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Byline: George M. Thomas Since its debut on Ash Wednesday, "The Passion of the Christ" has become a cultural phenomenon, despite its extremely graphic violence. And it has been the […]

Byline: George M. Thomas AKRON, Ohio _ Last March's nearly perfect weather proved to be one component of a perfect storm that sent the Cleveland International Film Festival's attendance plummeting […]

Byline: George M. Thomas Cop shows have been a television staple almost from the beginning. Men and women in blue are pounding the streets in "NYPD Blue" and three editions […]

Byline: George M. Thomas Fox Searchlight has done something with "The Dreamers" that no other major studio has done since 1997: It has released a movie with an NC-17 rating. […]

Byline: George M. Thomas Journey, one of the most beloved or most reviled bands of the '80s, depending on who is speaking, sang about coming to a lover with open […]

Byline: George M. Thomas He's not leaping tall building in a single bound yet, but "Smallville's" Tom Welling is flying to the silver screen in "Cheaper by the Dozen." After […]

Byline: George M. Thomas After more than five years, the journey from page to screen ends Wednesday for Peter Jackson and the cast of "The Lord of the Rings" films […]

Byline: George M. Thomas Ron Howard has heard the criticism. His films are too commercial, sometimes bordering on schmaltzy and manipulative. Ultimately, however, it doesn't matter to him, and apparently […]

Byline: George M. Thomas The voice on the phone betrays the persona on the screen. For anyone who has seen actor-writer-director Billy Bob Thornton in his various film roles, there's […]

Byline: George M. Thomas Dylan McDermott is a bit rushed as he gets on the phone. In everyday life, he's not idealistic Boston attorney Bobby Donnell, the character he portrayed […]

Byline: George M. Thomas When the studios count the proceeds from the summer of 2003, they will no doubt tout the fact that box office revenues were up again, within […]

Byline: George M. Thomas I'm a bad parent. I let my 8-year-old son see "The Matrix Reloaded." I finally faced the dilemma that many parents contend with when it comes […]

Byline: George M. Thomas Those of us who grew up in the last 30 or so years, with the only images of Bob Hope coming courtesy of his many television […]

Byline: George M. Thomas BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. _ Jim Carrey starred as Andy Kaufman in "Man in the Moon," and when the drama flopped, he returned to comedy with "Me, […]

Byline: George M. Thomas This time every year, normal people and children get to go on Easter egg hunts where multicolored poultry projectiles, boiled until hardened on the inside, become […]

Byline: George M. Thomas Pssst _ wanna buy something to prop open your front door? Or how about a super-sized paperweight? Better still, how about a toy that your toddler […]

Byline: George M. Thomas Musicals were a staple on the Hollywood production slate until the early '70s, when the music died _ or hit a bad note. That off-key refrain […]

Byline: George M. Thomas Following your friendly neighborhood "Spider-Man" into theaters this year: "Daredevil" (which opened Friday), a second installment of the "X-Men" on May 2 and Marvel's own not-so-jolly […]

Byline: George M. Thomas Clark Gable said once, "I'm just a lucky slob from Ohio who just happened to be in the right place at the right time." In the […]

Byline: George M. Thomas NEW YORK _ With success in movies and music, Jennifer Lopez is living a modern-day Cinderella tale. So it's no surprise that her latest role, in […]

Actor/dancer Donald O'Connor's ascension to stardom was the type of story that fostered legends in Hollywood. An eagle-eyed studio representative plucked him from the vaudeville stage as he performed in […]

DVD at first offered to re-create the big-screen experience at home, with crisp pictures and sound. But the digital format has struck more gold in items from the small screen. […]

This summer will go down as one of the biggest in movie history. But ultimately what it will show is that the summer of 2002 began with a nuclear blast […]

A teen-age amateur detective named Shaggy engages in a gaseous battle with his best bud and canine, a dog named Scooby-Doo, in the movie of the same name. A feline […]

