http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/steven_rea RSS Feed for Inq Col Steven Rea en-us Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:48:14 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/steven_rea/20120217_Immediacy_of_ambition_and_violence.html Coriolanus begins with a close-up of a man sharpening a knife engraved with tribal runes, striking it across a stone. It's a primal, powerful image, captured in a dark, flickering light. But as the camera pulls back, the ancient weapon and the man wielding it emerge in a more contemporary context: The light is emanating from a television, with news reports of food riots, shots of police and protesters battling on city streets. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/steven_rea/20120217_A_salesman_s_slippery_business.html Mickey Prohaska, the smooth-talking, ethically challenged insurance salesman played by Greg Kinnear in Thin Ice, could well have wandered through the hotel hallways at the annual convention that figured pivotally in last year's Cedar Rapids. Mickey would have been one of the guys in the lounge, trying to nab new clients with a huckster's gusto. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/steven_rea/20120216_DNA_match_leads_to_arrest_in_2009_Chesco_rape.html More than two years ago, a 14-year-old girl was raped in Chester County, a case that went unsolved until a recent DNA match, authorities said Wednesday. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/steven_rea/20120212_On_Movies__Fiennes_does_the_Bard_modern__military.html Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus is not your typical toga-and-sandals Shakespeare. It's camouflage-and-combat boots Shakespeare, it's gritty, it's graffitied. Although the actor and first-time director is faithful to the Bard's text, setting his tale of usurpation and political upheaval in the city-state of Rome, it looks more like Bosnia, or Beirut. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/steven_rea/20120210_Five_animated_shorts_nominated_for_Oscar_are_a_delight.html The moon is made of tinkling gold stars - and you can reach it by climbing a ladder. Old books soar aloft like flocks of birds - and they settle on people's shoulders, perching with spindly little legs. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/steven_rea/20120210__quot_Safe_House_quot___A_spy_formula__worked_hard_and_well.html If Denzel Washington isn't the coolest dude out there, I don't know who is. In Safe House - a breakneck spy thriller set mainly in Cape Town, South Africa - Washington is Tobin Frost, a CIA ace gone rogue. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/steven_rea/20120210_A_heart-shaped_box_full_of_sweet_and_sappy_amnesia.html Paige and Leo, the beaming marrieds played by Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum at the beginning of The Vow, step out of the venerable Music Box cinema in Chicago, into the snowy night. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/steven_rea/20120210_Pop_goes__Star_Wars__-_in_3-D.html You know how Jar-Jar Binks' eyes pop up out of his head? That was from watching too many 3-D movies back on planet Naboo. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/steven_rea/20120205_On_Movies___Pina__melds_dance_with_3-D_-_and_her_death.html Wim Wenders was two weeks away from the start date for his new film when his star - Philippina "Pina" Bausch, the German choreographer - died. She had cancer, and had been diagnosed only five days earlier. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/steven_rea/20120203_A_superhero_movie_minus_the_cliches.html This is how the young Clark Kent must have felt. If Clark Kent had been on Facebook. For Andrew, Matt, and Steve - three self-absorbed Seattle high school buds who climb down a hole and emerge with telekinetic powers - coming to grips with their newfound skills not only is a challenge, but also a kick. First, the discovery phase: Hey, I can stop a projectile in midflight! I can build elaborate towers of Legos without laying a finger on a piece!