Austrian director Michael Haneke might be one of the most provocative working in the film industry today. I’ve shied away from using the term “Hollywood” because there is nothing in Hollywood that resembles the patience exhibited my Haneke—much less the pleasure taken in keeping an audience on pins and needles, forever hinting that a boogey man will […]
Typically, obesity, illiteracy, rape, child abuse, pedophilia, and incest that results in two children for a sixteen year old girl wouldn’t even warrant a viewing and would be automatically categorized as poverty-porn designed to hyperbolically inflict guilt on the white majority in a liberal-capitalist society—see Crash. However, Precious conveys this glut of disturbing elements without diving […]
Saturday Morning Quiz: The above poster advertises: The Vatican’s rationale for requiring abstinence An ice-skating team preparing for Vancouver Thirst, a movie about Vampires Kim Jong Il’s growing fear of rong-regged women If you answered “1”, it’s not women the Vatican is worried about. “2”, she’s not wearing skates. “4”, you racist! Prior to being deemed too […]
Dear Hollywood, I have just learned that you are turning 2008’s Let the Right One In into 2010’s more economically titled Let Me In. Let me be the first—and possibly only–one to say I love this idea! Let the Right One In relies on consistently patient camera work and visual emotion, not exposition and spoken filler. There […]
I’m not one for listening intently to animals, but when one is self-disemboweling and mangy, you might as well take heed. Turn around Willem Defoe! Your unnamed wife is brandishing a grindstone and is about to fasten it to your leg after she bores a hole through your ankle with a screwdriver! I guess it […]
Characteristically, Jeff Bridges captivates the audience with his portrayal of Bad Blake, a hard-drinking, serial marrying, downward-spiraling country singer who has gone from headliner to saloon-crooner. The film’s redemption theme is not unique—it’s really kind of a rehashing of 2008’s The Wrestler — so Crazy Heart offers nothing new to the category of “man must save his […]
Orphan I’m a bit disappointed about how much I enjoyed this film — I hated the reboot of House of Wax and categorize most recent horror/suspense/thriller-type movies as bits of films that have been recycled and placed over snippets of Dvorak opera. However, the acting in Orphan is quite solid as Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgarrd hold their own. […]
The vampire mythology fascinates me. Zombies get a bad rap because their pallid skin is usually bruised and covered in sores; they lack coordination and an adequate vocabulary beyond the oft-repeated “braaaiiins,” meander wildly from side to side and often have entrails hanging from their incisors. They can’t really be blamed for this affliction — everyone goes […]
Thus far, Jason Reitman is three for three and has managed to make the dramedy relevant again. In Thank You For Smoking and Juno, Reitman tackles the tobacco industry and teenage pregnancy without beating the audience over the head with the righteous stick or presenting epiphanies that change the characters from concrete villains to saccharine heroes. His […]
As the first decade of this millennium passes, there’s a focus on the “best of” well, everything. Can’t say I’m above this: in a previous post, I ranked the last ten Best Picture winners, and I’m currently working on an article that ranks the days of the week (screw Thursday). Why Thursday you ask? Well, because […]