The VCR is dead; long live the VCR. Yes, the death knell was sounded recently by the media and, more importantly, a major retailer when Circuit City cried "No mas," […]

Just last winter, controversy not of his own making ensnared director Ron Howard. Yes, that Ron Howard _ red hair (what's left of it), freckled face and eager-to-please grin. Hard […]

The American Film Institute has honored Tom Hanks with its lifetime achievement award _ at the ripe old age of 45. At that age, I personally can look forward to […]

CHICAGO _ It's difficult to not be charmed by Tom Cruise, especially watching how he explodes into a room to greet his latest cinematic collaborator, Steven Spielberg. The superstar, decked […]

There's little to suggest that George Lucas knew what he had when "Star Wars" made its debut in 32 theaters across America 25 years ago. In fact, in a recent […]

In "Unfaithful," a successful, albeit somewhat conservative, businessman and husband is forced to live out what is most men's nightmare: learning that his wife committed adultery. The movie stars Richard […]

"Spider-Man" will crawl into every toy store. The Force has been there since the first "Star Wars" movie in 1977. And no one will have to ask, "Scooby-Doo, where are […]

Marvel Comics' superheroes have come a long way since Roger Corman made The Fantastic Four, one of their iconographic properties, the laughingstock of the movie world in 1994. If you're […]

After more than 17 years tangled in production limbo, it's beginning to look as if Spider-Man may prove to be the right superhero at the right time for American movie […]

Technology isn't killing old-fashioned enthusiasm for "Star Wars," the most lucrative film franchise in movies. Despite the fact that tickets will soon be available on the Internet, people have begun […]

Rapper-turned-actor O'Shea Jackson (that's Ice Cube to the hip-hop generation) was a 16-year-old on the outside looking in when he broke into the music business as part of the rap […]

In the summer of 1998, "Saving Private Ryan" fired the shot heard 'round Hollywood. By the time the dust had settled during the box-office battle that summer, "Ryan" had raked […]

You don't go to "All About the Benjamins" expecting to be dazzled; it's mindless entertainment that exercises only one aspect of the body: your laugh reflex. And that's primarily due […]

At this point in his career, all Terrence Howard craves is a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T. It's something the former Clevelander didn't receive on the set of one of his more recent […]

Even after 41 years, Robert Duvall can still get stoked about appearing in a good project. Just last week, the Oscar-winning actor took calls from movers and shakers about films […]

This year's Oscar nominations only serve to validate the idea that the prestigious Academy Awards are becoming as predictable as some of the films they honor. The only mild shocker […]

Even though the New York film critics and the American Film Institute have selected Robert Altman for director of the year for "Gosford Park," he insists he's in the glove […]

Rule No. 1: Never tinker with near perfection, especially in popular movies or songs. Rule No. 2: Ignore rule No. 1 if you see someone successfully bend it and make […]

It's time to perform a public service for those getting ready to plunge into the world of digital home entertainment. For the uninitiated, that's digital versatile disc or DVD. With […]

NEW YORK _ New Zealand is the last place that you'd think of when considering a spot to make a Hollywood blockbuster _ especially one as eagerly anticipated as "Lord […]

NEW YORK _ It's a difficult scene to picture. Tom Cruise, still boyishly handsome after 20 years in feature films, hops into his Ferrari and speeds through a people-less Manhattan. […]

When I was a kid, I always awaited the airing of animated holiday specials more than the arrival of St. Nick. Anyone over 30 knows the classics: "Rudolph the Red-nosed […]

Star Wars creator George Lucas opened the door for derision when he titled the next movie in his "Star Wars" space opera "Episode 2: Attack of the Clones." After all, […]

CLEVELAND _ There was a time when Antwone Quenton Fisher, who grew up a ward of the state, didn't know his family. He didn't know his middle name. And the […]

CLEVELAND _ The press clippings strewed on top of a desk at Cleveland's Radisson Gateway Hotel are striking. There's one from Sports Illustrated _ almost a full page about "Go […]