Boxing’s been good to me, Howard
Today is a good day to look elsewhere for my flowery words. Continue reading Boxing’s been good to me, Howard
Category: Film
Armstrong, Brooks, Hodges, Laven, Lester
My Brilliant Career (Gillian Armstrong, 1979). It’s always fun to watch Judy Davis lead with her chin, and sharp, distinctive onscreen personality was basically in place from the beginning. She plays a young Australian woman in the late 19th century who is certain that greatness awaits her out in the big, bad world. Her headstrong nature is continually put to the test, and part of the pleasure of the movie is watching Davis emotionally endure the various indignities and challenges laid in her character’s path. Armstrong balances the storytelling nicely, evoking the period without letting the film become needlessly smothered … Continue reading Armstrong, Brooks, Hodges, Laven, Lester
I’m the living result of a man who’s been hurt a little too much
So today is one of those days that I must direct you elsewhere. Continue reading I’m the living result of a man who’s been hurt a little too much
Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Eleven
#11 — The Player (Robert Altman, 1992) The Player is regularly described as Robert Altman’s poison pen letter to Hollywood. Hell, I’ve probably used that phrasing a few times myself. That sells it short, however, reducing the film’s artistry to an … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Eleven
I’d like you to fall for me but it would soon turn lousy and wrong
Once again I have the privilege of directing you elsewhere. Continue reading I’d like you to fall for me but it would soon turn lousy and wrong
Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that
I’ll readily concede that this is a minority opinion, but I don’t think David Fincher was really a filmmaker who merited serious attention until 2007’s Zodiac. He was a formidable stylist and his impact and influence were mutually significant. The … Continue reading Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that
There’s a peacefulness and a rage inside us all
Let Me In is based on the novel Let the Right One In (or Låt den rätte komma in, if you prefer), but it’s probably more accurate to say it’s based on the Swedish film adaptation written by the book’s original author, John Ajvide Lindqvist, and directed by Tomas Alfredson. It’s a debt that’s openly acknowledged, including a special citation in the the credits. It’s also unavoidable. The original film version has a spirited cult following and earned critical praise well beyond that usually afforded to entertainments centered on supernatural creatures spilling a lot of blood. Writer-director Matt Reeves had … Continue reading There’s a peacefulness and a rage inside us all
Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Twelve
#12 — Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 1999) Charlie Kaufman has his screenwriting Oscar for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and he has plenty of swooning admirers ready to step forward and declare either of his metanarrative Möbius bands, Adaptation. or Synecdoche, New York, the purest distillation of his own unique form of absurdist existentialism. There are things to admire in all of those works, to be sure. Kaufman concocts crazy, complicated cinematic puzzles, and the offbeat invention that is seemingly second nature to him gives him one of the most distinct voices in modern movie-making. But from my … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Twelve
Of all the people I don’t know, the ones I do I hate the most
Once again, I must direct you elsewhere. Continue reading Of all the people I don’t know, the ones I do I hate the most
Greatish Performances #5
#5 — Parker Posey as Libby Mae Brown in Waiting for Guffman (Christopher Guest, 1996) One of the most vexing elements of evaluating performances is weighing the work of the actor against the quality of the writing that went into … Continue reading Greatish Performances #5
Coffee for Two 