[ Movies Central | Metroactive Central ]
Talking Pictures
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence: Sexpert and author Susie Bright talks about robot sex and Steven Spielberg's sci-fi fantasy film.
Air Force One: Reformed romance novelist Doris Mortman and husband David take in the presidential thriller.
Almost Famous: Former Rolling Stone magazine editor Ben Fong-Torres reflects on Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical rock and roll movie.
Antonia's Line: Patricia Lynn Reilly, a 'woman-centered' theologian and author of A God Who Looks Like Me, digs apart the Oscar-winning feminist epic.
Anaconda: Snake expert Ken Howell curls up with the reptilian thriller.
The Anniversary Party: Recovering film critic Barbara Shulgasser-Parker talks about the film starring Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
The Apostle: Best-selling novelist Katherine Neville discusses the richly symbolic movie.
The Arrival: Brat-pack novelist Jay McInerney (Bright Lights, Big City) investigates the aliens-are-among-us science-fiction thriller.
The Associate: Karen Salmansohn, author of an eyebrow-raising book for women in business, begs to differ with the gender-bending big-biz flick.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Novelist Amy Ephron dives into the Disney flick.
Babe: Pig in the City: Author Susan Chernak McElroy discusses the lively but disappointing sequel.
Bad Company: Facing a summer cineplex awash in Secret Agent movies, espionage expert James Bamford helps separate the bad from the good.
Battlefield Earth: Author-historian Jeff Shaara finds it difficult to stomach the John Travolta sci-fi film.
Beloved: Highly regarded Jamaican author and educator Opal Palmer Adisa discusses the cinematic adaptation of Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning ghost story.
The Big One: Corporate insider and author Stanley Bing takes on filmmaker and rabble-rouser Michael Moore and his latest documentary.
The Birdcage: Outspoken lesbian writer Leslea Newman (Heather Has Two Mommies) is saddened by the broad farce about playing straight.
The Blair Witch Project: Movie addict Mickey McGowan discusses the growing trend toward really bad camera work.
Blow: Authors Corey Schmidt and Ronald Madison look for the hidden moral lesson in the much-hyped Ted Demme film.
Boogie Nights: Philosophical thief-turned-crime novelist Richard Rayner does the hustle with the porno-noir epic.
Bowfinger: Writer John Ridley hates Hollywood but loves the Steve Martin-Eddie Murphy comedy.
The Boxer: Theologian Jim Conlon is knocked out by the troubling IRA drama.
Breakdown: The two-headed testosterone von Hoffman brother hurricane buddies up to the manly action thriller.
The Brotherhood of the Wolf: Comic/soccer mom Lorna Landvik takes on the grand and gory French import.
Cannibal films: David Templeton has a dream where he has a conversation about cannibal films with Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin: Author Laura Fraser discusses the romance/war movie based on Louis De Berniere's best-selling novel.
Captains Courageous: Seafaring author Jonathan Raban on Victor Fleming's 1937 high-seas epic.
Cecil B. Demented: Author Beverly Gray uses haiku-like simplicity to describe John Waters' in-your-face movie.
Chasing Amy: Anka Radakovich--the infamous Details magazine sex columnist--discusses this frank and funny love story.
Chicago: Stockbroker-turned-author Laura Pedersen admires the killer instincts of the women from the stage musical-turned-movie.
Chicken Run: Gourmet cook Bob Blumer ponders which chicken in Nick Park's claymation feature would taste the best.
Chocolat: Comic Reed Martin finds the Lasse Halström film to be a sweet treat.
The Cider House Rules: Author Anita Diament discusses the movie in which blood plays a prominent recurring role.
City Hall: Novelist/poet/screenwriter/playwright Barry Gifford is not shaken by the mayor-may-not thriller.
A Civil Action: Esteemed hydrogeologist Keith O'Brien cross-examines the popular environmental courtroom drama.
Commandments: Agnostic professor Dr. Sherwin Nuland looks at the offbeat biblical comedy.
Con Air: Political satirists Will and Debi Durst check out the sick-joke thrill ride.
Conspiracy Theory: Famed conspiracy collector Jonathan Vankin examines the paranoia thriller.
Contact: Anthropologist/educator Eugenie Scott finds meaning in this adaptation of Carl Sagan's novel.
The Contender: Writing team Dana K. Drenkowski and J. Michael Reidenbach discuss politics, double standards and PMS.
