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Knowing (2009)
What happens when the numbers run out?
Filmmaker(s): Alex Proyas

A teacher opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son's elementary school; in it are some chilling predictions -- some that have already occurred and others that are about to -- that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold.

The Cleansing Timing is everything. I saw this in a stressed state, looking for escape. I saw it in a grand old theatre with large, excellently tuned equipment. I saw it not knowing anything at all about it. And I loved it. Yes, I know people do not like...


Published March 2, 2023
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Maladolescenza (1977)
Filmmaker(s): Pier Giuseppe Murgia

Laura and Fabrizio have been meeting every summer in the forest by her parent's summer home. Fabrizio is a solitary boy with only his dog for company; Laura a sweet but unconfident child. This summer new aspects enter into their story as both are growing up. Laura is falling in love with Fabrizio, while he displays a new sexual awareness of her masked by his malice. Things develop further when they meet Sylvia who, unlike the innocent Laura, is confident and assertive. Fabrizio develops a fascination with her, eventually bribing Laura to fetch her to the forest to join them in play.

Tame Stuff I think I saw this when it was new. Hard to remember, because I don’t think it had much effect on me. If it did, it has far less now. The idea here is that we see creeping malevolence made crisp by showing it among...


Published February 28, 2023
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Adaptation (2002)
From the creator of Being John Malkovich, comes the story about the creator of Being John Malkovich.
Filmmaker(s): Spike Jonze

Nicolas Cage is Charlie Kaufman, a confused L.A. screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting ambitions of his freeloading twin brother Donald. While struggling to adapt "The Orchid Thief," by Susan Orlean, Kaufman's life spins from pathetic to bizarre. The lives of Kaufman, Orlean's book, become strangely intertwined as each one's search for passion collides with the others'.

Abject Folding I am writing a book about “folding” in film. That’s a term I have coined to describe all the parallel levels that have become part of the film vocabulary, among them self-reference, reflection self-aware irony and timeshifting. I love these films. They are always...


Published February 27, 2023
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Adam (2009)
A story about two strangers. One a little stranger than the other...
Filmmaker(s): Max Mayer

Adam, a lonely man with Asperger's Syndrome, develops a relationship with his upstairs neighbor, Beth.

Stuttered Beginnings I found this to be offensive in that mild way that occurs so often. Storytellers sometimes have to make decisions that cost the viewer something — the worst kind of cheat because it pushes the pain onto the unwitting. Is it a net good...


Published February 27, 2023
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Action Boys (2008)
Filmmaker(s): Jung Byung-gil

Only eight out of 36 boys pass the rigorous training at Seoul Action School. They all have different dreams but all wish to become stuntmen. Despite frequent accidents and injuries, they never give up their dream, and the movie follows their hopeful desperation.

Dorm Room Trifles I saw this at the Melbourne International Film Festival. It was fantastic in large part because it was new. I saw it paired with “Theater of War,”, whose idea was that little people enable unhealthy societies. That film presumed that structure in film...


Published February 27, 2023
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A Night of Terror (1937)
Caught in the web of a madman!
Filmmaker(s): Rowland V. Lee

Ann Harding plays a lovely but somewhat naive young woman who goes on a European vacation after winning a lottery. Swept off her feet by charming Basil Rathbone, Harding finds herself married before she is fully able to grasp the situation. Slowly but surely, Rathbone's loving veneer crumbles; when he casually asks Harding to sign a document turning her entire fortune over to him, she deduces that her days are numbered.

Talking while Leaving Theater When I heard that 3D would be going mainstream a few years ago, I hoped for a revolution in what we think films are. I believe we are seeing some radical rethinking, because with 3D and CGI, we get a less encumbered...


Published February 27, 2023
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Kramer vs Kramer (1979)
There are three sides to this love story.
Filmmaker(s): Robert Benton

Ted Kramer is a career man for whom his work comes before his family. His wife Joanna cannot take this anymore, so she decides to leave him. Ted is now faced with the tasks of housekeeping and taking care of himself and their young son Billy.

Split Decision This drama is considered successful. I think it is not because it tells us anything special, or that the characters are particularly worthy. I believe it is because of the way the narrative is constructed. It has two arcs. One of these has the husband establishing...


Published February 27, 2023
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Last Man Standing (1996)
In a town with no justice, there is only one law... Every man for himself.
Filmmaker(s): Walter Hill

John Smith is a mysterious stranger who is drawn into a vicious war between two Prohibition-era gangs. In a dangerous game, he switches allegiances from one to another, offering his services to the highest bidder. As the death toll mounts, Smith takes the law into his own hands in a deadly race to stay alive.

Kurosawa on Kurosawa Students of film have great fun with situations like this. Here we have three films (‘Yojimbo,' 'Fistful,' and ‘Last Man') with the same script but entirely different cinematic philosophies. All do well at what they attempt. Kurosawa is one of the great innovators of...


Published February 27, 2023
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Killer Fish (1979)
The adventure that drags you in, pulls you under and tears you apart!
Filmmaker(s): Antonio Margheriti

Jewel thieves attempt to recover treasure from piranha infested waters. Mistrust and betrayals happen amongst the gang in the quest for gold.

The Show It is a real experience for me when a film’s being is inadvertently echoed in its story. That makes the film a good experience in some respect even though it stinks on all other grounds. In this case, you have a lovely woman (Hemingway) who...


Published February 27, 2023
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Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
A roaring rampage of revenge.
Filmmaker(s): Quentin Tarantino

An assassin is shot by her ruthless employer, Bill, and other members of their assassination circle – but she lives to plot her vengeance.

God Gets Cut The title of the comment is from the ersatz master who makes a new sword for our avenger. This denotes what is wrong about this film, indeed why Tarantino is to film as Brittany Spears is to music. Martial arts are about generational wisdom,...


Published February 27, 2023
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