VALLEY GIRL (2018) Starring Jessica Rothe, Josh Whitehouse, Jessie Ennis, Ashleigh Murray, Chloe Bennet, Logan Paul, Mae Whitman, Mario Revolori, Rob Huebel, Judy Greer, Alex Lewis, Alex MacNicoll, Danny Ramirez, Andrew Kai, Allyn Rachel, Randall Park, Thomas Lennon, Peyton List, Bill Bottkamp, Eric Garcetti, EG Daily and Alicia Silverstone. Screenplay by Amy Talkington. Directed by Rachel Goldenberg. Distributed by Orion Pictures. 103 minutes. Rated PG-13. Valley Girl is a j

Jessica Rothe and Josh Whitehouse Like Omigod, They Totally Remade Valley Girl By Jay S. Jacobs Jessica Rothe and Josh Whitehouse were barely – or not even – born yet in the 1980s (Rothe was born in 1987, Whitehouse in 1990), but now they are totally celebrating that gnarly decade. The reason for their new interest in the era is Valley Girl, their new jukebox musical film celebrating the music and styles of Los Angeles in the 80s. Valley Girl is a loose remake and celebration

Love, Antosha LOVE, ANTOSHA (2019) Featuring JJ Abrams, Sofia Boutella, John Cho, Marlon Clark, Ian Cripps, Willem Dafoe, Joe Dante, Paul David, Ryan Dean, Drake Doremus, Ben Foster, Jodie Foster, Craig Gillespie, Dave Glowacki, Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Jones, Avy Kaufman, Martin Landau, Frank Langella, Jennifer Lawrence, Mary Lester, Mark Palansky, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Jon Poll, Zachary Quinto, Parush Rao, Zoe Saldana, Luke Shaft, Sophie Simpson, Kristen Stewart, Anya Ta

Robert Schwartzman Nick Rutherford and Robert Schwartzman Seeking the Elusive Unicorn by Jay S. Jacobs It’s funny how life goes sometimes. For example, had Robert Schwartzman and his future wife not stopped into a Manhattan bar one night and both gotten propositioned by a strange woman who referred to herself as a unicorn, the filmmaker’s second film would have never happened. Schwartzman is related to much filmmaking royalty. His mother is actress Talia Shire. His brother is

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018) Featuring the voices of Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Jake Johnson, Liev Schreiber, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Lily Tomlin, Zoë Kravitz, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn, Liev Schreiber, Chris Pine, Natalie Morales, Oscar Isaac, Edwin H. Bravo, Greta Lee, Jorma Taccone, Lake Bell, Post Malone and Stan Lee. Screenplay by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman. D

Lord of War LORD OF WAR (2005) Starring Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Ian Holm, Eammon Walker, Sammi Rotibi, Ethan Hawke, Shake Toukhmanian, Jean-Pierre Nshanian, Donald Sutherland, Liya Kabede, Jasmone Burgess, Carlin April, Gugu Zulu, Debbie Jones, Mirriam Ngomani and Eugene Lazarev. Screenplay by Andrew Niccol. Directed by Andrew Niccol. Distributed by Lionsgate Films. 122 minutes. Rated R. The anti-hero, a character who may do things that are repugnant and w

Andrew Niccol with Nicolas Cage and Ethan Hawke on the set of “Lord of War.” Andrew Niccol The Art of Lord of War by Jay S. Jacobs New Zealand-born writer-director Andrew Niccol has been the brains behind some of the most mind-bending films in recent years. Though he was not the director of his first screenplay, the critically acclaimed The Truman Show, he has since had the opportunity to create and helm such fascinating visions as Gattaca (with Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman) a

Richard Price RICHARD PRICE BETTER THAN FICTION BY RONALD SKLAR If Richard Price’s life story were made into a movie, you would accuse the joint of being too far-fetched.  But, as the old cliché goes, truth is stranger than fiction. Price came up in a Bronx housing project, but his gift for writing gained him entrance into the some of the nation’s top colleges.  He thrived at Cornell, Columbia and Stanford, despite his feeling like a fish out of water.  His first novel, The W

Adaptation. ADAPTATION. (2002) Starring Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton, Jay Tavare, G. Paul Davis, Cara Seymour, Stephen Tobolowsky, Gary Farmer, Curtis Hanson, David O. Russell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Judy Greer, Ron Livingston, Brian Cox, Catherine Keener, John Cusack and John Malkovich. Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman. Directed by Spike Jonze. Distributed by Columbia  Pictures.  114  minutes.  Rated R. The mind of Charlie Kaufman is no