film

Essays, comments, and asides (as well as witty one-liners) about film or cinema.

Psychology or Demonic Influence: Ari Aster’s “Hereditary” (2018)

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.

2023-03-24
On Film, Movies, Cinema

Cultural Consumption, 2022-Style! Best of!

The best books and films of 2022, some description thereof, as well as a few of the worst.

2022-12-31
Monthly Reading, Viewing Report

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.”

2022-11-29
On Film, Movies, Cinema Confessions of a Bad Movie Watcher

Female Friends: Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s "Happy Hour" (2015)

Three curiosities about the lovely 2015 Ryusuke Hamaguchi film about female friendship, "Happy Hour"

2022-11-15
Idle Reflections On Film, Movies, Cinema

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.

2022-07-23
Viewing Journal On Film, Movies, Cinema

Powerful May Reading, Viewing: 2022 edition

May reading and viewing of Ashley Vaught in 2022. Best of: "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia, "Dubliners", and "Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy" by Ryusuke Hamaguchi

2022-06-02
Monthly Reading, Viewing Report

Narcoleptically Read & Watched: April 2022

How do you read and watch narcoleptically? Binging series and reading sparingly, here and there.

2022-05-04
Monthly Reading, Viewing Report

“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.

2022-03-23
On Film, Movies, Cinema Confessions of a Bad Movie Watcher

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.

2022-02-22
On Film, Movies, Cinema Viewing Journal

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.

2021-10-17
On Film, Movies, Cinema Viewing Journal

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.

2021-09-20
On Film, Movies, Cinema Viewing Journal

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.

2021-07-26
On Film, Movies, Cinema Confessions of a Bad Movie Watcher

“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.

2021-06-27
On Film, Movies, Cinema Viewing Journal

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.

2021-04-11
Viewing Journal On Film, Movies, Cinema

“Marauders” (on Netflix now) is Sooooo Bad

The 2016 film “Marauders” is a gunplay and bank robbery story that is not so bad that it’s good.

2020-12-04
On Film, Movies, Cinema Confessions of a Bad Movie Watcher

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film

Psychology or Demonic Influence: Ari Aster’s “Hereditary” (2018)

Cultural Consumption, 2022-Style! Best of!

Realism Lite: “Midnight Run” (1988)

Female Friends: Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s "Happy Hour" (2015)

Peter Weir’s “The Plumber” (1979) Leaves Uncertain

Powerful May Reading, Viewing: 2022 edition

Narcoleptically Read & Watched: April 2022

“Night Hunter” (2018) is no “Night of the Hunter” (1955)

Stanley Kubrick’s “The Killing” (1956): Misanthropy Run Amok

Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies” (2010): Seeking Expiation

René Clément’s “Forbidden Games” (1952): Mourning as Indifference

Ain’t it cool?!: “John Wick” (2014)

“Collateral” (2004): Notes on Michael Mann and Modern Urban Space

Joseph Losey’s “Accident” (1967): Elliptical yet fascinating

“Marauders” (on Netflix now) is Sooooo Bad