Reality Bites still has snap

So what would you say is The Ultimate Houston Movie? Rushmore? Terms of Endearment? Or would you agree with many that the title should go to Reality Bites?

Review: Chernobyl Diaries

Hey, no one even kept a frickin' diary in this flick. But that's not the worst thing you can say about it. Here is my Variety review.

Preview: Chely Wright: Wish Me Away

Chely Wright: Wish Me Away, the spirit-lifting, prize-winning documentary about the country music star's bold decision to stride out of the closet and stand tall as a role model, opens June 1 in "limited release." Look for it at a theater near you. And if it's not playing near you, look for it on VOD. Why? Well, here's the best case I can offer, in my original Variety review.

Not coming soon to a theater near you

Well, gosh, now I'm really glad G.I. Joe: Retaliation didn't make the final cut for my summer movie preview story. And I'm really, really glad I didn't reference it on Great Day Houston -- if I had, they might not ever ask me back on the show.

Me on TV

The lovely and talented Deborah Duncan is such a vivacious host, she can make even the dullest guest appear half-way interesting.

TV Alert: Great Day Houston, 9 AM Tuesday

I'll appear on Great Day Houston at 9 AM Tuesday (May 22) on H-Town's Channel 11 to talk about summer movies like Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter -- and shamelessly plug my CultureMap article. Because that's how I roll.

Talking Truffaut (and Darling Companion) with Kevin Kline

Here is my favorite Kevin Kline story: We’re riding the elevator down to the lobby of a swanky L.A. hotel at the end of a long day of interviews during the 1991 press gathering for Grand Canyon. And he’s politely listening to my whining about a decision I have to make soon – very soon, like within an hour or so.

As a film critic for The Houston Post, I really, really should go out that evening to see a nationally advertised advance screening of The Last Boy Scout, because I’ve already missed the press screening of that Bruce Willis flick back home in H-Town.

But gee whiz, a rep-house theater within an easy drive from the hotel is showing newly restored prints of two Francois Truffaut movies – Mississippi Mermaid and The Bride Wore Black – on a double bill. I’m flying home tomorrow morning, so tonight will be my only chance to see them. But Bruce Willis is a big star, and Last Boy Scout may be a big film. But I’m a big Truffaut fan – hell, I’m still mourning his 1984 death – and these two particular films aren’t in wide rep-house circulation. But I do kinda-sorta have a duty to my readers. But I…

Gently but firmly, Kline interrupts my blather. He looks me squarely in the eye, smiles just a bit, and says: “You’ve already made your decision, haven’t you?” His tone signifies he is not making a query, but stating a fact. And, of course, he is absolutely correct.

Flash forward 21 years, and wouldn’t you know it: Even as Kline and I are settling down for a chat about his latest movie – the wise and witty Darling Companion, in which he co-stars with the lovely and talented Diane Keaton (above) – we’re still talking about Truffaut. And other things as well. You can read the rest of my CultureMap.com Q&A here.

Update: And you can rent a DVD of the movie starting Aug. 28 through Redbox.

Review: Dark Shadows

The good news: Dark Shadows – or at least a good three-quarters of it – works splendidly, artfully balancing affectionate homage with wink-wink satire. The bad news: Well, there is that remaining quarter. You can read my full review here.

Damn! What more do these indie filmmakers want? Blood?

I've been in this movie reviewing racket for decades now, but I can't remember another time when I gave an indie film a good review -- and then got asked for a handout so somebody could actually release the film. I hope this doesn't become a trend. On the other hand, hey, if you have a few bucks to spare...

Hey! Did you hear? They made a movie about The Avengers!

No, not those Avengers. These Avengers. And gee whiz, they're already plotting a sequel.

Just remember, Miley: $10.50 of that $440 at one theater was paid by me!

Movieline twists the knife that I stuck into LOL.

Reviews: Meeting Evil and LOL

Believe it or not, The Avengers wasn't the only movie that opened this past weekend. Indeed, I reviewed two others -- both of which kicked off "limited" runs May 24 -- for Variety. Unfortunately, LOL was pretty much DOA. Meeting Evil was appreciably more enjoyable, if only because lead player Samuel J. Jackson (pictured above) offered a performance that could be labeled Swift's Premium and sold by the pound. As I noted in my review: "It probably won't go unnoticed that Meeting Evil is reaching theaters (after a warmup in the VOD bullpen) the same weekend that another film featuring Jackson makes its North American debut. You could say the actor is Bruce Banner in that one, but he Hulks out here."

Spotlight: In the Family director Patrick Wang

Right after the 1995 closing of The Houston Post, I sent what I thought were a lot of resumes out to other newspapers. But I have to admit: After talking with Patrick Wang, I feel like a slacker. The Houston-born filmmaker received nearly thirty rejections -- that's three-zero, thirty! -- from various film festivals while trying to find a showcase for his first indie feature, the critically acclaimed In the Family. You can read my CultureMap interview with this tenacious multihyphenate here.

Greetings from Nashville!

On Saturday, I hung out with Nicole Kidman and Famke Janssen at the Nashville Film Festival. So what did you do this weekend?

It was 17 years ago today...

It was 17 years ago today that The Houston Post -- where I had been gainfully and gratefully employed as film critic since 1982 -- shut down. Those were the days, my friend, I thought they'd never end. Lesson learned: The worst thing you can imagine happening always happens. You either get over it, or you don't.

"Put Down the Duckie!"

Fortuitously found this on YouTube today. Hadn't seen it in years -- and, oddly enough, I remembered it mostly because of Jeremy Irons' delightful song-and-dance bit. But now I see that he wasn't the only star to shine here. Look close, and you'll also see Paul Simon, two cast members from the original Upstairs, Downstairs -- and the late, great John Candy.

Meet Edwin Boyd, he's the Citizen Gangster

When I reviewed Edwin Boyd for Variety last fall at the Toronto Film Festival, I wrote that this "generally low-key but sporadically exciting account of Canada's most notorious bank robber of the post-WWII era" likely would play well "in areas where the title character (played with just the right measure of self-dramatizing flair by Scott Speedman) continues to claim the iconic status of a homegrown Clyde Barrow." But in other markets -- like, say, the United States -- where Boyd is more or less an unknown quantity, the movie probably would be "sentenced to homevid and cable." Looks like I should have added: "Look for the fugitive to be traveling under an alias."

SXSW Review: Beware of Mr. Baker

When a documentary begins with its subject using his crutch to deliver a vicious blow to the director's nose, it's reasonably safe to expect less-than-smooth sailing ahead. And sure enough, the teasing possibility that other outbursts may disrupt the uneasy alliance between legendary drummer Ginger Baker and filmmaker Jay Bulger provides an underlying tension to the aptly titled Beware of Mr. Baker. You can read my complete review of this fascinating documentary here. And you can hear Ginger Baker and his Cream band mates here.

SXSW Review: Fat Kid Rules the World

My Variety review is here.

The Hunger Muppets

Wokka-wokka-wokka, indeed.