Directed by Steven Soderbergh The Limey has the feel of an old French film from the 1960s, something like Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, Francois Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player or Louis Malle's Elevator to the Gallows. What I remember most about those films is the gun, the non-conventional editing and an ending that doesn't always offer you what you want … Continue reading The Limey (1999)
Month: May 2018
Life Itself (2014)
Directed by Steve James Life Itself chronicles the career and life of famed film critic Roger Ebert. The documentary is directed by Steve James who made the four year odyssey of Hoop Dreams, another Chicago-set story and a film which Ebert himself was very fond of. The documentary begins by acknowledging Ebert's recent passing, but then … Continue reading Life Itself (2014)
The Informant! (2009)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh The Informant! is a prime example of an unreliable narrator. I mean, that goes without saying. Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) lies about everything over the course of this story. He lies to the company for whom he works, ADM, he lies to the FBI, and by the end of the film we … Continue reading The Informant! (2009)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
Directed by Miguel Arteta An insurance convention takes place in Cedar Rapids, the second most populated state in Iowa, and for the people flying into town, it might as well be Las Vegas. As one woman says, "what I do in Cedar Rapids, it stays here." The movie frames the setting in such a way … Continue reading Cedar Rapids (2011)
Gaslight (1940)
Directed by Thorold Dickinson Gaslight is a thriller about the stress of marriage, at least when your husband is a murderous thief intent on convincing you that you need to be institutionalized. The story takes place in a small British neighborhood, where a newlywed couple, Paul and Bella Mallen, move in years after the murder … Continue reading Gaslight (1940)
Contagion (2011)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh Contagion is an attempt at deadly realism, tracking a disease with about a 25% mortality rate over the course of a few months and through several different continents. The film jumps between countries and characters, tracking those affected and those responsible for coming up with a cure to a virus which … Continue reading Contagion (2011)
The Steel Helmet (1951)
Directed by Samuel Fuller The Steel Helmet is Samuel Fuller's anti-war propaganda film, the first made about the Korean War. It's a small-scale film following a group of ragtag soldiers who barricade themselves inside a Buddhist temple. That temple allows the characters to renew their vows to America, so to speak. Set in Korea, where … Continue reading The Steel Helmet (1951)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Directed by Howard Hawks Bringing Up Baby is a screwball romantic comedy between a paleontologist and the free spirit daughter of a wealthy family. In other words its Ross and Rachel. Cary Grant plays David Huxley, the button-down, stressed-out paleontologist, and Katharine Hepburn plays Susan Vance, the reckless, lovestruck niece of the woman David hopes to … Continue reading Bringing Up Baby (1938)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Directed by Andrew Dominik The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is an audacious title, right? It reads like a newspaper headline in all caps, and the two and a half hour film is broken up with narration from the point of view of an unknown journalist or biographer. The story accelerates … Continue reading The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Little Hours (2017)
Directed by Jeff Baena Little Hours is a story loosely adapted from a 14th century novella written by Giovanni Boccaccio, not that I know who that is. The movie is set in that same century, complete with a period piece setting, garb and ways of life. Everything is accurate, I assume, to that time period … Continue reading Little Hours (2017)
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