On Movies & Media

I encourage you to revisit this short list of movies before you go watch the LEGOs this weekend. Why? Let me explain...

I am so grateful for evenings, weekends, and coffee breaks. Those are the chances I have to share what I do best. I hope that some of it was useful to you in 2013. Here are some of the highlights of my past year...

Guest reviewer Lauren Wilford on Spike Jonze's new film: "Depending on your perspective, Her has either an amazing elevator pitch or an awful one: 'A guy falls in love with his iPhone.'"

"What? You liked The Wolf of Wall Street? How could you possibly recommend such a profane movie that revels in so much evil?" Written as a response to messages like that one, this post was originally titled "Respect The Wolf of Wall Street (The Movie, Not the Man)"

This review of Spike Jonze's film "Her" is Part Four of the new fiction series I call "All Thumbs Video."

His name is Salieri, and in Milos Forman’s beloved film "Amadeus," he is played by F. Murray Abraham. Why am I talking about "Amadeus" when this is supposed to be a review of "Inside Llewyn Davis"? Stay with me. It’s important.

Many of you are scrambling to pick up gifts for friends and family, and I feel compelled to bring some possibilities to your attention... gifts that would enrich the lives of those who care about excellence, beauty, truth, and the arts.

There's a new "Gilligan's Island" movie in the works. What's more, those two sequels you've been dying to see are finally happening: a follow-up to "Rounders" and the mandatory "Shakespeare in Love 2." What will we do while we wait for these grand contributions to cinema? No worries. Here's what Hollywood has in store for us...

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is here. But I didn't attend the press screening. Why? I'll explain. But first, here are five important bits from a review by my favorite movie reviewer...