basis in relatively speaking our own backyard.
Success is how you define it
5/9/2008 | When the team behind the documentary "Going on 13" took the stage following the film's April 24 screening at the Tribeca Film festival, Joan Conger was there with them.
Behind the scenes, but in the scenes
5/2/2008 | You probably aren't familiar with the name Shaun Toub, but you might know the actor's face. Toub stands out while specializing in roles that require him to play characters named Hassan or Joaquim or even merely "Dark Skinned Man."
Hollywood masters art of escapism
4/18/2008 | Twenty minutes into the Romanian film "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," while watching one character after the next walk though scene after scene with no apparent motive, I thought, "Could this movie be even more anti-mainstream American?
Heston will be remembered for big roles, traditional values
4/11/2008 | When he dies a couple of decades from now, Harrison Ford is likely to be treated by critics the way Charlton Heston is being treated now.
It won't be the real thing, but
4/4/2008 | Even with Martin Scorsese behind the camera, some movie fans aren't going to get excited about seeing the director's documentary "Shine a Light," which is slated to open today at AMC's River Park Square Theatres.
'The Wire' finds home among TV staples
3/28/2008 | One of my favorite movie quotes comes from "Raising Arizona," the 1987 Coen brothers comedy that stars Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter.
Going to movies still a cheap date
3/21/2008 | Not that long ago, people were bemoaning the price of movie tickets in New York. At particular issue was the fear that tickets would one day reach the $10 mark.
Challenge to be more outrageous
3/14/2008 | If you're looking for a cheap laugh, check out the upcoming summer-movie schedule. Looks like there's a gaggle of real winners headed our way. Up April 11 is something called simply "College."
New horror genre is matter of taste
3/7/2008 | Tastes in movies vary wildly, and this is a good thing. Imagine how limiting the world would be if, say, the only things people wanted to watch were Larry the Cable Guy comedies.
Big moments, big surprises at Oscars
2/29/2008 | It's been five days, yet I'm still thinking of the Oscars. That's only partly because I did even worse in my office pool than usual.
'Clayton' addresses law, money, ethical questions
2/22/2008 | "American Gangster"Ridley Scott, working from a script by Oscar-winning screenwriter Steve Zaillian ("Schindler's List"), tells the real-life story of a New York cop named Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) investigating the dangerous drug lord Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington).
For some, Oscar buzz is anything but
2/22/2008 | Now that the writer's strike has been settled, it looks as if the Oscar broadcast is a go. Funny thing is, there are those among us who couldn't care less.
'Martian' star talks about life in movie, at home
2/15/2008 | Three months short of his 11th birthday, Bobby Coleman is already a movie star. Coleman, whose movie "The Martian Child" is just out on DVD, did a series of phone interviews with journalists last week.
Rambo vs. violence in Oscar five
2/8/2008 | John Rambo personally kills 83 villains in his latest outing. That's five more than Sylvester Stallone's second-favorite character the first, of course, being Rocky Balboa dispatched in 1988's "Rambo III," 25 more than 1985's "Rambo: First Blood Part II" and 82 more than the series original, 1982's "First Blood.
It's a festive time of year for fans of film
2/1/2008 | This is the time of year that makes film fans smile. For one thing, there are few things more enjoyable on a day of single-digit temperatures than to sit in a snug theater and watch color images flicker across a big screen.
Run at Sundance comes to an end
1/25/2008 | As I sit here writing this, I should be nervous. Not because of the impending deadlines that I face on a daily basis. Not because I've devoted my life to a business that is changing faster than Batman at the beach.
Enjoying entertainment not what it used to be
1/18/2008 | I hear it all the time. "Oh, you have the greatest job in the world. You get paid to watch movies. "Right. Look, I know what I do isn't, say, cleaning toilets. I've done that kind of work and, all things being equal, I prefer sitting here typing.
But let me correct a misconception: I don't get paid to watch movies. I get paid to write about movies."
Screenwriter from Sandpoint doesn't let age hold her back
1/11/2008 | At 61, January Roberts seems a bit old to embark on a new career. Especially on a career in an industry that, at least in general terms, tries so very hard to attract a teenage audience.
Time of year to play movie rating game
1/4/2008 | The difference between quantity and quality always has been the main argument involving movies as art. Quantity is measured in box-office receipts. And by that gauge, the top films of 2007 are (so far) "Spider-Man 3," "Shrek the Third," "Transformers," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," "The Bourne Ultimatum," "300," "Ratatouille," "The Simpsons Movie" and "Wild Hogs."
Local movie-goers know negativity
12/28/2007 | Dorothy Parker was a perfect example of how much fun it can be to write negative criticism. Anyone who could write, as Parker did, that she "fwowed up" after reading A.A. Milne's children's book "The House on Pooh Corner" knows the power of negativity.
Try subtle tact to get movie-goers off their cell phones
12/7/2007 | And now it's time for another informative session with Mr. Movie Etiquette Man. Dear Mr. Movie Etiquette Man: I went to the sneak preview of "The Golden Compass" last Saturday at the AMC.
