Directed by Todd Phillips Joker seems to be split among critics and fans. Critics are lukewarm at best, pointing out some of the unfair representations of mental illness and the way the film borrows a whole heck of a lot from Taxi Driver and King of Comedy (and maybe Nightcrawler too), but fans just seem to love it … Continue reading Joker (2019)
Month: October 2019
Presumed Innocent (1990)
Directed by Alan J. Pakula Presumed Innocent is a sultry, falsely-accused thriller with a whole bunch of attractive ugly people. It's the story of a prosecutor, Rusty (Harrison Ford), asked to investigate the brutal murder of a colleague, Carolyn (Greta Scacchi). It's not until later that we learn more about Rusty's relationship with Carolyn, when … Continue reading Presumed Innocent (1990)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis Back to the Future Part II moves lightning fast. It takes the premise of the first film, to travel in time to change just one thing, but then ramps it up by a factor of a hundred. Doc (Christopher Lloyd) and Marty (Michael J. Fox) travel not only to the future (2015), … Continue reading Back to the Future Part II (1989)
State and Main (2000)
Directed by David Mamet State and Main has the feeling of an old 1940s screwball comedy. The dialogue is lightning fast, the problems are telegraphed from a mile away but are no less entertaining, and there's even a charming romance and ethical dilemma at the heart of it. It's about the last week of preproduction for … Continue reading State and Main (2000)
Yella (2007)
Directed by Christian Petzold Yella takes place in some sort of limbo, much like Petzold's most recent film, Transit. These characters exist just outside of any recognizable time and place, and though there are signs indicating the existence of the real, recognizable world in Yella, our main character never feels a part of it. Yella lives in … Continue reading Yella (2007)
Escape From Tomorrow (2013)
Directed by Randy Moore What's notable about Escape From Tomorrow is the story behind it. Long before it was released (until recently I wasn't even sure it was publicly available) the film was teased as something like cinematic punk rock. It was the story of people who made a feature length film in secret in Disneyland, … Continue reading Escape From Tomorrow (2013)
Back to the Future (1985)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis I suppose what makes Back to the Future so fun, beyond just that it's fun, is that it's surprisingly humanist, at least outside of Biff Tannen. It's the story of a teenager with a mad scientist best friend (their friendship is never explained, but that makes it all the better) who gets … Continue reading Back to the Future (1985)
Generation Wealth (2018)
Directed by Lauren Greenfield Generation Wealth covers a lot of territory, and I find it all riveting. It's ostensibly about overconsumption and the corrupting powers of wealth, but from there Greenfield turns the camera on herself to help tell a broader story about addiction. The impulses that drive some to dramatically alter their bodies or … Continue reading Generation Wealth (2018)
Safety Last! (1923)
Directed by Fred Newmeyer, Sam Taylor Safety Last! has perhaps the most famous shot of the silent era, that of a man, Harold Lloyd, dangling from the hands of a clock fastened to the side of a building a dozen or so stories up from the ground. That this famous shot doesn't include Charlie Chaplin or … Continue reading Safety Last! (1923)
Silent Light (2007)
Directed by Carlos Reygadas Silent Light is a terrifically beautiful film. It's slow but with intent, a patience that absorbs and envelops you, like you are turning back into the atoms which make up all of us and everything around us. Or maybe that's just the effect of many patient, meditative films, which use time, … Continue reading Silent Light (2007)
