Was actor Bob Crane a likable, All-American guy? Or was he a depraved sex pervert?The answer is he was a bit of both.But the further question of what motivated him to become that way is one of the many things left unanswered in the Crane biopic "Auto Focus." Considering the topic, performances ...
Establishing a spooky setting is half the battle when crafting a scary movie. So in that respect, "Ghost Ship" offers smooth sailing for horror fans.The vessel of the title refers to the Antonia Graza, an Italian ocean liner that has been adrift in the Bering Sea for 40 years. An American team ...
There's a scene in "Abandon" where a group of Ivy League college kids enter a party and participate in a game of speed chess in which the contestants must take shots of vodka between moves.In most other campus settings, students would be playing quarters with pitchers of Bud Light. Whatever the ...
"I think there are a lot of stories to be told about college students, because the early twenties are such a hard time in your life," says "Abandon" star Katie Holmes. "You're on your own for the first time, and there's such a mix of emotions: You're happy, you're sad, you're excited, you're ...
An oleander is a poisonous evergreen shrub that features beautiful white to red flowers. Aside from its literal connection to the plot of "White Oleander," the plant is a metaphor for the character played by Michelle Pfeiffer a woman whose gorgeous blonde facade disguises her venomous ...
"I'm based in L.A., but I haven't been in my own bed for like a year and a half," said actor Heath Ledger. "I've been everywhere but."It's been a frenzied ride for the 23-year-old native of Perth, Australia. Since coming to the attention of American audiences in "10 Things I Hate About You" ...
The filmmaking team behind "The Four Feathers" thought it was crafting another "Lawrence of Arabia" but the result is closer to "Ishtar."This old-fashioned desert epic isn't a total sand trap, yet considering the talent behind and in front of the camera it stands as a major disappointment. And ...
The poster for "City by the Sea" makes the film's marketing priorities clear: The first words trumpeted are "Academy Award winners Robert De Niro and Frances McDormand."While the producers of the true-life cop drama (which opens in area theaters today) have no problem capitalizing on the Oscar ...
"What are you: a cop or my father?""I'm both."This exchange between Robert De Niro and James Franco sums up the dynamic at work in "City by the Sea." Because it places such an emphasis on the moral friction between key characters, the real life-inspired film is a cut above most Hollywood cop ...
For those who expected to see gorgeous surfers braving Godzilla-sized waves, "Blue Crush" is just as cool as they hoped. And for those who expected to hear brainless characters spout water-logged clich it's far less stupid than they feared.On its own terms, "Blue Crush" is a complete success a ...