Author Archive
Film Review – Le Havre
A well-made film about someone selflessly helping another provides a certain distinct sense of pleasure for the viewer, which I believe comes mostly from the fact that films of this sort are usually done poorly. They slide into congratulatory territory; they try too hard to…
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What We’re Watching – Horror Edition #4
Brandi Sperry: It is getting to the end of the month, and that time when, after weeks of gorging, a horror fan might either be looking to circle back around to the must-watch-every-year classics, or get a little out there and outside the box. In…
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Bird Watching – Claire Denis’s “Trouble Every Day”
I’ve written in this space about Claire Denis before, discussing the remarkable film White Material (2009). Just from that one film, I knew that she could be classified as a master of creating tension. I’ve wanted to go back and watch more of her work,…
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What We’re Watching – Horror Edition #3
Brandi Sperry: Since joining the MacGuffin crew, there are a few movies that the lads have given me shit about not having seen before. One in particular seemed to illicit that certain “I’m just surprised you haven’t seen it, is all” reaction from movie-lovers that…
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Bird Watching – Cindy Sherman’s “Office Killer”
Among the rules of life if you are a character in a movie is: always be nice to the office freak. This person is about 5000% more likely than other characters to either go on a killing spree or become incredibly successful, by my scientific…
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Dialogue Review – Footloose (2011)
Brandi Sperry: There are some remake projects that just won’t die, no matter what the obstacles, and the new version of Footloose was one of them. We’ve been hearing about this since Zac Efron was supposed to star in it back in 2007 (and hey,…
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What We’re Watching – Horror Edition #2
Adelaide Blair: On a recent fishing trip with my husband, we ended up staying in a cabin with no Internet or television reception. I brought some movies to keep us entertained, including the Chilling Classics 50 Movie Pack put out by Mill Creek Entertainment. As…
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What We’re Watching – Horror Edition #1
Brook West: October is never officially Halloween season until I watch Scream (1996). It’s the mother of all my guilty pleasure horror and slasher flicks. Typical teenage slasher movies are like drunk people during tailgating—they’re predictable, annoying, and the thrills are cheap. This is where…
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