Cutie Cleaner Quentin Tarantino gets under my skin, where Richard Rodriguez does not. It is a corner of myself I do not quite understand. If you have QT wonder, this could help. Tarantino places the viewer as a sort of museum visitor. He has this virtual video store of references, sometimes well arranged. You are… Continue reading American Strays (1996)
Tag: 1990s
Films released in the 1990s
Jade (1995)
Sprung Rites I think this may have been successful in its day, simply because of the sex. There is the appearance of some sex acts on the screen presented in a couple voyuerist contexts, but I think the target was a much deeper appeal: a whole world driven by insatiable, conventionally deviant female sex drive.… Continue reading Jade (1995)
Amateur (1994)
Abstract Porn Hartley is one of the most interesting directors working. Many associate him with French auteurs, but I think his experiments are more intellectual, more New York. His films are not only about other films, but exist in a world abstracted from them where almost everyone else insists on wallowing in the same space… Continue reading Amateur (1994)
American Movie (1999)
Inarticulate Speech of the Trailer Park I am the perfect candidate audience for this. I watch a couple theatrical projects a day. I love film and am hungry for new and/or intelligent experiences. Plus, I have a passion for “folded” films, films that about themselves in some way. Moreover, this project comes with Sundance buzz… Continue reading American Movie (1999)
American Pie (1999)
Slow Times at Ridgemont Sex jokes are never about sex, instead about class. It is possible to make a comedy that is sincerely about high schoolers, and because they are obsessed with sex, be about sex. ‘Ridgemont High.’ This has no sincerity or charm. It is aimed at the class it makes fun of. Posted… Continue reading American Pie (1999)
Vanya on 42nd Street (1994)
Four Layers There’s no shortage of intelligent work in film. But here we have one of the most complexly referential things I’ve ever seen. Simple self-reference points to itself. Common self-reference points to the viewer defining the experience. But Mingus used to say why have three threads when you can have seven? Here, some of… Continue reading Vanya on 42nd Street (1994)
Jupiter’s Wife (1995)
Neptune’s Movie There is a story in this documentary, one about a very appealing woman. She’s so open we immediately give our heart before we realise how sick she is. She’s a mess, usually homeless, always hallucinating, fanatically fixated on her many dogs. That story is here and you may think it is what this… Continue reading Jupiter’s Wife (1995)
Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
The Character Lab Ostensibly, this film is an emotional account of a place where strong characters are created. But what I find interesting is the story behind the characters in the film. Disney has the most advanced character lab in the world, a place which scientifically explores how we personify emotions. I’ve had a glimpse… Continue reading Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
Iron Monkey (1993)
Flight Assembly I am not a student of Hong Kong martial arts movies, just someone who dips into the accessible ones. My interest is in the cinematic experience, and that depends to a large extent on how the camera is choreographed. It doesn’t matter to me how elaborate the effects of the people and objects… Continue reading Iron Monkey (1993)
Last Man Standing (1996)
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 film, developing the notion of the disembodied eye… Continue reading Last Man Standing (1996)