Scary but true: I really liked Edge of Darkness
If I were feeling particularly honest, I’d have to confess that I didn’t think Edge of Darkness would be any good. Director Martin Campbell did direct two of the best Bond movies in recent memory (and maybe the best one ever with Casino Royale), but the presence of Mel Gibson was a major turn-off — … Continue reading
The Birth of Burning Man
FILM: Dust and Illusions: As far as pure counterculture is concerned, few events balance popularity with cultural cachet like the Burning Man festival. Every year, thousands of artists, hedonists and general weirdos gather in the Black Rock desert for a week of almost-anything-goes celebration and creativity. Examining that sort of event objectively is no easy … Continue reading
Legion: It probably could have been better.
Here’s where self-restraint kicks in. Because it’d be easy to tear Legion apart for its near-complete lack of logic, its long stretches of non-action, its dull and poorly acted monologues and its half-assed religiousity. And to be completely honest, it’d be fun, too — trashing a movie gives a weird, almost perverse joy. But this … Continue reading
Relative quickies: Extreme Measures, Book of Eli, Pajama Men (theatre)
FILM: Extraordinary Measures (review originally from ffwdweekly.com) Extraordinary Measures is a saccharine, heartstring-tugging Hallmark card of a movie, an inspirational tale jury-rigged to provide as much cockle-warming as can be uncomfortably wedged into 105 minutes. If watching wheelchair-bound children delivering life lessons to cantankerous scientists while the soundtrack plays Eric Clapton’s “Change the World” is … Continue reading
Serious face is serious
I was idly staring at a wall of movie posters at Eau Claire the other day when it struck me that the film industry right now has a pronounced case of serious face going on. This is really nothing new — with a few badass exceptions like the Terminator: Salvation poster, studios tend to play … Continue reading
Catch-up: Avatar, Sherlock
FILM: Avatar: Honestly, I’m not sure what to say about this one that hasn’t been said better by countless other sources. It’s visually amazing, the story is trite, the sense of white guilt is suffocating, blah blah blah. James Cameron tends to aim high on spectacle and low on story, and his attempt to create … Continue reading
The Godfather
You know how something embarrasing can eventually become a point of pride? That’s what my relationship has been to The Godfather. As someone who makes his living discussing movies, it’s almost unforgivable that I wouldn’t have seen a film that, along with Citizen Kane and Casablanca, is widely considered the top acheivement in American moviemaking. … Continue reading
An interview with Terry Gilliam
When Tideland came out, you mentioned that it felt a lot like another take on Time Bandits. The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, on the other hand, explores a lot of the same ground as Munchhausen. Is that from collaborating with Charles MacEown again, or is there more to it than that? No, it’s just that … Continue reading
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
It’s only taken 26 years, but I’ve finally reached the point where I can watch an honest-to-God John Ford western. My whole life, I’ve associated John Wayne with my dad, my grandpa, and traditional ideals of masculinity that on some level I’ve always rejected. From pudgy, monster-obsessed elementary schooler to scrawny, music-obsessed hipster-about-town, I’ve never … Continue reading
The Consumption 