SONNY BUNCH

MOVIES: Whitewash: ‘Trumbo’ blacklist

There's no topic dearer to Tinseltown's heart than the Hollywood 10. Published August 22, 2008

Just how ‘Awesome’ were ‘80s films?

As "Totally Awesome 2," a retrospective of films from the 1980s at the AFI Silver, comes to a close, it might be worth pondering just what that decade looked like when viewed through the filmmakers' lens. Published August 22, 2008

MOVIES: Do not be afraid of indie ‘Baghead’

The new indie flick "Baghead" is an odd hybrid of genres. It's also a strikingly different feature upon second viewing. Published August 22, 2008

MOVIES: Sun shines on ‘Tropic’s‘ storm

Does the rest of the country share Tinseltown's obsession with itself? Box-office receipts for "Tropic Thunder" should provide a good test. Published August 13, 2008

Great weather, mediocre music: VMF day two

Mother Nature was kind to the planners -- and attendees -- of this year's Virgin Mobile Festival. Temperatures never rose above the mid-80s, and the thunderstorms threatening the Baltimore region on Sunday passed right around Pimlico. Published August 11, 2008

IN CONCERT: Rock for all ages

You can't have a music festival these days without the promoters attaching a deeper significance to it. Published August 11, 2008

Foreclosures flip focus of TV home makeovers

The national housing market is on the skids, and reality television is hoping to capitalize. Published August 8, 2008

MOVIES: New Apatow comedy goes up in smoke

Superproducer Judd Apatow has found success within every subgenre of comedy he has tackled. The previews for "Pineapple Express" suggested he was ready to break new ground: the stoner comedy. Published August 6, 2008

MOVIES: ‘Swing’ and a miss

Kevin Costner has two basic settings. There's epic Kevin, a crusader out for justice or peace or some such. See "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves," "Wyatt Earp," and "Waterworld" for examples of epic Kev at work. Published August 1, 2008

MOVIES: Wanting to believe

As "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" opens, the series' characters have reached their logical endpoints. Published July 25, 2008

MOVIES: Gotham City’s war on terror

To say that "The Dark Knight" is the finest comic book movie of all time sounds tinny — relegating this movie to the ghetto of mediocrity inhabited by films like "Wanted" or "Hellboy II" is insulting. Published July 18, 2008

BUNCH: ‘War, Inc.’ tries satire to sell anti-Iraq message

It's easy to see what director Joshua Seftel and star John Cusack were going for with "War, Inc." Antiwar film after antiwar film has bombed at the box office, but they were all downers (including Mr. Cusack's own groaner, "Grace Is Gone"). What's the one antiwar film from a previous generation that everyone loves? "Dr. Strangelove or: Published June 27, 2008

BUNCH: Wanting more

Few films have accepted the role of "Matrix" knockoff with such gusto as "Wanted." Considered generically, it's almost impossible to distinguish the two: Both feature loser cubicle monkeys trapped in meaningless lives only to be rescued by a leather-clad vixen; both feature a wise, mysterious black mentor; both feature highly stylized gun battles choreographed to within an inch of their lives. Published June 27, 2008

BUNCH: A case of bad karma

"Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" became a hit on DVD and cable, spawning two massively successful sequels, and mixed in with those flicks were "Shrek" and its sequels. Published June 20, 2008

Grit vs. glitz: Celebrity NBA fans tell tale of two cities

On one set of sidelines, you have Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen, Donnie Wahlberg and Manny Ramirez. On the other set, you have Jack Nicholson and Dyan Cannon, Andy Garcia and Penny Marshall. Published June 5, 2008