The Movie Within: Clockwork Peaches Yes, this is porn, with some real negatives. One of these is its perversion, pretty much all the pain, bondage and fetish you can imagine. But it is done as a parody. The watcher is being goofed on, tortured for fun. In fact, this is intelligent writing, and may be… Continue reading The Fashionistas (2002)
Tag: f2002
Films released in 2002
The Barber (2002)
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 of character. It is possible to make an… Continue reading The Barber (2002)
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
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 knew I was in for a stew of… Continue reading Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Banger Sisters (2002)
The Photos Would Have Been Funnier Yow, another formulaic movie that preaches breaking out of the formula. Another staid, risk-free production that promotes the taking of risk. Another film about film writing whose chief fault is the script. The setup is simple: comfortable but compromised person is confronted and sees the error of their ways… Continue reading Banger Sisters (2002)
Assassination Tango (2002)
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 making art with, for, and exploiting your lover… Continue reading Assassination Tango (2002)
Ararat (2002)
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 an atrocity padded with a bunch of other stuff.… Continue reading Ararat (2002)
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)
Adaptation (2002)
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 about ideas and many are incredibly sophisticated in concept,… Continue reading Adaptation (2002)
About Schmidt (2002)
Which Film? Brando invented the modern acting technique of giving you two films: the one in which the characters exist, and another in which the actors exist. Nicholson has developed that into something rather clever. The basic job is the same, to inhabit a character and create a truth so sharp you think you knew… Continue reading About Schmidt (2002)
25th Hour (2002)
Figure Skating There are two ways to look at figure skating. You can judge it as a matter of difficulty or a matter of grace. It used to be the grace that trumped. I watch figure skating and films because of how they enrich my lives. Sometimes a skater — or an actor for that… Continue reading 25th Hour (2002)