Clockwatchers: Business consultants M. K. Key and Terrence Deal discuss the horrors of corporate culture as portrayed in the hard-to-find indie film.
Dangerous Beauty: Renowned social reformer and notorious ex-prostitute Margo St. James on the power of sex.
Dante's Peak: Naturalist and poet Diane Ackerman survives the noisy volcano movie.
Dark City: Architect Lawrence Halprin, designer of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., discusses the nightmarish thriller.
Dead Again: Author Carol Bowman and counselor Phillip Schultz attempt to reincarnate the past-life thriller on video.
Dead Man Walking: The death-row drama hits home for musician/activist Mimi Farina, founder of the outreach organization Bread & Roses.
Deconstructing Harry: Unpredictable cartoonist John Grimes looks at Woody Allen's little-seen masterpiece
The Deep End of the Ocean: Author Michael Chabon muses about a powerful story turned into a bad movie.
Deep Impact: Eroticist Linda Jaivin shares her loving reaction to the comet flick.
The Designated Mourner: Award-winning author Caryl Phillips ruminates on the pessimistic art film.
Dick: Comedian Debi Durst lets the Dick jokes fly after seeing the Nixon-based comedy .
Donnie Brasco: Dr. Reinhold Aman, notorious linguist and publisher, talks the talk about the slang-filled gangster flick.
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Folksinger Dr. Elmo finds the Jim Carrey live action movie to be dazzling, as well as commercial.
Election: Script-writer and novelist Erik Tarloff endorses the cruel-yet-funny film about high-school politics.
Emma: Author/artist/tea party host Michele Rivers cozies up to the warm-as-a-crumpet Jane Austen film adaptation.
End of Days: Heaven-and-Hell expert Miriam Van Scott discusses the ups and downs of the Millenial/Armageddon flick.
Eraser: Comic book illustrators Brent Anderson and Norm Breyfogle think Arnie's noisy action flick is too big for its own britches.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial: Pop-culture curator Mickey McGowan responds to the revisionist tinkerings of Steven Spielberg.
Eve's Bayou: Mystery writer Walter Mosley swamps the ethereal coming-of-age story.
Everyone Says I Love You: Personality interviewer Larry King sings the praises of Woody Allen's musical.
Evolution: Scientist Dr. Timothy Ferris dissects the tiny brains of the David Duchovny comedy.
eXistenZ: Philosopher Larry Fike gets excited over the question of what's real and what's not.
Extreme Measures: Forensic investigator and author Sarah Lovett discusses violent voyeurism in the classy medical thriller.
Eyes Wide Shut: Critic David Thomson is kept waiting during the sexy psychological thriller.
Face/Off: Author and Hong Kong expert Mike Wilkins explores the high-kicking action flick on the day Hong Kong says good bye to the Western world.
Fantasia 2000: Humor expert Allen Klein on life, death, and happy endings in Disney's Imax reworking of the popular classic.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Author Nicolas Baker dissects the dark heart of the adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel.
15 Minutes: Media critic Tom Rosenstiel views society's hunger for fame and violence.
54: Dance floor diva Maureen Regan discusses the sublime decadence of this peculiar disco drama.
Finding Forrester: Poet Terry Ehret is thrilled by Sean Connery's performance in this writing-themed drama.
Fire Down Below: A hunt for the elusive, butt-kicking EPA agents so thrillingly depicted in this Steven Seagal action flick.
The First Wives Club: Tama Janowitz, author of the '80s cult-hit novel Slaves of New York, considers youth and beauty in the slapstick comedy.
Flubber: Mark Young, editor of The Guinness Book of World Records, has a bouncy discussion of the slapstick comedy.
The Frighteners: Horror novelist Karen Hall (Dark Debts) doesn't scare easily at the clamorous, tacky new schlock-comedy.
The Full Monty: Petra Forsman, Amy Garcia and Kym Kelly--outspoken and oft-ogled students/waitresses--take in the new shoe-on-the-other-foot comedy.
G.I. Jane: Author Linda Bird Francke on how women in the military represent the front lines in the last cold war.
Galaxy Quest: Star Trek fan Jerry Franceschi discusses greedy TV stars, long lines and bad hairpieces in relation to the sci-fi spoof.
The Game: Top sports psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr chills out after the nifty new adrenaline-opera.
Gattaca: A team of genetic bioethicists picks apart the disconcerting new techno-thriller.
George of the Jungle: The loquacious psychiatrist/author Dennis Gersten finds implied mystical messages in Disney's live-action cartoon.
