Tropic Thunder
2008. 107 minutes. Rated R. Kirk Lazarus: “I know who I am! I’m a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude!” It doesn’t pass the Bechdel Test. There are gratuitous explosions. It toes the line with stereotypes. But Tropic Thunder was one of my favorite movies of 2008. It’s a movie about making a movie, which is a fantastic frame; unbeknownst to the actors who have been dropped on location in Vietnam for...
Bernie
104 minutes. Rated PG-13. “There are people in town, honey, that woulda shot her for five dollars.” In 1996, a well-liked undertaker named Bernie Tiede shot his wealthy 81-year old companion, Marjorie Nugent, to death with a rifle. After hiding her body in a freezer, he proceeded to convince the residents of their home town of Carthage, Texas that Marjorie was alive and well in seclusion. Her reputation was so bad and...
The Big Year
2011.100 Minutes. Rated PG. I just wanna do something big, you know?” Except for the seagull or everyday garden variety that leaves its mark on my car, I never gave birds too much thought. Many of my friends enjoy birding, and bring binoculars with them while hiking or kayaking. Occasionally, I will take a look and relate a bird’s beauty to another friend or family member. Birds, like many things in nature, can be...
