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- “Some syllables are swords.” — Metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan
- “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.” — Charlie Chaplin
- “As a cinematographer, I was always attracted to stories that have the potential to be told with as few words as possible.” — Reed Morano
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- “Ballet taught me to stay close to style and tone. Literature taught me to be concerned about the moral life.” — Joan Acocella
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Tag Archives: coming of age
Review: The Craft: Legacy (2020)
I reviewed the sequel – sort of – of the 1996 cult classic The Craft. It’s toothless. I’ve read a bunch of articles released before the film came out, and it’s all this stuff about how great “female friendship” is. … Continue reading
July/August 2020 Viewing Diary
Let’s get to it. July and August have been very … extra. Movies are fine, but I am gravitating towards series, anything I can binge-watch. I get clicked into something that interests me, and then feel so relieved that I … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged biopic, Brad Pitt, comedy, coming of age, documentary, drama, Eminem, Flannery O'Connor, horror, Jackass, John Garfield, Leonardo DiCaprio, musicals, Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, religious movies, romantic drama, sci-fi, Shelley Winters, women directors
41 Comments
Review: Chemical Hearts (2020) – on Amazon
There’s so much that is cliched here that when the UN-cliched shows up, things get very very interesting. And Lili Reinhart is fantastic. My review on Ebert.
Review: Yes, God, Yes (2020)
I enjoyed this. My review is over at Ebert.
June 2020 Viewing Diary
Deadwind (2018; d. Rike Jokela) A Finnish crime drama television series on Netflix I got sucked into. I’ve been doing mostly binge-watching these days. Having a hard time absorbing movies, I’m not sure what’s going on. I am grateful for … Continue reading
Review: Babyteeth (2020)
I really liked Babyteeth, an Australian coming-of-age (but it’s more than that) story. Great cast. This Toby Wallace kid, wow. But all four leads are phenomenal. Highly recommended. My review at Ebert.
Posted in Movies
Tagged Australia, comedy, coming of age, drama, reviews, women directors
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March 2020 Viewing Diary: A Before and After List
I began this viewing diary in a time of innocence (and naivete) before social distancing became compulsory (or at least strongly suggested). We here were months behind schedule, due to the disgraceful anti-science buffoonery of the current administration, who do … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Cary Grant, Claude Rains, comedy, coming of age, documentary, drama, Faye Dunaway, film noir, Frank Capra, Gary Cooper, George Stevens, Germany, Jane Austen, Jean Arthur, Jerry Lewis, Jimmy Stewart, John Garfield, Johnny Depp, Johnny Flynn, Lili Taylor, literary adaptation, Natasha Richardson, Paul Schrader, romantic comedy, Supernatural, Thomas Mitchell
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Review: Banana Split (2020)
Many thanks to the editors at Rogerebert.com for keeping us going during this very weird time, with no movies releasing in theatres, many movies switching to VOD releases, and in general … a chaotic moment when everyone (including us) is … Continue reading
Review: Stargirl (2020)
I loved the YA book by Jerry Spinelli (my sister often assigns it to her middle-school students – that’s how I heard about it.) But the film adaptation is … odd. I am a fan of Julia Hart’s work though … Continue reading
January 2020 Viewing Diary
Hell Is for Heroes (1962; d. Don Siegel) A spare lean and mean war movie – pretty standard, actually – except Steve McQueen is actually presenting a character study here, a character he probably knows something about. He is eerie … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Al Pacino, Brad Pitt, children's movies, Colin Farrell, comedy, coming of age, crime movies, Dean Stockwell, documentary, Dorothy Arzner, drama, Dustin Hoffman, England, France, Ginger Rogers, heist movies, Iran, Iranian film, Jean Arthur, Joaquin Phoenix, Joel McCrea, John Sturges, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lucille Ball, Martin Scorsese, Maureen O'Hara, musicals, Nick Nolte, Quentin Tarantino, Robert De Niro, romantic comedy, screwball comedy, Steve McQueen, Supernatural, true crime, war movies, women directors
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