There’s a fun challenge that’s been going around Facebook lately: Choose 15 films that have stayed with you throughout your life. One of the dads at school who’s become a friend of mine posed the challenge to me. Impossible, I thought at first. I write about movies for a living...
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On Joan Rivers, 1933-2014
So much of what I recall and appreciate about Joan Rivers exists in my review of the 2010 documentary “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.” If you haven’t seen it, please seek it out. I’m sure it’s streamable in any number of formats at this point. It’s enlightening and entertaining...
Read moreGhostbusters 30th Anniversary
So my birthday was yesterday. I’ll spare you the trouble of looking it up on Wikipedia or Facebook or wherever: I’m 42. All I wanted was a desperately needed mani-pedi and to take Nicolas to a matinee of “Ghostbusters,” which is back in theaters for a week in honor of...
Read moreOn Robin Williams, 1951-2014
Christmas Day, 1997. Chris and I had just gotten married two months earlier and moved back to Dallas, where I’d gone to college at Southern Methodist University, because he had a great producing gig at the local Fox TV station, KDFW. Chris was stuck working on that holiday, as journalists...
Read moreRemembering Roger
One year ago today, I received the sad and stunning phone call that my friend, colleague and one-time boss, Roger Ebert, had died. He’d been sick for a while and had undergone so many surgeries, endured so much rehabilitation, but he always came back through the strength of his wit...
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Watching Star Wars With Nicolas
The force has been strong with young Nicolas Lemire for a while now. He’s not quite 4 1/2 years old, but he’s mastered “Angry Birds Star Wars,” understanding and manipulating the game in ways neither of his parents ever could. Now, we try to limit his screen time — we...
Read moreOscar Picks
Usually by this point in awards season (if not sooner), it’s pretty clear what’s going to happen on Oscar night. Clear favorites emerge, especially in the best-picture category: “Argo” last year, “The Artist” in 2012. But things could go a few different ways Sunday night at the Academy Awards. So!...
Read moreOn Harold Ramis, 1944-2014
There’s no way any of us realized in the moment how great Harold Ramis was. The comedies he directed, wrote and/or co-starred in have seeped into our systems through our pores and entered our DNA by this point — especially for those of us who grew up in the 1980s....
Read moreOn Philip Seymour Hoffman, 1967-2014
I’ve been dreading writing about the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman all day — not because I couldn’t figure out what to say, but because words seem so insufficient at a time like this, even ones that are heartfelt and well-intentioned. How does anyone adequately summarize such a prolific...
Read moreHollywood’s Biggest Morning
Oscar nominations morning is actually really fun, despite the ungodly hour. For years, I’d cover the nominations from the Academy on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills alongside all the other reporters and producers. Everyone’s in a good mood, if a bit bleary-eyed, buzzing on a combination of caffeine and expectation....
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