By Robin Simmons Consider some handpicked flicks and TV series that can best be enjoyed with unadorned guilty pleasure in the scorching days ahead. Crank up the AC and chill with these choice titles. OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL Director Sam Raimi delivers a hybrid,...
By Robin Simmons AFTER EARTH Some movies arrive with so much baggage that it is impossible to ignore or avoid the massive cart of luggage the film drags in its wake. First of all, this blatant vanity production courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Smith apparently has as it’s prime...
By Robin Simmons FAST & FURIOUS 6 Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast in this continuation of the full-throttle franchise that found its stride in FAST FIVE and goes for even greater stakes in this adrenalin fuelled, visceral action...
By Robin Simmons Films that were allegedly made but never distributed for public consumption are part of Hollywood’s enduring lore. With the upcoming Palm Springs International Short Film Festival and the promised AM/FM screenings, my dreams have been filled with...
By Robin Simmons When F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel was first published in 1924, it was the height of the “roaring twenties” and the Jazz Age. After the “war to end all war,” America was undergoing a huge transformation in a youth-driven, wealth-obsessed,...
By Robin Simmons THIS IS THE END A handful of young Hollywood stars are partying at James Franco’s place when Armageddon or the Apocalypse or the End of Days happens. That’s the clever premise behind the directorial debut of actors and writers Seth Rogan and Evan...
By Robin Simmons There are a slew of promising films, likely blockbusters all, that loom on the cinematic horizon for summer viewing delights. In an informal online poll, more people want to see MAN OF STEEL than any other mainstream summer film. In order, the next most...
“DISASTER” IS A DARK DELIGHT DOING APOCALYPTIC BRUNCH WITH FRIENDS IT’S A DISASTER Writer director Todd Berger’s satiric, sharply observed and witty film pits eight seemingly normal friends together for their monthly brunch when the unexpected and unimaginable...
CAN A MEDITATIVE MOVIE TRANSCEND THE MUNDANE? TO THE WONDER I’m still thinking about Terrance Malick’s striking film that’s set to open at Cinemas Palme d’Or on April 26. Early reviews have been mixed and will not help generate a big box office. But that said, if you...
RENOIR With sumptuous sequences of sun soaked serenity set in southern France during the summer of 1915, Gilles Bourdos' beautiful drama tells the story of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the great Impressionist painter who, in failing health at age 74, receives the return...
