September 2010

Woodstock Revisited

September 28, 2010

“Woodstock,” directed by Michael Wadleigh. Warner Brothers, 1970, 1994 (director’s cut), 2009 (40th anniversary box set). “Taking Woodstock,” directed by Ang Lee. Focus Features, 120 minutes. “Woodstock: Three Days that Rocked the World,” by Mike Evans and Paul Kingsbury. Sterling Publishing, 2009. 288 pages. ” Hair,” written by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, directed by [...]

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Terminator: Salvation

September 28, 2010

“Terminator: Salvation.” Directed by McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol). Halcyon, 2009, 130 minutes. Reviewed by Jo Ann Skousen Brutal, intense, and irreverent, the original “Terminator” (1984) was anything but a Sunday School story. And yet, it was one of the best messianic allegories of the past 25 years. In the biblical Christmas story, two forces are [...]

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Capitalism: A Love Story

September 28, 2010

“Capitalism: A Love Story,” written and directed by Michael Moore. Vantage Productions, 127 minutes. Reviewed by Jo Ann Skousen Michael Moore has made a name for himself as the king of ambush journalism. He snags interviews with corporate bigwigs and policy makers by pretending to be interested in benign issues, then switches to hot-button topics [...]

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“A Law Abiding Citizen”

September 28, 2010

Don’t Mess with the Law Abiding Citizen “A Law Abiding Citizen.” F. Gary Gray, director. Warp Film, 108 minutes. Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an ordinary law abiding citizen, enjoying a few minutes of hobby time with his daughter (Ksenia Hulayev, in a brief but enchanting performance) when the nightmare we all fear happens: Opening [...]

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“The Daughter of Time”

September 28, 2010

“The Daughter of Time,” by Josephine Tey. Touchstone Publishing (1951) 208 pages. “Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority” — Francis Bacon. If we have learned one lesson from recent politics it is this: Be the first to tell the story, and tell it your own way. Then don’t back down. Everyone knows [...]

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