Directed by Milos Forman The Firemen's Ball is a tragic farce told over the course of one eventful evening. It concerns the ball organized by a group of inept firemen in honor of their former chairman, an 86 year-old man dying from a cancer he's unaware he has. When the film opens they sit around a … Continue reading The Firemen’s Ball (1967)
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Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Directed by George A. Romero Night of the Living Dead is an admirable little independent film with a devastating effect on young audiences. It's George A. Romero's first film, and it is what created the modern zombie, all slow moving and human-devouring. The film, shot on a small budget with a cast that doubled as … Continue reading Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Directed by Jacques Demy "People only die of love in the movies." So apparently I love musicals, or at least I loved this one. Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg tells the story of two young lovers who are separated by circumstances out of their control, moving quickly through the months so that things happen very … Continue reading The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Crumb (1994)
Directed by Terry Zwigoff Crumb is a mostly uncensored look into the life and work of cartoonist Robert Crumb as he prepares to move from Northern California to the south of France, eager to get out of America. When the topic comes up in conversation with a young man behind the counter in a comic … Continue reading Crumb (1994)
Night Moves (1975)
Directed by Arthur Penn A film noir with shades of Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye and Roman Polanski's Chinatown, Night Moves is a Los Angeles-based detective story in which the private eye hero finds himself in over his head in a convoluted plot wherein nothing is as it seems. In contrast with those other two films, with finales … Continue reading Night Moves (1975)
Le Samourai (1967)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville Le Samourai, like its main character, a contract killer named Jef Costello (Alain Delon), is precise. We watch Costello over the course of a few days as he carries out a hit in stoic, rehearsed fashion and then evades both the law and the mysterious people who hired him. This is a … Continue reading Le Samourai (1967)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg "Stop feeding on me!" Minutes into Cool Hand Luke, Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) is arrested for drunkenly cutting off the tops of parking meters. When the police catch him he doesn't run, just smiles. Then he suddenly finds himself on a chain gang, with no real hurry to get out. Luke's crime … Continue reading Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Capote (2005)
Directed by Bennett Miller Self-destruction is at the heart of Capote, a film about the friendship between an author and a death row inmate. The film chronicles Truman Capote's relationship with Perry Smith during his research and writing of his famous nonfiction crime novel, In Cold Blood, his final and most famous novel. Like with a movie like Dead … Continue reading Capote (2005)
In Cold Blood (1967)
Directed by Richard Brooks In Cold Blood is the adaptation of Truman Capote's famous nonfiction crime novel by the same name, documenting the slaughter of a Kansas family of four by two men named Dick and Perry. These two killers are the focus of the film, though we do spend some time with those doing … Continue reading In Cold Blood (1967)
Dumbo (2019)
Directed by Tim Burton Dumbo, like its young elephant, has a tough time getting going. The opening moments of the film, aside from a deliriously wonderful and very Tim Burton montage, are loaded with exposition, both in the text and subtext. It sets up characters with frustrating flaws if only because they're so transparent and eager … Continue reading Dumbo (2019)
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