Directed by John Boorman Hope and Glory has the same wartime sentimentality as Woody Allen's Radio Days (1987) and Samuel Fuller's The Big Red One (1981). It's a nostalgic look at the details of life, shared amongst a small group of friends or family, during a time of great strife. Though surrounded by a large-scale tragedy or … Continue reading Hope and Glory (1987)
Month: September 2018
Filmworker (2018)
Directed by Tony Zierra Leon Vitali first met Stanley Kubrick when he auditioned for Barry Lyndon (1975). He was eventually cast, and his prominence within the film opened doors for the young actor. He walked through some but then elected to come work for Kubrick on his next film, 1980's The Shining, and from then on he … Continue reading Filmworker (2018)
Unsane (2018)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh Unsane is a pulpy little thriller shot on iPhone and with strong thematic connections to the "MeToo" movement. It begins as a story about mental health, but as many of Sawyer's (Claire Foy) fears are realized, the subtext and the conversation transforms before our eyes. Sawyer has a mysterious past, something … Continue reading Unsane (2018)
The Motel (2005)
Directed by Michael Kang The Motel is a sweet little coming of age story that hits all the familiar quirky Independent movie beats but never overstays its welcome. Ernest (Jeffrey Chyau), who works at his mother's modest motel, is a thirteen year old kid burrowing straight into puberty and attracting all the trouble that such … Continue reading The Motel (2005)
Vegas Vacation (1997)
Directed by Stephen Kessler What did you expect? Vegas Vacation is fine, and that's about it. It's a later installment in the Griswold story, yet another vacation in which we revisit Clark, Ellen, Cousin Eddie and, this time, the Griswold kids who were much older than last we saw them (8 years prior) and played … Continue reading Vegas Vacation (1997)
The Train (1964)
Directed by John Frankenheimer There's a lot of deep focus in The Train and, from what I recall, other John Frankenheimer films like The Manchurian Candidate and Seven Days in May. Let's start there... These are all political films, much more about conflicts between ideologies than between individuals. We see them in deep focus, carefully staged, so that … Continue reading The Train (1964)
Camera Buff (1979)
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski "What are you filming?" "Anything that moves." A mild-mannered new father finds his true calling in the form of a film camera in Camera Buff. Filip's sudden passion is made to seem both enchanted and selfish, and his newfound joy brings great catharsis to some while alienating others. Filip's wife, Irka, is … Continue reading Camera Buff (1979)
Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
Directed by Adrian Lyne Jacob's Ladder depicts a Vietnam veteran's schizophrenia, to put it simply. We live in Jacob's (Tim Robbins) head and are privy to the nightmares he sees but which no one else believes. His story will bounce around between reality, nightmare, and flashback so often that you forget which is which. In … Continue reading Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
The Mechanic (1972)
Directed by Michael Winner Arthur Bishop (Charles Bronson) is the sommelier of death in The Mechanic. He's a contract killer who somehow attracts our empathy because of his loneliness and the tireless commitment to his job. He's an assassin, sure, but he goes to such great lengths to make sure his targets die in what look … Continue reading The Mechanic (1972)
Il Posto (1961)
Directed by Ermanno Olmi In Il Posto a Timothee Chalamet-looking young man, Domenico, reluctantly joins the working force. It's a daunting and certainly droll process that introduces him to Antonietta, another applicant for the large, unnamed and unimportant corporation. It doesn't matter what they do as long as they are paid to do it. Domenico's father … Continue reading Il Posto (1961)
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