Posted inArts & Culture

Black Zoo

But Michael’s “children” are in danger — or is that endangered? — when greedy, swingin’ businessman Jerry Stengel (Jerome Cowan, “The Maltese Falcon”) keen on visiting a particular “striptease parlor” wants to take the land on which the zoo sits so he can rezone it as a residential district. Michael refuses to sign the contract, so […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

And that would be a bad thing, because “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” hoses off any stink Burton left behind. It’s one of the year’s nicest surprises. An origin story to the sci-fi franchise that began on the big screen in 1968, “Rise” draws upon story elements of 1972’s “Conquest of the Planet […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Red Riding Hood

Note that the title lacks the character attribute of “little”; there’s nothing small about this adaptation. (My, what big visuals you have!) It’s the kind of flawed flick I can recommend on style alone. Amanda Seyfried (“Letters to Juliet”) dons the scarlet winter cloak as Valerie, who lives in a small village where she’s been […]

Gift this article