burn after reading (2008)
the coen brother’s most recent film is more in the vein of “the ladykillers” than it is “no country for old men”, which is hardly a good thing. at times i felt like screaming at the tv, and while it was fairly inoffensive and fairly free-wheeling, one cant help but be of the attitude that … Read more
true lies (1994)
james cameron and arnold schwarzenegger’s third collaboration is probably their most downright entertaining. “true lies”, a remake of a french film, basically turns the conventions and expectations of the spy genre on its head, creating a film that comes off like james bond crossed with a sitcom. the film also has the unique selling point … Read more
the exorcist (1973)
watching william friedkin’s seminal adaptation of william peter blatty’s novel for the first time since i was a teenager, and off of the back of a screening of ”doubt” proved a very positive experience. as a boy it was the overtly shocking moments of the film that i was attracted to, but as i have … Read more
gone baby, gone (2007)
i first came across ben affleck’s impressive directorial outing on region 1 dvd several months before it saw release in british theatres, due to the similiarities between the madeline mccann case and the one in the film. when attempting to ‘sell’ the concept of a ben affleck picture to my friends (most people still associating … Read more
pale rider (1985)
it amazes me just how much variation clint eastwood brought to the western genre. from the days of “rawhide”, through the european revisionist time of the dollars trilogy (wherein he learnt his craft), the late 70′s revisionist period he kickstarted with “the outlaw josey wales” and the 90′s post-modern of “unforgiven”, he has continually managed … Read more
gomorrah (2008)
originally i missed gomorrah theatrically, due to a summer in paris, alas i was looking forward highly to catching up with the film on dvd. matteo garrone’s insight into one of the worlds ‘silent’ mafia’s proved a great watch, if a little more inaccessible than originally expected (not that thats a negative thing, im just … Read more
superbad (2007)
a guilty pleasure, this comedy from the judd apatow stable is perhaps the most significant film from that group of performers. unlike the majority of their films, ‘superbad’ is genuinely funny in parts, thanks mainly to the affable core cast of michael cera, jonah hill and christopher mintz-plasse, and while the film wont change the … Read more
doubt (2009)
ever the fan of philip seymour hoffman, its great to see him back in the sort of role that he would have produced prior to his breakthrough success in capote, and exactly the sort of role i have been eager to see him in for what seems like quite a while. the uneasy nature of … Read more
letters from iwo jima (2006)
“letters from iwo jima” marks a distinct departure from the type of work one would expect from clint eastwood. for a start, the films dialogue is pretty much all in japanese, a bold undertaking for an american filmmaker. im going to use ”letters from iwo jima” as a point with which to examine the myth … Read more
five easy pieces (1970)
produced five years before nicholson’s turn in antonioni’s “the passenger” (our current number 2 on the list), bob rafelson’s “five easy pieces” sees jack on similiar form. while “one flew over the cuckoos nest” is the nicholson film of point that exhibits his talent for playing angry, and kubrick’s “the shining” pushes his angle of … Read more
