Perhaps the only thing more unlikely than Michael Lewis’s journalistic take on the statistically-driven transformation of the small market Oakland A’s turning into a major bestseller is the eventually film adaptation, which had its own torturous path to completion, standing … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2011 — Number Two
I don’t quite know how to describe the movies that Kelly Reichardt makes. There are the highly reductive terms that were commonly used to describe her latest, Meek’s Cutoff: slow, small, understated. I can see how someone could decide each … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2011 — Number Three
The first I had up at Spectrum Culture this week was a review of a new film starring Linda Cardellini. I’m particularly proud that I managed to avoid invoking Freaks and Geeks, which seems to be cited in every other review I’ve seen of the film. It certainly says something about the lingering brilliance of Paul Feig’s high school series that it remains the main touchstone for Cardellini despite the fact that she’s been a part of some notable films and spent several seasons as a central cast member of E.R., many of those years coinciding with the time that … Continue reading Spectrum Check
In Certified Copy, written and directed by Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, an English writer is in Italy on a book tour, promoting his latest work which examines the philosophical underpinnings of art itself, challenging the very notion of authenticity considering … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2011 — Number Four
#45 — Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (Jeff Margolis, 1979) I had an old friend who theorized that watching someone who is the best at what they do plying their trade is always an amazing experience, even if (or maybe … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Forty-Five
I remember watching Martin Scorsese’s excellent 2004 outing The Aviator and feeling certain that scenes that revolved around subject Howard Hughes operated as an obsessed director in old Hollywood represented a peak of personal filmmaking. For all the amazing work … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2011 — Number Five
There are human tragedies that are ultimately too enormous to be captured onscreen, but that, of course, doesn’t mean filmmakers should stop trying. Because sometimes, just often enough, they succeed in capturing some small slice of the unthinkable, some glimpse … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2011 — Number Six
I was all over the place at Spectrum Culture this week. First of all, I had a piece in the music section, reviewing something that was definitely outside of my usual range. The super-secret DVD backstory of this review is that I wrote it while flat in my back while suffering with an ailment that really needs not be elaborated upon. You should appreciate my discretion, believe me. I also reviewed the new film from director Ti West, which I actually made a point of requesting months in advance. For one thing, I have a marital obligation to get horror … Continue reading Spectrum Check
In the introduction to this year’s ten best list, I noted that my personal tally was filled with films that couldn’t reasonably be called perfect, but compensated with brilliantly messy ambition. I think that Melancholia from director Lars von Trier … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2011 — Number Seven
#46 — That Obscure Object of Desire (Luis Buñuel, 1977) I will readily admit to generally finding myself less enamored with the films that rely heavily upon the absurdly symbolic. My bias tends to those films that insinuate themselves deeply … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Forty-Six
