Craving some much needed positive PR, the Valiant Tobacco Company announces a cockamamie scheme: Any American town that can give up smoking for one month will win $25 million, tax-free. Eagle Rock, Iowa—population 4,000—needs that kind of coin to revamp … Continue reading COLD TURKEY
Before the 1990s, animated family films were in the gutter. Deemed too expensive, too labor-intensive, their demise was certain. But then came The Little Mermaid, and a decade-long renaissance of hand-drawn and computer-generated animation followed. It culminated with 1999’s, The Iron Giant, … Continue reading THE IRON GIANT
Located in Berkeley, California, Herb Permillion III took over typewriter retail and repair shop California Typewriter more than 30 years ago. The following year, Apple released the personal computer. But Permillion wasn’t deterred. He and longtime repairman Ken Alexander believe … Continue reading CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER
I Believe in Unicorns follows Davina (Natalia Dyer), a 16-year-old girl who is single-handedly taking care of her mother, Toni (played by the director’s mother, Toni Meyerhoff), bound to a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis. But as earthbound as Toni is, … Continue reading I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS
If a picture is worth a thousand words and a film is 24-pictures a second, then a movie contains words beyond words of capable comprehension. That’s why when we think of a movie, we zero in on digestible bits—moments, lines, … Continue reading SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Alfred Hitchcock may not have invented the moving image, but he defined what it was capable of. Born Aug. 13, 1899, the son of a London grocer, Hitchcock’s career began in the silent era, at Germany’s famed UFA studios, before … Continue reading Alfred Hitchcock
Today, Netflix releases the latest from writer/director Ramin Bahrani, The White Tiger, an adaptation of Indian author Aravind Adiga’s debut novel about the rise of Balram (Adarsh Gourav) from a coal breaker’s son to driven entrepreneur. Told in flashback and at … Continue reading Ramin Bahrani
Kino Now (an on-demand streaming service by the good folks at Kino Lorber) celebrated its anniversary this past October. To mark the occasion, they’re making eight films free to stream with the promo code KNBDAY until Nov. 15. The films: Beanpole, Boy, … Continue reading DAWSON CITY: FROZEN TIME
Martin Eden is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year, and it got me thinking about one of the best movies I saw last year: Transit. Christian Petzold is one of those directors who has my number, and his latest, Undine, … Continue reading TRANSIT
Michael J. Cinema 
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