Two Films About the Middle East – Body of Lies/Persepolis
There are three basic types of spy stories: 1) the one about the ultra-skilled professional spy who is almost always successful, e.g., James Bond; 2) the one about the civilian[…]
Category: Movies
Service Equals Citizenship!
Why should you sign up immediately with the National Guard (besides so you can sneak around the back door of the recruitment office and into Iraq?), cause you can[…]
The Frauds and the Fabulous
This month sees the DVD release of old Night Flight favorite, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FABULOUS STAINS (1981). A young Diane Lane leads the fledgling and titular punk band, which[…]
MOONTIDE, Morgan & Remorae
It’s been lowtide for good classic DVD releases since… since last freakin’ spring! Warner Brothers is dumping the dregs out like a fish peddler on a rainy Sunday night –[…]
Ten Cents a Dance!
TCM had another one of their Stanywck days today, and tivo nabbed me TEN CENTS A DANCE (1931). Stanwyck is on a great slow burn here, starting out as a[…]
Once there was a protest against a satire about a film within a film…
I’m sure this is the fifteenth thing you’ve read today about the TROPIC THUNDER scandal, vis a vis “Once upon a time, there was a retard…” but if you haven’t,[…]
Experimental & Underground · Reviews
The Eye Like a Strange Balloon (Guy Maddin 1995)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSZYkv4Ad2Q] Canadian Guy Maddin is virtually unique among contemporary filmmakers in that despite having made nine features – including The Saddest Music in the World, Brand Upon the Brain, and[…]
A Mad Tea Party – Alice in Wonderland (Jonathan Miller 1966)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrTfEk2P9nw] When it comes to Lewis Carroll adaptations, Tim Burton’s upcoming 3-D Alice has a lot of competition. The IMDB lists 24 versions of Alice in Wonderland, including Burton’s, and[…]
Getting Better All the Time: The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
But lose the red carpet
Across the Universe: Julie Taymor Made the Most Spectacular Film of the Year
Too bad nobody noticed
Ghosts of the Present: On Aditya Assarat’s Wonderful Town
“The film is both a bittersweetlove story and a memorial to the tsunami victims.”
Think Globally, Role-play Locally: On Olivier Assayas’ Thriller Boarding Gate
“Its failures are what make it sowatchable.”
Bright Sights: Recent DVDs: La Roue, The Last Emperor, Lost in Beijing, Popeye the Sailor, Satantango, Vampyr
La Roue (Abel Gance, 1922) Abel Gance’s La Roue is a wild poem of a movie. French audiences saw the film at its 1922 premiere in four parts over three[…]
Activist & Political · Reviews
Fascism, American Style: Revisiting Kazan and Schulberg’s A Face in the Crowd
“Goodnight, you stupid idiots. Goodnight, you miserable slobs.”
Where Do We Find Ourselves? John Cassavetes’ Faces Turns 40
“How can one be a maverickindependent filmmaker, and be an attentive,lovinghusband and father?”
Plumbing the Depths of Capitalism: On Force of Evil
“It was like going down to thebottom of the world”
Activist & Political · Reviews · SF & Fantasy
“Heckuva Job, Tony!” Racism and Hegemony Rage in Iron Man
Kill a few Arabs and enjoy yourcheeseburger
Music, Morricone, and Jack Nicholson’s Voice: The Soundscape of Wolf
“Suddenly my senses are all incredibly acute … I’m different, more alive, stronger … “
Iron Man Takes the “Reigns”: Robert Downey, Jr., Lookin’ Healthy
Racist and slow-moving, withoccasional cool shit
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