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Assassination Tango (2002)
Filmmaker(s): Robert Duvall

John J. is a seasoned hit man sent on a job to Argentina. When the General he's sent to kill delays his return to the country, John passes the time with Manuela, a beautiful dancer who becomes his teacher and guide into Argentina's sensual world of the tango.

Love Dances Hesitatingly What things men do for the women they love! I’ve been collecting films where men direct their lovers. Its an odd phenomenon. Some are good pictures, some not. Taken together they are one of the richest film experiences I have. Just the notion of...


Published May 16, 2023
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Once more with feeling.
Filmmaker(s): James Gunn

Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Experiments On my side, it is all about affordances. Usually I choose a film and allocate the time because I seek affordances for better living in my life. Narrative is all about affordance: what changes in the story, with mysteries and power that I can be...


Published May 7, 2023
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Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
Let your imagination soar.
Filmmaker(s): Frank Coraci

A bet pits a British inventor, a Chinese thief and a French artist on a worldwide adventure that they can circle the globe in 80 days.

Production Design They took an absolutely ordinary film — even dreary in places — and wrapped it in two things that are lovely. The first is a lovely production design. Pastel watercolours that are evocative of Verne’s abstract nature. I have idea who to credit for...


Published May 1, 2023
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Ararat (2002)
Filmmaker(s): Atom Egoyan

Interrogated by a customs officer, a young man recounts how his life was changed during the making of a film about the Armenian genocide.

Denied I think Egoyan is one of our best living filmmakers. He layers his stories in ways that some layers generate or reinterpret others. Usually, this is apparent to the viewer. In this case, the viewer is fooled into thinking that this is film reminding of...


Published May 1, 2023
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Arabian Nights (2000)

Targeted for assassination by his first wife and his evil brother, a young sultan must marry by the next full moon or he will lose his kingdom. His uncertainty over his newfound bride causes her to stall the sultan with a series of fantastic stories to ease the tension and stall her impending execution.

In the Lamp One key to master storytelling is the art of folding. That includes all sorts of techniques of overlapping narrative, spanning from overarching metaphor to stories within stories. It is an ancient technique, as old as any story we know. It is especially present...


Published May 1, 2023
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Arabian Nights (1974)
Pier Paolo Pasolini unfolds the Sensual and Erotic tales of the fabled... 1001 Arabian Nights
Filmmaker(s): Pier Paolo Pasolini

The final part of Pasolini's Trilogy of Life series is rich with exotic tales of slaves and kings, potions, betrayals, demons and, most of all, love and lovemaking in all its myriad forms. Mysterious and liberating, this is an exquisitely dreamlike and adult interpretation of the original folk tales.

The Story of the Story Pasolini is a wonderful, wonderful adventure. Welcoming him into your heart is not without cost; he's a friend who is brilliant on one side and captive to banality on the other. The bad? Well, its tolerable for me because it is so...


Published May 1, 2023
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Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2000-2015)
Dancing is forbidden!
Filmmaker(s): Jerry Zucker

The surreal adventures of three anthropomorphic fast food items: Master Shake, Frylock and Meatwad, and their human nextdoor neighbor, Carl Brutananadilewski.

Abstraction Along the Folds The game of animation is in large measure a matter of moving further and further into abstract universes. The game of modern movies is a matter of folding along self-referential dimensions. The rate of abstraction has been pushed pretty far, from Beavis...


Published May 1, 2023
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April Fools Day (1986)
Guess who's going to be the life of the party?
Filmmaker(s): Fred Walton

As soon as Muffy St. John and her college friends arrive on her parents' secluded island, someone starts trimming the guest list... one murder at a time.

The Opening By now you probably know that the meat of this is quite ordinary. It has an “it is all a joke“ sort of Scooby-doo ending. And this casts the whole thing retrospectively as a spoof of the genre. Not particularly interesting on that basis...


Published May 1, 2023
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Appointment with Crime (1946)
Filmmaker(s): John Harlow

Small-time jewel thief Leo Martin is deserted by his partners-in-crime, club owner Gus Loman and driver Hatchett, when the robbery they are committing goes wrong. After serving his prison sentence, Leo emerges with an intricate plan for revenge. Leo implicates Loman, as well as his amoral boss, Gregory Lang, for murder -- but Inspector Rogers suspects Leo.

Hands Off For me, noir is a very specific form. It is as pervasive and important an invention as Jazz. The thing that distinguishes it is a main character who is put through the wringer in circumstances that would never occur if there were not us...


Published May 1, 2023
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The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
Wanted: For chicanery, skulduggery, tomfoolery and habitual bungling!
Filmmaker(s): Norman Tokar

A roving bachelor gets saddled with three children and a wealth of trouble when the youngsters stumble upon a huge gold nugget. They join forces with two bumbling outlaws to fend off the greedy townspeople and soon find themselves facing a surly gang of sharpshooters.

Good Three-way Storytelling I’m usually appalled at how vintage Disney (of about 1940-80) ignored the basics of good storytelling, relying instead on cinematic gimmicks. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not, but when you just simply don’t invest in good storytelling, you plant poison that somehow catches up with...


Published May 1, 2023
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