Ghost Dog: Author Donald Antrim on the nature of ambivalence and psychopathic samurai.
Girlfight: Boxer and writer Kate Sekules goes a few rounds with the art-house film about a female fighter.
Gladiator: Singing cowboys Riders in the Sky ponder Romans with English accents and the meaning of the word 'cohort'.
Gone in 60 Seconds: Allegra Burke speaks enthusiastically about the remake of her brother, H.B. "Toby" Halicki's 1974 cult classic.
A Good Baby: The Sweet Potato Queens' Jill Conner Browne discusses why actor David Straithairn is such a good bad guy.
Hamlet: Renowned monologuist Josh Kornbluth sizes up Kenneth Branagh's wordy adaptation of Shakespeare's greatest play.
Hannibal: Brain expert Dr. John J. Ratey dissects America's favorite cannibal.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Fantasy author 'Lemony Snicket' says girls deserve better from the screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling's novel.
Harriet the Spy: Mavis Gruver and Molly McKinnon from New Moon: The Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams enjoy one of the few children's movies with a female protagonist.
The Haunting: Authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child discuss psychological terror, evil real estate and why this remake isn't scary.
Hearts in Atlantis: Author Francesca Lia Block is touched by the film adaptation of the Stephen King tale.
Hercules: David Templeton takes his preteen daughters--experts on elementary school culture--to see Disney's new animated film.
High Fidelity: Author Bret Easton Ellis delights in the John Cusack movie about romantic debacles.
Holy Smoke: Jonestown survivor Deborah Layton enjoys the Jane Campion cult-drama.
The House of Mirth: Author Sheri Holman discusses why a 19th-century hooker could kick Gillian Anderson's ass.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: Author/stand-up comic Barry Friedman discusses why the Kate Hudson/Matthew McConaughey chick flick didn't lose him.
Independence Day: Author, film critic and Orson Welles biographer David Thomson critiques the wanna-be War of the Worlds.
The Insider: Seasoned whistle-blower Peter Phillips finds good in the fact-based film about the tobacco industry.
The Island of Dr. Moreau: Scientist and writer Edward Tenner, author of Why Things Bite Back, discusses the Frankenstein-esque revenge fantasy.
I Shot Andy Warhol: Cartoonist Nicole Hollander (creator of the philosophical comic strip Sylvia), finds this a disturbing take on female rage.
It's a Wonderful Life: Christmas king Christopher Radko sings the praises of the perennial Christmas movie.
The Jackal: Best-selling bio-weapons spookmeister Richard Preston takes aim at the thriller remake.
Jakob the Liar: Rabbi Naomi Levy pans the manic-depressive Holocaust comedy-drama.
K-PAX: Comic Debi Durst is tortured by the Kevin Spacey/Jeff Bridges drama.
A Knight's Tale: Professional jouster Matt Machtan charges through the medieval movie.
Last Dance: Marion Winik, Texas-based writer and frequent commentator on NPR's All Things Considered, looks at love and prison.
The Last Days and Life is Beautiful: Authors Mary Doria Russell and Peter Carey discuss the two movies.
The Last Days of Disco: Elizabeth Hess, who has written about her experiences as a volunteer at an animal shelter, bravely weathers the wrong movie.
Legally Blonde: Former lawyer, law professor and public defender Ayelet Waldma talks about nerds, serious shaving and the Reese Witherspoon comedy.
The Leopard Son: Award-winning musician and naturalist Douglas Quin takes in the sumptuous wild-life epic.
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Mythology expert Phil Cousineau examines the eternal fascination and obsession with evil in the film adaptation of the first book in J. R. R. Tolkien's trilogy.
Lost Highway: Author and dream expert Naomi Eppell works through David Lynch's unfathomable new creep show.
The Lost World: Avid hunter and nature photographer Hal Lauritzen searches for the soul of Spielberg's film.
love jones: Unpredictable New York poet Maggie Estep looks at the poetry-world comedy.
Love's Labour's Lost: Novelist Frank Baxter sticks up for love, but not for this Kenneth Branagh movie.
Mars Attacks!: Collector/curator Mickey McGowan creeps out of his Unknown Museum to see Tim Burton's offbeat space-invasion flick.
Men in Black: Self-styled UFO researcher John Price discusses the extraterrestrial comedy.
Message in a Bottle: Psychologist Peter Kramer discusses the formulaic plot and color theory in this romantic drama.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: Globetrotting author Bill Barich takes in the offbeat crime-drama.
