Directed by Noah Baumbach Margot at the Wedding is like the disappointing sequel to Baumbach's 2005 film, The Squid and the Whale.  Margot (Nicole Kidman) uses her impressionable son Claude in her battle against her sister, Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) just like the divorcing parents of Squid used their kids like pawns in their own battle.  I only … Continue reading Margot at the Wedding (2007)

Written by Jared Bush, Phil Johnston (110 pages) *This post is based only on a reading of the script for Zootopia. LINK to the script: http://www.waltdisneystudiosawards.com/screenplay/zootopia.pdf Zootopia follows a bunny, Judy Hopps, who wants to be a police officer.  The problem, at least in her well-meaning parents' eyes, is that there has never been a bunny police officer before.  Most … Continue reading Zootopia (2016) [Script Only]

Directed by Martin Scorsese Paul (Griffin Dunne) looks exhausted by his job as a word processor when we first meet him, but by the end of the movie he is elated to be right back in his office chair, ready for the new day.  In between is some sort of nightmare in which Paul is … Continue reading After Hours (1985)

Directed by Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen I'm not a fan of musicals, in general, but that's also what a lot of people say.  It's not fair to write off an entire genre of movies due to personal tastes (though the same can't be said for country music).  And maybe it's because La La Land is still … Continue reading Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Directed by Dennis Hopper There is a long, complicated, messy story behind Easy Rider that is almost more worth discussing than the film itself.  Dennis Hopper and costar Peter Fonda both have writing credits on the film, and Hopper is listed as the director while Fonda is a producer.  But it's possible that neither of them … Continue reading Easy Rider (1969)

Directed by Barry Jenkins Moonlight opens with a long take, the camera swirling around Juan (Mahershala Ali) as he meets with someone working for his drug operation in the streets of a lesser seen part of Miami.  Without cutting, the film stitches time together in a way that suggests a degree of continuity within a movie … Continue reading Moonlight (2016)

Directed by Roman Polanski I really loved Ghost Writer the first two times I saw it, so I decided to watch it a third time when I saw it on HBO NOW.  It's a neat, fairly entertaining thriller that, after watching it this third time, feels like a noir detective story.  Polanski after all did direct … Continue reading Ghost Writer (2010)

Directed by Martin Scorsese Raging Bull is brutal, both inside the ring and out.  Robert De Niro plays boxer Jake La Motta, a jealous man with a temper and insecurity and probably some Catholic guilt.  He is managed by his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) and falls in some sort of love with a fifteen year … Continue reading Raging Bull (1980)

Directed by Robert Altman Writing about Robert Altman films frightens me.  It's like listening to someone give a passionate, gravely serious speech and then they suddenly drop a one liner that you don't realize is a one liner and you're the only one in the room not laughing.  So you prepare yourself for the next … Continue reading Nashville (1975)

Directed by Christopher Nolan Following is a very frustrating movie.  It's reminiscent of the story structure and puzzles of Nolan's other films, particularly Memento and Inception.  It's clear he likes to play with the audience and withhold information that, when finally revealed, makes you scan your brain trying to remember what has already happened in the movie. … Continue reading Following (1998)