Christian Toto is a Denver-based movie critic and features reporter. His work appears in The Washington Times, The Denver Post, MovieMaker Magazine, and Denver Magazine. He also contributes movie radio commentary to three stations as well as the nationally syndicated "Dennis Miller Show." His film web site, What Would Toto Watch?, offers original interviews, reviews, and commentary.
Christian Toto
Review: The Haunting in Connecticut
by Christian TotoThe scariest part of the new thriller “The Haunting in Connecticut” comes during the opening credits.
“Based on the true story,” we’re told, and it’s hard not to giggle.
That’s not the kind of scary the film’s producers were gunning for. But it’s a good fright for horror fans hoping to trade their hard earned cash for some goosebumps. Sure enough, “Connecticut” can’t deliver on the scares, but at least it’s not as monumentally silly as the “true story” warning portends.
Horror movies can live or die in the casting. The recent “Last House on the Left” remake shouldn’t have been so effective, but all the key roles were fleshed out with alacrity. Same goes for “Connecticut,” which gives the unsung Virginia Madsen a rare lead role. She plays Sara, the mother of a cancer-stricken teen named Matt (Kyle Gallner). She moves the family to a wheezy old rental house that’s only a few miles from the boy’s hospital. (more…)
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Review: Knowing
by Christian TotoNicolas Cage is starring in another one-word title movie? Didn’t we suffer enough with “Next?”
But Cage’s iffy career is in the hands of director Alex Proyas (”Dark City,” “I, Robot”) with “Knowing,” a clear step up from the Oscar winner’s recent stumbles.
The sci-fi thriller, opening wide today, hums along on a trippy premise. Cage plays John Koestler, an MIT professor whose child, Caleb (Chandler Canterbury), takes part in a unique school event – the unearthing of a time capsule buried 50 years ago.
Each student is given one of the letters dropped into the capsule decades ago. Rather than getting some child’s Crayola take on space travel like his fellow students, Caleb receives a sheet of paper with random numbers scrawled over every available inch. (more…)
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Onion Ignores Obama, Slams Rush
by Christian TotoThe Onion can’t find anything funny about President Barack Obama or his presidency yet. But it quickly jumped on the Democratic Talking Points bandwagon this week with a sour assault on talk show giant Rush Limbaugh.
The humor publication has been tap dancing wildly to avoid any articles that could so much as pierce the skin of the new president. But they took off the gloves when it came time to mock Limbaugh in the newest edition, now available everywhere.
To say the “Rush Limbaugh Returns” infographic isn’t funny is to be kind. It’s cruel and assumes both the worst about Limbaugh and his legion of fans. Humor needs to be based on a kernel of truth to work, but only a rabid left winger would think the material here is knee slapper stuff.
Here’s a sample of the faux incendiary comments Limbaugh has made, according to the publication:
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DVD Drives Down NASCAR’s Memory Lane
by Christian TotoNASCAR has become so much more than just an adrenalized racing sport. It’s a cultural touchstone, what the right rallies around whenever the next Michael Moore movie or Al Franken tome arrives on the scene.
It’s ours. So it’s fascinating to watch a too brief but still intriguing documentary about NASCAR’s roots.
“NASCAR: The Ride of Their Lives,” now available on DVD, tells the history of NASCAR from its earliest days on the sandy beaches of Daytona to its current place as the king of spectator sports.
Fueled by rebellion, sand and moonshine, NASCAR began modestly but quickly grabbed hold of the southern culture. And it only spread from there. (more…)
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‘Change Begins Within’ Benefit Concert: ‘Teach One Million Kids To Meditate’
by Christian TotoThe Left told us all the change we needed would come when Sen. Barack Obama got our vote Nov. 4. Now, a new change is coming our way – courtesy of Obama supporter Sheryl Crow and some of her famous friends.
On April 4, Sir Paul McCartney will headline the “Change Begins Within” benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall, with proceeds going to the David Lynch Foundation. Among those filling out the roster include Ringo Starr, Donovan, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, Moby, Paul Horn, Bettye LaVette and Crow. (more…)
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The Onion Can’t Bear to Mock The One
by Christian Toto
America’s Finest News Source has some explaining to do.
The Onion , the usually biting comic weekly, just can’t bring itself to mock President Barack Obama. The One has been in office for more than a month now, and the last four Onion issues have tip-toed around anything remotely tough on the Commander-in-Chief. It’s hardly a shock, since most comics in toto seem to have a hands off approach to the new president. But The Onion? (more…)
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‘Torn From the Flag’ – New Doc Rips Communism
by Christian TotoDocumentary filmmakers spend plenty of time examining the Bush administration, the Iraq War and the aftermath from Hurricane Katrina. All are fair game, but few directors tackle the horrifying impact Communism had across the globe during the 20th century. Last year’s “The Singing Revolution” did just that, recalling the Soviet’s cruel occupation of Estonia and how the country kept its culture alive through several torturous decades under Communism.
Now, Hungarian filmmaker Klaudia Kovacs gives us “Torn From the Flag,” a film the Hollywood Reporter dubbed “perhaps the most comprehensive chronicle of the [1956] Hungarian uprising yet caught on film.” “Torn,” which won First Prize at the Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival, will be shown at 4 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 21) at The Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. (more…)
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Learning Curve: Maher’s Backpedal on President Obama
by Christian Toto
Celebrities en masse told us over and again just how uniquely qualified Sen. Barack Obama was for the Oval Office. Remember Spike Lee’s famous quote – “You have B.B.: Before Barack and A.B.: After Barack.” Never mind the clear lack of experience. They saw past it. They are pretty smart, after all. They’re famous.
