My recent absence from our humble home for about a week necessitated a certain amount of ceremony in my last weekend, a weekend also notable for an uncommon lack of work. There were several enticing options, but few with as … Continue reading Bad Movie Night — 2012/Knowing
#43 — American Dream (Barbara Kopple, 1990) Most modern documentaries have an intractable point of view. A filmmaker begins with a thesis and proceeds to gather evidence that bolsters the presented opinion, with divergent views pulled in only to be decisively … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Forty-Three
I never felt cool enough to like The Mekons. By the late eighties, when I arrived at the college radio station, they already had a fairly daunting array of records on their discography, and there were very few people or publications capable of stepping up and helping to sort them out. In college radio at that time, it was practically a prerequisite to have a working understanding of the collective works of R.E.M., but a band like the Mekons was a murky mystery. They were great. I somehow knew they were great. Others confirmed their cool quotient, but no one … Continue reading One for Friday: The Mekons, “Memphis Egypt”
I am very short on time for reasons I will address more directly tomorrow. For now, let me just divert your attention with a placeholder post that also preserves a piece I’d like to remember. I don’t agree with everything New York Times film writer Mahnola Dargis says, but I sure admire the intellectual perspective that she brings to her arguments, including a recent defense–which probably shouldn’t have been necessary–of Kathryn Bigelow. From that piece: Unless they star Meryl Streep, movies about women are routinely dismissed because they’re about women, as the patronizing term “chick flick” affirms every time it’s … Continue reading Want to worship at the church of women, breathe ’em in until my head goes spinning around
You can read more about it. Continue reading You never close your eyes any more when I kiss your lips
The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955). This tale of nefarious preacher with LOVE and HATE tattooed across his knuckles is often cited as of the finest films ever directed by an actor, at least someone far more noted for their acting. I wouldn’t make that claim, but it sure is a wild, offbeat ride. In particular, it’s unbelievably dark given that copyright date, putting the film’s children in constant, gloomy danger as it send them fleeing from the money-lusting villain. The film has a grand theatrical sense, pulling off impactful bits involving distant silhouettes and stark lighting effects … Continue reading Friedkin, Jeffs, Kopple, Laughton, Pollock
I feel like I should type up some pithy comments about last night’s awards show, but I’m at a (somewhat exhausted) loss. Instead, I’ll present you with something to help occupy your time. Because there’s nothing that cries out frothy … Continue reading Most days you’ll find her in a heat haze looking through the sweet maze that she calls her mind
As per the tradition around this digital space, the day the long, arduous Oscar season draws to a close is also the day that I type up my version of an actors branch Academy Awards ballot, ranked in accordance with the nominating rules. Were I given the privilege of filling out such a ballot, and if it did it with the utmost honestly–even where tempted to fill in the name of some favorite performer whose work I didn’t necessarily love (or even see) just because I felt they deserved some Academy love for an esteemed career–this is what it would … Continue reading Maybe tonight you’re aching for someone you’re dreaming of
My favorite movie character of the year is Ellie Fredericksen. Ellie doesn’t get much screen time in Up. She’s seen as a little girl, playing pretend in an old house, talking about the world and all its potential wonders with … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2009 — Number One
It was tough being a film critic in central Wisconsin. Humble Stevens Point may be a college town, but it’s also a community with a fairly small population and an availability of movie screens that’s commensurate with the number on the green highway sign on the way into town. This means that art house films and other offerings with a staggered release schedules took quite a while to get to one of our local theaters, if they arrived at all. This was frustrating throughout the year, but especially during Oscar season. Films that were playing only in major cities (to … Continue reading One for Friday: Boy George, “The Crying Game”
Coffee for Two 