MY RECENT POSTS
- Take the kids to "The Best
Exotic Marigold Hotel"
May 16, 2012 10:45AM - Making "The Avengers" -- Men
Only!
May 15, 2012 12:12PM - Stephanie Zacharek, and the
news of Avatar 2, 3 and 4
May 14, 2012 02:42PM - Iron Man vs. Captain America
May 13, 2012 11:42AM - The Avengers -- Review
May 13, 2012 10:40AM
MY RECENT COMMENTS
- “Evil people always show,
they're always ready to
buckle. Good
people never
will,…”
July 22, 2010 11:32PM - “If I am ever most fair
to Cameron, I will tackle the
action
in his films. You
fe…”
July 22, 2010 10:45PM - “Yeah, maybe I'll do
that.”
May 07, 2010 12:12AM - “Yeah, I liked it a lot.
Easily as caring as it
is
cruel.”
March 26, 2010 01:34AM - “What did you make of
"Observe and Report"? I
believe Ebert
refused
to…”
March 25, 2010 04:27PM
Patrick McEvoy-Halston's Links
Take the kids to "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"
Alison Willmore, in her review of "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," argues that the film "is a precision instrument aimed directly at the heart of its intended underserved older audience," and one wonders if even if its intention was to serve only them, if the reality is that it could and… Read full post »
Recently, Andrew O'Hehir had this to say concerning The Avengers and its (ostensibly) all-male demographic:
I don't think I'm breaking any news if I tell you that "The Avengers," Joss Whedon's ensemble action-adventure that unites an entire posse of Marvel Comics superhoes, will be far and aw
… Read full post »
Stephanie Zacharek, and the news of Avatar 2, 3 and 4
Stephanie Zacharek's review of the film, we note, was very harsh. It's always great to have her take, but it'd be nice if she'd accord some of her assertions, particularly this one -- "But if you're out to change the face of filmmaking, you have to work much harder at a… Read full post »
Iron Man vs. Captain America
Note: this is a reply to Maria Aspan's discussion of the four key things that worked about the Avengers (at movieline.com).
Re: The Avengers doesn't try to give equal time to each of the heroes; it might as well be called Iron Man 2.5. Thor is there to swing his… Read full post »
The Avengers -- Review
Note: this review builds on Stephanie Zachareks' review of the movie at movieline.com
Not to say Loki doesn't have presence, but the story proved to be about the team settling together in a very satisfying fashion, with everything else but interjections to this realization.
Personally, t… Read full post »
Hunger Games (novel) -- Review
The basic message of the book is that in a competitive system, the cream always rises to the top. More than this: than an unsparing competitive system emboldens life stories so vivid and interesting, there's nothing their equal in possessing. Withdraw societal life supports, and th
… Read full post »Hunger Games (film) -- Review
Katniss's district is shown as so drained of vitality, she, Gale, and Peeta come across as Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli did when they first entered the no-more-cheer-than-a-graveyard domain of the subjected Horse Lords. The result is that the Reaping looks like just as good an opportunity to actu… Read full post »
Mirror Mirror -- Review
Almost from the start you feel the director's efforts to please the audience's key and only regal lady -- the blossoming young woman, traditionally picked on by patriarchy, and whose current allegiance guarantees you status as a modern man that gets to lubricate with subservience but without any cont… Read full post »
American Reunion -- Review
Dark Shadows -- Review
Interns
Interns
Every production assistant, intern, receptionist, runner and/or other member of Hollywood’s aspirational poor can rejoice today as Bourne franchise and United 93 director Paul Greengrass held forth on the biggest unresolved scourge afflicting the film industry toda
… Read full post »Being resilient in crappy times
"Being resilient in crappy times"
Before Hollywood discovered it could reap huge profits by adapting comic books, mainstream movies used to attempt subjects that might have something to do with real grown-ups’ lives. That impulse rarely surfaces these days, but it’s the motor that drive
… Read full post »First, then second, consideration
First, then second, consideration
The Tourist is one of those movies that will leave some viewers scratching their heads, wondering why there isn’t more action, more snazzy editing, more obvious crackle between its stars, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. But I suspect the people who
… Read full post »Keeping the con alive
Keeping the con alive
Salon readers have never been the shy and retiring type, but Monday's Life story -- "How I Became a Con Artist" -- certainly brought out the knives. "You don't deserve to live in a civilized society," read one of the 200+ outraged comments, peppered with such
… Read full post »When the good parent Dumbledore is artfully being shown the
When the good-parent Dumbledore is artfully being shown the door
How Should the University Evolve?, part 1 of 2 from BLSCI on Vimeo.
and the Q&A is here:
I’m in the midst of Thanksgiving prep so don’t have time to contribute my own commentary. Basically we… Read full post »
Sauron thrived when things grew dark too
Sauron thrived when things grew dark, too
… Read full post »Hillenbrand's second book, seven years in the making, is "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" and likely to be as big a hit as "Seabiscuit." The theme is identical -- the triumph of an indomitable under
Kindness
Kindness
… Read full post »Conservative commentators have been bemoaning the decline of the American man almost as long as the American man has been in existence. As it turns out, they are right: Men these days are a mere shadow of what we once were. We've become physically weaker than
Reminder: Better version of this blog
is to be found here: http://patricksjustincasesite.blogspot.com/
It's prettier, and the text's a bit more cleaned up. Read full post »
Spending time with better people
Spending time with better people
Welcome to the second session of Salon's Reading Club, everyone. For those just joining us, we're discussing Jonathan Franzen's new novel, "Freedom." Last week,we talked about the first part of the book, "Good Neighbors," through the end of Patty's "autobiograp
… Read full post »Frozen Franzenage
Frozen Franzenage
What do you think of the phrase "Franzenfreude"?
I think in German it literally means "joy in Franzen." But I'm no stranger to literary envy and am in no position to deplore it in others.
There's been discussion in the Salon Reading Club about which character in
… Read full post »Provoking the Dread
Provoking the dread
For me, the end of October is always slightly tinged with dread -- provoked not by Halloween spooks, not even by election season, but by the advent of something called NaNoWriMo. If those syllables are nothing but babble to you, then I salute you. They… Read full post »
Absorption / Deflection
Absorption / Deflection
"In modern democratic nations, we usually don't actually kill our leaders; we periodically throw them out of office and replace them with revitalized substitutes. But the decline in potency of the leader, his inexorable abandonment of us as we grow still is felt today. This
… Read full post »The Stewart and Colbert Purity Crusade
The Stewart and Colbert Purity Crusade
Many of you probably watched the famous Jon Stewart "smackdown" of -- in particular -- Tucker Carlson on Crossfire. I knew then that the primary crime Tucker was guilty of was possessing too much personality (his punchy bow-tie, pink shirts, buoya… Read full post »
Evidence
Evidence
The U.K. has cut back expenses hugely and fired millions. It will certainly go into a major Depression. As Tony Blair said when asked why he hit his one-year-old baby: "You have to discipline them!"
Lloyd ("U.K. Cuts Back Gov't Expenses," realpsychohistory, 21 Oct. 2010)… Read full post »
In consideration of all he has accomplished
In consideration of all he has accomplished
BOYCOTT THE HACK ZACH ... in perpetuity
I think it's simply a "travesty" that a supremely spoiled sophomoric pack of so-called ACTORS can RULE the film industry. LIKE anybody in THAT CAST has EVER DONE anything (frankly) remarkable in THEIR… Read full post »
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