But the backpedaling on their anointed candidate may have already started. Just listen to comedian Bill Maher. Maher, chatting with CNN’s softball pitcher Larry King, began making excuses for his new president this week: (more…)
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Wanda Sykes: ‘Hope’ he doesn’t mean what he says
by Christian TotoActress and stand-up comic Wanda Sykes hopes President Obama is smart enough to change his mind about his own policies.
Sykes, who recently announced she is a lesbian, talked to Newsweek for its Commemorative Inaugural Edition — one way the magazine can put the new president on the cover again — about her hopes for his administration.
She applauds the president’s ascension as a sign “The United States of America” now rings true to its words. But she still feels like a second-class citizen because gays cannot marry under U.S. law. (more…)
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Should Wal-Mart display ‘Porno?’
by Christian TotoMy son is only three weeks old, but he’s already impacting how I feel about censorship and marketing in the 21st century.
Kevin Smith’s latest raunch-fest, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” comes out on DVD Tuesday (Feb. 3). It’s a sweet romance wrapped in Smith’s signature humor – the R-rated variety. Nothing wrong with that, assuming older audiences are the ones gobbling up the movie tickets – or DVDs starting this week.
But Wal-Mart didn’t want to stock the DVD with the word “Porno” in the title. The Weinstein Company, which is distributing the DVD, agreed to meet their request.
The Red Bank, N.J. native is bemused by the brou ha ha.
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Hollywood won’t give up on Bush
by Christian TotoThought “hope” and “change” might rule Hollywood now that President George W. Bush has moved back to Texas?
Apparently not.
Variety’s Anne Thompson reports the comedy “In the Loop,” what she dubs a “raucously funny indictment of what went on behind-the-scenes in Washington and London to lead to the war in Iraq,” got snatched up at the Sundance Film Festival. IFC bought the U.S. distribution rights to the film, which co-stars James Gandolfini. (more…)
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Et tu, Kid Rock?
by Christian TotoWasn’t Kid Rock one of the few pop stars not to pledge allegiance to the destruction of President Bush?
The Bush daughters even wanted him to play at the 2005 presidential inauguration concert.
Now, it seems Kid Rock is going all bipartisan on us. He’s expected to be one of the performers at the Youth Inaugural Ball, to be broadcast tomorrow night (Jan. 20) on MTV.
What happened? (more…)
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‘Dreams’ Of A Fair And Balanced Press
by Christian TotoPBS’s “Frontline” series is greeting the new Obama administration with a big, wet kiss – if this press teaser is any indication:
On the night of Barack Obama’s historic inauguration, FRONTLINE examines the rich personal and political biography of the 44th president of the United States. Through interviews with insiders and observers who’ve tracked Obama from his days at Harvard Law School, through his rise in Chicago politics, to his emergence onto the national scene after the 2004 Democratic National Convention, FRONTLINE chronicles Obama’s meteoric rise, pushing beyond the headlines to reveal how he won one of the most memorable, and important, presidential elections of our time.
“Dreams of Obama” is set to air at 9 p.m. EST (check local listings) Jan. 20 – Inauguration Day.
Now just imagine a “Frontline” special like that greeting President-elect George W. Bush on his first day in office eight years ago. Yeah, I can’t, either.
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The Golden Globes – Last chance to Bush bash
by Christian TotoThis Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremonies (8 p.m. EST) will give Hollywood one last award venue to bash the Bush administration.
Is there any doubt some winners will jump at the chance to savage the president while he’s still in office?
Last year’s Oscar ceremony proved to be a fairly muted affair, politically speaking. Lefty Michael Moore never even made it to the stage.
But with President George W. Bush set to leave the White House shortly, and celebrities empowered by the results of their near-uniform support for President-elect Barack Obama, anything could go this weekend.
It doesn’t hurt that the ceremony is famous for letting revelers booze it up during the broadcast.
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Little Press Respect For Michael Crichton
by Christian Toto
The Nov. 4 death of novelist Michael Crichton took most people by surprise. Who knew the best-selling author of “Jurassic Park” was even sick?
Crichton, 66, died the day of the U.S. presidential elections, so news coverage of his passing was muted. That’s understandable given the gravity of the election – and its historical implications.
So it wasn’t unreasonable to expect the year-end media tributes to make up for the lack of coverage. After all, the man directed major motion pictures (”Westworld, “Coma”), co-created one of the longest running, most beloved TV shows of all time (”ER”) and wrote some of the best page turners of the past three decades.
Wrong again.
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Fox’s ‘24′ – Jack apologizes for saving the world
by Christian TotoLooks like Fox’s “24″ may have jumped the ideological shark.
The show, featuring Kiefer Sutherland as the terrorist-hunting Jack Bauer, returns after a long absence Sunday night (8 p.m. EST). “24″ delights right-leaners by showing an American hero battling terrorists without apology.
November’s “24: Redemption,” a Fox TV movie designed to set up the new season, threw a bone to conservative viewers by openly mocking a UN official.
This weekend, though, Jack does some serious navel gazing.
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