Columns By Douglas PrattPratt@moviecitynews.com
An American Carol
I first saw David Zucker’s Airplane! in a crowded urban theater and the audience was laughing uproariously throughout the film, except for one gag, when the airplane’s wing knocks over the antenna of a radio station as the station is proclaiming, “Where disco lives forever.” The theater went dead silent, and remained that way until the next…
Read the full article »Peter Buchman Screenwriter of Che
This week Noah chats with Che screenwriter Peter Buchman about working with Soderbergh, researching Che Guevara, and his stalled Alexander the Great project. Listen to Noah Forrest Podcast with Peter Buchman
Read the full article »Originality Matters (Page 2)
Published under Oscar Outsider. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Burn After Reading I’ve written before that I’ve been befuddled by the rather tepid response to the Coen brother’s latest film, which I think is one of their better dark comedies. The Coens are masters at exploiting the flaws and foibles of ordinary characters in extraordinary…
Read the full article »Originality Matters: Considering the Best Original Screenplays of the Year
Published under Oscar Outsider. Spoiler Warning: This column contains heavy spoilers for the films The Wrestler, Happy-Go-Lucky, Burn After Reading, The Visitor and Frozen River. What elements set apart a few screenplays out of all those produced each year from the rest of the pack as we head into Oscar season? All scripts have certain…
Read the full article »Spring Preview ’09 – Part One
Now that 2008 is behind us, it’s time for us to start looking forward to what 2009 might bring us at the multiplex. The period from January to April is generally the weakest period of the year in terms of quality films, but there are usually a few that manage to provide some light in…
Read the full article »When Good Foreign Films Get Bad Remakes
We hear a lot about how American remakes of foreign films tend to be pale imitations of the original, and there’s more truth than stereotype to that sentiment. But are American remakes inferior because they’re made by Americans, or is there an inherent value in the unique cultural perspective of a foreign film that gets…
Read the full article »Barking Up the Same Tree
The opening salvo of 2009 looked a lot like the last gasp of 2008 with cuddly Marley and Meleading ticket sales with an estimated $24.2 million. Despite the absence of new national releases box office rose 9% from last year’s first weekend. Initial data pegs domestic revenues for 2008 at $9.79 billion and a slight…
Read the full article »Honey West
It lasted just one season, but Honey West was such a breakthrough TV program that it easily overshadows Forbidden Planet as star Anne Francis’ best remembered role. The 1965-66 ABC Network series, spun off from Burke’s Law, was probably too expensive to renew, but it presented, for the first time, a female action heroine as the lead of an…
Read the full article »Wilmington on Movies: Ten Best Movies 2008
1. Shine a Light U.S.: Martin Scorsese Anyone who loves movies or rock n’ roll, or both, and doesn’t get blown away at Shine a Light
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