Category Archives: Film Reviews

What Is and Cannot Be

Posted on August 12, 2012 by admin

Two poorly suited dating partners Rashida Jones and Will McCormack (not to be mistaken with the actor from Will & Grace) opted for friendship and collaborated on devising a screenplay about an unhappily-ever-after duo.  Hollywood views this approach as deadly … Continue reading →

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Puppeteering Self-Relationships

Posted on July 30, 2012 by admin

Greek mythology first documented the trope about an artist’s creation becoming alive.  Sculptor Pygmalion’s statue transformed from ivory into flesh.  This curiosity and psychology complex concept re-surged in the Victorian era especially in conceits by the Irish playwright George Bernard … Continue reading →

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Returning to Austen’s Refined Spoken Word

Posted on May 24, 2012 by admin

Without great effort, viewers can sample all of Wilt Stillman’s repertoire.  Only four feature films have become available to audiences in his career.  Not as infrequent as Halley’s Comet, Stillman’s films are coveted and sought to a fervor reminiscent of … Continue reading →

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Human messes

Posted on April 23, 2012 by admin

Glimpses into the real day-to-day struggles of Arabic families and individuals are sparse.  This elegant and thought-provoking cinema contains characters that refuse to be defined by “good” and “bad” descriptors.  Audience members faced with the challenge to move with all … Continue reading →

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Howls of the Damned

Posted on February 27, 2012 by admin

The Super Bowl of filmgoers belongs to the Annual Academy Awards.  Approaching this time drain in another manner, I sought a screening of director Steve McQueen’s Shame to pay tribute to the non nominee Michael Fassbender.  Knowing the context and … Continue reading →

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The Artist: Charming Goodbye Letter to Silent Cinema

Posted on January 24, 2012 by admin

Those new to silent films and the impact of talkies should first watch Billy Wilder‘s Sunset Boulevard.  Nowhere else are the scars of discarded actors yearning for bygone influence and attention as well wrought.  In deviation from this classic, director … Continue reading →

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Loyalties among Spies

Posted on January 17, 2012 by admin

Before Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy leaves the theaters, you will be gravely denied a cinematic privilege to watch a stellar ensemble enact a bestseller that had also enjoyed critical acclaim as a TV miniseries starring the impeccable talent Sir Alec Guiness … Continue reading →

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Casual Climbing of an Ingénue

Posted on December 6, 2011 by admin

At the ripe age of 24, Julie Christie dazzled audiences in her performance as Diana Scott in director John Schlesinger’s Darling (1965).  Two years prior, Schlesinger cast Christie in Billy Liar (1963) opposite Tom Courtenay to notice.  Critics pointed to … Continue reading →

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What will you wager?

Posted on November 12, 2011 by admin

Ever wonder what your colleagues do after hours?  Some head to the pub; others dedicate free moments to their creative drives.  Fledging filmmaker Justin Rigby wrote, storyboarded, and directed his first feature film Either | Or which premiered Thursday night … Continue reading →

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Intrusive Corman with his lens

Posted on October 16, 2011 by admin

For nine years running, MoMA organizes an exhibition entitled To Save and Project honoring restorations of formerly deteriorating prints.  This year’s festival opened under the prowess of Associate Curator Joshua Siegel of MoMA’s Film Department.  Contributions by Associate Curators Anne Morra and … Continue reading →

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