Directed by James Gray Ad Astra is a little bit like Apocalypse Now in space. It's the story of an astronaut following in his father's footsteps as he tracks him down, all the way from Earth to Neptune. He has only memories of his father as well as the stories he is told, about how he has … Continue reading Ad Astra (2019)
brad pitt
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is a sentimental, Linklater-esque nostalgia dream tinged at the edges with a brooding darkness. These are all qualities absorbed through observation rather than any dictated narration, with the sun-bleached scene established through images of characters driving peacefully through Los Angeles, listening to the radio and … Continue reading Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)
Meet Joe Black (1998)
Directed by Martin Brest Death is quite sultry and naive in Meet Joe Black, perhaps the most unlikely three hour movie of all time. Brad Pitt plays a young, frosted tip'd enthusiastic man in a coffee shop who lights on fire the world of Susan Parrish (Claire Forlani). Then he gets hit by a car and … Continue reading Meet Joe Black (1998)
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)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Directed by Andrew Dominik The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is an audacious title, right? It reads like a newspaper headline in all caps, and the two and a half hour film is broken up with narration from the point of view of an unknown journalist or biographer. The story accelerates … Continue reading The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
I Shot Jesse James (1949)
Directed by Sam Fuller I Shot Jesse James makes a melodrama out of Robert Ford's decision to kill famed outlaw Jesse James. Ford shoots James early in the film, hoping to reap the bounty placed on his head so that he can settle down with Cynthy, the woman he loves. After the murder, Ford watches … Continue reading I Shot Jesse James (1949)
