Director Cyrus Nowrasteh has news for people who think the public execution scene at the heart of “The Stoning of Soraya M.” is too long, too graphic or too uncompromising in its horror. The real thing is worse. Much worse.
Whenever Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore releases a new documentary the reaction in the press is typically jubilant. Rave reviews. Fawning interviews which rarely ask tough questions. Oscar buzz aplenty. But this time could be different. Moore’s last film, “Slacker Uprising,”
William Sanderson says he likes to fly under the radar. The in-demand character actor’s resume just won’t let him get away with it. Sanderson’s career has brought him to the past (“Deadwood”), the future (“Blade Runner”) and a few surreal
It’s time for me to end another men’s magazine subscription. Sad. I thought this one might last an entire 12 issues. “Details” just declared its unconditional love for President Obama with a “think” piece teased on the front cover –
It’s a cinch to see why actors like Ray Liotta, Forest Whitaker and Jessica Biel signed up for the gritty drama “Powder Blue,” out this week on DVD. The film lets them wallow in bleak, bleary-eyed scenarios, the sort of
Critics harp on Seth MacFarlane’s use of comic cutaways on his popular animated show “Family Guy,” calling the technique lazy and uninspired. You know the technique – family patriarch Peter Griffin makes an aside, and suddenly it’s blown into a
Russell Brand is only on the first few ticks of his 15 minutes of fame, but he’s already a tough sell to conservative audiences. The British comic unleashed a crude anti-Bush tirade while hosting the MTV Video Music Awards last
Brandon L. Millett has crunched the numbers and come up with a formula Hollywood doesn’t want to compute. Films featuring U.S. soldiers as the enemy don’t sell tickets. Period. So Millett decided to create the G.I. Film Festival, an annual
Something must be seriously wrong with “Killshot,” the straight-to-video flick starring the resurgent Mickey Rourke. The movie features not just Rourke, but rising star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Diane Lane, Rosario Dawson and Thomas Jane – reputable actors, all. And it’s under
Any clear thinking media gazer can tell you Newsweek magazine has tilted to the left in recent months. Not that it ever was a fair and balanced media organ to start with, mind you. But Newsweek managing editor Jon Meacham
Jamie Foxx is really, really sorry he said some horrible things about pop princess Miley Cyrus. He did so on “The Tonight Show” last night while host Jay Leno meekly set up his apology. And that will most likely be
You don’t have to be a cultural conservative to be alarmed about the path Madonna’s child, Lourdes, may be on. The 12-year-old offspring of the Material Woman and ex-beau Carlos Leon has led a fairly private life up until now
Lily Tomlin’s newest video blasts Gov. Sarah Palin and Fox News’ Neil Cavuto. But Tomlin forgot to bring the funny. The ageless comedian’s new “humor” clip can be seen at The Women on the Web’s site. In it, she dresses
It’s hard to argue Newsweek hasn’t fully embraced the ideological left. Just how many times did the magazine put fawning images of Sen. Barack Obama on the cover last year? And its recent unflattering cover photo of Rush Limbaugh, not
The scariest part of the new thriller “The Haunting in Connecticut” comes during the opening credits. “Based on the true story,” we’re told, and it’s hard not to giggle. That’s not the kind of scary the film’s producers were gunning
Nicolas Cage is starring in another one-word title movie? Didn’t we suffer enough with “Next?” But Cage’s iffy career is in the hands of director Alex Proyas (“Dark City,” “I, Robot”) with “Knowing,” a clear step up from the Oscar
The Onion can’t find anything funny about President Barack Obama or his presidency yet. But it quickly jumped on the Democratic Talking Points bandwagon this week with a sour assault on talk show giant Rush Limbaugh. The humor publication has
NASCAR has become so much more than just an adrenalized racing sport. It’s a cultural touchstone, what the right rallies around whenever the next Michael Moore movie or Al Franken tome arrives on the scene. It’s ours. So it’s fascinating
The Left told us all the change we needed would come when Sen. Barack Obama got our vote Nov. 4. Now, a new change is coming our way – courtesy of Obama supporter Sheryl Crow and some of her famous
America’s Finest News Source has some explaining to do. The Onion , the usually biting comic weekly, just can’t bring itself to mock President Barack Obama. The One has been in office for more than a month now, and the
Documentary filmmakers spend plenty of time examining the Bush administration, the Iraq War and the aftermath from Hurricane Katrina. All are fair game, but few directors tackle the horrifying impact Communism had across the globe during the 20th century. Last
Celebrities en masse told us over and again just how uniquely qualified Sen. Barack Obama was for the Oval Office. Remember Spike Lee’s famous quote – “You have B.B.: Before Barack and A.B.: After Barack.” Never mind the clear lack
Actress and stand-up comic Wanda Sykes hopes President Obama is smart enough to change his mind about his own policies. Sykes, who recently announced she is a lesbian, talked to Newsweek for its Commemorative Inaugural Edition — one way the
My son is only three weeks old, but he’s already impacting how I feel about censorship and marketing in the 21st century. Kevin Smith’s latest raunch-fest, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” comes out on DVD Tuesday (Feb. 3). It’s
Thought “hope” and “change” might rule Hollywood now that President George W. Bush has moved back to Texas? Apparently not. Variety’s Anne Thompson reports the comedy “In the Loop,” what she dubs a “raucously funny indictment of what went on
Wasn’t Kid Rock one of the few pop stars not to pledge allegiance to the destruction of President Bush? The Bush daughters even wanted him to play at the 2005 presidential inauguration concert. Now, it seems Kid Rock is going
PBS’s “Frontline” series is greeting the new Obama administration with a big, wet kiss – if this press teaser is any indication: On the night of Barack Obama’s historic inauguration, FRONTLINE examines the rich personal and political biography of the
This Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremonies (8 p.m. EST) will give Hollywood one last award venue to bash the Bush administration. Is there any doubt some winners will jump at the chance to savage the president while he’s still in office?
The Nov. 4 death of novelist Michael Crichton took most people by surprise. Who knew the best-selling author of “Jurassic Park” was even sick? Crichton, 66, died the day of the U.S. presidential elections, so news coverage of his passing
Looks like Fox’s “24” may have jumped the ideological shark. The show, featuring Kiefer Sutherland as the terrorist-hunting Jack Bauer, returns after a long absence Sunday night (8 p.m. EST). “24” delights right-leaners by showing an American hero battling terrorists