Mission to Mars: Modern science expert Dr. Timothy Ferris on love, faithfulness, and gravitational behavior.
Moll Flanders: Author and therapist Sarah Halprin (Look at My Ugly Face) gags on the defaced Defoe adaptation.
Mother: Award-winning author-teacher-mom Molly Giles views the brilliant Albert Brooks comedy.
The Mothman Prophecies: Real-life monster hunter Loren Coleman takes on the Richard Gere-helmed creep show.
Moulin Rouge: Brothel insider Alexa Albert exposes the bare facts behind prostitution and Baz Lurhman's colorful pseudo-musical.
Mr. Holland's Opus: Inventive educator Lawrence Fike Jr. and a classroom full of college students discuss the sentimental, Oscar-nominated "teacher flick."
Mrs. Dalloway: English professor and Virginia Woolf scholar J. J. Wilson critiques the charming new screen adaptation of Woolf's stream-of-consciousness novel.
Mulan: Feminist theologian Patricia Lynn Reilly cheers for Disney's animated wild girl-child adventure.
The Mummy: Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum curator Lisa Schwappach raps about the 1999 remake of the Boris Karloff classic.
Muppets from Space: Pilot and author Randy Blume brings Kermit & Co. down to Earth.
Murder By Numbers: Motherly mystery writer Cara Black takes a stab at the Sandra Bullock thriller.
Niagara Niagara: Award-winning New York poet Hal Sirowitz ponders the obscure art-house love story.
Nurse Betty: Author Paula Sharp finds the 'film noir meets soap opera' movie to be brilliant.
Ocean's Eleven: Lounge-singer Bud E. Luv says the remake of the Rat Pack movie doesn't swing.
Office Space: Employment specialist Heather Shea sees both good and bad in the Dilbert-meets-Kafka office-worker comedy.
Of Love and Shadows: Grammy Award-winning musician David Harrington, founder of the Kronos Quartet, is disappointed by the film adaptation of Isabel Allende's novel.
102 Dalmatians: Doggie doctor Martin Goldstein discusses inbreeding, high-strung puppies and the folow-up to the 1996 Disney movie.
One True Thing: Introspective Vermont author Chris Bohjalian (Midwives; Water Witches) to experience the powerful adaptation of Anna Quindlen's bestseller.
Out of Sight: Novelist/screenwriter Amy Ephron on the outlandish crime-thriller.
Outside Providence: Comedian Tom Smothers finds the Farrelly brothers' movie squanders free speech.
Palookaville:
Tobias Wolff, the author of The Boy's Life and many other works, sees the dignity of the human spirit.
Panic Room:
'Mr. Fix-It' Lou Manfredini deconstructs the Jodie Foster thriller.
Paradise Road: Legendary folksinger Joan Baez sings the praises of the hard-hitting POW drama.
Passion in the Desert: Esteemed nature writer Barry Lopez looks at the adventure film.
Paulie: Animal author Dr. Jeffrey Masson shares a few words on talking birds.
Pay It Forward: Psychologist Dr. Mary-Elaine Jacobsen analyzes the causes and effects of good deeds.
Philadelphia: Five years ago, Talking Pictures saw Tom Hanks' and Denzel Washington's Oscar-winning movie in the company of best-selling New Age author Shakti Gawain; this column finally debuts in print to coincide with the movie's TV broadcast.
Pirate Movies: English pirate expert David Cordingly skewers the romantic myths of pirate flicks.
Playing By Heart: Museum curator Mickey McGowan waxes nostalgic on those gorgeous movie theaters of days gone by.
Pleasantville: Best-selling Southern author Clyde Edgerton takes a stroll through the black-and-white world of a '50s television sitcom.
Portrait of a Lady: Literary sequelist Julia Barrett considers Jane Campion's film version of Henry James' novel.
Practical Magic: Wiccan High Priestess Phyllis Curott looks at the new movie about love, sisterhood--and witchcraft.
Primal Fear: Defense attorney Alan Dershowitz briefs the lawyer-bashing courtroom thriller.
Primary Colors: Infamous political satirist and publisher Paul Krassner gives his reaction to the much-hyped film version of Joe Klein's insider novel.
The Prince of Egypt: Infamous and unflinching Biblical scholar Jonathan Kirsch is less than impressed by Dreamworks' animated Moses movie.
Private Parts: Noted historian Marilyn Yalom, author of A History of the Breast, is exposed to Howard Stern.
