For the second straight Saturday, I reach back for a review of a modern Bond film not previously loaded up to this particular site. This was written for my former online home. Quantum of Solace is the twenty-fifth film to feature … Continue reading From the Archive — Quantum of Solace
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. I have a strong affection for the unique era of movie trailers represented by this promotional assemblage … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — “Marty” trailer
#42 — Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) Gene Hackman didn’t want to play Royal Tenenbaum. As he recounted, history told him that instances in which a filmmaker had written a part specifically for … Continue reading Greatish Performances #42
I’m running low on older material, so we’re likely in the last few weeks of the “From the Archive” feature. Hence, the recent ramping up of pre-production promo for the next James Bond film — led by casting announcements that … Continue reading From the Archive — Casino Royale
The Kid Who Would Be King (Joe Cornish, 2019). After his feature directorial debut, Attack the Block, Joe Cornish seemed positioned to jostle with a few others — including Edgar Wright, one of that film’s producers — for the distinction … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up —The Kid Who Would Be King; Total Recall; The Old Man and the Gun
Avengers: Endgame is absurd. I’ve previously declared myself agog that movie screens are routinely turned over to these vibrant figures that dominated my youthful years, enveloping my fragile psyche in the protection of costumed titans who take the strange misfortune … Continue reading Now Playing — Avengers: Endgame
As the striking of the twentieth anniversary of the 1999 resounds, there’s been a revived interest in arguing that the bygone year in question might have represented the best twelve month span in the long history of cinema. That’s a … Continue reading From the Archive — A History of Violence
I enjoy tinkering with formats and structure, but I employ the practice rarely. Goofing around for the sake of it feels overly intrusive. There should be a point, as when I spoofed Quentin Tarantino’s title cards to add one more … Continue reading From the Archive — Synecdoche, New York
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. What a strange, innocent time it was, when movie theater operators first unrolled the teaser posters for … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — “The Dark Knight” movie poster
Tortilla Flat (Victor Fleming, 1942). Not long after presiding over Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz in the same calendar year, director Victor Fleming went far more small-scale with this loose adaptation of a typically scruffy John … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Tortilla Flat; Serenity; The Meg
Coffee for Two 