#38 — Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995) Richard Linklater’s earliest films are all very verbal. The people onscreen unleash their varied opinions and theories with a barrage of words. The writer-director had so much to say that he concocted small … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Thirty-Eight
Writer-director Bong Joon-ho’s follow-up to the splendid creature feature The Host finds him moving from the realm of Ishiro Honda to that of Alfred Hitchcock. It could be argued that he’s still tracking monsters and assessing the damage that they … Continue reading You can stand up or you can run, you and I both know what you’ve done
Noah Baumbach has certainly been going to some dark places with his most recent efforts, at least his most recent directorial efforts. He’s also been collaborating with Wes Anderson, co-writing the screenplays on The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and … Continue reading Let’s get together and talk about the modern age
Stalag 17 (Billy Wilder, 1953). This unlikely comedy set in a Nazi prison camp has a more famous echo that showed up on CBS around twelve years later. It’s not hard to see why someone might think this could turn into a nifty recurring show. The hook about prisoners of war who’ve cooked up their own unique society in captivity, complete with schemes to dupe the guards and cobbled together contraptions to better hide their small luxuries, is further enlivened by the colorful nature of the characters, a common result when Wilder’s is one of the names on the screenplay. … Continue reading Fraker, Hood, Wilder, Yeatman, Zinnemann
#39 — Barton Fink (Joel Coen (and Ethan Coen), 1991) More than any other filmmakers, the nineties were all about the Coen brothers. At least that’s what it was like for me. There were more influential directors, to be sure, and … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Thirty-Nine
I may as well just admit that everything you need to know about my activities over the course of the next week can be found elsewhere. There will eventually be exciting, pertinent information here too, but right now my eyes are beyond tired. Continue reading Programming Note
From the Earth to the Moon (Byron Haskin, 1958). In some respects, this is a bit of sci-fi fancifulness typical of the era when imagining trips to the moon was a common cinematic endeavor. The film is distinguished by the fact that it doesn’t imagine a bold future, instead reaching back to the distant past for its interplanetary adventure. It adapts an 18th century Jules Verne novel, sticking with the era of its publication. This means American entrepreneurs enriched by profits generated during the Civil War pulling together an unlikely launch into space. The action is turgid and the characterization … Continue reading Brooks, Haskin, Ritt, West, Zinnemann
#40 — The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998) For me, part of loving movies has long included gathering and consuming as much information about them as I could possibly find. I’d seek out stories about deals getting pulled together, tracking … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Forty
#41 — The Piano (Jane Campion, 1993) Jane Campion’s film leaves a stamp on the memory. It’s not because of the plot or the acting or the achingly lovely visual landscapes. It is indeed a combination of all of these … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 90s — Number Forty-One
I enjoy writing about movies in this space. I think I do a decent job of explaining why certain films and filmmakers are inspired and why others fall short. One way or another, I’ve been trying to wrap my head around film as an art form, actively engaging the works I see with creative, analytical thinking, for more than twenty years. I’m no trailblazer, but I get by. And then sometimes I’m reminded just how much I don’t know. We have a good friend who’s a much braver soul than I, and she has spent the past two Januarys volunteering … Continue reading If I’m to be your camera, then who will be your face?
Coffee for Two 