As far back as we go, we’ve been making copies of ourselves. Whether for historical record, communication or art, recreating the self through imagery is literally as old humanity itself. Barf. Now, what does that intro – which I would label as ‘too grand’ on a college paper I’m grading – have to do with the masterful first seven shots (and the following fifteen that make up the fantastic three minute and twenty second opening sequence) of M. Night Shyamalan’s SIGNS?
A lot.
Posted in Uncategorized
Pixar’s shorts have a long history– even longer than their features, actually. And with the release of Brave comes the release of La Luna, the twenty or thirty-somethingth short film from the animation studio, depending on what you consider canon. There are the theatrical shorts and home entertainment shorts, as well as the series of Cars Toons and Toy Story Toons.
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Posted in Dailies
Tagged animated short, Animation, film, film review, movies, pixar, pixar shorts, short films, shorts
Once again, the issue being debated has been broken down into two sides; those for post-credit scenes and those against post-credit scenes. I’m actually going to take the middle-ground even if that makes me look flip-floppy or weak or who cares. So what exactly is my middling position? Some post-credit scenes are great, some are meh and some are terrible. Just like movies.
Posted in Dailies
Without spending too many words because too many have been spent already, the problem with ‘Vulgar Auteurism’ as a theoretical movement is not so much its goals as it is a fundamental misunderstanding of auteur theory.
Posted in Critical Analysis
Tagged andrew sarris, auteur, auteur theory, auteurism, francois truffault, tony scott, vulgar auteurism
The third film in a series always carries with it that extra bit of pressure. Ever since George Lucas’ original Star Wars saga, the idea of a movie trilogy has been put on a pedestal even though third installments are rarely any good and/or don’t actually signal the end of the series. While there is still some doubt surrounding whether or not Iron Man 3 will mark the last solo effort for this incarnation of the Marvel hero, Shane Black’s first foray into comic book movies is not only one of the best third installments of any film franchise but also the best in the Iron Man series.
Posted in Review
Tagged IM3, Iron Man 3, marvel, Robert Downey Jr., Shane Black, The Avengers
The Dardenne brothers, Luc and Jean-Pierre, have been making award-winning films in Belgium for a few decades, however, they haven’t really managed to make their presence felt in North America outside the shelves of dedicated cinephiles. The two time Palme d’Or-winning duo did receive their second Independent Spirit Award nomination last year for The Kid with the Bike but it’s past time the pair received an invite to the Academy Awards. Only to direct more people to their work.
Posted in Dailies
DR. STRANGELOVE: OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB for its brilliantly irreverent screenplay and Stanley Kubrick’s sharp direction. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND because of Charlie Kaufman’s inventive script and Michel Gondry’s low-fi special effect magic. THE LONG GOODBYE sates my love of the noir and then there’s Robert Altman’s fluid style and groundbreaking sound. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS is the work of true auteur and genius Wes Anderson, where everything is beautiful from the words to the compositions. And, finally, DIE HARD because it is the best action movie ever made with flawless set-pieces and great characters. Yippee-ki-yay, MFers!
Posted in Rushes
Tagged Die Hard, dr strangelove, eternal sunshine, royal tenenbaums, the long goodbye
Twelve Years a Slave boasts one of the most impressive casts of any upcoming feature and Steve McQueen seems content adding even more big names. Or big names are just happy to join the acclaimed director’s third film. Either way, Benedict Cumberbatch is the newest star to board the adaptation that already features Michael Fassbender (McQueen’s Hunger and Shame muse), Chiwetel Ejiofor and Brad Pitt.
To be perfectly honest, these lists are kind of arbitrary. Actually, they are most definitely arbitrary and yet, people always get butt-hurt over other people’s choices or rules. I like to do them because they are just a good bit of fun and it’s also nice to take a few moments to reflect on films I found very special each year. Since this is my top ten of 2011, we’ll be playing by my rules. They are simple. Any film released theatrically (or on VOD) in 2011 is fair game. Pretty standard and straightforward yeah?
There are most definitely many great films I missed that may have made this list as well as many more that easily could have taken a spot from one of the ten below – 50/50, Take Shelter, Young Adult, MI:4 Ghotocol, Warrior, Kung Fu Panda 2, The Adventures of Tintin, Captain America, Senna and Rango. However, I can’t see everything and not every great film can make the final ten. I don’t know about you but I think this year offered a pretty solid slate of flicker shows. And on that note, here are the films I’m calling the top ten of 2011…
Posted in Review
Tagged films, girl with the dragon tattoo, hugo, movies, project nim, tinker tailor soldier spy, top 10 2011, top ten 2011
There’s an ever common phrase in cultural discourse that goes something like ‘such-and-such is a work of art that defies description.’ Or classification. Or definition. Or any number of vague excuses that tell you more about the critic’s lack of understanding (or engagement) with the material than it does about the actual piece of work. That being said, Kill List is a film that defies description. It is not only extremely difficult to pin down or label but it also it nearly impossible to go into any detail as to not spoil the, uh, fun. Therefore, I don’t fault others for relying on the safety of cliche crutches and/or ambiguous classifications. Let’s just start with this, you should definitely go see it but only if you’ve got a few days after to think about it [by think, read: obsess].
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Posted in Review
Tagged ben wheatley, film festivals, hit men, horror, kill list, neil maskell, review, tiff, viff
Friscalating Dusklight 