Ari Aster’s debut feature film Hereditary (2018) plays on the devilish ambiguity articulating the affinity between the histories of demonic influence and psychological pathology.
Continue reading...On Film, Movies, Cinema
Pronounce cinema with a French accent (see-nay-mah!), movies with subtle condescension, and film with solemnity. Writings thereon.
Realism Lite: “Midnight Run” (1988)
Realism lite, how film and television suggest serious violence without actually including it, is exemplified in the 1988 buddy film “Midnight Run.”
Continue reading...Female Friends: Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s "Happy Hour" (2015)
Three curiosities about the lovely 2015 Ryusuke Hamaguchi film about female friendship, "Happy Hour"
Continue reading...2 Missing Details in Richard Linklater’s Epic Before Trilogy
The Before Trilogy is an elegant, conversational set of romantic films, notably missing some important details.
Continue reading...Peter Weir’s “The Plumber” (1979) Leaves Uncertain
In 1979 one of Peter Weir’s early films, "The Plumber," saw theatrical release. Little indicated his future.
Continue reading...“The Mandalorian” Still Stinks in Season 2
A second season has not improved Disney’s popular streaming series "The Mandalorian"
Continue reading...“Night Hunter” (2018) is no “Night of the Hunter” (1955)
"Night Hunter" (2018), a weak serial killer thriller, is no "Night of the Hunter" (1955), a film next to "Citizen Kane" (1940) in the pantheon of film history.
Continue reading...Stanley Kubrick’s “The Killing” (1956): Misanthropy Run Amok
"The Killing" makes murder a spectacle, something beautiful, peopled with a group of ne’er-do-wells whose destruction we will undoubtedly enjoy.
Continue reading...Cynthia Ozick’s “Trust”: Exegesis | Tom Hanks on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Ruminations on Cynthia Ozick’s knotty, profound prose counterposed to some armchair commentary on Tom Hanks’ eminently forgettable appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Continue reading...Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies” (2010): Seeking Expiation
In Denis Villeneuve’s 2010 film "Incendies" siblings seek a brother and father never known to deliver letters from their recently deceased mother.
Continue reading...René Clément’s “Forbidden Games” (1952): Mourning as Indifference
"Forbidden Games" (1952) tells a story of how children, uninitiated in the rituals of mourning, recognize the loss of those dearest through substitution.
Continue reading...Ain’t it cool?!: “John Wick” (2014)
The culture of the exotic, fascinating underworld thrills us in “John Wick,” not merely the well-choreographed gun-fu.
Continue reading...“Collateral” (2004): Notes on Michael Mann and Modern Urban Space
Notes on the debt to “Miami Vice,” the treatment of urban space, and stylistic gunplay in Michael Mann’s 2004 film “Collateral,” which stars Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise.
Continue reading...Joseph Losey’s “Accident” (1967): Elliptical yet fascinating
“Accident” narrates the sexual and professional tensions between an Oxford philosophy professor, his colleague, and his students, in events leading to the title event.
Continue reading...Joseph Losey’s “The Servant” (1963): Master/Slave Dialectic Demonstrated
“The Servant” takes the traditional roles between gentleman and manservant and submits them to great artistic violence.
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