There was a time, not too long ago, that when the Oscar nominations were announced, IÁ¢€â„¢d seen all the nominated films. Indeed, IÁ¢€â„¢d seen all the significant movies of the…
No Concessions
158 Articles
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
Rod Lurie says he likes my blog. HeÁ¢€â„¢s a friendÁ¢€”well, a Facebook friend, anyway. I might recuse myself from reviewing his latest film, Nothing But the Truth, but I should…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
It was easy to laugh at the Oscars recently, when, after a montage of heart-swelling moments from earnest, socially conscious, liberal-minded pictures about the ills of our society, host Jon…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
Management informs me that as of today weÁ¢€™re off until the new year. I canÁ¢€™t promise that I wonÁ¢€™t sneak back into the building from time to time, but to…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
This is not a review of Quantum of Solace, the 22nd James Bond picture. There was a screening Wednesday night, but I had to put my Walther PPK asideÁ¢€¦and babysit….
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
Chances are youÁ¢€â„¢ve already missed Halloween. No, not the carving of the pumpkins or the trick-or-treating, which IÁ¢€â„¢ll feel less foolish doing when I bring my daughter. (IÁ¢€â„¢m a sucker…
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
Necessity is the mother of invention. I just didnÁ¢€â„¢t make it to the multiplex this week, but, fearing reprimand by my masters here at Popdose, figured I had to come…
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
George W. Bush says he is content to let history judge him. But he misunderestimated Oliver Stone, whose W. puts our departing president on the cinematic cutting board just weeks…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
Body of Lies didnÁ¢€â„¢t have to do much to impress me. ItÁ¢€â„¢s the first movie IÁ¢€â„¢ve seen since becoming a dad, and the switch from explosive poops to plain old…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
Warning: this weekÁ¢€™s column is going to get ugly, and fast. We start with Choke, an adaptation of Chuck PalahniukÁ¢€™s novel, which is also a love letter to its star,…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
Outside of a few odds and ends, the summer movie season pretty much concludes today. Throw the tarp over the pool, recondition the leaf blower, itÁ¢€â„¢s done. If youÁ¢€â„¢re willing…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
If I ever run for office, and someone asks the drug-use question, I can honestly say I didnÁ¢€â„¢t inhale. While pop-music critics are a Dionysian lot, snorting coke off groupiesÁ¢€â„¢…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
Maybe IÁ¢€â„¢ve been overthinking things. Worrying too much about the corrosive effects of superheroes on the cinema and all that. I did 1,500 words on The Dark Knight last week,…
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
Watching a superdeluxe presentation of The Dark Knight unfold across the eight-story-tall IMAX theater in Manhattan, I had a nagging question: why was the mayor of Gotham City wearing eyeliner…
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
Like the humans who misjudge or underestimate the big red lug on the big screen, I must apologize to Hellboy. Our first encounter, in 2004, was not a happy one….
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
Sex. You know you want it Á¢€” and I know youÁ¢€â„¢re not getting it from the movies. And I know youÁ¢€â„¢re not because IÁ¢€â„¢ve been looking myself, and coming up…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
I have violated the covenant between reader and critic. You, the reader, expect me, the critic, to leave his home in Brooklyn, get on the subway, and attend screenings 25…
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
By the calendar itÁ¢€â„¢s not quite summer yet, but the northeast has already wilted under August heat Á¢€” and the movies already feel spent and depleted, in need of a…
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
You can see the nominees for best foreign-language film at the Oscars coming from a kilometer away. TheyÁ¢€â„¢re tied to some sort of hot-button issue, or a pivotal historical event…
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
Like Jack Lemmon in Glengarry Glen Ross, IÁ¢€â„¢m overjoyed to find myself on the big board, with all the cool kids whoÁ¢€â„¢ve written Á¢€Å“Most PopularÁ¢€ Popdose posts. And I didnÁ¢€â„¢t…
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
Á¢€Å“ThatÁ¢€â„¢s it,Á¢€ said my friend, following our Monday evening screening of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Á¢€Å“IÁ¢€â„¢m through with Narnia.Á¢€ I know the feeling; itÁ¢€â„¢s the same one I…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
All I know about Speed Racer I learned as a kid, when I watched episodes of the proto-anime between spoonfuls of Cocoa Puffs. There wasnÁ¢€â„¢t much to it Á¢€” there…
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
David Mamet canÁ¢€â„¢t commit. His latest Broadway show, November, is an almost-farce in need of bigger laughs. Despite its definitive title, his film Heist couldnÁ¢€â„¢t quite bring itself to be…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
Like Hillary Clinton, Helen Hunt has always bugged me. I was never crazy about Mad About You, and while I don’t think she deserves the barbs thrown at her for…
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
I’ve been tasked with preparing a summer movie guide for Popdose. I haven’t done one of these since I was at the Daily Northwestern, cramming dozens of titles into a…
Bob Cashill
2 Min Read
Thirty years from now, My Blueberry Nights may be considered a good film. It may even be considered a great film. Let me explain. Some years ago, I selected for…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
Arthouse meets grindhouse in Funny Games, and the results are no fun at all. Writer-director Michael Haneke, the Austrian provocateur behind The Piano Teacher (2002) and CachÁƒ© (2005), is a…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
Look. I know. I hear you. YouÁ¢€â„¢d rather be reading about 10,000 B.C., that caveman-and-saber-tooth-tigers thing opening today. Listen: IÁ¢€â„¢d rather be writing about it. Cavemen (cavewomen), saber-tooths, mastodons —…
Jason Zingale
1 Min Read
Much like the stupid redneck protagonist of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell’s latest sports comedy, Semi-Pro, revolves entirely around a paper-thin character that’s supposed to be…
David Medsker
1 Min Read
Penelope made its debut at the Toronto Film Festival. The 2006 Toronto Film Festival. Not a good sign that the movie has languished this long without being released. The story…