Few issues have divided sentiment on the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission more than that of the proposed leasing of the Pyramid to Bass Pro Shop. In general, officials of the city, which shares ownership rights to the building with the county and owns outright the surrounding property, tend to see Bass […]
Posted inFilm Features, Film/TV
She’s a Rainbow
Because it’s an enjoyable way to make a living — and because freelance film criticism can’t quite pay the bills — I teach high school. So while I was watching Mike Leigh’s new film, Happy-Go-Lucky, about 30-year-old primary-school teacher Pauline “Poppy” Cross (Sally Hawkins) and her life’s little ups and downs, I kept thinking about […]
Posted inFilm Features, Film/TV
Life and theater merge in ambitious, oddball film.
Since making his film debut as the oddball brain behind Being John Malkovich roughly a decade ago, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman has established himself as one of the movie medium’s singular and most brilliant creative forces. His films — he also wrote Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind — may be […]
Posted inFilm Features, Film/TV
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas takes us back to Germany at the outset of World War II. Its protagonist is Bruno (Asa Butterfield), an 8-year-old boy who’s smart, brave, and adventurous but mostly confused by what’s going on in the world and at home. His father (David Thewlis), a high-ranking SS officer, has taken […]