Momentus “Deep Throat“ is an incompetent movie that had a phenomenal effect. So I guess it is appropriate that a documentary on some of those effects be less than competent as well. Here’s the interesting thing. No one should live without understanding a few basic things about themselves. Film is a large factor in how… Continue reading Inside Deep Throat (2005)
Tag: 2000s
Films made in the 2000s
Italian for Beginners (2000)
Red Hair in Venice You know, intelligent filmmakers are faced with all sorts of philosophical dilemmas, not the least of which are controversies over storytelling styles. Let’s call them the North and South. The Northern style is a matter of creating a world whose fabric is a bit wrinkled and in the niches and loops… Continue reading Italian for Beginners (2000)
Japanese Story (2003)
The Broken Hill This is a simple project, executed flawlessly. As with most films that bring you into human emotions, this uses an external reference. The gulf between two souls is referenced by cultural differences. The opening of the inner emotional fountain is folded into profound Australian landscapes, opened for mining. Our woman is a… Continue reading Japanese Story (2003)
American Pie (2001)
Jericho, my Butt! A very interesting film given some realities: this is successfully engineered to tap some cultural acupuncture point — and it does so after the first film provided valuable information about what audiences thought funny. The first film was uncentered by design: the idea with such things is to cheaply provide a model… Continue reading American Pie (2001)
Along Came Polly (2004)
Safe The story in this movie revolves around the choice between safety and richness. Because it assumes we are stupid, it has two story lines to hammer the point home, the point that safety is the wrong choice. And then in the highest of ironies, the picture is fabricated and presented in a way that… Continue reading Along Came Polly (2004)
Ally (2002)
Mulsim Porn I’m interested in what makes Muslim porn different. It surely exists, but you won’t be finding much on IMBD. Porn is a special sort of film. I believe that film in general is where we do most of our experiments in how we reason about the world. Yes, even in popular film. Depending… Continue reading Ally (2002)
All the Real Girls (2003)
Diversions Warning, if you watch this on DVD, avoid the commentary at all costs. This is a case where the creators are inarticulate nitwits, but what they have created has a particularly intelligent design. Superficially, this is the simple formula: boy meets girl; boy loses girl; boy gets girl back. With this edition, the two… Continue reading All the Real Girls (2003)
3 Idiots (2009)
Five Lives and a Funeral The structure is a compelling nesting. We have the linear story of two school chums plus one who search for a lost third buddy. There are a number of twists in this that make it more than just a framing device. We get a lot of storytelling craft in how… Continue reading 3 Idiots (2009)
All the King’s Men (2006)
Lucy in the Sky The critics hated it. The public stayed home. But I liked this. A lot. It is cinematic. Powerful cinema. And I am telling you I liked this with a bit of surprise on my part. That’s because it has two actors who often play this introspective game, where they let you… Continue reading All the King’s Men (2006)
Rambo (2008)
Arrows I suppose it makes economic sense to design a film this way. It has one scene only: the shootout at the end. This is what the target audience comes to see. Everything else is setup and justification. The Asians are baddy bad bad. The mercenaries are only in need of a disciplined superior. The… Continue reading Rambo (2008)