Analysis and Comment

Impressions of a Naked Army

May 17th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Analysis and Comment

Over at Film of the Month Club, they take a movie a month and a bunch of film fans watch it, then they write about it. The idea is to get a little more in depth commentary and discussion going than might be usual in the blogosphere. For its debut, girish (of the [...]



Boycott Blockbuster!

May 13th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Analysis and Comment, News & Comment

So the other day, I walked into my local Movie Gallery, looking for I’m Not There and maybe even The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, both of which I missed because they didn’t play here in the wilds of West Alabama, when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a [...]



Wherefore Art Thou, Blu Ray?

May 10th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Analysis and Comment, News & Comment

For cinephiles, the news last week from Criterion that they were coming out with thirteen Blu-ray titles was a mixed blessing at best. With four-hundred-some Criterion titles and counting, the question becomes how many titles will come out in the format and how fast? What will the announcement do for sales of their [...]



Sometimes a Dance is Just a Dance

May 6th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Analysis and Comment, Federico Fellini

Note: This is part of the Invitation to the Dance Blogathon at Ferdy on Films.
To paraphrase Freud, sometimes a dance is just a dance . . . but sometimes it’s not. And among the more entertaining celluloid examples of when it’s not are by Federico Fellini. Actually, Freud doesn’t quite fit — [...]



Letter to Guillermo

Apr 29th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Analysis and Comment

Dear Guillermo:
I’m really glad that you’ve gotten the plum directing gig in the known universe, and I hope you get a boodle of cash out of it (and if you want somewhere to spend it, my email’s in the profile). As a public service, and because you seem like a nice boy and all, [...]



Those Chaotic Coens

Apr 28th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Analysis and Comment

There’s a piece I wrote over at MovieZeal; its one of the Final Things in their month-long tribute to Joel and Ethan Coen, and it’s called The Coen Brothers and the Spirit of Chaos. Check it out, and while you’re there, peruse Evan et al’s fine site, with beaucoup reviews and analysis almost any [...]



Animated Deer Provokes Debate 66 Years After the Fact

Apr 25th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Analysis and Comment

Back when I was a child, there were no DVDs or even — and I know this will shock you all — any of those quaint things with rollers called video cassettes. Back then, if you wanted to see a movie that wasn’t playing in the theaters, an older movie, you had to wait [...]



Robert Downey on the Rebound

Apr 17th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Analysis and Comment

Just about my favorite American actor is starring in the biggest blockbuster of the summer (ok, other than You-know-who in the Kingdom of You-know-what). It’s Iron Man, of course, and while I appreciate a good comic book movie as well as the next guy, I really appreciate him in those smaller, quirky roles like tranny-loving [...]



Of Aspect Ratios and New Wave Auteurs

Apr 16th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Analysis and Comment

I love François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows. I am convinced it is one of the most affecting movies of all time, and it was influential to boot: along with Breathless, it helped usher in the French New Wave, which genuinely revolutionized cinema. One of the things I love about it is the [...]



Where’s Kurosawa when you need him?

Apr 12th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Analysis and Comment

I’ve thought that Asian films are where it’s at these days, but I base that opinion on an embarrassingly small set of data: Wong Kar-Wai, Hsiao Hsien Hou, Zhang Yimou, Tsai Ming Liang, Ang Lee (I know, I know, he’s more of an American than anything else, but gimme a break). Of course, [...]