In a Lonely Place dir. Nicolas Ray – 6.0 – There is always something magical about watching film noir starring Humphrey Bogart, a man who personifies the vocal cadence of these bleak portraits. Moments of possible happiness are quickly dashed when you remember that nothing ends happy in this genre. In a Lonely Place does […]
Read more "Quick Hits: Including a Rainy Day Film Fest"The Film A Trip to the Moon is one of the first science fiction films, and it is 114 years old (as of 2016). The film is about a group of astronomers who load themselves up in a gigantic cannon and fire themselves at the moon. After blinding the man-in-the-moon the scientists take a tour […]
Read more "A Trip to the Moon"This Quick Hits Slapstick Superheroes is aptly titles as it includes Captain America and Charles Chaplin, or Captain America and Captain America.
Read more "Quick Hits Slapstick Superheroes"The Revenant Dir.: Alejandro Inarritu – 2015 – 5.5 – I have never hidden the fact that Emmanuel Lubezki is my favorite cinematographer/DP. I feel equally that I would not have watched The Revenant so intently if Chivo was not involved. I don’t much enjoy decrying films here because I know that my opinion is mine alone. But […]
Read more "The Revenant – A Chance to Praise Emmanuel Lubezki"Silence of the Lambs Well this ought to be easy, right? Writing about Silence of the Lambs, a film that I have watched, possibly, a dozen times. This week I am joining Now Voyaging for their BEYOND THE COVER: Books to Film Blogathon. As I mentioned I have chosen to read Thomas Harris’ novel The […]
Read more "The Silence of the Lambs"Battles Without Honor or Humanity dir. Kinji Fukasaku – 5.8 – Who doesn’t enjoy a revenge, gangster movie? I knew this going in and it was only slightly disappointing. Don’t hear this a regret as this is certainly not the case but when I put all of the scores together the film is less than average. […]
Read more "Quick Hits"Do the Right Thing is a film about race in New York City in 1989. The film is about a day in the life of a the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of New York City.do-the-right-thing-DI The first two-thirds of the film is built similarly to many small-town films of the past, the Last Picture Show comes to mind, and is a fairly solid comedy film, through which you meet the cast and learn a little of their lives. In the last act everything everything changes; it is a mirror between the late 80s, now, and, sadly, every other time in American society.
Read more "Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing"If you, dear reader, decide to watch Gates of Heaven, something I do not recommend, please prepare yourself ahead of time. Prepare yourself to learn more about the internment of animals than you likely care to know. Prepare yourself for a level of shifty corporations, and for the little man fighting a battle they can not win. Prepare yourself to a pretty good guitar solo.
Read more "Errol Morris Gates of Heaven"Oh my God, are they going to kill that kid? No, oh good because that is not what I signed up for. After the credits the first inter-title states, “A picture with a smile – and perhaps, a tear,” so I was genuinely stunned when the tough pulled his revolver on the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. Soon, though, my laughter started to gain steam until I was on a giggle course straight through to the dream sequence.
Read more "Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid"What are the Olympics? A sporting event designed to feature summer and winter sports occurring once every four years staggered? Yes, but. The Olympics are more than this and that is what director Kon Ichikawa was looking to highlight. To him the Olympics is a two week span of world peace. For two weeks nations around the world come together for sport.
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