movies for grownups

Oscar Shame: How Could They Forget Andy Griffith?

Posted on 02/25/2013 by Bill Newcott | Movies & TV | Comments

EntertainmentAs Gomer Pyle would have said, “Golllll-eeee!” How could Sunday night’s Oscarcast have neglected to mention the late great Andy Griffith among the stars who died in the past year? I’m not for one moment begrudging any of the film industry greats who were listed — from screen legends Ernest Borgnine, Charles Durning and Celeste Holm to songwriter Hal David and writer Nora Ephron. It’s typical of Oscar’s short memory that the evening’s organizers apparently forgot that Andy was actually …

Oscar Night: Grownups Get to Stay Up Late

Posted on 02/21/2013 by Bill Newcott | Movies & TV | Comments

EntertainmentRemember when the movie musical was dead? Well, Sunday night’s Academy Awards telecast will be a resounding reminder that, in the immortal words of Dr. Frankenstein, “It’s ALIVE!!” Most important for grownup movie lovers, this year’s Oscar production numbers will recognize that for the past decade musicals have aimed themselves squarely at us: Les Miserables, Chicago, Hairspray, and Mama Mia! were all a far cry from the kid-centric days of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Barney’s Great Adventure. Not all …

Dustin Hoffman: I’d Rather Play Jazz, But This Is Nice, Too!

Posted on 02/13/2013 by Bill Newcott | Movies & TV | Comments

Entertainment Dustin Hoffman once told our West Coast Editor Meg Grant that he would give up acting in a minute if he could only become a jazz musician. That switcheroo doesn’t appear imminent, but last year at age 75 Hoffman did direct his first movie — the funny, warm Quartet. That breakthrough achievement was among the reasons AARP toasted Hoffman Tuesday at the annual Movies for Grownups celebration in Beverly Hills. “This is an impactful moment in movies,” Hoffman told …

Oscar Nominees Luncheon Could Make Irresistible TV

Posted on 02/5/2013 by stacyjenelsmith | AARP Blog Author | Comments

EntertainmentOf all the awards season events, the annual Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon stands out because it is a comparatively relaxed, familial affair; plus, it’s not televised. In fact, it has become a welcome respite for the anointed ones, a place where they can bond as a class while out of sight of the viewing audience (though it certainly could make an irresistible show.) Yesterday’s luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel had enough star power to light up the Superdome. Denzel …

Ed Koch: The Last Interview

Posted on 02/1/2013 by Bill Newcott | Movies & TV | Comments

Entertainment | Legacy | News Roundups “Ed Koch!” The voice on the phone was not so much identifying itself as trumpeting an introduction. This was Ed Koch, all right, barging into our phone conversation with the same ebullience that characterized his three terms as New York’s most popular and controversial mayor since Jimmy Walker. I caught up with Koch on January 10, at his modest Greenwich Village apartment. I can’t definitively say mine was the absolute last interview Koch granted before his death early …

Bullet to the Head: A Movies for Grownups Video Review

Posted on 01/31/2013 by Bill Newcott | Movies & TV | Comments

EntertainmentTwo weeks ago Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to action films in The Last Stand; Two weeks hence Bruce Willis pulls the trigger on A Good Day to Die Hard. This week it’s Sylvester Stallone in a new shoot-’em-up, Bullet to the Head, directed by Walter Hill. For this week’s video review, Bill Newcott takes aim at Sly’s latest. Photo: Frank Masi/Warner Bros. Pictures