Chronicling Jim Carrey

When I was growing up, Jim Carrey was one of my favorite actors due to his over-the-top antics in movies like Dumb and Dumber, The Cable Guy and Ace Ventura. For years Carrey’s career was defined by his inimitable facial expressions and willingness to perform outrageous antics. At the turn of the millennium, however, Jim [...]

Turning a Bad Day Into a Good Day

There are some days that it just seems like everything is conspiring against you. And on those days, every minute seems to bring another setback or disappointment. Whether it’s losing your job or getting knocked down in the subway station, we need ways to nullify the stressful or unpleasant events of our worst days. For [...]

Stiller Has More Range than Meets the Eye

With a father and mother who were ingrained in the Hollywood atmosphere, it seems natural that Ben Stiller would join the ranks of showbiz stardom himself. Ben Stiller movies are known as being raunchy films for adult audiences, like “There’s Something About Mary” and “Tropic Thunder.” In actuality, Stiller has a large resume of children’s [...]

America’s Rom-Com Sweetheart

Before Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gossling captured the hearts and minds of sentimentalists in “The Notebook,” and way before anybody had ever heard of a cosmo-swilling foursome that chews up shoes and spits out men, there was another kind of American romantic comedy. And if it was filmed in the late ’80s or early ’90s, [...]

From SNL to Big-Budget Movies, Ferrell Shines On

Will Ferrell is a shining example of talent overpowering the vague idea of “star power.” Looking at Ferrell, you could easily believe he’s just the aging frat guy from down the street. While it’s true that he honed his improvisational skills as a member of the Groundlings comedy troupe, Ferrell made his true breakthrough as [...]

Makin’ Whoopi Part of Your DVD Collection

Whoopi Goldberg has been such a mainstay in the American movie scene that it’s hard to believe she’s only been appearing on the big screen since the mid ’80s. She has since gone on to dabble in standup comedy, starring vehicles and even dramatic roles. In fact, her very first performance was a memorable and [...]

Enduring Star of the Silent Pictures

Even though he made his mark during the early days of cinema – before the advent of “talkies” or movies with sound – Charlie Chaplin remains among the most revered Hollywood stars. The actor was born and raised in England, the son of two music hall performers. He adjusted quickly to the life of a [...]

More than Just a Funnyman

Like so many successful comedians before him, Adam Sandler cut his teeth on the sketch-comedy institution “Saturday Night Live.” He worked alongside such hilarious cohorts as David Spade and Chris Farley, eventually moving on to an acting career that’s still going strong. Although he had traded in silly juvenilia and toilet humor from the beginning, [...]

Movie Concessions

Men tend to enjoy several specific attributes in a movie: violent action sequences, raunchy humor and maybe a bit of full-frontal nudity for variety. But somewhere deep down, even the most rugged man’s man enjoys some special time at home on the couch with a lady friend. And women love their rom-coms. For men, it [...]

The King of ’80s Comedy

His star has faded a bit in recent years, but during a remarkable run of films in the 1980s Chevy Chase was practically untouchable. The comedian earned his stripes as a member of the Saturday Night Live comedy ensemble. But no mere sketch show would be enough to hold him for long. By the start [...]