Tag: Sam Shepard

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 05.23.14

Michael J. Casey

The Angriest Man in Brooklyn – Henry Altmann (Robin Williams) is the angriest man in all of Brooklyn, which is saying something. He better make a change, or all that anger is going to be the death of him. Eventually at least, not today, which is actually what he thinks because a doctor (Mila Kunis) was pissed at him and told him he only has 90 minutes to live. Now he is running around town trying to patch everything up, and no one really cares. That just makes him angrier. Things don’t look good for Henry. Melissa Leo, Peter Dinklage, … Continue reading Movie Beat – 05.23.14

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 12.25.13

Michael J. Casey

47 Ronin – A ronin is a master-less samurai, a drifter, a wanderer who makes his way from village to village, performing meaningless tasks for room and board. Kai (Keanu Reeves) joins up with a bunch of other ronin, 46 to be exact, to defeat a bunch of evil spirits and demons plaguing the land. Kou Shibasaki, Rinko Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, and Min Tanaka co-star. Writers Hossein Amini and Chris Morgan retell the legendary tale with direction from Carl Rinsch. Out in wide release from Universal Pictures.   August: Osage County – Holidays mean family time. Some of … Continue reading Movie Beat – 12.25.13

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 12.06.13

Michael J. Casey

Breakfast With Curtis – Curtis is a shy young boy who lives next door to his complete opposite, Syd. Syd is a middle-aged bookseller, who spends most of his days drinking red wine and waxing poetically about this and that, but he needs some money, and that is where Curtis comes in. He manages to convince Curtis to shoot commercials for his book business, which he does, and Curtis is exposed to a whole new world through Syd. Free of cliches and irony, this small chamber piece is light and fun with an awful lot of heart. Starring Theo Green, … Continue reading Movie Beat – 12.06.13

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 09.27.13

Michael J. Casey

As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner is one of America’s greatest treasures. His words dance across the page with like a hot summer breeze on a muggy summer evening. Can these words be transcribed to the screen? Possibly in meaning and spirit, maybe not in the literal sense. Writer-director-star-art project enthusiast James Franco is certainly going to give it a shot. Adapting one of Faulkner’s novels about brothers taking their mother to her final resting place and the difficulties before them and the secrets behind them. Tim Blake Nelson, Jim Parrack, Danny McBride, Ahna O’Reilly, and Logan Marshall-Green co-star … Continue reading Movie Beat – 09.27.13

In Their Words

In Their Words – Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Michael J. Casey

“Originality now is rare in the cinema and it isn’t worth striving for because most work that does this is egocentric and pretentious. What is most enjoyable about the cinema is simply working with a language that is classical in the sense that the image is understood by everyone. I’m not at all interested in innovating film language, making it more aesthetic. I love film history, and you’re better off learning from those who proceeded you.” –Wim Wenders Continue reading In Their Words – Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 04.26.13

Michael J. Casey

Arthur Newman – Wallace (Colin Firth) is tired of his life and decides to start over again. This time with someone else’s identity, completely fabricated, a new man: Arthur Newman (a bit on the nose if you ask me). He meets Michaela, or Mike, (Emily Blunt) and they take off together, having all sorts of adventures and romps that poor old Wallace could only dream of. But when fiction becomes so desirable, there is a point where we must turn it into a fact. That means taking the crap along with the fun. Two characters in search of an identity, two great actors in search of a … Continue reading Movie Beat – 04.26.13