Author Archive
An Appreciation – There Will Be Blood
“I drink your milkshake!” – Daniel Plainview Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood (2007) is a grand, epic, strange, and mysterious film. It is just as curious as it is involving. What Anderson was able to accomplish was to present its story of a…
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An Appreciation – Fargo
“…And here ya are, and it’s a beautiful day.” – Marge Gunderson This quote comes at the end of one of the most unique and memorable crime films of modern cinema, Fargo (1996). The character who speaks it comes from a small town, where everyone…
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An Appreciation – Cinema Paradiso
Ask me what it is about movies I love so much, and I’ll tell you to see Cinema Paradiso (1988) for your answer. This Italian film, written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, is one of the great showcases for the magic that movies can provide.…
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Film Review – The Change-Up
I can only imagine what the pitch meeting was like when the idea to make The Change-Up (2011) was decided upon. The people who convinced the studio executives to greenlight this film must have been expert salesmen, because the premise is a tired and recycled…
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Film Review – Crazy, Stupid, Love
Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) is a mediocre film disguised as a good one. Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, and written by Dan Fogelman, the film charts a year in the life of a character who attempts to put his relationships with his wife,…
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Film Review – Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
We open in 2008, in Seattle. A Tribe Called Quest, the influential and highly respected hip-hop group, may have played their very last show. In a small, cramped trailer, one of its members pace saround as the camera nervously follows to see what he’s going…
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An Appreciation – Rocky
There are many movies that feature underdog characters, but very few are as good and as inspirational as Rocky (1976). Directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone as the titular character, the film is a moving emotional journey about a…
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What We’re Watching – 7/20/11
Here’s a random thought: have you ever walked in to a movie and expected it to be bad, but watched it anyway? Maybe the genre is one you don’t enjoy, or it deals with a subject matter that you find unappealing—but, against all your better…
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