Episode 181: CAPTAIN AMERICA / THE ROCKETEER / BEGINNERS / COWBOYS AND ALIENS / Special Guest: Zaid Abu Hamdan director of Bahiya & Mahmoud
Episode 181 – Gareth and I watch COWBOYS AND ALIENS so you don’t have to.
MEEK’S CUTOFF: State of the Union
“Is he ignorant, or is he just plain evil?” Michelle Williams’ pioneer asks of hapless guide Stephen Meek as their wagon train of three loosely tied families winds up lost in the wasteland with depleting resources and a native prisoner in Kelly Reichardt’s MEEK’S CUTOFF.
TRUE GRIT, BLACK SWAN, TRON LEGACY, and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
I’ve seen a few films over the past few weeks, but none hold a candle to IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, which I viewed for the first time in 10 years at The Belcourt Theatre. It’s neither a Christmas film nor a religious one, although the holiday trimmings may suggest otherwise. (Lucky that. I’m not a [...]
TRUE GRIT: City of Mann
Comparing the Coen Brothers’ latest western, the chase film TRUE GRIT, to its predecessor, the camp classic (double entendre!) that finally won John Wayne his Oscar, is a triflin’ quarrel. Never mind that the original TRUE GRIT is dated by its tomboys with Mia Farrow voice, comic mugging accompanied by jaunty woodwinds, and an overall [...]
'Unforgiven' and the Roots of Violence
I took another look at ‘Unforgiven‘ the other day – one of those films whose original impact was muted by the fact that I saw it amidst hype, and, precisely half a lifetime ago, when I didn’t know that I had no idea what I was talking about. The difference today, I suppose is twofold; [...]
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Is ‘The Good, The Bad and the Ugly’ the greatest film ever made? No, just the most entertaining one. It’s a wonderful depiction of the truism that life is just one damn thing after another. This picaresque adventure of three competing men, zipping and zapping back and forth through a surrealistic Western war zone in [...]
The Secret to Watching Appaloosa? Turn the Sound Off
Been getting more into the photography of cinema, ‘cinematography’ if you will, recently. Was so inspired by the photographic look and framing of Che: Che and the Creation of a Style that I’m beginning to reevaluate my thoughts about what film is, and what it should be. When I first saw the Ed Harris directed [...]
