Monthly Archives: July 2009
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‘Bruno’ Slaps Leftist Elites Under Cloak of Irony, Obscenity
I haven’t yet seen Bruno, the new film from Sacha Baron Cohen, but I can point you to John Nolte’s superbly informative and analytical critique at Big Hollywood. Nolte praises the film for consistently mocking contemporary liberal elites and political correctness, but laments its unceasing excessive obscenity and nudity, which he says becomes tiring very quickly:
Scifi Story Imagines U.S. As Socialist State
TAC correspondent Mike Gray has landed two short fiction stories in the latest edition of the very good literary magazine The Southern Literary Messenger. The online magazine tends to have real stories with actual things happening, not the kind of impressionistic or overly psychologizing approach common to contemporary literary fiction. Most of the stories in TSLM are reasonably short, with straightforward but sufficiently deep characterizations. Background information on the characters is limited to what is important to tell the story. Thus the stories move quickly while conveying what the reader really wants to know. In the current issue, Gray handles current-day political issues in an unusual and interesting way in the scifi story "Reaper Nine One."
Christian-Themed ‘Transformers’ Sequel Sustains Strong Box Office Appeal
Despite being trashed by the critics, Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen led at the U.S box office for the second weekend in a row. With its strong complement of Christian themes and images, the Transformers sequel edged out the premiere weekend performance of the animated comedy entry Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the third in that series, $42.3 million to $41.7 million. Indicating that Christian themes, likable characters, and stories depicting people with a positive purpose outweigh critics’ cavils, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen continued to draw well from all audience segments and shows signs it will sustain its ability to garner good numbers, according to a studio source. –S. T. Karnick
Reader Comment of the Week: Malden’s Legacy
In his comment on "Malden Brought Depth, Responsibility to Movie Roles," Jim Lakely gave some insightful observations about the sources of Malden’s skill as an actor, and how Malden’s performances affected audiences: I did not realize that Malden was a defender (and a too-lonely one) of Kazan. And, naturally, that he was a spirited and serious anti-communist. That only raises the esteem in which I held him. When I was a kid, I only knew him from the American Express commercials — which he pulled off in such a memorable way. And there was something about his bulbous nose and voice that always appealed to me. As I grew older and viewed some of his performances, though, I see my memories of him reflected in your tribute, Sam. The way he gave dignity and intelligence and depth to the "everyman" roles he was given by Hollywood. What I will remember is the intensity that Malden poured into every role. Sometimes it was subtle, exactly when called for. Sometimes it was in our faces. But, always, there was a sense that an honorable and real intensity was boiling beneath the surface. And "intensity" doesn’t always mean anger. In the characters Malden
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