Tag Archives: Criticism

FILM / Alan Waldman : A Look Back at My Favorite Films

James Gandolfini in the British film, In the Loop.From 2003 to 2010:Looking back at my favorite films By Alan Waldman / The Rag Blog / January 18, 2012 [Last week we posted Alan Waldman’s 10 Favorite Films of 2011, with … Continue reading

Posted in Rag Bloggers | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Alan Waldman : My 10 Favorite Films of 2011

Octavia Spencer in The Help.The Help is powerful, complex:My 10 favorite films of 2011 By Alan Waldman / The Rag Blog / January 11, 2012 As was the case last year, some of the films I was most anticipating (The … Continue reading

Posted in Rag Bloggers | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

THEATER / Jonah Raskin : Zayd Dohrn’s ‘Outside People’

Cast of Outside People at the Vineyard theater in New York. Inset photo: playwright Zayd Dohrn.We’re all outsiders now:Zayd Dohrn’s new play, Outside People The play — which is part situation comedy, part soap opera, and part prophecy — plays … Continue reading

Posted in Rag Bloggers | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

FILM / Gregg Barrios : ‘Incendies’ is Scorching Odyssey of Death, Rebirth

Lubna Azabal in Incendies. Courtesy of eOne Films.Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies:A scorching odyssey of death and rebirth By Gregg Barrios / The Rag Blog / June 28, 2011 [Incendies. Written and directed by Denis Villeneuve; Featuring Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim … Continue reading

Posted in Rag Bloggers | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

FILM / Cheap Thrills? ‘Avatar’ Kicks Butt

Avatar is shallow, predictableAnd totally awesome! By Pollyanna O’Possum / The Rag Blog / December 24, 2009 Avatar, the new, multi-million dollar James Cameron’s 3-D sci-fi flick, opened to mixed reviews on Dec. 18, with some criticizing the film’s length … Continue reading

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Prepare to Howl : Dana Lyons’ ‘Three Legged Coyote’

A happy holiday howl:Dana Lyons’ Three Legged Coyote is an irreverent hoot By Harvey Wasserman / The Rag Blog / December 6, 2009 If you’re bummed by Obama, nagged by nukes and turned totally off by your TV, here’s a … Continue reading

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

PRESS / Dick J. Reavis : Texas Tribune Lacks Regional Vision

Texas Tribune. Image from UrbanGrounds.The Texas Tribune:Bells and whistles but little vision The Tribune mistakes numbers for people and information for insight. It is in no way culturally or regionally idiosyncratic. By Dick J. Reavis / The Rag Blog / … Continue reading

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gore Vidal: Pessimistic About Prospects for the U.S.

Gore Vidal in his colonial home in the Hollywood Hills. He is one of America’s most significant writers and social critic. Photo: Source.Gore Vidal: ‘We’ll have a dictatorship soon in the U.S.’By Tim Teeman / September 30, 2009 The grand … Continue reading

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

BOOKS / Sarah Bird : ‘How Perfect is That’

How Perfect Is That Suffice to say, Sarah Bird has constructed a multithreaded story that has more heft than many would expect for all the ‘chick lit’ labeling she gets. By Forrest Preece / The Rag Blog / August 18, … Continue reading

Posted in Rag Bloggers | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bob Dylan : Texas Troubadour

More than iconicBob Dylan: Texas Troubadour By Guy Schwartz / The Rag Blog / August 4, 2009 Bob Dylan was more than iconic Sunday night in The Woodlands outside Houston. He rocked and grooved! It was a concert that I … Continue reading

Posted in Rag Bloggers | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Film / ‘The Hurt Locker’ : Kathryn Bigelow’s Explosive Iraq War Movie

The Hurt Locker will deepen your understanding of what our soldiers have been enduring in Iraq for twelve to fifteen months at a stretch. By Tod Ensign / The Rag Blog / July 11, 2009 See ‘The Hurt Locker, Ticking … Continue reading

Posted in Rag Bloggers | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

BOOKS / Jonah Raskin on Chesa Boudin’s ‘Gringo’

Chesa rarely if ever takes anything or anyone for granted, least of all his own privilege. He looks behind the scenes, asks difficult questions and gets underneath social pretense, hypocrisy and phoniness. By Jonah Raskin / The Rag Blog / … Continue reading

Posted in Rag Bloggers | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments