Blogcritics Author: Amy Steele

Movie Review: The Savages

Amy Steele — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:09:00 EST

A genuinely winning film about two siblings and an ailing parent that's both funny and warm.
We're taking better care of the old man than he did of us.In this remarkable film, two siblings, short of their goals, come together to take care of their father who suffers from dementia. Wendy (Laura Linney) is an aspiring playwright/temp who’s having an affair with a married guy and keeps applying for fellowships to support her...

Movie Review: Scaphandre and le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

Amy Steele — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 21:06:41 EST

An inspirational, visually stimulating film about an extraordinary man.
In Scaphandre and le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), filmmaker Julian Schnabel uses an artisan's eye in adapting this true story of former French Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominque Bauby (Mathieu Amalric). It’s the rare inspirational and imaginative film about relinquishing the fight and striving for more. Using his deft eye...

Movie Review: August Rush

Amy Steele — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:27:36 EST

August Rush is sweet and hopeful in its overtones, and you just might fall for its charms. Even if only for the night.
Where I’ve grown up, they try to keep me from hearing the music, but when I’m alone it builds up inside me.Once I got over the clichéd, unbelievable romantic encounter of cellist Lyla (Keri Russell) and rocker Lewis (Jonathan Rhys-Myers)—the love-at-first-sight and then girl gets pregnant thing—I settled in with the...

DVD Review: Broken

Amy Steele — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:50:53 EST

What is the cute and expressive-eyed Heather Graham doing in a shell of a film like Broken?
Remember Boogie Nights and Heather Graham's breakout role as Rollergirl? That was ten years ago. Graham went on to play cute and sweet in the delightful Sidewalks of New York (with her then boyfriend, writer/director Edward Burns); cute and perky in the quirky The Guru; cute and sexy in the hysterical The Oh in Ohio; cute and magnetic in the syrupy...

Book Review: Sammy's House by Kristin Gore

Amy Steele — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:24:04 EST

Readers will root for Sammy as she navigates her love life through cutthroat Washington, where the most innocuous event can be blown out of proportion.
People might think that Vice-President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore lacks a sense of humor, but the same certainly cannot be said for his daughter Kristen. A Harvard University alumna and former editor of the renowned, male-dominated Harvard Lampoon (other notable alums include John Updike, Conan O’Brien and The Office’s BJ...

Movie Review: Control

Amy Steele — Sun, 4 Nov 2007 20:05:03 EST

Artistic film about groundbreaking band hits all the right notes emotionally and visually.
How can you turn the tragic story of influential singer/songwriter Ian Curtis into a showcase of a talented musician's unfinished life? Not an easy task for a music video director to do on his first feature film. Will Control be seen by masses of people? Director Anton Corbijn does an impressive job in telling the story of the lead singer of...

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Book Review: After Diana -- William, Harry, Charles, and The Royal House of Windsor by Christopher Andersen

Amy Steele — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:22:49 EDT

“It was precisely because she was so little like their mother that Camilla seemed nonthreatening to William and Harry. She was like the furniture she favored, classic English shabby. As earthy as Diana was urbane, Camilla was happiest riding to the hounds, tromping through open fields, or digging in the dirt alongside her man at Highgrove. Her attitude toward child-rearing was as relaxed as Diana’s was hands-on.”Living on the other side of the pond, the Royals have never been a major interest for me. William and Harry have grown into fine, handsome, charming men and I do look on to what they are doing if I see something in a magazine but I do not search for information. Princess Diana, to me, seemed quiet and pretty but I never understood the obsession. That said, I watched her funeral and cried when Elton John sang his special version of “Candle in the Wind” in her memory. A tragic death for a young life. In After Diana, Christopher Andersen moves forward and back in time, in an exploration of The People's Princess. Anderson dissects the effects of the aftermath of Diana’s death on her two sons, the Royal family, as well as her life. The author thoroughly researched the affairs of both Diana and Prince Charles, as well as Diana’s unhappiness and emotional turmoil. His sources are those very close to the family. The book is not a page turner — I did not feel the need to engulf every page in one sitting -- but it succeeds with thorough research that provides the reader with an abundance of information.Camilla. Everyone knows about her twenty-something year affair with Charles. But I did not realize that Prince Charles had many other women in and out of his life during his marriage. Andersen provides a complete depiction of “the most hated woman in England.” She’s much more complex than one might think and she also is down to earth and vastly different than Princess Diana. She even encouraged Charles to wed Diana. A former reporter, Andersen has the inside track on the Royals. His sources are those close to the family. Topics covered include the moments after Diana died, the Royal reaction to her death, the boys' relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles and Camilla’s eight-year plan to marry Prince Charles and make-over her image. It has been nearly impossible recently to avoid pictures or read snippets about Prince William and Kate Middleton or Chelsy Davy and Prince Harry. The Princes are portrayed as the 20-somethings they are.William. So handsome and sought after. So like his mother in looks and temperament. Andersen analyzes the tabloid coverage, his relationship with “commoner” Kate Middleton and William’s mother hopes that her sons “lead from the heart, not the head.” Easier said than done as William is being groomed to be King. His younger brother Harry has had to prove himself a bit more. Harry Pot-head, Harry the Nazi etc. have all hit the tabloids. And then there’s the question of his paternity. He bears some resemblance [some might say more than that] to Diana’s former lover James Hewitt. Harry instead has a steady girlfriend, has trained in the military and founded a charity in the memory of his mother. Both boys have done extensive work in Africa. And it does not seem to be merely to garner some good press. The acts of Prince William and Prince Harry exemplify their giving hearts. Andersen also discusses Diana’s accident and the official inquest that lasted nearly ten years. Many questions — she was not pregnant — are answered but the cause still lies cloaked in mystery. Her sons have learned from the tragedy and while they are still young 20-somethings who like to grab a pint and hang out with friends, they are also establishing their own legacies.If you are looking for a decent, well-researched book about the Royals, this book explores the negative and positive aspects of this family's life and remains objective throughout. After Diana provides unbiased material which makes this a solid reference and informational source. Andersen writes multi-dimensional profiles of Princess Diana, Prince Charles, William, Harry and Camilla -- real people living Royal lives but also trying to do what they choose.

