Reviews, Top N lists, and other sundry cinematic stuff.
Kind of an art house “Office Space”; Plebeian coup! But not as funny. I wanted to like this one. I really did. The opening scene was so strong — it was such a great setup that seemed a bit… Wasted? The film seemed a bit unfocused to me; like it could have been a really […]
“That’s not how it starts!” A faithful adaptation. “That’s not how it ends!”
Shark attack! Panic! We depend on summer beach tourism, jack ass. I think I was probably nine years old the last time I saw Jaws. Certainly, I was far too young to appreciate the fascinating sub-text of “hard science” (Richard Dreyfuss’ Dr. Matt Hooper) versus “conventional wisdom” (Robert Shaw’s Quint). The struggle is an intense […]
Doom! Doom! No children born in twenty years; of course despair will follow. I feel like the last person on Earth to have seen this but: Terrifying film. Gut wrenchingly emotional and suspenseful. Had trouble sleeping last night; really, really got to me. Adam hit it on the head when we chatted about it this […]
Kelly Link’s Magic for Beginners collection. Pretty awesome. A lot of “coming of age” stuff and adolescent themes. But beyond charming and cute. Insightful and provocative. And sexy in that “I just found out what sexy is” sort of way. Highlights include “The Faery Handbag” (makes you bite your lip and fall in love with […]
Speed! Paranoia! And quick drive down to L.A… Wait: Was there a story? I don’t know what else to say. Avoid this film. Barely a story, poor exposition, relentlessly inferior acting. Except Germ: Germ’s character was almost redeeming. The one saving grace? I am in love with the McDonald’s Girl…
How to summarize fifty years of Slavic woe? Ask Kusturica. I am not sure how else to say this about Underground: It’s fucking brilliant. Clocking in at around three hours, it’s a bit of a commitment, file-wise — but well worth it. The interplay of symbols is deep and rigorous and hits a chord even […]
A friend recently posed the question: Give me a top five sickest ever sickest evers of films that are totally amazing but don’t get enough press. Naturally, this gets one to thinking: What are the top five “sickest ever” films that I don’t believe got the press time they deserved? And so: Corndog Man: A […]
Boot camp to war and back home to fanfare (but not). It’s raining oil. I’m not really sure what to say about Jarhead. I’d heard good things about it. I like Jake Gyllenhaal as an actor. Jamie Foxx is on the rise. Sam Mendes directed American Beauty for crying out loud. So why did it […]
If you haven’t seen Kontroll yet: make it your next rental. I could not believe how excellent this film was. A surreal head trip from a brilliant Hungarian director, Kontroll follows the troubled ticket inspector Bulscú Bulcsú and his crew through some subterranean tribulations as a hooded figure pushes travelers into the paths of on-coming […]