Salt moves like a bullet, and almost never stops to take a breath; as a result, neither do we. I can’t think of a recent film that’s maintained such a breakneck pace or made me so unaware of time flying by. This is beneficial, because the story doesn’t always make sense…but when a film is this energetic and entertaining, it would be a shame to spoil the fun by demanding too much of it.

Angelina Jolie is well cast as a CIA operative who has survived torture and imprisonment in North Korea and wound up at a desk job in Washington, D.C. Then an unexpected turn of events impels her to (literally) run for her life.

continue reading on my blog, Leonard Maltin’s Movie Crazy

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Todd McCarthy’s review of “Inception”:

It’s possible that, to even come close to comprehending everything that goes on in the bracingly dense “Inception,” one would need to imitate Leonard Shelby, the protagonist of Christopher Nolan’s second feature, “Memento,” and write everything down. It’s not difficult to understand in a general sense what this gargantuan, immaculately made memory thriller is about. But to confidently grasp exactly what’s happening at any given moment, and to perceive how a particular scene links with the ones that come before and after it, might be possible only for those who pulled a perfect SAT score.

continue reading here: Todd McCarthy’s Deep Focus.

A frail looking Fidel Castro made one his first public appearances in four years last night on Cuban television, warning the world that the U.S. is furthering our chances of nuclear war in Korea and Iran.

According to the New York Times, “Analysts said that it had always been difficult to interpret Fidel Castro’s motives, and that remains the case. Just why he would make such an appearance now was anybody’s guess.”

Learn more about Fidel Castro’s past political battles and key appearances by watching the documentary film, “Life and Times: Fidel Castro” for free on SnagFilms.com.

Guest blogger Tim Appelo gives his take on True Blood‘s highlight-of-the-season-so-far episode: 9 Crimes.

Not since last season’s bang-up black-eyed zombie sex-orgy finale have folks gone as gaga as they did in this week’s “9 Crimes” episode, the highlight so far of the new True Blood season. Everybody’s blood is up! And just in time: this show desperately needed some new blood. Enough already with Bill Compton’s Old South, gentlemanly, Twilight-ish yearning for Sookie. Now he’s violently tied down by his controlling vampire ex with the Exorcist-ish revolving head, Lorena, and doing his most brutal deed in 178 years: breaking up with Sookie on the phone. “We fucked like only vampires can,” he coldly tells Sookie, who behaves like somebody named Soakie which was Robert Mapplethorpe’s nickname for Patti Smith, because he made her cry all the time. She should’ve coldly told him, “Shouldn’t that be ‘fucked AS only vampires can,’ you illiterate Civil War hick bastard?”

continue reading on my blog Thompson on Hollywood.

The Ballou Majestic Knights Marching band is located in Anacostia, Washington, D.C., a neighborhood plagued with violence and crime. This area has the lowest median income, the highest unemployment rate, and the highest number of single parent households. With these challenges as the backdrop for their education, students are forced overcome obstacles in order to achieve their graduation. Ballou’s Marching band brings hope to the community.

Band director Mr. Watson, and his volunteer staff have created a safe environment for students to learn and enjoy an education. The marching band has inspired many students to attend college despite their troubled upbringing.

This month, among hundreds of thousands of submitted proposals, Ballou succeeded in entering the Pepsi Refresh project to win 25k for the Knight’s marching band.  The project will empower the economically challenged school with college scholarships, band travel expenses, music accessories, Summer Band Clinics, and screenings of their recent film “Ballou.”  Take a minute out of your day to vote on this initiative and help these students.  You can vote here once a day.

Learn more by watching this extraordinary documentary film on Ballou’s marching band free on SnagFilms.com.