Ed Asner has molded himself and his voice into characters of over 330 productions, such as the jolly Santa Claus in “Elf” and the grumpy yet lovable Mr. Fredricksen in Disney Pixar’s “Up.” A veteran in the entertainment industry, Asner served as president for the Screen Actor’s Guild in the 1980s. He is also an […]
Category Archives: Film & TV
Movie Review: ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’
Out of every A-list movie star, Tom Cruise is probably among the most divisive. At face value, he’s a man past his prime: every movie he’s made since the early 2000s – from the less-than-pleasurable “Vanilla Sky” to the less-than-less-than-pleasurable “Rock of Ages” – seems to have slowed his career to a crawl, both critically […]
Alum’s award-winning ‘TASTE’ captures unifying aspect of food
One episode of Kevin Longa’s documentary series features a San Francisco chef teaching a former criminal the ways of cooking. The apprentice learns slang such as “corner” and “behind you” as he grows more comfortable with the kitchen environment. The UCLA alumnus’ “TASTE with Kevin Longa” is split into three parts called “TASTE: Europe,” “TASTE: […]
Alum’s memoir on working for Groucho Marx to be made into feature film
In 1974, with the support of an aging Groucho Marx, a group of UCLA students took on the might of Universal Studios and won. Steve Stoliar and his then-roommate Daryl Busby created The Committee for the Re-release of “Animal Crackers” (CRAC) when Stoliar was a second-year history student, and successfully petitioned Universal Studios to re-premiere […]
Second Take: ‘Batman v Superman’, ‘Suicide Squad’ trailers show DC’s faulty mentality
It’s no mystery why the trailer for “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” received a standing ovation at this year’s Comic-Con. It capitalizes on everything that makes director Zack Snyder one of the kings of fandom fodder: the gritty tone, the unfathomable destruction and the score that is more accurately described as loud than anthemic. […]
Movie Review: ‘Trainwreck’
“Trainwreck” is not Judd Apatow’s best movie. The distinction still goes to “Knocked Up,” a consistent and organic comedy known for its explosive hilarity. In the midst of a dry summer season for comedy, “Trainwreck” is a female-driven movie that, in great Apatow form, comments on the realities of the sexual mindset in a world, […]
Movie Review: ‘Ted 2’
The fact that “Ted 2” isn’t outright terrible speaks wealths about director and animated television magnate Seth MacFarlane. But the film is really more the cinematic equivalent of a sigh – one has to sigh a bit, after all, when purchasing a ticket to a film where Mark Wahlberg is coated in semen by surprise. […]