Tag: catch-up reviews

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Clifford, Karlson, Mottern, Mulligan, Smith

Dan Seeger

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Kevin Smith, 2008). I think of Kevin Smith as one of the laziest directors working today because he demonstrates no particular skill with telling stories visually, seems to know this, and, most distressingly, has indicated the awareness of this shortcoming inspires no aspirations to improve. Zack and Miri may have a whiff of desperation about it–up to an including the please-pay-attention-to-me title–but one positive side effect is that Smith does push himself a little more as a director. There are a few moments which demonstrate some care and attention to crafting interesting visuals, even … Continue reading Clifford, Karlson, Mottern, Mulligan, Smith

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Jewison, Pollack, Roemer, Sommers, Spielberg

Dan Seeger

In the Heat of the Night (Norman Jewison, 1967). I guessed that this film would seem painfully dated. Instead, Jewison’s police drama about a black Philadelphia homicide detective called upon to help solve a murder case in a small Southern town where rampant bigotry still rules the culture holds up nicely. It’s somewhat an artifact of its time, but a dramatically sound one. Jewison makes his points with care, always grounding the conflicts in believable situations populated by well-drawn characters. What it lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in clean, gripping storytelling. Rod Steiger won an Oscar for his … Continue reading Jewison, Pollack, Roemer, Sommers, Spielberg

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Beresford, Fletcher, Ford, Hawks, Twohy

Dan Seeger

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (John Ford, 1949). The film is the second of Ford’s loose “Cavalry Trilogy.” It’s well-regarded, as are most of Ford’s collaborations with John Wayne, but, while it may be a sort of cinematic sacrilege to say so, the film is little more than a plain-footed entertainment. That assessment seems more damning than it is. The film is expert and buoyant and infused with a nice mix of wit and charm, all qualities that seemingly came naturally to John Ford when he was more concerned with making something simply satisfying than a work of grave importance. … Continue reading Beresford, Fletcher, Ford, Hawks, Twohy

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Fraker, Hood, Wilder, Yeatman, Zinnemann

Dan Seeger

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

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Brooks, Haskin, Ritt, West, Zinnemann

Dan Seeger

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

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Demme, Hitchcock, Ramis, Scott, Wyler

Dan Seeger

Roman Holiday (William Wyler, 1953). It would take some dedicated hunting through Hollywood history to find another star turn that justifies hanging an entire film upon it as much as the one at the center of this lovely wisp of a romantic comedy. It’s really all about Audrey Hepburn and her swoon-inducing performance as a pampered princess who steals away from her privileged, cloistered world to indulge in a burst of freedom across the streets of Rome. She’s utterly charming in a guileless way, but it’s the levels of personality that she injects into the performance that really sell the … Continue reading Demme, Hitchcock, Ramis, Scott, Wyler

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Friedkin, Jeffs, Kopple, Laughton, Pollock

Dan Seeger

The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955). This tale of nefarious preacher with LOVE and HATE tattooed across his knuckles is often cited as of the finest films ever directed by an actor, at least someone far more noted for their acting. I wouldn’t make that claim, but it sure is a wild, offbeat ride. In particular, it’s unbelievably dark given that copyright date, putting the film’s children in constant, gloomy danger as it send them fleeing from the money-lusting villain. The film has a grand theatrical sense, pulling off impactful bits involving distant silhouettes and stark lighting effects … Continue reading Friedkin, Jeffs, Kopple, Laughton, Pollock

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Gilbert, Psihoyos, Tarantino, Tyrnauer, West

Dan Seeger

Valentino: The Last Emperor (Matt Tyrnauer, 2009). This documentary tags along with the legendary designer as he prepares for a gala anniversary celebration, one that is rumored, correctly, as a precursor to retirement. Tyrnauer is given broad access to Valentino as he works, and the camera catches interactions that hint at his brilliance and volatility. The glimpse of the fashion industry at its most grand comes across as either rapturously glamorous or decadently wasteful, depending on the point of view that you tote into the viewing with you. I suppose predispositions will equally shape reactions to the understanding portrayal of … Continue reading Gilbert, Psihoyos, Tarantino, Tyrnauer, West

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Klores and Stevens, Schrader, Toback, Wyler, Zonca

Dan Seeger

Blue Collar (Paul Schrader, 1978). Two years after the breakthrough success of Taxi Driver, which he scripted for Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader made his directorial debut with a film about struggling auto workers who battle their callous bosses, inept union heads and ultimately each other. As should probably be expected from Schrader, especially at this point in his career, the film is raw and potent, getting into the muscular, profane urgency of these men as they struggle to accept their lot in life, including the inherent betrayals of principle that come with any efforts at upward mobility, and the dangers … Continue reading Klores and Stevens, Schrader, Toback, Wyler, Zonca

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Capra, Kubrick, Morel, Peli, Reed

Dan Seeger

Taken (Pierre Morel, 2009). An entirely unimaginative action film poured into the form of a parental nightmare turned revenge fantasy. Liam Neeson plays a retired CIA operative who calls upon his formidable combat skills when his teenage daughter is kidnapped by sex slave traders on a trip to France. It lurches from violence-saturated scene to violence-saturated scene with a little bit of empty seediness thrown in for variety. It’s hard to develop emotional investment in the characters when the actors shuffling through it and even the movie itself seem to have already given up on the notion of being anything … Continue reading Capra, Kubrick, Morel, Peli, Reed