I truly believe Rian Johnson has found the character he could writer and direct exclusively for the remainder of his days and be satsisfied all the way. Johnson’s 2019 feature, Knives Out, introduced Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), a master detective … Continue reading Now Playing — Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Sometimes comedy illuminates hard truths with a pointed urgency that other means can’t quite achieve. Sometimes comedy is just funny. This series of posts is mostly about the former instances, but the latter is valuable, too. As a companion to … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Starring Kurt Russell Laughing His Ass Off
Dementia 13 (Francis Ford Coppola, 1963). The first feature directed by Francis Ford Coppola is miles away from the elegant import of The Godfather and other more esteemed entries on his filmography. Made within the confines of Roger Corman’s scrappy … Continue reading Then Playing — Dementia 13; Emily the Criminal; Goodbye Again
The Sheepman (George Marshall, 1958). This Western stars Glenn Ford as Jason Sweet, a deceptively genial schemer who shows up in a ranching town with a herd of sheep he plans to graze on public land, much to the consternation … Continue reading Then Playing — The Sheepman; Hangmen Also Die!; Don’t Worry Darling
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Sydney Pollack didn’t want to act in Tootsie. He started in the showbiz as an actor, but … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Tootsie teaser trailer
Stop-Loss (Kimberly Peirce, 2008). There was nearly a ten-year gap between Kimberly Peirce’s sensational feature debut, Boys Don’t Cry, and her follow-up, Stop-Loss, which is presumably indicative of the ridiculously difficult time female filmmakers have bringing projects to fruition. Stop-Loss … Continue reading Then Playing — Stop-Loss; Gilda Live; Winter Meeting
The New Number One Film On Sight And Sound’s Greatest Movie List Is A Step Forward, But More Needs To Be Done by Erin Brady Writing for /Film, Erin Brady considers the latest Sight and Sound list of the one … Continue reading Outside Reading — Canon Fire edition
It’s quite a lovely thing, director Luca Guadagnino wants us to know, when outcasts find each other. Based on a novel by Camille DeAngelis, Bones and All follows Maren (Taylor Russell), an eighteen-year-old girl who’s spent most of her life … Continue reading Now Playing — Bones and All
The guests arrive expecting a feast. This is not just any generously appointed meal, mind you. It is the sort of vast, all-encompassing experience promised by chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) at his exceedingly exclusive restaurant Hawthorne. With a price … Continue reading Now Playing — The Menu
California Suite (Herbert Ross, 1978). Adapted by Neil Simon from his 1976 play of the same name (a sequel to the 1968 hit Plaza Suite), this comedy sets a posh Los Angeles hotel as its home base. A series of … Continue reading Then Playing — California Suite; Good Time; Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Coffee for Two 