A good day

We took our son to his first Cubs game on Saturday. It was great.

Aching for a Sunset on the discussion

I’m so glad I recently saw Sunrise, because now I can follow what all the arguing is about.
I just don’t think it’s that big of a deal. What’s that overly obtuse joke about cowboy hats and opinions?
Apparently this is some extension of the beast of film criticism feeding on itself. Online film bloggers are under [...]

Double-speak on parade

Haven’t seen her films but director Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry, Stop-Loss) seems to be have a good reason for not making a second film in 10 years: studio beaucracy.
… After “Boys Don’t Cry,” Hollywood came and offered me some very expensive projects, some very good stuff…. I had one project that I got almost [...]

Find of the Day: Roller Boogie (1979)

Holy shit, it’s Roller Boogie. Eff Olivia Newton John and Xanadu, THIS is the roller skating movie you must see. Well, maybe just watch the beginning.
In the early days of pay cable — 1982 to be exact — I was an impressionable boy. And thanks to this movie, played with a [...]

Comics and Catholics

Typical me, typical me
Typical me
I started something
…and now I’m not too sure
- “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish”, The Smiths
Hey, I wrote a comic strip. So that’s another thing Charles Schulz and I have in common. (No, we have only this in common.)
It’s a little Red Meat-y, but with a movie theme. Click here to [...]

Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains

IMDB
(2007, Jonathan Demme)
The inherent problem with former U.S. Presidents is that they’re politicians. But there is another inherent problem – Americans tend to remember the past in a positive light. Think back on how fondly Ronald Reagan was lionized upon his passing, though he was certainly a controversial President.
Jimmy Carter’s legacy is that of a [...]

RIP Moses, Gun Nut

Superbad (Unrated version)

IMDB
(2007, Greg Mottola)
Uh-oh. So continues The Team Apatow backlash.
While not directed by The Judd himself, this film follows the Apatow formula. It’s a crude sex comedy which aims higher. Which I guess means, the script is thrown out and performers opt for improvised dick jokes. Then the filmmakers try to add heart by wrapping it [...]

Black Book

IMDB
(2007, Paul Verhoeven)
Yes, Carice van Houten was a worthy winner of the Muriel Award for Best Actress. But at the risk of sounding like several other critics, she’s far too good for the material. Black Book is a standard-issue B-movie from start to finish, replete with silly dialogue and overblown situations as well as the [...]

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

IMDB
(1927, F.W. Murnau)
Magical and technically advanced film with a fine script–because the plot focuses so early on tragedy, the comedy of the film’s middle section is amplified and more satisfying. Performances, cinematography and art direction are masterful throughout, and its dreamlike imagery shouldn’t be missed.
5.0/5.0