It does not seem quite possible that Jack Nicholson could be turning 75 today. He seems ageless, particularly when you revisit his best films. And that's just what we should all do to mark the occasion.

Just when you start believing there's no hope for anything daring and original coming out of Movieland, something gets released that surprises you. The Artist is one such movie -- and what's new about it is that it's old.

Almost fifteen years after Titanic, with six Oscar nods and one win to her credit, Kate Winslet is an actress at the peak of her powers -- no longer a precocious ingénue, but a professional who's conscientiously developed her craft.

Great artists of all types and stripes confront the same challenge: once they've created something truly brilliant, how do they ever equal it, much less surpass it?

I googled "best summer-themed movies" but I think what I got was "any summer-themed movie."For those who want a little extra quality in their summer fare, here comes a varied but more rewarding list.

Mindless kiddie fare opens at around four thousand screens across the country. When at last a brilliant, provocative film for grown-ups gets produced, it merited four screens. Doesn't this strike you as just a trifle lopsided?

This weekend's release reflects the industry's increasing reliance on that forbidden joy of my childhood -- the comic book -- to justify its existence. But many of the nation's critics readily drank the Thor Kool-Aid.

When it comes to what I call "human-scale" films, the rest of the world is eating our lunch.

The late Deborah Kerr was the kind of star and personality we rarely see anymore: a lady first and foremost, who, even playing women of dubious virtue, projected an innate sense of class, dignity, even nobility.

Though film directing has been an overwhelmingly male preserve, there's an enduring legacy of women directors to celebrate. To prove my point, here are ten of my own favorite titles helmed by women.

Crime has not just been good to the criminals; it's been awfully good to Hollywood as well.

We all know that rare thing called good character is no prerequisite for a great actress, but Patricia Neal had this quality, in spades. We will not see her like again.

If you hear some young, unschooled person say, "Oh, Dustin Hoffman, he played Ben Stiller's kooky dad", point them towards the other memorable characters that more accurately reflect this performer's invaluable contribution to film.

Given the sheer scale and complexity of the Presidency in modern times, it's no surprise that a host of great films have explored the nature of our country's highest office.

We are so collectively mired in the hyper-superficial, materialistic, flashy "moment of now" that we haven't paused to acknowledge a man who helped bring some of the finest British films ever made to the screen.

Great heist movies work by tying us to the unfortunate characters who populate them, and investing us in the outcome of their attempts to reach the same pot of gold so many of us chase.

It seems increasingly evident that Hollywood has been taken over by people who know and care very little about the movies themselves, but who live to target and promote formulaic, forgettable pap.

There are plenty of films out there that make us hopeful about life and living. Film noir is a guilty pleasure where we witness the denizens of society's bottom rungs stamping on each other's feet for a higher, safer position.

Science fiction movies are like that food you don't eat much but sometimes find yourself in the mood for. Dated as some of these titles are, they're still great fun for those partial to the genre, or game to get acquainted with it.

Great activist movies portray the ongoing struggle between the welfare of working people and larger societal forces, seemingly beyond their control, that threaten their integrity, livelihood, and often, their very survival.

Technology will only offer more quality film choices as time goes by. The trick for savvy consumers and movie fans will be to stay informed as to what's really good..