Introductions: Frank Pierson
Frank Pierson died today. Most people probably won’t recognize the name, but he wrote two of my favorite films: Dog Day Afternoon and Cool Hand Luke. I got to hear […]
Hype(r) Drive
Lying in bed this morning, pretending it wasn’t yet time to get up, I was thinking about the way hype and enthusiasm for films (and film franchises) has crossed a […]
In Which I Pontificate Semi-Coherently on Film Criticism
There was a time when movie reviews meant something. That time is not now. Movie reviews today exist purely to voice an opinion such that it may be combined with […]
Brain Changing Movies v2
Last week, the Supreme Being was kind enough to share some thoughts on the films which remapped his neurons. Since we heard his confession, I’ve been trying to ensnare the […]
In Praise of Bad Movies
Bad movies get a bad rap. It’s said they’re incompetent, meaningless, embarassing, written in a day by a lone monkey on a single typewriter, directed by escaped mental patients, acted […]
I Am Going to Act Your Pants Off
Here’s the thing about superhero movies: masks are terrible. Yes, I understand, one must protect his or her secret identity at all costs. But if Superman can get away with […]
Slippery Fish: The Dark Knight Rises vs. Hang ’em High
It all comes down to justice. Justice and the squirrelly soul of Commissioner Gordon. That’s what I learned from first watching Hang ’em High and then mulling over The Dark Knight Rises. […]
Brain Changing Movies
Movies ate my brain! They’ve eaten yours, too. They are insidious and powerful, they crawl into your head through your eyes and ears, spin their nests out of sparking ganglia […]
The Dark Knight Also Rises
If you believe what you read on the side of buses, The Dark Knight Rises is opening on July 20th. That’s pretty soon. And after recent disappointments (cough *Prometheus* cough), I’m […]
Death By Backstory
I’ve been thinking about backstory, thanks to the Evil One’s Spiderman post, in which he points out what should be to all sentient beings blindingly obvious, that no one on […]
He Does Anything a Spider Can, Obviously
You may have noticed that The Amazing Spiderman is now in theaters. Or maybe you didn’t. Maybe you thought, “Huh. People are talking about Spiderman again. But I just saw […]
Origin Stories
Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience […]
The Color of A Scene
In the brilliant ’61 melodrama The Hustler, Paul Newman plays Fast Eddie Felson, basically a punk kid looking to make it big by playing and beating Minnesota Fats at straight […]
I Like to Watch (Part the First)
(UPDATED) I have been thinking about what makes films worth watching. There are, indubitably, a number of factors to consider: artistic merit originality entertainment value technical proficiency philosophical depth historical significance giant […]