Upon consulting Alex Ross Perry, writer and director of “Listen Up Philip”, I immediately sighed, “oh that guy!”. He also wrote and directed “Color Wheel” which if you’ve never seen that film, rent it and buckle up, surely you’ll say, “Never saw that before!” Then again, if you’re a Game of Thrones fan, maybe you… Continue reading Disgruntled and Disillusioned: Listen Up Philip
While We’re Young; a six cheek pincher
Noah Baumbach’s writing and directorial oeuvre is impressive. If you’ve never seen Greenberg, The Squid in the Whale, or Frances Ha, get thee to a Netflix account pronto…or go to the theater and see his latest “While We’re Young” which is of a similar stature. Every main character was believable (Watts, Stiller, Seyfried, Driver) and… Continue reading While We’re Young; a six cheek pincher
Happy Christmas Justified
Looking out my window in Upstate New York this morning, my car window was covered with snow. I lost the opportunity, though contemplated it, of writing in the snow: Spring break ends? Hence, I was justified in watching Joe Swanberg’s “Happy Christmas” who I found out about via Marc Maron’s podcast. While I enjoyed hearing… Continue reading Happy Christmas Justified
Red Army: Slap Shot-esque Stokholm Syndrome
I knew I liked Gabe Polsky’s quirky documentary on Russian hockey player Viacheslav Fetisov for a reason. He’s got that Werner Herzog idiosyncratic eye and ear that captures the odd ball in us all. Red Army traces Viacheslav’s rise from Russian youth hockey to the Olympics and beyond. When he requests to play for the… Continue reading Red Army: Slap Shot-esque Stokholm Syndrome
Wild Tales, my subtitle: It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
The Oscars and Time Magazine agreed, nominating Wild Tales for best foreign film and claiming it as one of 2014’s best movies respectively. I don’t disagree though I have a tough time with gratuitous man on man violence. I just can’t bear to watch or listen to the punching, hitting, etc. In Wild Tales, one… Continue reading Wild Tales, my subtitle: It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
What We Do in the Shadows
Rhys Darby Probably “What We Do in the Shadows” is the most obscure title of all time, as it gives no hint that it’s a mockumentary about Vampires. “Stakes” would have even been better. (*when one of the writer’s last names has the funny words of wait titi, there’s no excuse for an unfunny title:)… Continue reading What We Do in the Shadows
Leviathan, tis the season
I was thinking how depressing a movie Leviathan (direcetd by Andrey Zvyagintsev) is, not depressing in the, ‘Boy do I feel melancholia!”, but more of a super realist/pragmatist life reference. Yet, isn’t that what our pre-Easter/mid lent period is all about? Suffering and self-denial leading up to the…ta-da!- resurrection. But I digress. Leviathan was up… Continue reading Leviathan, tis the season
Peaks and Valleys: The Imitation Game and 50 Shades of Grey
There’s no connection between these two films. Though my opinion going in was reversed in both cases. I thought The Imitation Game would be maudlin historical fiction, but due to Benedict Cumberbatch’s genuine portrayal and Kiera Knightley fantastic as his beard, I was truly moved. I don’t, however, think it was best picture worthy and… Continue reading Peaks and Valleys: The Imitation Game and 50 Shades of Grey
Oscar Comments and New Domain Name Coming Soon
The comment I like best about the best picture Oscar going to Birdman is, “it’s a shallow movie attempting to be deep.’ And as stated in my blog on Birdman, the movie could have been a triumph for Michael Keaton, surely an aging man (or woman) in crisis is worthy of dramatic rendering. But, instead,… Continue reading Oscar Comments and New Domain Name Coming Soon
Force Majeure and Brene`Brown’s The Courage to Be Vulnerable
Force Majeure is so original that I wonder why it’s missing from Oscar’s best foreign films nominations. The acting and sound design were impeccable. And while running this morning, listening to NPR’s On Being, I realized the importance of an important theme that may be lost in the shuffle of the film’s moral question: when… Continue reading Force Majeure and Brene`Brown’s The Courage to Be Vulnerable