[Rev] Burning CarBy the time you read this, you will have missed Burning Man. You will have missed the blistering heat and dust on the playa, an ancient lake bed where revelers camp in the Black Rock Desert in northwest Nevada. You …
Do You Like My Painting?Ellen Langford, now 37, used to be one of those people who thought getting out of Mississippi was the thing to do. She had spent 17 years growing up here, and it was time to go. She was an artist …
Signifying PlentyI admit that I haven't finished reading every essay in Ellen Douglas' amazing new book. I simply can't bear for it to end. I read a couple of lines, then close my eyes to let them fully sink in. It …
Picture Imperfect: A Review of "Wicker Park," PG-13The trailer for Paul McGuigan's "Wicker Park" wrongly portrays the film as a thriller, a sort of Generation X "Fatal Attraction." While it certainly has its darker elements (many of the plot points and characters are undeniably Hitchcockian), the film …
The Altar of FootballAcross the country, college football fans just got started planning their lives around their team's schedule. New York Times reporter Warren St. John, born in Birmingham in 1970 into a University of Alabama football-fan-family, shows in his new book, "Rammer …
[Rev] Rogues of the Driving WorldDo you have any idea what it involves to be the maid of honor at a wedding? Me neither, but I'm going to be one in my sister's wedding in a few weeks, so I hustled down to the public …
Rap and BasketballHave you ever had a really bad idea? I mean, ever had a quick thought and then slapped yourself for thinking it? That's what those evil Midway executives did—only instead of slapping themselves, they tried to market it. I can …
Lights, Camera, CollegeWho knows about college life better than a 45-year-old writer in Hollywood, right? Before you embark on your many higher-ed adventures, make sure you've checked out Hollywood's best college films. I'll forego even talking about "Animal House;" it has made …
A Bride's RevengeOne of the best films of 2004, Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill, Vol. 2" is a swift, funny, potent continuation of one of the most exciting film sagas in recent memory. Having been split into two separate movies ("volumes") after a …
School MoviesOK, some are better than others, but all the following movies set in one way or another in a school are worth renting, if for no other reason than to remember that you're not the only one having to deal …
Just Killing TimeI usually review newer games, but after picking up a copy of "Morrowind: Game of the Year Edition," I had to review it. I love this game. It's in-depth, creative and innovative, and most of all, it's totally freeform. You …
Sloppy, Dreary ‘Village'"The Village" takes forever to reach its destination, and when it does, it's difficult to care. Following a trio of superbly crafted thrillers ("The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable," and "Signs"), writer/director M. Night Shyamalan has created a shockingly sloppy, dreary film …
Straight to the Litter BoxStaggeringly bad filmmaking in nearly every conceivable way, it's hard to imagine a more boilerplate costumed comic-book actioner than "Catwoman," a DC Comics rip-off.
More Fun Than a Barrel of SpidersLet's be honest—we've all wanted to be Spider-Man at some point or the other. Who wouldn't want to be able to swing around New York and beat up thugs? Well, now you can. "Spider-Man 2" allows you to traverse the …