Liam Neeson just signed for a cool $20 million to star in “Taken 3.” Does this solidify the Oscar nominee’s identity as a “paycheck” actor? What’s that mean, you ask? Read on…

For no particular reason, I recently spent some time surfing through online notes on Shakespeare’s play Measure for Measure, and focused with interest on studies of the play’s “open silences.” The discussion I was breezing through concerned the climactic moments of the…

You thought she was cute as a button in The Amanda Show; you were impressed with her cinematic chops in What a Girl Wants (and were inspired when Michael Scott from The Office praised her leadership qualities); you were certain…

In 1992’s “Husbands and Wives,” Woody Allen’s character offers up a pretty dark assessment of what it means to change. Is he right? Is he wrong? And what does that have to do with Facebook and hashtags?

  William Shatner wasn’t the first—and certainly won’t be the last—actor to enjoy a secondary measure of fame for his contributions to the art of music, however unlikely. If you only know “the Shat” from his much-mocked 1968 album The…

Picture this: You’ve just sold your life rights for a big-time movie. You’ve got final approval on who plays you on the silver screen. Who gets cast? Why? “Movie Irv” answers this question…and then it’s your turn!

Will Smith may have played Muhammad Ali…but is he “The Greatest”? He passed on playing the title role in “Django Unchained,” but was he exactly right not to risk his massive appeal to fans of every race, color, and creed? Let’s see if Movie Irv thinks Philly’s prince is fresh as ever, or past his sell-by date.

You know you’ve really made it when you’ve had a song written about you. Let’s drop a quarter in the MovieFanFare jukebox and listen to entertaining tunes devoted to some of cinema’s greatest talents…