Directed by Arthur Penn A film noir with shades of Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye and Roman Polanski's Chinatown, Night Moves is a Los Angeles-based detective story in which the private eye hero finds himself in over his head in a convoluted plot wherein nothing is as it seems. In contrast with those other two films, with finales … Continue reading Night Moves (1975)
Month: April 2019
Le Samourai (1967)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville Le Samourai, like its main character, a contract killer named Jef Costello (Alain Delon), is precise. We watch Costello over the course of a few days as he carries out a hit in stoic, rehearsed fashion and then evades both the law and the mysterious people who hired him. This is a … Continue reading Le Samourai (1967)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg "Stop feeding on me!" Minutes into Cool Hand Luke, Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) is arrested for drunkenly cutting off the tops of parking meters. When the police catch him he doesn't run, just smiles. Then he suddenly finds himself on a chain gang, with no real hurry to get out. Luke's crime … Continue reading Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Capote (2005)
Directed by Bennett Miller Self-destruction is at the heart of Capote, a film about the friendship between an author and a death row inmate. The film chronicles Truman Capote's relationship with Perry Smith during his research and writing of his famous nonfiction crime novel, In Cold Blood, his final and most famous novel. Like with a movie like Dead … Continue reading Capote (2005)
In Cold Blood (1967)
Directed by Richard Brooks In Cold Blood is the adaptation of Truman Capote's famous nonfiction crime novel by the same name, documenting the slaughter of a Kansas family of four by two men named Dick and Perry. These two killers are the focus of the film, though we do spend some time with those doing … Continue reading In Cold Blood (1967)
Dumbo (2019)
Directed by Tim Burton Dumbo, like its young elephant, has a tough time getting going. The opening moments of the film, aside from a deliriously wonderful and very Tim Burton montage, are loaded with exposition, both in the text and subtext. It sets up characters with frustrating flaws if only because they're so transparent and eager … Continue reading Dumbo (2019)
Selma (2014)
Directed by Ava DuVernay I often have a hard time breaking down a film like Selma, parsing apart the importance of the film's message with the way it's handled and the ways it attempts to engage the audience. Some films lead with a heavy hand, announcing their importance before we meet the characters involved, but others, … Continue reading Selma (2014)
The Beach Bum (2019)
Directed by Harmony Korine Moondog (Matthew McConaughey) bums around the Florida keys, writing poetry infused into his brain by a lifestyle lived through his loins and out of his mind. He's drunk and/or high all the time and never experiences a hangover, at least none that we ever see. He's full of pithy wisdom, a … Continue reading The Beach Bum (2019)
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
Directed by Ed Wood Jr. Plan 9 From Outer Space, once dubbed the worst movie ever made, combines Cold War era fear mongering with gothic era horror and a forced message about man's capability to self-destruct. All of these ideas, in their own way, offer something of value, but it is poorly held together, bursting at … Continue reading Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
Cemetery of Splendor (2015)
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul All of time unfolds at once in Cemetery of Splendor, or at least you get that impression. The story follows Jen, a volunteer nurse in a displaced hospital, now located in what was once a childhood classroom of hers. The space is temporary, with construction well underway just outside the window, soon … Continue reading Cemetery of Splendor (2015)
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