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Shock Corridor 1963
It seems very evident to me that Fuller wanted to just point out everything wrong with America in 1963, and wrote a movie around that instead of working social commentary into a story. The plot is so haphazardly thrown together that the most interesting and relative scenes, those with the three mental patients, actually feel like out of place. So America is a madhouse and if you try to figure it out you'll go straight to hell with it. I…
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Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist 1979
Way too repetitive for a 30 minute documentary and for such a notable life. I mean, I like Old Man River as much as the next guy and the changes to it are an interesting look at his changing ideals but it almost trivializes the man when all you can come up with are scenes of him singing.
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Olympus Has Fallen 2013
What do you get when an awful movie tries its darnedest to be like a much better movie? An awful movie, duh.
The one thing Olympus Has Fallen has going for it is that its seen Die Hard way too many times. Beyond the terrible plotting, characterization and dialogue, and ignoring the nauseating amount of America back patting, are the echoes of Die Hard. Its a film I love so much that just being reminded of it is enough to almost (not even remotely close) make a movie worth my while. But not really
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Alps 2011
Yanthimos probably wasn't the man for this. Dogtooth is a film known for its bizarre emotional detachment but at the same time it really lacks any greater purpose than to be weird. The idea for Alps is one that begs for a human element and some statement on grief or relationships. Maybe the coldness of it all is making me have a hard time breaking down the film but it felt like any greater thematic weight was tossed together in the last 20 minutes. I get where he was going with the sex and power thing but its too little-too late for me.
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The Story of Film: An Odyssey 2011
I think the simplest way to say how great I thought this documentary was is that I watched 15 hours of it over the last three months and want to see 15 more. Its an intelligent, informative and very captivating summary of 120 years of artistic progression in cinema. Even at its mammoth length I feel like the surface was only brimmed, or that Cousins still has so much more to say. There's not much for me to add that…
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After the Ball 1897
They say up to 75% of silent films have been destroyed. All those fat, misshapen asses, lost, like tears in the rain.
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True Grit 2010
So when I first saw True Grit about two years ago, I made the genius decision to watch the film after not sleeping for about thirty hours. Predictably, I fell asleep about 25 minutes in, and woke up to see the last 15. For whatever reason I assumed this was enough to pass judgement on the film despite being unconscious for the majority of it and being in no state of mind to appreciate a film for the rest of…
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Louis C.K.: Live at the Beacon Theater 2011
I am a huge fan of Louie (the show) and I've enjoyed his standup in the past as well, but I think this special really teetered on the edge of overkill with his edgy, vulgar persona. I feel like I have to call it a persona, because his television show has shown me that he has a lot of emotional depth to him than what he shows on stage. He is capable of taking simple, forgettable aspects of life and…
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What We Do Is Secret 2008
What We Do Is Secret is very much a film by Germs fans for Germs fans. If you aren't really a fan (like me) then I don't think it will move you too much; if you have no tolerance for punk I doubt this would more than mildly entertain you. The best parts are just reenacting Germs shows. I'm not too familiar with Darby Crash's persona but I feel like this film captures it perfectly. The dramatic parts of the…
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Lars and the Real Girl 2007
There's an inherent absurdity to the premise of this film that makes it hard to really take the central conflict seriously. Both the entire town indulging this man's delusion and having such a simple cause and resolution to his problem is just too easy. There's a lot more depth to explore with a story like this, and although I didn't expect the film to really break down the phenomenon of RealDolls, the end result still underwhelmed
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Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid 1929
Its like a sound-era Out of the Inkwell cartoon, but with none of the charm and creativity.
