City of Writers: A Weekly Newsletter
If you're familiar with the species relations in Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (movie version) or even Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (book version), it brings up the question: who decides who is savage or not? The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is…
I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I knew exactly what to expect and got it. You can't ask too much of any action/adventure film anymore. Say what you want about Keanu, but you cannot take your eyes off of him. I'm not saying that as a red-blooded woman. Keanu has that…
I vividly remember watching the footage of Oscar Grant’s murder on New Year’s Day 2009. Phones were becoming smarter every day. Citizen journalism was on the rise, even if it didn’t have a name then. The videos disturbed me greatly. So I resisted watching this movie until I was better…
Gifted is a beautiful, heart-wrenching picture. Chris Evans headlines as Frank Adler, uncle to the precocious and uber-talented McKenna Grace's Mary, the gifted of the title. Jenny Slate, Lindsay Duncan, and Octavia Spencer round out the intimate cast. I loved Evans and Grace's chemistry. My favorite line of his is…
There's a meme (don't you love them?) asking people to choose their favorite movies from every year they were born. I decided to get in on the action. You can too. This list was a test of conviction for me. 1985 and 1987, as well as 1997-2001 (coincidentally, my high…
This side of Nolan was refreshing. I feel like his big blockbusters were the first rounds to the main event. Nolan said in the marketing junkets for this movie that this was his dream project for many years. But he felt he wasn't professionally ready to. I'm glad he knew…
They're young... they're in love... and they kill people. Bonnie and Clyde is a solid, character-driven film that holds up well after 50 years. They easily could've made a picture focusing solely on the action, but it was led by these larger-than-life characters. I felt Beatty and Dunaway had great…
As part of the Fathom Events special event premiere, Pete Docter (who also directed Monsters, Inc. and Up) and the producer Jonas Rivera brought us along on a tour of the Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville. My favorite parts were seeing Peter Sohn (he did the voice for Emile in…
On the surface, The Last Witch Hunter feels like Vin Diesel playing Vin Diesel in a Vin Diesel film, produced by Vin Diesel. And you may very well come away with that perspective, once you’re through. But if my writing program have taught me anything, it’s that the story takes…
Atomic Blonde is a thrill ride. The movie takes place amid the fall of the Berlin Wall, but the filmmakers embraced The Coldest City (paid link) graphic novel source material full force. They played it close to its comic book roots rather than relying on reality. I was six when…