By Susan JAMES “They don’t make them like they used to” is the lament of every film lover of Hollywood’s Golden Age. In a time before CGI and the glorification of endless comic book bacchanalias, when the censor ruled supreme and box office gold depended on sharp dialogue and charismatic actors, audiences could revel in […]
By Susan JAMES he implacable, invincible and slightly twinkly Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is back again with his crack crew for the eighth installment of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. Now celebrating 16 years of chases, races and general auto mayhem, the new installment is worthy of its pedigree. Directed by F. Gary Grey, […]
By Susan JAMES Somewhere in the smoky backrooms of studio politics, producers from the U.S.-China joint venture production company Legendary East and from Le Vision Pictures, one of the largest production companies in China, met to come up with a concept for a blockbuster motion picture. One bright sprig had a brilliant idea. “What if […]
By Susan JAMES Fantasy collides with reality and the past challenges an array of imagined futures in the 25th annual exhibition of Oscar-nominated costumes now on display at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and running through April 22, the exhibition is free to […]
By Susan JAMES While the male superhero world of Marvel debates the pros and cons of a solo Natasha Romanoff (aka the Black Widow) film and the universe of Harry Potter replaces the brilliant and irritating Hermione with the passive and colorless Porpentina, the “Star Wars” franchise, home to Princess Leia, Queen Amidala and the […]
By Susan JAMES Know this, fellow Potterites. Warner Bros.’ new exploration of Harry Potter’s magical world in “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them” assumes that you’re familiar with previous Potter mythology. If you know your nifflers from your bowtruckles and your muggles from your squibs, if you know a good apparition when you see […]
By Susan JAMES all me a doubter but I wasn’t sure the universe was ready for yet another Marvel superhero saving the planet and fighting for truth and justice. But given that “Dr. Strange” has enlisted the talents of the supersized Benedict Cumberbatch, actor extraordinaire and BBC’s sterling Sherlock Holmes, I shouldn’t have had […]
By Susan JAMES Every year the Los Angeles Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) opens its doors free to the public with a spectacular array of Emmy-nominated costumes from some of television’s most popular and some of its lesser-known shows. Nielsen ratings don’t measure the level of creativity in this year’s costume selection although […]
By Susan JAMES It’s strange that the faster the action gets on the screen the slower the story seems to move in writer/director Paul Greengrass’ third exploration of the world of Jason Bourne. It’s not just that we’ve seen soulless killers and endless car chases before – far more memorably filmed in the “Fast and […]
By Susan JAMES Full disclosure: I’m a Trekkie. I’ve been a Trekkie since 1966 when the star ship Enterprise warped its way into a brave new universe with a crew that embodied diversity before diversity became a thing. So it is with regret that I say to other Trekkies and almost- Trekkies out there that […]