Amy is an anxiety-riddled, analytical Gen-Xer living in Boston. Always the dilettante, when she's not taking a class or studying something new, she can be found in the movie theatre-- favoring indies, romantic comedy, documentaries-- or at a concert or with her nose in a book. Her thoughts on everything she finds entertaining can be read at Entertainment Realm

Movie Review: Punk's Not Dead

Amy Steele — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:23:04 EDT

Growing up in Washington, D.C. in the early 1980s, I was able to witness an incredible moment in punk history first-hand. I fell in love with punk rock as a teenager and began photographing bands like Minor Threat, The Circle Jerks, UK Subs, and Stiff Little Fingers, to name just a few. --Director Susan Dynner In the mid-nineties, I was in Tower Records Boston with former Bad Religion drummer Bobby Schayer. He pulled out a book about the history of punk and excitedly turned to a page that showed the crowd at a Black Flag gig. "That's me in the crowd," Bobby enthused. "I was about 15." He insisted on buying me the book. I knew I wouldn't read it though I realized I probably should. The punk I like is The Clash, Buzzcocks, The Ramones, Green Day, The Offspring, Rancid, Social Distortion, and My Chemical Romance. Punk, as we know it, celebrates its 30th anniversary, and this film provides the ideal showcase for it. Punk's Not Dead blasts through the 30-year journey from underground to mainstream. Live concert footage from bands such as The Exploited, GBH, Minor Threat, The Addicts, Fugazi, and UK Subs are interwoven with interviews fomr legendary punkers like Derek O'Brien of Social Distortion, Black Flag's Henry Rollins, Dead Kennedy's Jello Biafra, UK Subs, Joe Escalante of The Vandals, The Subhumans, and Bad Religion, to second generation punk rock's Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Dexter Holland of Offspring to the reactionary and defensive third generation punk bands like The God Awfuls, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, and My Chemical Romance. (Of these bands, Newsweek's music critic Lorraine Ali nails it: "They're pop and they have some punk trimmings."). I'm surprised it took as long as it did with punk. The music was so intense it delayed the inevitable mass embrace. I figured it was going to happen sooner or later because the music was too good. --Jello Biafra, Dead Kennedys Punk's Not Dead deftly asks and answers many questions about punk and its influence on our culture. It also leaves plenty to discuss and brood over. There's the DIY spirit to the Vans Warped Tour. There's the creation of indie punk labels like Epitaph and Dischord to major label deals for some. When Buzzcocks had hits with songs like "Love Song," many called sell-out. Steve Diggle of the Buzzcocks said, "Love is still an important thing in the whole scheme of things. We were as political as The Clash and The Pistols in an existential way." If you decide 'I'm the most punk guy in the world and I'm going to have nothing to do with corporate America,' you'll have to sit in your house and never go outside. --Jim Lindberg, Pennywise Documentarian Susan Dynner addresses how punk started, the act or art (however one may interpret it) of "selling out," and what really defines punk and makes a punk band. Clips from Quincy M.E. ("That music I heard was a killer.") and a classic Donahue with a pierced, Mohawk-ed teen and his exasperated parent present the fear that punk provided. Then there's the cool quotient as evidenced by The O.C's Marissa Cooper spieling off names of bands she listens to (The Cramps, The Ramones) "because she's angry and a Gilmore Girl explaining the educated punk rockers: "the guy from Bad Religion is getting his PhD in molecular biology from Cornell." Those who consider themselves punk have different interpretations. Often there's even a competition among fans to be as "punk" and DIY (read: sometimes slumming it) as can possibly be. Some bands are that way too. Is it a look or an attitude?Punk's Not Dead is a provocative, electric film.