I’ve mentioned before many times, even on the Tomcast 2020 podcast, that I have a certain formula for remakes. First, the remake should have a distinctive reason to exist and not simply be some kind of shot-for-shot rehash. Second, it shouldn’t be a remake of a beloved classic of some Read more
I mentioned to some co-workers I saw the new movie Dark Waters over the weekend, and they in turn reminded me that this is not the first time actor Mark Ruffalo has been in a movie about a Dupont. Now, I haven’t seen Foxcatcher, but they gave it a good Read more
I more or less fell in love with Pixar’s work as soon as I saw the original Toy Story. Combining at-the-time cutting edge computer generated animation with a rather deep story for a children’s flick. As such, I have seen most of Pixar’s output. Oddly enough, I hadn’t seen the Read more
When I went through the AFI 100 list last year, I was pleasantly surprised to learn I enjoyed the work of Charlie Chaplin. I hadn’t really been exposed to the man’s work before and really dug it. I actually wondered why he disappeared since the movies I saw showed me Read more
Thanksgiving, or so the jokes go, is a time when families gather and get into ugly political arguments, particularly when one older uncle gets a few drinks into him. My family more or less agrees with each other on that sort of thing, so the closest I had was a Read more
So, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see a movie starring Shia LaBeouf, even if it was getting a lot of critical praise considering LaBeouf wrote the script for this incredibly honest and revealing autobiographical movie, titled Honey Boy after a nickname his father used to use. But, on reflection, Read more
I like to take my dad out to the movies when I get the chance. That doesn’t come very often. We don’t live close to each other, he’s a lot more selective than I am, and my brother gets him out to a lot of the things he wants to Read more
Is there, perhaps, a more perfect casting for Mr. Rogers than Tom Hanks? Both men are generally regarded as among the nicest guys ever, and in Rogers’ case at least, that may not have been an exaggeration. Hanks has something of a resemblance to Fred Rogers, so casting choices like Read more
I try to see every big release when it comes out, and I still skipped Crazy Rich Asians last year. I had no problem with the concept of the movie, and quite frankly, having a majority-Asian cast in a standard movie genre that usually don’t have majority-Asian casts is a Read more
I don’t know if there’s an unlikier filmmaker working today than Terry Gilliam. I don’t know if any feature he’s directed hasn’t had some problem or another. And though he has his fans, his work is never really a huge hit as near as I can make out. But he Read more