John’s top 10 movies of 2013
These were my 10 favorite movies of 2013: 1. “The Way Way Back” — The title could refer to filmmakers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash looking back at their childhoods in the 1980s or to the rear-facing […]
John’s top 10 TV shows of 2013
These were my 10 favorite shows of 2013: 1. “Bunheads” (Season 1, ABC Family) — I know “Bunheads” was the best show on TV in 2013 because it appealed to both the heart and the mind. And […]
‘Drinking Buddies’ delves into the emotional mechanics of love (Movie review)
“Drinking Buddies” is proof that a movie can be enjoyable to watch even if it fails to make a resonant thematic point. It realistically shows how romances and relationships operate thanks to naturalistic, almost improvisational, performances […]
Villeneuve’s ‘Prisoners’ is one of the year’s best thrillers (Movie review)
I held off for a while on seeing “Prisoners” because the previews seemed to give away the whole movie: 1) Girls kidnapped, 2) dad (Hugh Jackman) tortures suspect (Paul Dano) who is obviously innocent, 3) the film […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘The Illustrated Star Wars Universe’ (1995) (Book review)
Even though he died in 2012, it seems Ralph McQuarrie’s influence will be felt on the 2014 animated series “Rebels” more so than on any “Star Wars” project since the original trilogy. Artists on the […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Ewoks’ Season 1 (1985) (TV review)
Being on the tail end of the “Star Wars” Generation (born in ’78), I loved “Ewoks” — and, among the films, “Return of the Jedi” — before I loved “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Ewoks: The Battle for Endor’ (1985) a heartfelt improvement on the original (Movie review)
Whenever someone brings up the topic of sequels that are better than the original, I always mention “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor” (1985). One, because most likely no one other than me has seen the two Ewok […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure’ (1984) is an Endor travelogue (Movie review)
The six episodic “Star Wars” films, adhering to George Lucas’ philosophy of putting story first and not getting too showy about the artistry, don’t wallow in their settings or cultures. They pique our interest, then […]
Lifeguards in crisis in ‘The Lifeguard,’ ‘To Do List’
Movie reviews: Kristen Bell and Aubrey Plaza play lifeguards struggling with life in “The Lifeguard” and “The To Do List.”
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka’ (1983) (Book review)
I love “Star Wars” but hate war; it’s a conundrum a lot of fans probably struggle with, and that includes Lando Calrissian trilogy author L. Neil Smith. Getting more specific in this 2006 essay in his […]