Category: Film

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I’ll have to follow the way what I was wont to say

Dan Seeger

Years ago, when I started dispensing my smart aleck movie opinions across the central Wisconsin airwaves, I decided on an evaluative approach that entailed treating each film entirely as its own entity. I made no assumption that viewers would go into the average new release with a full working knowledge of the filmmakers involved, so it made sense to me to do the best to set aside my own preconceptions. Though done with the best intentions, that methodology proved to be extremely difficult, unduly limiting and, frankly, not all that much fun. It was more interesting to consider, say, Martin … Continue reading I’ll have to follow the way what I was wont to say

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The zero in my hand is nothing to lose

Dan Seeger

Nineteen. That is the number of times that my old radio movie review show colleague and I have engaged in a yearly showdown to determine which of us is more skilled at predicting the nominees in the six most notable Academy Award categories. Two. That is the number of times we have been equal forecasters, getting the same number of nominees exactly correct. This includes last year, when we each named twenty-four of the thirty nominees. Zero. That is the number of times I have won this annual competition. Again, that number is zero. Nada. Nil. Goose egg. 0-17-2. That … Continue reading The zero in my hand is nothing to lose

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Smile like they do in movies

Dan Seeger

12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957). Lumet’s feature debut is a master class in shot construction. Contained almost entirely within a tight jury room as twelve men engage in deliberations over a murder case that grow increasingly heated, Lumet manages to make the visuals dynamic without resorting to trick shots. Instead, the film is filled with expertly staged and blocked sequences. The camera slyly follows a character as he moves about the room, catching the quiet reactions of everyone else, the facial expressions of those in deep consideration telling as full of a story as the words they share. Henry … Continue reading Smile like they do in movies

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I wanna see movies of my dreams

Dan Seeger

Man on Wire (James Marsh, 2008). In 1974, tightrope walker Phillippe Petit recruited some accomplices and strung a cable between the two towers of the World Trade Center. He then walked out on it, performing a feat of jaw-dropping daring some 110 stories above the crowded pavement. Marsh’s riveting documentary combines old footage, new interviews with key participants and spare reenactments to fully convey the colossal tension of the act and the freewheeling fearlessness that drove Petit to do it. Petit, naturally, is the film’s greatest asset, spinning stories about his bygone triumphs with an enthralling enthusiasm. If he doesn’t … Continue reading I wanna see movies of my dreams

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Everybody says they want a million bucks but I’d rather have a million days with you

Dan Seeger

Ever since director Danny Boyle trained his camera on Ewan McGregor and his blokes racing through the streets, it’s been clear that he’s a relentless visual stylist. Boyle is feverishly interested in finding new, dynamic ways to tell stories through … Continue reading Everybody says they want a million bucks but I’d rather have a million days with you