Directed by Sam Peckinpah When I finally got the DVD for Straw Dogs, it came with a large watermark that said, in all caps, "BANNED IN THE UK." This is a violent movie that is likely only this well-known over 40 years later because of that violence, as the marketing reflects. The film is about two … Continue reading Straw Dogs (1971)
Month: March 2018
Stalag 17 (1953)
Directed by Billy Wilder [EDIT: This is a long, rambling review as I try to figure out what Stalag 17 is really about. By the end I decide it's about the postwar conditions of the 1950s, specifically the red scare. It takes me a while to get there, and I still might be completely missing the … Continue reading Stalag 17 (1953)
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Directed by Errol Morris The Thin Blue Line is a documentary about the murder of a Dallas police officer and the wrongful conviction of Randall Adams for that murder. Like Errol Morris' previous two documentaries (which I adore), there is no narration, even though this is one of those true crime stories that have become … Continue reading The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Directed by John Frankenheimer Birdman of Alcatraz is a little too long. That's my first thought. I can only listen to the soothing musings of Burt Lancaster for so long, and with this movie I started to tune him out at around the 100 minute mark. Lancaster plays Robert Stroud, a murderer quick to anger. … Continue reading Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Gates of Heaven (1978)
Directed by Errol Morris Gates of Heaven, Errol Morris' first documentary, was destined for obscurity until Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel chose to champion the film, with Ebert putting it as one of his top ten films of all time. Like his follow up, Vernon, Florida, this documentary is composed of a series of interviews with recurring … Continue reading Gates of Heaven (1978)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Shadow of a Doubt, like Hitchcock's Suspicion (1941), is about the deconstruction of myth, to some extent. They are similar films, following one character's increasing paranoia that someone they love is a monster. In the former, Joan Fontaine begins to worry that the man she married, played by Cary Grant, has … Continue reading Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Vernon, Florida (1981)
Directed by Errol Morris [EDIT: After I wrote about this movie I learned that Morris' original intention was to go to Vernon, Florida because of its reputation as "Nub City," a town full of maimed people who amputated their own limbs as part of an insurance scam. The town had by far the highest number … Continue reading Vernon, Florida (1981)
The Post (2017)
Directed by Steven Spielberg Is it okay to call Steven Spielberg underrated? The Post was rushed into production and has mostly gone unnoticed with only the requisite attention because of the Oscar-bait quality of the film as well as the trifecta of Spielberg, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. It's a period piece with occasionally heavy-handed messages … Continue reading The Post (2017)
Bowling For Columbine (2002)
Directed by Michael Moore Michael Moore's Bowling For Columbine tackles the gun issue in America. Made 16 years ago, it is just as relevant, really more so, today. Moore uses Columbine as a jumping off point, though it's certainly not the focus of the film. Really it is the last straw, or should have been, in … Continue reading Bowling For Columbine (2002)
The Producers (1967)
Directed by Mel Brooks It helps to know the climate into which The Producers was born and released. It's a lowbrow comedy with a series of jokes both vulgar and cheap, and the utter disbelief audiences may have had could be lost on modern audiences because of the insane amount of lowbrow comedies released since. This … Continue reading The Producers (1967)
I Draw on My Wall 