Author Archive for Paul Peterson
Our world is a little darker without Robin Williams
Before I write about Robin Williams, I need to share some background with you. For 25 years I worked with youth in crisis and then survivors of abuse. I saw first-hand the carnage and havoc suicide causes in the lives of people who at tempt, and their families. The devastation. A few years ago I […]
The Fault in Our Stars first really good film of the summer
I’ve seen the first really good film of the summer. The Fault In Our Stars is a hugely successful book written by John Green and adapted for the screen by Scott Neustadter and Michael H Weber. I don’t know Green’s work, but Neustadter and Weber wrote 500 Days of Summer which is a little gem […]
Blended is bland with funny bits and almost a plot
I was watching a documentary about the Eagles this morning and the making of the Hell Freezes Over Tour and so I was already prepped for something historical. If something as improbable as The Egos reuniting can come together, then I suppose I can lift my lifetime ban on saying positive things about an Adam […]
XMen Days of Future Past tricky but good, pure fun
I think all of us are suffering from super hero burn out and I’m no exception. Captain America was great and Spider-Man had a certain charm, but it’s hard to get psyched for much of anything. I lost interest with XMen in one of the previous versions. Not sure which one it was, although the […]
Bad Neighbours raunchy and goofy
I am not going to review the new Spiderman in any detail even though it’s a very good film, because I think there is an overwhelming sense of superhero fatigue. There are a lot of great elements in that film and if you’re a fan of the series then sure, it works. There’s a reason […]
Nobody flocking to Draft Day and that’s a shame
So here’s the thing: Before we go any further I have to declare a conflict of interest. I may not be the right guy to review Draft Day, the latest sports movie from Kevin Costner. I love football. I don’t just love it but I’m in love with it. I listen to people you’ve never […]
Who’ll stop the rain?
So it came to me in a series of Hmmm moments. First I heard they were making the story of Noah into a film. Hmmmm. Ok . Sounds interesting. I never would have guessed, but OK, there is a really active Christian film circuit and this may be an extension of that. Right now, Son […]
Non Stop a delightful cultural equivalent of a hot fudge sundae
Non Stop is really all about Liam Neeson. It’s up to him to pull this off and unlike Snakes On a Plane, which couldn’t help but be goofy, he has enough range to make it happen. For the record, I really like Liam Neeson. He’s a less angry Sean Connery. He has that booming Irish […]
Some surprises handed out with Oscars
So, there were some nice surprises at the Academy Awards. As predicted in this column, Mathew McConaughey won the best actor as well he should have. It was a compelling performance within a great film. His acceptance speech was a little weird but he’s allowed that. He went from mostly window dressing to a serious […]
Change that: Mathew McConaughey should win the Oscar Sunday
I wanted to thank everyone who commented online or contacted me directly regarding my obituary for Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was obviously well respected and will be missed. Today I have to make a correction on my Oscar predictions. Originally, I predicted that Chiwetel Ejiofor would win for his commanding performance in 12 Years A […]
