Directed by Kent Jones In some ways, at least from a poor description of the plot, this is a slasher movie. It might not seem that way, definitely not from the trailer, but it is. Diane tells the quiet story of a woman caring for friends and family, some already dying, some soon to die … Continue reading Diane (2018)
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It’s Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (1988)
Directed by Richard Linklater In his first film, Richard Linklater plays an aimless young man who wanders the western half of the country with no specific destination. He begins in Austin, then spends time in Montana and California and plenty of time on trains in between. His journey, in its own way, is like that … Continue reading It’s Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (1988)
Metropolis (1927)
Directed by Fritz Lang Alright so here are the influences of Metropolis that I've gathered thus far: C-3PO, the name of Superman's city, Dark City (1998), Logan's Run (1976), Brazil (1985), Blade Runner (1982), Minority Report (2002), really any sci-fi movie, the use of the "Schüfftan Process" (to combine miniature models and people in the same shot), the … Continue reading Metropolis (1927)
3 Faces (2018)
Directed by Jafar Panahi 3 Faces opens with cell phone footage of a young girl's call for help. She lives in a remote Iranian village with hopes of studying at an acting conservatory in Tehran. Her family, notably her brother, can't stand the idea, and they marry her off in hopes she'll abandon such dreams. … Continue reading 3 Faces (2018)
The Legend of Cocaine Island (2018)
Directed by Theo Love The Legend of Cocaine Island has a lot in common with another recent docudrama, 2018's American Animals. Near the beginning of both movies we're told that the assorted narrators here are unreliable, a framing device which never detracts from the quality of the story and which enables the filmmakers to take their … Continue reading The Legend of Cocaine Island (2018)
The Palm Beach Story (1942)
Directed by Preston Sturges The characters of The Palm Beach Story are both practical and delusional. They tirelessly seek various fortunes, both financial and spiritual, but do so through the most inane of means, which is a given for a comedy such as this. The character, it seems, must be consumed by the task before them, … Continue reading The Palm Beach Story (1942)
The Weather Man (2005)
Directed by Gore Verbinski The Weather Man is about Dave Spritz’s (Nicolas Cage) general disaffection with life, both personal and professional, and his plan to escape through a “very American accomplishment,” to become the national weatherman on “Hello America,” a program very much meant to resemble “Good Morning America” or “The Today Show.” Dave is … Continue reading The Weather Man (2005)
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011)
Directed by Mark & Jay Duplass Some movies shove intimacy into plot because it seems like they have to. The Duplass brothers do the inverse. Their movies are all about the eventual, revealing quiet moments between two characters, and everything else is constructed just to deliver those moments. Jeff, Who Lives at Home finds several … Continue reading Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Directed by Norman Jewison In the Heat of the Night tackled overt racism in a small Southern town at a time when to do such a thing was a bit of a risk (in contrast to, for example, 2018's Green Book). In Sparta, Missouri a young Philadelphia cop, Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) finds himself pulled into … Continue reading In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Halloween (2018)
Directed by David Gordon Green Halloween turns Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) into a hunter on the 40th anniversary of the events of the original Halloween. She barricades herself in a cabin fortress somewhere in the woods, prepared for the day Michael Myers would come back for her. Whether she fears it or is excited … Continue reading Halloween (2018)
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