Thomas Ian Nicholas at Wizard World Thomas Ian Nicholas Life in the Convention Lane by Jay S. Jacobs Catching up with Thomas Ian Nicholas on the floor of the Philadelphia Wizard World, he hasn’t changed all that much from the kid who starred in the 90s classic films Rookie of the Year and American Pie. Whether playing the fantasy role of a little boy playing in the big leagues for the Cubs, or as the perfect boyfriend looking to lose his virginity with his buddies on prom nig

Golden Globe Awards Assessing Last Year’s Movies Through the Lens of This Year’s Golden Globe Nominees by Brad Balfour Just as the Waterford ball drops, so does the anticipation for the 75th annual Golden Globes — the first major awards show of 2018. Being broadcast live, the show can be seen on NBC, Sunday, January 6th, starting at 8 pm ET. Since the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 90 or so critics divide their cinematic choices into two oddly skewed categories — “Best

True Story TRUE STORY (2015) Starring Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones, Gretchen Mol, Ethan Suplee, Robert John Burke, Maria Dizzia, Genevieve Angelson, Betty Gilpin, Joel Marsh Garland, John Sharian, Dana Eskelson, Auden Thornton, Robert Stanton and Rebecca Henderson. Screenplay by Rupert Goold and David Kajganich. Directed by Rupert Goold. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.  100 minutes.  Rated R. True Story is indeed based upon a true story.  A fairly well kn

The Interview THE INTERVIEW (2014) Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, Diana Bang, Timothy Simons, Reese Alexander, James Yi, Paul Bae, Geoff Gustafson, Dominique Lalonde, Anesha Bailey, Anders Holm, Ben Schwartz, Brian Williams, Guy Fieri, Bill Maher, Rob Lowe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Eminem. Screenplay by Dan Sterling. Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Distributed by Sony Pictures.  111 minutes.  Rated R. Undoubtedly the funniest thing ab

James Franco at the New York Press Day for “Child of God.” Photo copyright 2014 Brad Balfour. James Franco The Actor/Director Finds Salvation in Child of God by Brad Balfour The long journey to bring Cormac McCarthy’s controversial novel Child of God to the screen has taken the film from first being screened at last year’s New York Film Fest to finally getting a distributor and landing in cinemas. From its first screenings at NYFF 51 to its pending theatrical release the firs

Freaks and Geeks – The Complete Series Freaks and Geeks The Complete Series (Shout! Factory-2004) Description: Freaks and Geeks started out as an above average cop on The Wonder Years formula.  (Why isn’t that great show on DVD yet, particularly its perfect first few seasons?)  It didn’t quite get a whole season on NBC (1999-2000).  However, this little show about growing up in the early 1980s has gotten a rabid cult following.  When the show originally ran, I liked the show,