Sigmund Freud, that veritable master of the mind and erstwhile liaison betwixt the dream world and our own (is there really such a hard distinction between the two?), said, “Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.” In a world where dreams are entered into volitionally, like remarkable virtual reality chambers, anything [...]
The Coen Brothers are a truly dynamic duo. Wielding wit, charisma, and an invigorating spirit, they deftly create films in which the story often unfolds both dramatically and comically, revealing the dual nature of existence. A Serious Man tells the tragically comic story of Larry Gopnik, a professor whose life, at times both enviable and its [...]
A blend of politics, the Mafia, and concentrated, modern, aristocratic Italian culture, Il Divo is a biopic on Giulio Andreotti, seven time Prime Minister of Italy, whose life is shrouded in secrecy and ambiguity, with plenty of wit to boot. Paolo Sorrentino writes and directs this calculated and highly entertaining film, a product of keen foresight and [...]
Few know how to do psychological thrill rides like Scorsese. Evoking (if not channelling) 1991’s Cape Fear, Shutter Island manages to pull off another thriller of extensive scope. Both films allow the score and the camera to set the tone almost entirely in many scenes, in others stripping the score away and returning to conventional camera [...]
Imagine the Godfather trilogy set almost entirely in a prison in France. You now have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Un prophète, both in substance and tonality. This visceral epic depicts the harsh realities of both prison life and the painful truth of being involved in the mafia, whether within or beyond [...]
You can probably think of several movies that would qualify as a recent quality action flick. Or a recent quality dramedy. But when was the last time you saw a recent quality farce? Yes, a farce. That rare comedy which lampoons with far-flung characterizations and far-fetched situations, many times very political in nature. In the [...]
Darkness pervades The White Ribbon. Shot wholly in black-and-white, it feels instantly like a classic from a much earlier era. Simultaneously, the camera both hides and reveals, building unabated tension throughout the film, giving it the distinctive quality of the horror of a Hitchcock and the innocence of a Chaplin. The juxtaposition of a secluded [...]
With The Hurt Locker, we were offered a visceral window into the experience of the current war in the Middle East. The addition of The Messenger makes this an indispensable neorealistic pairing of films depicting the toils of war both on the sands abroad and at home, on our own front porches. Whereas The Hurt Locker takes place [...]
“I think this might be my masterpiece.” These final words of the film immediately precede a placard with big, yellow letters reading, “Quentin Taratino.” Now that we know how the writer/director feels about his film, the question asks itself: is this indeed his masterpiece (thus far)? The scope is certainly more expansive, the writing flawless, [...]
Saying that Nine is “based on” Fellini’s 1963 masterpiece 8 1/2 is akin to saying that a painted reproduction of “Guernica” is “based on” Guernica. It doesn’t quite do the trick, but you see where this is going. Nine is a musical version of 8 1/2. Where 8 1/2 depicts dream sequences, Nine depicts musical numbers. This isn’t to say [...]