INTERVIEW: William Fichtner, actor and Cheektowaga, NY native

Even if the name William Fichtner hasn’t procured a place on your cinematic Rolodex, you definitely know his face. He had a successful run on hit TV series “Prison Break” as complicated FBI Agent Alex Mahone, recently starred opposite the latest incarnation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and found himself standing in the way of Heath Ledger‘s Joker during The Dark Knight‘s opening heist. There’s also his Colonel Willie Sharp sternly uttering my father’s favorite Armageddon quote: “Get off the nuclear warhead … now.” He’s coming into focus now,…

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Picking Winners at the 85th Annual Academy Awards

Supporting Actress:Amy Adams: The MasterSally Field: LincolnAnne Hathaway: Les MisérablesHelen Hunt: The SessionsJacki Weaver: Silver Linings Playbook William Altreuter: It often seems to me that the Best Supporting categories are where the most interesting things are to be found in the Academy Award nominations, and this year is proving me right. What we often get—especially with Best Actress in a Supporting Role—are performances that really carry the movie, even though we tend not to notice. We also get actresses showing us what they can do against type, and that display of craft and professionalism is frequently rewarded. The…

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REVIEW: sex, lies, and videotape [1989]

“Never take advice from someone you don’t know intimately” Here we have the film that put frequent indie/mainstream crossover, powerhouse director Steven Soderbergh on the cinematic map. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect having never seen it and hearing all the hype surrounding it. For some reason I thought there was an NC-17 controversy swirling around its release before finally being given an R rating and was a bit intrigued what could possibly have caused it. To my surprise there was no nudity whatsoever and besides the frequent swearing…

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REVIEW: Out of Sight [1998]

“Do you ever wear one that says ‘undercover’?” If Out of Sight is any indication, I really need to watch more Steven Soderbergh films. This movie is great on many levels. I’ve seen and loved Traffic, The Limey is top-notch, and the Ocean’s movies are enjoyable at times, however I never really jumped on the bandwagon. Maybe it was the boring, mediocre Erin Brochovich, or the fact that he left his indie roots to kick it with the big boys, I always pushed Soderbergh to the side, saying I’d get…

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