I love movies, tech, politics, games and more. I've been writing professionally since 1985 and, thankfully, have worked with some of the best editors in the business. I'm also a proud member of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle and the Broadcast Film Critics Association (Critics Choice Awards).
There’s a battle going on in my hometown of Philadelphia. It’s over a parcel of land at 1910 Chestnut Street in the heart of Center City. The space was once the home of the Boyd Theatre, built in 1928. The facility was in operation until 2002 when it finally closed for good. In its day, […]
An erudite beagle and his adopted son meet history’s most famous figures as they travel through time in the animation redux Mr. Peabody & Sherman. In this new, slightly reimagined update of a classic cartoon spin-off, Mr. Peabody (voiced by Ty Burrell) grows up as an outcast. He’s not at all interested in conventional canine cavorting. […]
A ragtag group of Russian soldiers defend a key position against an onslaught of determined German invaders during the battle for Stalingrad. One of the most chilling statistics of World War II is the sheer number of casualties suffered by Soviet forces. A classic case in point is the epic struggle that took place in the […]
A humble prophet builds a following and, with it, the ire of religious leaders in Son of God. This latest retelling of the Savior’s classic story is an extension of a 10-hour TV miniseries — The Bible — that aired on The History Channel last year. Director Christopher Spencer was at the helm for three segments […]
The documentary does fail to deliver on some of its most tantalizing potential.
A young, talented engineer dreams of the perfect airplane at the dawn of aviation in The Wind Rises. Famed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki knows how to stir the imagination with lavishly creative animated films like his most famous examples — Spirited Away and Ponyo. However, this film is a bit different in that it’ôs a tribute to an actual […]
A group of Palestinian friends are turned against each other while one searches for a path out in Omar. The West Bank wall creates not only a divide between people but also a demarcation point between perceptions and choices. Those on the Israeli side see the wall as a barrier against terrorism, while Palestinians on […]
An estranged common thief is captivated by a beautiful, quirky resident of the estate he intended to rob in Winter’s Tale. The parents of Peter Lake (Colin Farrell), hoping for a better life for their infant son, set him afloat in a model boat after being denied entry into the United States in the late […]
A hopeful valet with a blue-collar background strikes up an unlikely relationship with a lonely girl from an upper-class family in Endless Love. This remake of a 1981 film that starred a young Brooke Shields reimagines the original story about two young classmates who find each other just after their high school graduation. David Elliot […]
PC-based flight simulation has roots going back to 1976. A computer engineer named Bruce Artwick wrote a few editorial pieces about the potential of this burgeoning hardware platform with respect to simulating flight. The response was so positive that Artwick founded a company (SubLOGIC) to create such a product for the immensely popular Apple II. […]
World War II Allied forces commission a group of art historians to track down and recover priceless works of art stolen by Nazi Germany in The Monuments Men. War claims many casualties, but one we rarely consider is the potential loss to the world of art. For many, it must seem almost criminal to try […]
A desperate, wanted man compels a single mother and her son to give him shelter in Labor Day. When I was young, I wrote a detailed book report on the curious, true-life story of Patty Hearst. In 1974, the 19-year-old granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst was kidnapped from her apartment and held for […]