A Summer Place

Aug. 31, 2006

The summer of 2006 is ending but where was the season's blockbuster that crossed-over to all audiences? The second "Pirates of the Caribbean'' is making a ton of money, but it doesn't have the wide appeal of hits from summers past _ "Jaws,'' the "Star Wars'' epics, even "My Big Fat Greek Wedding,'' "Forrest Gump'' or "There's Something About Mary.'' What's your favorite "summer place'' movie? And how come they don't make 'em like that anymore?!

No Admittance

Aug. 25, 2006

Are movie critics necessary? About 33 percent of movies to be released nationwide in August and the first week of September have not been screened in advance for critics. Some were obvious dogs that flopped immediately (""Pulse,'' ""Zoom''). Others, like ""Snakes on a Plane,'' defied nervous distributors who banned review screenings, by charming critics who saw the movie on opening day. Do you read reviews? Do you care what reviewers think? Do reviews help you pick which movies to see? We want to know.

On the Rocks

Aug. 21, 2006

Kate Hudson is a delightful actress who looked headed for a wonderful career, starting with her Oscar-nominated ""Almost Famous.'' Then she got married and had a child, and has since appeared in a series of iffy, often bland movies. ""You, Me and Dupree'' is her latest dud. Was her sparkling start a fluke? Did her marriage, now on the rocks, distract her from great performances? Is Hudson enduring the usual career versus marriage-motherhood quandary? Or, does she just need an agent with better judgment in picking scripts?

Meltdown Mel No. 2

Aug. 14, 2006

Mel Gibson keeps bouncing back. Despite rumors that Disney would not distribute Gibson's upcoming subtitled movie about ancient Mayans, ""Apocalypto,'' a publicist for the company says Disney will indeed release it. This, despite Mel's drunken driving arrest, reported anti-Semitic slurs and self-imposed alcohol rehabilitation. Talk about the Teflon celeb! Do you think Gibson will truly recover enough to become a Hollywood player again? Do you think anyone, aside from movie critics, will see "Apocalypto?'' And would anyone care to speculate why the two most-responded to blogs on this site concerned movies-religion (""The DaVinci Code'' being the other)? Religion indeed seems to split the world wide open.

Meltdown Mel

Aug. 2, 2006

Mel Gibson is at it again: Last Friday, he was arrested under suspicion of drunken driving on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. Police records say he made sexist (to a woman police officer) and anti-Semitic (to a Jewish arresting officer) remarks. He has apologized and said he isn't anti-Semitic (no word if he's apologizing for sexist comments!) Two years ago, I was castigated for saying Gibson's movie, ""The Passion of the Christ'' was anti-Semitic. Some say Gibson's verbal abusiveness was the tequila talking; I'm of the persuasion that at best, he's ""in conflict'' over women and Judaism. What do you think? Do you think the incident will hurt his career?