Return to Me: Author Jane Smiley on horse hearts, crying and the sentimental romantic comedy.
The Rich Man's Wife: Award-winning mystery novelist Judith Greber sits through the IQ-impaired thriller.
Road Trip: Philosopher Alain de Botton contemplates what's wrong with 'feel-good movies'.
Rock Star: Pop-rocker Chris von Sneidern gives his take on the Mark Wahlberg movie.
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion: Author-therapist Robert Gerzon analyzes anxieties and reunions.
The Rookie: Big-league 'life coach' Sally Walton looks at dreams, disappointments and the Disney baseball film.
The Royal Tenenbaums: Nerdy novelist Andrew Sean Greer examines the brainy pain of the oddball film.
Roy Rogers: The King of the Cowboys reminiscences on lost innocence.
The Rugrats Movie: David Templeton attends the animated flick along with a pair of highly experienced Rugrats "experts"--his two daughters, Amber and Jenna.
Runaway Bride: Comic author Suzanne Finnamore talks about the Gere/Roberts flick and why weddings are not romantic.
Saving Private Ryan: Combat flick reviews from David Templeton's 20-year high school reunion.
Scooby Doo: Pushing the buttons of the King of Television trivia.
Selena: Author and culture-watcher Himilce Novas looks at the reverential new bio-pic.
Seven Years in Tibet: Folk-singing Buddhist Peter Rowan discusses the sprawling spiritual epic.
Sgt. Bilko: Eccentric collector/cultural observer Mickey McGowan takes a second look at a movie he has walked out of in disgust once already.
Shadow Magic: Poet/dancer Edie Meidav reflects on utopian ideals and cultural influence as shown in the art-house hit.
Shakespeare In Love: Author Naomi Epel ponders the bard's writer's block in the hit romantic comedy.
Shallow Hal: Hollywood hypnotist Kevin Stone analyzes the Farrelly Brothers' comedy.
Shine: Classical pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane marvels over the musically savvy, critically acclaimed film.
Showgirls: The trail-blazing topless dancer and show-biz icon Carol Doda peeks at the controversial new all-nude Vegas flick.
The Siege: Two action novelists--Richard Herman and William P. Wood--take in an afternoon matinee of the big-budget action-thriller.
Simon Birch: David Templeton inadvertently sparks a moral crisis for esteemed British author Marianne Wiggins when he invites her to see the controversial film.
Sleepers: Marketing executive Jack Nao earned a movie-reviewing trip by bidding high at a children's charity fundraiser.
Small Soldiers: Noah Hawley--author of the acclaimed novel A Conspiracy of Tall Men--runs into a few unanticipated snags in an attempt to see Disturbing Behavior.
Smilla's Sense of Snow: Authors Steven Voien and Lydia Bird discuss solitude as portrayed in this film.
A Soldier's Daughter: Author Gus Lee sounds off about this adaptation of Kaylie Jones' autobiographical novel.
Someone Like You: Dr. Jeff Pelton takes the bull by the horns to discuss the Ashley Judd movie.
Soul Food: Best selling author Sheri Reynolds ends up on the floor at the screening.
South Park: Slang-master Jesse Sheidlower on bad manners and words that begin with F.
Spider-Man: Wall-climber Dan Poole identifies with the movie adaptation of the popular comic book.
Star Trek: First Contact: Technologically savvy author and FX specialist Mark Cotta Vaz boldly goes to the latest Star Trek spectacular.
Startup.com: Fan of failure author Paul Collins, sizes up the documentary film about dot-com flops.
Star Wars: Three kids get their first laser blast at the reissued space fairy tale.
Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace: Author Terry Brooks believes the much anticipated prequel will teach us how to imagine again.
Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones: Boondocks cartoonist Aaron McGruder strikes back at Star Wars and George Lucas.
Stepmom: Family-therapist and stepmother Felicia Matto-Shepard comments on this movie that delivers us from stereotypes.
Still Crazy: Radio host Dr. Demento tunes in to the rock-and-roll film.
Story of Us: Writer Daniel Evan Weiss muses about Michelle Pfeiffer's face in this tale of a modern marriage.
Tarzan: San Francisco acrobat Aden O'Shea takes a swing at the Disney adaptation.
That Thing You Do!: Former chart-topping rocker and new novelist Greg Kihn recognizes the truth in Tom Hanks' nostalgic rock-'n-roll flick.
