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)
Tag: p2003
Comments first posted in 2003
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)
Beautiful Girls (1996)
Dorothy This is some pretty good writing. You know it is pretty good when it deals with ordinary silliness and is directed by a non-entity and yet still engages. This is a fellow that is not afraid to write junk films, but who has also written the amazingly deft self-referential “High Fidelity” and the ambitious… Continue reading Beautiful Girls (1996)
Beau-père (1981)
Music as Sex Nabokov’s “Lolita” is a milestone in literature — the narrator is obsessed to the point where anything he says is at least synthesised out of that obsession and at worse fabricated. It is only about sex in so far as giving a focus to the obsession of being. Here we have a… Continue reading Beau-père (1981)
Beat (2000)
Off Beat Off I will travel to see a film that is “folded“ in the simple sense this one is: writing about writing, especially when the story is historically based and most especially when the literary tradition in question is all about just this manner of folding. I also admire when a writer succeeds in… Continue reading Beat (2000)
BAPS (1997)
The Curse of the Story Projects like this start with the notion of self-parody. You create funny characters that carry a funny world with them. The Waylons do a good job at this, with the mannerisms so over the top you are aware of the actresses at every moment. TeeVee skits can work on this… Continue reading BAPS (1997)
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)
Baby Daze (1939)
Slow Burn This is included as an extra on the “The Southerner” DVD and is much the better experience. Both films represent a lost attitude in film. This one is worth re-experiencing: the Slow Burn flummox that was invented by this guy, continued in many radio series (“Guildersleeve” is the best), to be mastered in… Continue reading Baby Daze (1939)
Assassins (1995)
Chunky Mix This project fascinates me. Donner is legendary for taking “chunks” out of genres, attaching them to characters, and jamming them together to make hits. Sometimes it works, and sometimes the experiment gets out of hand. This one is a failure, but an interesting one. Start with the idea that there are three acting… Continue reading Assassins (1995)
Apartment (1960)
Mechanical I have just had quite an argument with a well known film critic. He maintains that films are either good or bad and any good film is just simply good. I maintained that films are little worlds. Some are created more successfully than others. Some are more novel or clever or valuable than others.… Continue reading Apartment (1960)