Directed by Hal Ashby Hal Ashby once worked as an editor under William Wyler, and Coming Home has a lot in common with Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Both are anti-war films concerning the tough readjustment into society for several returning veterans. Ashby's film tells this tale through a romance between Sally Hyde (Jane … Continue reading Coming Home (1978)
La La Land (2016) [revisited]
Directed by Damien Chazelle EDIT: Not so much an analysis of the movie as much as me getting defensive about why I like it so much. It's nice to fall under a movie's spell. La La Land, to me, is a sweet, tender, intimate yet massive, nostalgic fairytale about dreams, dreamers and good fortune. It's … Continue reading La La Land (2016) [revisited]
Bound for Glory (1976)
Directed by Hal Ashby Bound For Glory feels like two separate films. The first follows Woody Guthrie (David Carradine) from a tiny Texas town out to California during the Dust Bowl era of the Great Depression as he searches for work and a better life for his family. The second tracks Woody's rise from living … Continue reading Bound for Glory (1976)
High Life (2018)
Directed by Claire Denis It's hard to shake the imagery of Claire Denis' High Life. It's a science fiction film that takes place on a small ship floating through the cosmic abyss, but more than that it's about sexuality, reproduction and isolation. Within its own hermetically sealed world the limited number of characters here begin to … Continue reading High Life (2018)
Ed Wood (1994)
Directed by Tim Burton Ed Wood is the original The Disaster Artist, a movie about a director, who shouldn't be a director, making possibly the worst movie ever made. Before Tommy Wiseau's The Room took home that dubious title, Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959) held the honor. It's a horror film that brings together zombies, … Continue reading Ed Wood (1994)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Directed by Luis Bunuel I'm not sure when I first noticed that something was up in The Exterminating Angel, but it's clear something is afoot long before the dinner party guests realize they are unable to leave the confines of the drawing room where they have gathered to bring the night to a close. For the wealthy … Continue reading The Exterminating Angel (1962)
The Firemen’s Ball (1967)
Directed by Milos Forman The Firemen's Ball is a tragic farce told over the course of one eventful evening. It concerns the ball organized by a group of inept firemen in honor of their former chairman, an 86 year-old man dying from a cancer he's unaware he has. When the film opens they sit around a … Continue reading The Firemen’s Ball (1967)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Directed by George A. Romero Night of the Living Dead is an admirable little independent film with a devastating effect on young audiences. It's George A. Romero's first film, and it is what created the modern zombie, all slow moving and human-devouring. The film, shot on a small budget with a cast that doubled as … Continue reading Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Directed by Jacques Demy "People only die of love in the movies." So apparently I love musicals, or at least I loved this one. Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg tells the story of two young lovers who are separated by circumstances out of their control, moving quickly through the months so that things happen very … Continue reading The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Crumb (1994)
Directed by Terry Zwigoff Crumb is a mostly uncensored look into the life and work of cartoonist Robert Crumb as he prepares to move from Northern California to the south of France, eager to get out of America. When the topic comes up in conversation with a young man behind the counter in a comic … Continue reading Crumb (1994)
