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American Wedding (2003)
Forever hold your piece.
Filmmaker(s): Jesse Dylan

With high school a distant memory, Jim and Michelle are getting married — and in a hurry, since Jim's grandmother is sick and wants to see him walk down the aisle — prompting Stifler to throw the ultimate bachelor party. And Jim's dad is reliable as ever, doling out advice no one wants to hear.

A Franchise Matures Wow. There are few things more interesting than the evolutionary forces of the market that push and pull something to ensure survival. I'm a strong believer in how market forces shape film, even our most exotic art films. This isn't art, of course,...


Published May 22, 2023
| Categorised as IMDB Comments, Ones |
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Moulin Rouge! (2001)
No laws. No limits. One rule. Never fall in love.
Filmmaker(s): Baz Luhrmann

A celebration of love and creative inspiration takes place in the infamous, gaudy and glamorous Parisian nightclub, at the cusp of the 20th century. A young poet, who is plunged into the heady world of Moulin Rouge, begins a passionate affair with the club's most notorious and beautiful star.

Glorious Absinthe Prostitution This film is crafted of many common narrative elements: The rich cad versus the poor lad for the girl (with the conceit that love is unavailable to the wealthy 'unreal' class) The girl who must renounce her love to save her lover (only to lose...


Published May 21, 2023
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The Barber (2002)
Darkness can do strange things to a man
Filmmaker(s): Michael Bafaro

In the small town of Revelstoke, Alaska, local barber Dexter is surprised to learn that the body of Lucy Waters has been discovered. Having killed this woman, days ago, he hoped her body wouldn't be found until spring. Through the eyes of a serial killer, we discover the chilling layer of a weary town whose only concern is another long, dark winter.

Hair, Cut "Fargo" without the go, "Albino Alligator" without the wrinkles, "The Gardener" without Angie, "Invisible Man" made visible, "Insomnia" without the light and most of all, "Twin Peaks" with only one peak. McDowell has built a career of his role in "Clockwork Orange:" a demented brilliance...


Published May 17, 2023
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The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)
Selfhood begins with a walking away, and love is proved in the letting go.
Filmmaker(s): Rebecca Miller

Jack Slavin is an environmentalist with a heart condition who lives with his daughter, Rose, on an isolated island. While Jack fights against developers who wish to build in the area, he also craves more contact with other people. When he invites his girlfriend, Kathleen, and her sons, Rodney and Thaddius, to move in, Rose is upset. The complicated family dynamics makes things difficult for everyone in the house.

Overdeveloped Oh man, how sad. It is a sad story of failure that itself is a failure. It is placed in a world where the unnatural is impinging on the natural and that is called undesirable. And it itself is so unnatural, so manufactured and manipulative...


Published May 17, 2023
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The Aviator (2004)
Some men dream the future. He built it.
Filmmaker(s): Martin Scorsese

A biopic depicting the life of filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, while simultaneously growing more unstable due to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Three Characters We all live in our own movies, and particularly like movies of people who do so more literally. Here are three in one film: Martin Scorsese: My regular readers know that I have been very critical of his films. Sure, they are crafted well enough,...


Published May 17, 2023
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The Dark Knight (2008)
Welcome to a world without rules.
Filmmaker(s): Christopher Nolan

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

The Noir Card Two things interesting about this for me. (I’ll let others talk about Heath.) One is how much more of a comic book it is than a film. I don’t mean that it is sillier or more fantastic, but that the values seem to be...


Published May 17, 2023
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Life isn't measured in minutes, but in moments.
Filmmaker(s): David Fincher

Born under unusual circumstances, Benjamin Button springs into being as an elderly man in a New Orleans nursing home and ages in reverse. Twelve years after his birth, he meets Daisy, a child who flits in and out of his life as she grows up to be a dancer. Though he has all sorts of unusual adventures over the course of his life, it is his relationship with Daisy, and the hope that they will come together at the right time, that drives Benjamin forward.

Clockworks Fincher understands cinematic narrative construction and has the craft to match. I fell under his spell during “Fight Club”. The idea there was to play a game with inner narrative. It was, I think when Pitt first found his way into full collaboration with a director’s...


Published May 17, 2023
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Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Sometimes, to follow your dreams... you've got to bend the rules!
Filmmaker(s): Gurinder Chadha

Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.

Us Watching Them The only interesting thing about this is the appearance of two energetic actresses. One pleasantly mooneyes at the camera and the other has a strong enough presence to have hope (despite "Pirates" and "Phantom") that she might not disappoint like so many others. I...


Published May 17, 2023
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Beauty Shop (2005)
A Cut Above
Filmmaker(s): Bille Woodruff

Far from Chicago, hairdresser Gina Norris has relocated to Atlanta with her daughter and has quickly established herself as a rare talent in her profession. But after repeatedly butting heads with her shady, over-the-top boss, Jorge, Norris sets out to create her own salon -- even snagging a few of Jorge's employees and clients. Now, Jorge will do anything to shut her down.

Parts I believe that after a while the movie studios will start selling movies like this in all its components. Probably Apple will be involved. So I will be able to buy all the raw footage of “Beauty Shop” in a Final Cut Pro project and...


Published May 16, 2023
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Beautiful Losers (2008)
Make Something From Nothing
Filmmaker(s): Joshua Leonard, Aaron Rose

This documentary follows the lives and careers of a collective group of do-it-yourself artists and designers who inadvertently affected the art world.

Slacker Art Here is a wonderful little niche genre. Movies are essentially striving to art. Few qualify. Almost no one can manage the complex juggling act that it takes. It just involves too many people, too many risks, too many dependencies on happy accidents. But the...


Published May 16, 2023
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