Love Letters and Angry Rants of a Devoted Cinephile
Given the proliferation of true crime and serial killer docushows nowadays, their style has become a bit ingrained: the dramatic opening title sequence, the cliffhanger crime hints, the stock footage and talking heads, the suspenseful musical cues. Given their subject matter, these sorts of techniques work well for elevating shock and giving the story an... Continue Reading →
The concept of a prequel is always difficult to justify. What story value can be gained by going back in time rather than continuing forward? The ones that work (The Godfather Part II, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me) succeed by not only filling in the gaps of the material that came before it, but... Continue Reading →
I loved my MoviePass card. You picked a movie from the app, went to the theater, bought some popcorn, put your feet up for a couple of hours. And you could do it day after day after day for $10 a month. I didn't quite know how the company would prove to be profitable. I... Continue Reading →
The concept of a pop tart movie is inherently ridiculous. So to actually create such a movie requires a certain amount of charm and deftness; you have to keep the silliness in check and let the humor form naturally. Unfortunately, Unfrosted didn't get the memo. Jerry Seinfeld's directorial debut doesn't care to be anything other... Continue Reading →
The premise of Unlocked feels a bit like an inmate's fever dream: The doors to their cells are unlocked, and their 23 hours of solitary confinement disappear. They get free telephone calls, better food, more humane treatment. This gift of restored humanity is undertaken with the hope that given compassion, the prisoners will be able... Continue Reading →
Truman Capote has been adapted into film and television so often that there's little new to mine from his life. I think he's been adapted more than any of his works have been; his persona has perhaps overgrown his output. So while Feud features a dynamic lead performance from Tom Hollander portraying the famed writer... Continue Reading →
I was never much of a Nickelodeon kid. Cartoon Network and Fox were more my speed, but Nickelodeon was ubiquitous with adolescent television. From All That, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101 and Drake & Josh, big stars were made from young people. But the cost? As the importance of mental health has gained greater acceptance... Continue Reading →
2000 Winner Gladiator Gladiator is a fine movie, heavy emphasis on fine. There were better choices. What should have won? Traffic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Erin Brokovich are also worthy winners, but Traffic is a masterclass in crosscutting narrative excellence, boasting terrific performances and a prime script. What should have been nominated? In the... Continue Reading →
Frank Herbert's classic Dune novel from 1965 was called unfilmable. Which is a ridiculous thing to say. You know how many books have been called unfilmable: The Lord of the Rings, Anna Karenina, The Lovely Bones (okay, that one wasn't good, but I still hold that it could have been adapted well). Given David Lynch's... Continue Reading →
The twists of turns of the docuseries American Nightmare stretch from the predictable to the bizarre to the horrific. This is a crime story for the modern era, one blinded by sexism and concluded with heroism and determination. Created by Bernadette Higgins and Felicity Morris, the series focuses on the supposed kidnapping of Denise Huskins,... Continue Reading →
Hardwired for Film 