Directed by Ethan Hawke Blaze is a biopic about a musician not many people have heard of. In interviews Ethan Hawke has explained how the life of Blaze Foley is a lens through which to view anonymity and, in particular, artists who never "make it" in the conventional sense. Blaze Foley's (Ben Dickey) story is … Continue reading Blaze (2018)
Month: October 2018
Zama (2017)
Directed by Lucrecia Martel It's hard to know what to make of Zama, at least on a first glance. On the surface it reminded me of movies like A Field in England (2013) and, by the end, Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) or Fitzcarraldo (1982). These are all movies set predominantly outdoors, in some aspect of the wildness … Continue reading Zama (2017)
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Directed by Tony Richardson Colin Smith (Tom Courtenay) grows more rebellious after his father passes away, and an eventual robbery lands him in a juvenile detention center that doubles as an all-boys boarding school. There he demonstrates an unmatched athletic ability that excites the adults who run the school and offers him special privilege over … Continue reading The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Midnight Run (1988)
Directed by Martin Brest Midnight Run is Planes, Trains and Automobiles plus Robert De Niro. There's also a little Rat Race thrown in too as a number of different people all have their sights on a single man transported across the country. De Niro plays Jack Walsh, a formed Chicago cop who now works as a bounty hunter based … Continue reading Midnight Run (1988)
Mother! (2017)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky In Mother! an idyllic countryside home is descended upon by unwelcome outsiders. Inside the home live a man and a woman (Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lawrence), a happy young (when you average their ages) couple. He is a poet struggling with writer's block, and she is the one putting the once decrepit house … Continue reading Mother! (2017)
45 Years (2015)
Directed by Andrew Haigh 45 Years takes place over the course of a week, but for Kate Mercer (Charlotte Rampling) it feels like an eternity. That's because a woman from husband Geoff's (Tom Courtenay) past will resurface, even if only in spirit, raising questions about the foundation of their marriage, 45 years earlier. There is … Continue reading 45 Years (2015)
Paddington 2 (2017)
Directed by Paul King Goddamn this is one sweet movie, and Paddington, like Fred Rogers, is someone we would all be lucky to have in our own lives. He's a talking bear who lives with a human family in a small London neighborhood where everyone knows and loves him. He's a delightful character who sees the … Continue reading Paddington 2 (2017)
The Rider (2017)
Directed by Chloé Zhao The Rider tells a vaguely fictional story, using nonprofessional actors to play a version of themselves and pulling from stories in their own lives. The story follows Brady Blackburn (Brady Jandreau), a young cowboy who has just suffered a traumatic head injury from bronc riding. His journey will be one of self-reflection … Continue reading The Rider (2017)
Phenomenon (1996)
Directed by Jon Turtletaub There's a little It's a Wonderful Life in the small-town melodrama Phenomenon, starring a guy (John Travolta) who surely wouldn't have been offered the role were it not for the success of 1994's Pulp Fiction. Travolta plays an affable and affectionately dull mechanic named George Malley. He's very, very much an everyman, purposefully so in … Continue reading Phenomenon (1996)
Hanna (2011)
Directed by Joe Wright “Fairy tales to me are never happy, sweet stories. They’re moral stories about overcoming the dark side and the bad. I find it ironic that happy endings now are called fairytale endings because there’s nothing happy about most fairytale endings.” - Joe Wright Hanna is a modern day, action fairytale that … Continue reading Hanna (2011)
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