Django Django - "Default"

I felt like hearing something peppy. So here you go....

'9.79*' and the Return of ESPN's "30 for 30" Series

"dying to find out sports fans are so full of themselves that they call those 60-minute ESPN 'Behind The Music'-but-sports thin...

Back Stage: Thrown for a 'Looper'

I'm less a fan of Pitch Perfect than some people are, so my pick of the weekend is Looper . Both films are part of the latest installme...

'Glengarry Glen Ross' Is 20 Years Old

Glengarry Glen Ross is certainly in the running for best films adapted from plays. I can't quite believe that the film came out October ...

You Should See 'How to Survive a Plague'

How to Survive a Plague , a documentary about ACT UP's battle in the late '80s and early '90s to raise awareness for AIDS resear...

'Trouble With the Curve' Review

My thoughts on Trouble With the Curve ? It swings and misses. It fails to clear the fences. It gets some runners on base but fails to score....

My Top 20 Albums of the Last 40 Years

My beloved KEXP is celebrating its 40th anniversary by asking its listeners to pick their Top 20 albums of the last 40 years . In other wor...

'Frankenweenie' Review

It is a backhanded compliment to say that Frankenweenie is Tim Burton's best films in years. (Yes, even better than Alice in Wonderland...

Jennifer Lawrence Will Get Over 'House at the End of the Street' Just Fine

I skipped House at the End of the Street , but today for Gawker I decided to do a little status report on the state of her career. Any excu...

Band of Horses - "How to Live"

The new Band of Horses record, Mirage Rock , is out now. (It's pretty darn good .) If I had to pick a favorite track, I'd probably g...

'Dredd' Review

Within the first 10 minutes or so of Dredd , a guy's head melts from the inside. Yeah, I knew this was a movie for me. My Dredd review ...

In Praise of Joaquin Phoenix

I loved The Master and in particular was impressed with Joaquin Phoenix. This is the best work of his career, which is saying something. Fo...

Toronto 2012: 'Spring Breakers' Is Terrific

I'm fascinated by Harmony Korine's career, which I've discussed before . Even his Trash Humpers , which I couldn't stand, ha...

Stevie Wonder - "My Cherie Amour"

I'm back from the Toronto Film Festival. This week's Friday Video is in honor of a song that has an important role in one of the fil...

Toronto 2012: Sticking Up for 'To the Wonder'

I'm back in Los Angeles, but the articles about the Toronto Film Festival continue. For Deadspin , I wrote about Terrence Malick's T...

Toronto 2012: 'Twice Born' Review

Generally speaking, I'm willing to buy any two actors playing lovers in a movie. But with Twice Born , I found it nearly impossible to a...

Toronto 2012: 'Crimes of Mike Recket' Review

Every film festival has a stinker, and I'm sad to say that at this year's TIFF, that movie for me was Crimes of Mike Recket . It...

Toronto 2012: 'Song for Marion' Review

Fans of Young@Heart may be interested in Song for Marion , a drama about an old-age vocal group that recruits an unlikely new member in the...

Toronto 2012: 'Imagine' Review

Of the Toronto films I didn't like, one that was perhaps most intriguing was Imagine , a story about a blind man who instructs blind stu...

Toronto 2012: 'All That Matters Is Past' Review

All That Matters Is Past is both the title of a Norwegian drama and a big hint about its thematic content. A story of two brothers and the ...

Toronto 2012: 'Imogene' Review

Man, Kristen Wiig doesn't look too happy in that photo, huh? This is a still from Imogene , a comedy starring the ex- Saturday Night Liv...

Toronto 2012: 'Yellow' Review

Director Nick Cassavetes has had a unique film career. He's made The Notebook . He's made Alpha Dog . He does a little bit of everyt...

Toronto 2012: 'The Brass Teapot' Review

The Brass Teapot sets up a scenario I'm sure a lot of people wish would happen in their own lives: A broke married couple discover a ma...

Toronto 2012: 'What Maisie Knew' Review

It's been a few days since I've seen What Maisie Knew , but despite all the movies I've checked out in Toronto in subsequent day...

Toronto 2012: 'Thanks for Sharing' Review

As you may recall, I love Shame . So I was both concerned about and intrigued by Thanks for Sharing , a genial comedy-drama about a collecti...

Toronto 2012: 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' Review

The gentleman in the center there whooping it up is Ezra Miller, who was so terrific in last year's We Need to Talk About Kevin . He...

Toronto 2012: 'Writers' Review

If the Toronto Film Festival gave out a prize for Most Likable Characters, Writers would win in a walk. Everybody in this movie, which star...

Toronto 2012: 'Arthur Newman' Review

About maybe halfway through Arthur Newman , the new film starring Colin Firth and Emily Blunt, I was enjoying it, and I thought, "What ...

Toronto 2012: 'Silver Linings Playbook' Review

Now that David O. Russell has his Oscar-winning hit with The Fighter , would he stay in the same vein for his next movie, or would he return...

Toronto 2012: 'End of Watch' Review

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are both quite strong in End of Watch , the latest cop drama from writer-director David Ayer. Perhaps you a...

Toronto 2012: 'How to Make Money Selling Drugs' Review

After The House I Live In , which comes out in the fall and dissects the failures of the War on Drugs, do you need any more documentaries on...

In Praise of Paul Thomas Anderson

I haven't seen The Master yet, so I decided to write at length about Paul Thomas Anderson's legacy to this point. Yes, that's o...

Chicago - "Beginnings"

My dad loves this song. (And, don't forget, this is back when they were the Chicago Transit Authority, not Chicago.) And don't get h...

Toronto 2012: 'Argo' Review

Argo doesn't come out until next month, but it's making the festival rounds currently. I think it's director Ben Affleck's ...

Toronto 2012: 'Kon-Tiki' Review

For the next week or so, I'll be in Toronto for the annual film festival, and I'll be filing reviews for Screen International . Firs...

Back Stage: I'll Take 'The Words' Over 'Bachelorette'

The silly but fun The Words opens this weekend, and it leads my Back Stage column. Also in there you'll find my thoughts on For Ellen ,...

On the Great 'Keep the Lights On'

At this year's Sundance, I didn't have a chance to see Keep the Lights On , the latest from director Ira Sachs ( Forty Shades of Blu...

Why Oscar Season Is Great (Despite All the Evidence to the Contrary)

Because of the glut of websites and industries that have cropped up around the Academy Awards, it's natural to feel pretty cynical about...