Thirteen Days: Conelrad.com founders Ken Sitz, Bill Geerhart and Curtis Samson enthusiastically discuss the film about the Cuban missile crisis.
A Thousand Acres: Acclaimed novelist Joyce Maynard checks out the hotly-debated "chick flick."
A Time to Kill: Reporter Paul Liberatore, author of the controversial The Road to Hell, mocks the bird.
Titanic: Award-winning German author Bernhard Schlink dives into a discussion of the epic film.
Titanic: David Templeton attempts to interview a James Cameron biographer without mentioning that humongous hit movie.
Titus: Wine expert Dennis Overstreet matches wits--and wines--with this version of Shakespeare's bloody tale.
Tomorrow Never Dies: Visiting the in-home shrine of James Bond fan Jeff Rubin to discuss the latest 007 flick.
Touch of Evil: Award-winning mystery novelist Julie Smith gets her first viewing of Orson Welles' seminal crime thriller.
Town & Country: Sexperts Anne Semans and Cathy Winks bemoan the embarrassingly painful Warren Beatty-helmed sex comedy.
Trainspotting: San Francisco drug activists Michael and Michelle Aldrich take a stab at the giddy Scottish heroin film.
Traveller: Acclaimed Irish author John Banville takes in the odd little thriller.
The Trigger Effect: The notoriously civilized NPR Radio guru Sedge Thomson sees the pessimistic disaster flick as sign of widespread rise in rudeness.
The Truman Show: Jerry Mathers, star of TV's legendary Leave It to Beaver series, who grew up in the public eye on the then-fledgling television medium, discusses this eerie trapped-in-a-sitcom fantasy.
The Truth About Cats & Dogs: Veterinary surgeon and best-selling author Terri McGinnis tells the truth about the much-hyped romantic fable.
Twister: Yodeling cowboys Riders in the Sky share a chuckle over the alleged plot of the disaster flick.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg: Dream therapist Robert Moss finds charm and chuckles and a lot of Freudian symbolism in the re-release.
Unbreakable: The Amazing Randi aims a b.s. detector on the M. Night Shyamalan movie.
Wag the Dog: Controversial political author David Harris looks at the dark-humored White House satire.
The War at Home: Actor and director Emilio Estevez talks about his latest film.
The Wedding Singer: Author, psychologist and relationships expert John Amodeo attends the disarming romantic comedy.
We Were Soldiers: Feminist historian Estelle Freedman looks at Vietnam, the '60s and the Mel Gibson-helmed war movie.
What Dreams May Come: Author Bruce Barcott crosses heaven and hell to discuss the mystical epic.
Wide Awake: Best-selling author and after-death counselor Sukie Miller, Ph.D., to see the movie, in which a young boy mourns the passing of his beloved grandfather.
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet: Bard-busting comedian Reed Martin (of the Reduced Shakespeare Company) digs the souped-up new Shakespeare interpretation.
The Winter Guest: Australian novelist and poet David Malouf visits the lyrical drama.
The Wizard of Oz: Dr. Joy Browne, renowned radio psychologist and author, discusses the imbedded messages in the classic film.
Wonder Boys: Author Lewis Nordan reflects on the myth of the tortured artist and time between novels.
The X-Files: E.W. Scollon and Jamie Simons, the creators/writers of the science-fiction series,The Goners, check-out the spooky TV-show movie.
Yellow Submarine: Animators Phil Robinson and George Evelyn draw different views of the 1968 Peter Max/Beatles film.
You've Got Mail: Deb Levine--renowned online sex expert and author of The Joy of Cybersex--scopes out the new romantic cyber-comedy.
The 'Zapruder Film': Author Walter Mosley views the historic film of the assasination of JFK.
Zero Effect: Renowned eccentric Mickey McGowan discusses the delightfully off-the-wall mystery.
Zorro: Author and talk-show host Caroline Casey makes her mark on the latest big-budget appropriation of pop-cultural iconography.
Not Talking '97: David Templeton's open letter to Tom Waits and all the others who didn't make it to the movies in the past year.
Not Talking '96: Larry King didn't do it, even though he said he would. And Joan Baez is mum on the topic. David Templeton muses on the ones that got away from 1996's Talking Pictures column.
Alphabetical by movie title.
![[whitespace]](http://metroactive.com/gifs/whiteline2.gif){kind=small}
About Schmidt: Jan Friedman, author of the Eccentric America travel guide, points out the lack of eccentricity in Jack Nicholson's title character.
