Directed by Eric Rohmer The film opens and closes with a shot of the same gate.  We see teenage Pauline and her 20 something cousin, Marion, going through the gate, and then at the they come back out.  It's a very simple framing device, but I always like those kinds of bookends.  They're very neat. … Continue reading Pauline at the Beach (1983)

Directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin I've only seen a handful of silent films, and I bet many people are in the same boat.  It's not easy to force yourself to sit down and watch 90 minutes of no talking.  It's an adjustment, like waiting for your ears to pop after a long flight. At first … Continue reading City Lights (1931)

Directed by Joel Potrykus Buzzard is described as Office Space on crack, and yeah, that sounds about right.  The difference though is that Peter, the American hero of Office Space, is deeply content with his life and simply doesn't care about anything.  He only begins stealing from the company because there is some hatred towards the corporation and … Continue reading Buzzard (2014)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick From the moment it begins, Full Metal Jacket lets you know that no one matters, at least not in the eyes of the military at this moment in history.  We watch as a number of unsmiling new recruits sit still while their heads are shaved.  In each shot we lose a defining … Continue reading Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock I think I've learned how to digest Hitchcock's films.  The first one I ever saw was 1954's Rear Window.  It was a good film, sure, and I could understand why it was good, but for the most part I was bored during the film.  That's really just because I'm used to modern … Continue reading The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

Directed by Peter Bogdanovich Duel and Nocturnal Animals made me afraid of a lonely highway, and Targets makes me afraid of drive-in movie theaters.  I had no idea what this film was about going in, and it's about a serial killer with a sniper.  So, just be aware of that.  Beyond the mass killings, though, this film … Continue reading Targets (1968)

The BFG is a pretty heartwarming movie, and if you haven't seen it, just watch the recent Apple holiday Frankenstein commercial.  That's basically The Big Friend Giant in a nutshell.  The story is about outsiders fitting in.  You have the orphan Sophie (Ruby Barnhill),  who becomes the adopted granddaughter of the Queen, and you have … Continue reading The BFG (2016)

Bridge of Spies had the look and feel of several movies but turned out to be none of them.  When we first meet Jim Donovan (Tom Hanks), an insurance lawyer who's tasked with defending an accused Soviet Spy (Mark Rylance), it feels like we're getting the inspiring courtroom drama in which the protagonist must stand … Continue reading Bridge of Spies (2015)

I'm trying to think about how Lincoln treats its central character.  There may be nothing spectacular to the depiction of Abraham Lincoln, but this story isn't really about him so much as the issue of slavery that he fought so hard to abolish.  Well, it's not even so much about slavery as it is the divide … Continue reading Lincoln (2012)

War Horse is a very cheesy family film about a horse.  It hits all the predictable notes designed to make you emotionally involved in the film, like the film within a film in some sort of comedy about who movies are made.  At the end of the movie, though, I found myself hoping for the reunion … Continue reading War Horse (2011)