2008 November | Coosa Creek Cinema

François and Me

By Rick, on November 29th, 2008 |

I can’t recall where I first saw “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” It may have been in downtown Seattle, in 70 mm at the Cinerama, or it may have been at some more suburban venue. I like to think it was at the Crest, the fabled single-screener where movies were 50 cents at each and every [...]

Happy Thanksgiving!

By Rick, on November 27th, 2008 |

Eat a lot of turkey, drink a lot of wine, and don’t take any wooden mashed [...]

The Earrings of Madame de …

By Rick, on November 25th, 2008 |

For admirers of the tracking shot in all its permutations, “The Earrings of Madame de …” is a visual [...]

The Band’s Visit

By Rick, on November 21st, 2008 |

The Band’s Visit is lean and spare, and designed to offend as few people as possible. Perfect for an Oscar nominee, of course, and for a brief time, it was Israel’s official submission for the 2007 Best Foreign Language [...]

The Milky Way

By Rick, on November 19th, 2008 |

“The Milky Way” follows Pierre and Jean, two rogues in the classic picaresque tradition, as they head along the Way of Saint James. It is not clear exactly why they are making the pilgrimage, except perhaps to cadge off of whoever they meet, and engage in a little petty thievery. But they, and we, get more than we expect in this marvelous [...]

Trailer Lazy: 2012

By Rick, on November 18th, 2008 |

Go on … Google ‘2012′. Can you say viral marketing? It all has something to do with the Mayan calendar, which predicts the end of the world on December 21, 2012. And it’s being directed by Roland Emmerich. Go on … watch the trailer. You know you want [...]

Thoughts on Quantum of Solace

By Rick, on November 16th, 2008 |

The first thing I have to say to my fellow film-lovers: lighten up! It’s only a Bond film! What do you want? Tarkovsky? (There. I’ve got that out of my system.)

I have to say that though I like Bond movies, I’m well aware of what they are: slick entertainments, lacking in any thematic depth. [...]

Sven Nykvist

By Rick, on November 14th, 2008 |

Although Sven Nykvist worked with other directors during his long career, it’s arguably with Ingmar Bergman that he did his greatest work. He took the luminescent, overcast Northern light and sculpted it like a Renaissance [...]

Notable Recent DVDs

By Rick, on November 13th, 2008 |

Here are some recent video releases that piqued my fancy. Including Costa Gavra’s “Missing,” Orson Welles’ “Touch of Evil,” Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard, and a 33-disc set that you might not be able to [...]

Changeling

By Rick, on November 11th, 2008 |

Who would’ve thought it back in his Rowdy Yates days? Or in his Dirty Harry or Man With No Name phases, for that matter? But Clint Eastwood has become one of the most reliable directors in Hollywood, and his movies have won not one but two Best Picture Oscars. And I know there are people [...]