There are an awful lot of thankless jobs in Hollywood. The vast majority of movie watchers understand (and hopefully appreciate!) that the movie they love is made by more than the very pretty actors who appear on-screen. There are far more people involved than simply the very overworked director, and the utterly ignored screenwriter.  To me, one of the more fascinating heads of the cinematic hydra is the marketing department. In an extremely brief window of time, these folks need to explain what the general premise of the movie is, what the emotional tone of the movie is, and why you should see... Read More

Let’s say there’s this punk rock band. They’re not what you would call musically accomplished. Matter of fact, we have to wonder if they can even read music. All of their songs are short, probably two minutes or less. They don’t seem like much, truth be told. But we decide to check out their set, in some dirtbag club. We give them a shot, and it turns out to be a good call. Because despite being profane, juvenile, and simple, they’re great. Wildly entertaining. Huge energy. Fun as hell. Congratulations, we just saw Black Flag. The Dead Kennedys. The Sex Pistols. All... Read More