Author Archive
Indie Film Review – Man Zou: Beijing to Shanghai
Jason Reid, the filmmaker who directed the critically acclaimed documentary Sonicsgate (2009), returns with a brand new film. However, his newest movie does not focus on sports, or corruption, or lies. The film is not even based in the United States. Man Zou: Beijing to…
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Noir City at SIFF – “Loophole” and Some Final Thoughts
On Thursday, February 17th, 2011, I had the good fortune of attending the Seattle International Film Festival’s (SIFF) closing night of its “Noir City” series. This was a week-long series highlighting a number of great film noir movies, some of which were considered lost or…
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An Appreciation – Days of Heaven
There is a kind of mood in Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven (1978) that draws us in without ever explicitly revealing itself. A kind of feeling, or a certain kind of tone, pervades every moment of the film; we can sense it without really specifying…
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Film Review – Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids (2011) tells the story of a naïve insurance agent put into a situation that is way over his head. Directed by Miguel Arteta, whose previous work includes The Good Girl (2002) and Youth in Revolt (2009), the film is a quirky combination of…
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Noir City at SIFF – A Double Life
You ever hear of the phrase, “Getting into character”? This is when an actor dedicates himself or herself to becoming the role they are playing, completely changing their behavior, accent, and even appearance. There are some actors that are so good at this that they…
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Noir City at SIFF – Angel Face
The title of Otto Preminger’s Angel Face (1952) works perfectly in describing the seemingly innocent façade of both its characters and the film itself. This is a great film noir, a story that keeps us guessing even when we think we have everything locked down.…
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Film Review – Just Go With It
There were two things I was thinking about while I was watching Just Go With It (2011), the latest comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. The first is that this is not a very good movie, but simply a retread of just about every…
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Film Review – Sanctum
If there is a lesson to be learned from watching Sanctum (2010), it is this: do NOT be a stupid person. No offense to the stupid people out there, but the characters that fill up this sad excuse of a suspense thriller are so head-scratchingly…
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