Directed by Sidney Lumet There's a little bit of Sunset Boulevard to The Morning After, a film about an alcoholic actress struggling to leave the spotlight. She meets a younger man who is instantly attracted to her. In this case, though, they also have to deal with the dead man in her bed. What makes the film … Continue reading The Morning After (1986)
Month: September 2019
Booksmart (2019)
Directed by Olivia Wilde In Booksmart two best friends decide they must make up in one night for years of neglecting to have fun. They are Molly and Amy (Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever), and it's the night before graduation. While everyone else breaks free from their final class with glee, Molly is paralyzed with resentment, having … Continue reading Booksmart (2019)
Undertow (2004)
Directed by David Gordon Green Undertow effectively captures the feeling of watching a myth unfold. It's the story of two boys on the run, somewhere in a rotting but mystical version of the Deep South, through communities of runaways, individuals looking for love, a couple navigating past tragedies, running along rivers that carry promises to … Continue reading Undertow (2004)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Directed by Robin Hardy The Wicker Man draws more of a line between the pagan cult and Christianity than I would've presumed. The story is simple, a man wanders into an unconventional community and finds that he is a sacrifice for their greater good. He would seem to be the "ordinary" one and the community … Continue reading The Wicker Man (1973)
Joe (2013)
Directed by David Gordon Green Joe is a grim, coming-of-age melodrama set in a small dying town, like that of The Last Picture Show. How anyone survives there is a mystery. For fifteen year-old Gary (Tye Sheridan), his survival will depend on an ex-con named Joe (Nicolas Cage). In so many coming-of-age movies we meet an … Continue reading Joe (2013)
Knight of Cups (2015)
Directed by Terrence Malick A Hollywood screenwriter, Rick (Christian Bale) wanders the world in search of something, like a ghost. His fragmented odyssey is similar to other Malick dreams, in which characters explore their environment alongside orchestral music, breathy voiceover and very wide angle lenses. His films are dreamy, and over time they have become … Continue reading Knight of Cups (2015)
Alex in Wonderland (1970)
Directed by Paul Mazursky In Alex in Wonderland a Hollywood director, Alex Morrison (Donald Sutherland) plays a thinly veiled Paul Mazursky, a bohemian artist who struggles in search of his next movie idea. We will dissolve into Alex's mind as he loses sense of himself, floating into and out of reality. Alex will 'meet' Federico Fellini … Continue reading Alex in Wonderland (1970)
Seconds (1966)
Directed by John Frankenheimer Seconds is a deeply paranoid film, rightly so since it's the third in John Frankenheimer's "paranoia" trilogy, following The Manchurian Candidate and Seven Days in May. Where those two films dealt with paranoia in the pursuit of power, however, this one deals with paranoia in the quest for freedom. Filmed in distorting wide angles … Continue reading Seconds (1966)
Pacific Heights (1990)
Directed by John Schlesinger A happy young couple buys up a three-unit San Francisco apartment, with just barely enough capital to get by, but has the misfortune of bringing in chaos incarnate, a man named Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton). Hayes is something of a sociopath whose methods happen to orbit real estate. He could very … Continue reading Pacific Heights (1990)
Where’d You Go, Bernadette (2019)
Directed by Richard Linklater Where'd You Go, Bernadette is a a remarkably sweet movie, one that I don't think Bernadette Fox herself (Cate Blanchett) would enjoy watching. It's a movie that on the surface seems far removed from what you might think of when you imagine a Richard Linklater movie, be it the young cocksure … Continue reading Where’d You Go, Bernadette (2019)
