Tucker Max loves being an “asshole,” and he wants everybody to know it. The University of Chicago and Duke Law graduate started off with a blog in 2002, went on to write a book in 2006 that made the New York Times bestseller list, and now he gives us “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” — a film which attempts to capture the insane hilarity of the book, the blog, the...
There’s a line that Mark Whitacre likes to share with almost everyone he meets. “I caught a lucky break,” he says to his shrink, his lawyer and eventually the FBI. After his parents died in an automobile accident when he was six, a rich amusement-park owner in Ohio adopted him, and so his story begins. But Whitacre, an excitable, sausage-fingered executive at A.D.M, a...
J.J. Abrams has admitted that the idea for “Alias” (the best show in the history of television) came late one night in the writers’ room of his first show, “Felicity,” when the staff jokingly imagined what would happen if its awkward, painfully self-aware protagonist was transported from her melodramatic college existence into the life of a kick-ass spy. The results were...
If the bare act of sex were enough for us, we wouldn’t complicate it with our imaginings, with poetry, with movies. Like John Keats’ poetry, “Bright Star” — the new biopic about the Romantic poet — is animated by the creative energy that arises from not getting any.
The first 15 minutes of “The September Issue” trip along self-promotingly, an ode composed in Her glory. Who, her? Anna Wintour, you simpleton — editor-in-chief of Vogue. In a meeting with Wintour, elusive Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld presents a tweed suit, muttering in his befuddling Euro accent, “This one we call Anna.” Um, scusi? If fashion were the Old Testament,...
What happens when you ARE the Man? This week, two films take on the American male — and his midlife power crisis. Lee gives you the deets on “Extract” and “World’s Greatest Dad.”
Due to what professor Ashish Chadha and many others call the “Slumdog effect,” you may have noticed more Bollywood on campus lately.
The beginning: Elliot Tiber dreams of going to California “to paint, design and be free.” Instead, he is stuck in the Catskills helping his ungrateful parents run their motel. The filthy motel, thousands of dollars in debt, has no air conditioning, towels or locks on the doors. Elliot feels repressed and uninspired!
I like getting to movies a little early. To find a good seat, sure, and to leave myself some time to stand on the concession line in case I’m in the mood for some popcorn or candy. (I prefer Junior Mints.) But there’s another reason. For me the experience starts just as the lights dim, 10 to 15 minutes before the feature presentation, and the screen is awash in a bright,...
Best Movie: Summer may be known for mindless fare, but this season’s best is also the smartest. “Inglourious Basterds” is Quentin Tarantino storytelling at its finest. The swearing and blood feel earned for once, and the story is impeccably constructed, building to one of the most satisfying (and brilliant) conclusions you’ll find.
If you haven’t seen the BBC miniseries “State of Play,” stop reading this and watch. It’s one of the most enjoyable and gripping programs ever put on TV. If you can’t get your hands on it, a new American remake, which turns the six-episode series into a 2-hour movie, is pretty good, too.
Two weeks ago, the Baker’s Dozen house transformed into a studio.
This year’s Yale College Council election saw unprecedented media efforts from candidates to attract voters: Jon Wu’s ’11 “Wu’s the One That I Want,” Ryan Beauchamp’s ’10 campaign video (and his, er, 90-second mash-up) and, of course Colin Adamo’s ’10 “Behind the Treasure.”
A search in my Gmail reveals 225 references to “miley.” It includes the time my friend Mike accurately predicted in 2007: “She should fix her teeth. I’m sure she will eventually when she goes sexpot;” and the time when my brother chatted “NO!” in shock after I asked, “did you see the miley lesbo pix?” (Sometimes I like to Gchat like I’m a pop-up ad.)
The only times I’ve experienced the “Spring Break Experience”, the full “this is the vein of the USA and whatcha gonna do about it?” deal, I’ve prowled the margins, unable to interact, to get drunk, even. Experience too horrible.
“Sin Nombre” is a gripping hybrid: part romantic melodrama, part gangland tragedy, part immigrant thriller. It is also a remarkable accomplishment for first-time director Cary Fukunaga, who journeyed to Mexico and Honduras to make a film that confounds our expectations and opens our eyes.
There’s an assertion frequently made by certain Yalies, often the high-achieving, perfectionist, neurotic ones. It’s uttered in January or February, before they’ve landed their high-paying internship or job. “I don’t know what I’ll do,” they claim. “If worst comes to worst, I’ll just live in a box this summer!”
“Fast and Furious” deserves less of a review and more of a guide. It has prerequisites. If you have a couple hours to spare, watch “The Fast and the Furious” (2001), the first movie in the franchise. If you’re busy, at least remember this: Letty is Dom’s girlfriend. Mia is Dom’s sister and Brian’s former love interest. Cool? Cool.
How do I know 3-D’s big right now? The Jonas brothers are doing it.
