Life is indeed a game of inches, Krzysztof Kieslowski appears to be telling us in "Blind Chance." The film, perhaps more descriptively titled "The Hand of Fate," explores three possible outcomes of a young traveler's attempts to catch a fast-moving train. Paranoia runs deep in this, among the most political of Kieslowski's films. Made in … [Read more...]
Hulu enters ‘Battleground’
Hulu's first scripted original series, "Battleground," kicks off Feb. 14, just as the GOP Primary kicks into high gear. The political "workplace dramedy" tracks a campaign's efforts to land a Senate seat in Wisconsin (the battleground state of the title). The third-place candidate's hopes rest on "an unruly band of campaign workers and … [Read more...]
Netflix plays content card
Betting big, Netflix snapped up first-run rights to the series "House of Cards," a cutthroat political satire starring Kevin Spacey. The news both puzzled and pleased industry analysts, some of whom see the mail-rental giant's move into exclusive content the beginning of a new model for online video distribution. Netflix already dominates the … [Read more...]
‘WUSA’: Newman’s own political rant
"Love it or leave it," went the tagline for "WUSA," a movie about right-wing radio that Paul Newman called one of his best works. Mostly, audiences of 1970 left it, tired of conspiracy movies and less than thrilled about seeing star Newman playing a cruel and cynical drunk. Critics weren't impressed, either: "WUSA" is not an ordinary bad … [Read more...]
‘Man Hunt’: On the run with Fritz Lang
The filmmaker Fritz Lang found his way to Hollywood in the mid-1930s, having just fled Nazi Germany. After helming a few crime movies and westerns for Fox and MGM, he struck back at the Nazis with "Man Hunt," a 1941 thriller/film noir that opens with Adolph Hitler in the crosshairs of a rifle. "Man Hunt" flirted with violations of the U.S. … [Read more...]
