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
Category: Film
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
Blitz, Miller, Newman, Rudolph, Thurman
Lucky (Jeffrey Blitz, 2010). After a middling sidetrack into fiction filmmaking, Blitz returns to the sort of quirky documentary that first earned him attention. Lucky is about lottery winners. Blitz follows the trajectories of several different individuals that became instant millionaires when a few kinetic ping pong balls bounced their way. While some of the asides are good, especially those that consider the incredible unlikelihood of actually striking it rich this way, Blitz struggles to find a clear narrative to give the film some structure and cohesion. It winds up instead as a smattering of human interest studios. Some are … Continue reading Blitz, Miller, Newman, Rudolph, Thurman
Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Thirteen
#13 — Short Cuts (Robert Altman, 1993) At its most distinctive and accomplished, Robert Altman’s signature style, marked by overlapping dialogue and sprawling assemblies of pointed characters, makes his films feel like they emerge rather than start. A fully-realized shared existence … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Thirteen
