Is there a more hotly-contested or perplexing director alive than Brian de Palma? Film fans, and certainly film critics, are just about equally divided on the merits of this prominent director, who came up in the early seventies and has long been shafted outside of the system for not playing by the rules. Like Scorsese, he is a master of using the camera as an additional character in a scene. But Scorsese's best whirling dervish camera moves express an animalistic hostility. When De Palma tak...

Some actors have nine lives, other sink like a stone. And then others are presumed to be "missing in action" after a series of flops at the box office. Some win fame early on, while others find it when they ripen in their later years. Some are blissfully ignored by the tabloids, and others are their bread and butter. Some are famous for what they do, and others are famous for who they are. All of the above (contradictions intact) describe the journey of Ben Affleck in the world of film. A journe...

Some actors have nine lives, other sink like a stone. And then others are presumed to be "missing in action" after a series of flops at the box office. Some win fame early on, while others find it when they ripen in their later years. Some are blissfully ignored by the tabloids, and others are their bread and butter. Some are famous for what they do, and others are famous for who they are. All of the above (contradictions intact) describe the journey of Ben Affleck in the world of film. A journe...

Wednesday, December 6----Some actors have nine lives, other sink like a stone. And then others are presumed to be "missing in action" after a series of flops at the box office. Some win fame early on, while others find it when they ripen in their later years. Some are blissfully ignored by the tabloids, and others are their bread and butter. Some are famous for what they do, and others are famous for who they are. All of the above (contradictions intact) describe the journey of Ben Affleck i...

With a couple of hours still left to go until the official kick-off of this "Mother of all Film Festivals" activity is feverish along the short stretch of the Lido known as Viale Marconi, the actual location of this oldest of all world film festivals --Now that was rather a mouthful, calling for a bit of elucidation. The first Venice film festival took place way back in 1932 when the Fascist government under Benito Mussolini, taking a page from Lenin, realized that film was a powerful propaganda...

The 63rd edition of the Venice film festival has opened with a salvo of noir or noirish films during which the 'dark horse' "Hollywoodland" has upstaged the odds-on favorite "Black Dahlia" which arrived with far more ballyhoo. While Dahlia, with its high-powered cast, name director Brian De Palma, and big time writer James Ellroy all on hand, was rather tepidly received at various screenings, "Hollywoodland” or 'the Death of Superman’ as the press has dubbed the film, was roundly applauded...