On Movies & Media

I've reworked my top 10 of 2013 so far, and "This is Martin Bonner" is currently sitting at #1. This isn't just a movie that treats faith with profound sensitivity. It's a film that is beautifully crafted. And it features my favorite performance of the year so far.

Read my conversation with Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost, the three masterminds of "Spaced," "Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz," and the new sci-fi/comedy extravaganza, "The World’s End."

One of this film critics' favorite quotable quotes comes from Roger Ebert: "A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it." But now I'll carry another knockout definition of criticism in my back pocket to help clarify matters...

Ask about “Sandy the Flower Man” in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the citizens will tell you stories. He’s a lively and well-loved local who bicycles up and down Main Street, giving flowers to women and smiles to everybody. But when Angela Burt Tucker found his Facebook page in 2010, she knew she was looking at more than a friendly stranger...

During a summer overstuffed with blockbuster excesses, I found myself encouraged by the way "The Spectacular Now" offers real human beings, patient observation, truthful storytelling, and nuanced performances from talented actors. But alas, the film squanders most of that suspension of disbelief by fumbling the film’s turning-point crisis.

It feels like Woody Allen has just enough energy to rack up some ideas, to pick up the pool cue, to break, and then watch the balls scatter, some of them occasionally dropping with a satisfying "plunk" into the pockets.

I've been looking forward to seeing Noah. But now, for the first time, I can say I'm excited about the day when we are drawn, two by two (or otherwise), to theaters to see this one for ourselves.

A magical night at the ferryboat dock. Lunch with a film critic. Reviews of "Fruitvale Station" and "Red 2." A remembrance of movie novelizations. And more.