Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville Bob le Flambeur feels familiar. It's a casino heist movie that surely influenced Ocean's 11 (1960), complete with the methodically constructed plan and the suave, comforting criminal of a lead character. Once that plan is put in motion, however, it begins to slowly unravel until you can see the eventual failure from miles … Continue reading Bob le Flambeur (1956)
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Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Directed by Mike Figgis We get right to the point with the romance between Ben and Sera (Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue) in Leaving Las Vegas. One is an alcoholic, and the other is a prostitute. They've both moved to Las Vegas following disappointing or unsustainable lives in Los Angeles. You get the sense that try as … Continue reading Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Lost Highway (1997)
Directed by David Lynch Some movies take time to grow on you. Whether because of theme, character or otherwise, there's something that stays on your mind long after the viewing, something you obsess over or admire days, weeks later. A David Lynch movie might fit in this category, as films like Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Dr. are … Continue reading Lost Highway (1997)
Secret Honor (1984)
Directed by Robert Altman A Robert Altman movie typically features large, ensemble casts with overlapping, occasionally improvised dialogue, and an emphasis on the energy of a room over one particular individual. The best of these might be Nashville (1975), a sprawling film which covers too many characters to remember and ends on a somber note celebrating … Continue reading Secret Honor (1984)
The Cooler (2003)
Directed by Wayne Kramer Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) has rotten luck in The Cooler, but when he meets Natalie (Maria Bello), things start to turn around. This is a problem because Bernie's job depends on his poor luck. Nicknamed the "cooler," Bernie haunts the floors of a Las Vegas casino, directed to specific tables in … Continue reading The Cooler (2003)
Point Blank (1967)
Directed by John Boorman Lee Marvin works on autopilot, but in a good way, in John Boorman's Point Blank. He scowls and leers his way through a revenge mission, playing the part of the ghost everyone assumes him to be after he was once left for dead. Marvin plays Walker, a man who is a little … Continue reading Point Blank (1967)
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
Directed by John Sturges In Bad Day at Black Rock, Spencer Tracy plays John Macreedy, a fish out of water in an almost unbelievably tiny town somewhere in the American southwest. His arrival itself threatens the insular town, and even when he realizes his life is at risk he maintains his cool, fighting fire with long … Continue reading Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
Solaris (2002)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh Solaris is a remake of the Andrei Tarkovsky film of the same name. Like the original it is a philosophical science-fiction story that takes its time and might put off certain viewers who want Alien more than they're looking for the final thirty minutes of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The story follows psychologist … Continue reading Solaris (2002)
Hard Eight (1996)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson Hard Eight, Paul Thomas Anderson's first feature film, is a beautiful crime film about a mysterious guardian angel named Sydney (Philip Baker Hall). The word that comes to mind when I think about this film is 'lurid,' and I'm not exactly sure why. I'm not even exactly sure what the … Continue reading Hard Eight (1996)
The Limey (1999)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh The Limey has the feel of an old French film from the 1960s, something like Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, Francois Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player or Louis Malle's Elevator to the Gallows. What I remember most about those films is the gun, the non-conventional editing and an ending that doesn't always offer you what you want … Continue reading The Limey (1999)
