I originally put this film in my queue for a few reasons. First, because I love science fiction. Second, because in some previous research into cartography, I had learned of the mythical creatures, Gog and Magog, who live on the edges of the flat earth where the oceans fall over the edges! On both counts (in terms of my piqued interest due to those things), … Continue reading Gog (1954)
What I really liked about this film was that it mostly kept the integrity of the main goals of the novel with a few variations that were probably absolutely necessary for a viewing audience. It’s probably a miracle that the filmmakers didn’t go the alien or toxic cloud route in showcasing the diegetic horror to viewers. With the exception of Gary’s diverse charcoals of creatures … Continue reading Bird Box ( 2018)
Okay, so the nostalgia runs deeply on this one, but I can’t say exactly when I would have watched the show itself since I was only 9 years old when it came out. I assume I saw it on re-runs, but I don’t know. Either way, I distinctly remember Vincent and Catherine and the “world” they created down in the underground with Father and the … Continue reading Beauty and the Beast (1987) Season 1
What has always drawn me to Westerns is the interesting play on ethics that is present, the singular male, and the presentation of the primary female figure(s) (or lack thereof). Within the narrative, there is an internal system of ethics that is maintained despite whatever cultural norms we might apply to those scenarios today. Some of the tropes the viewer sees on display are both … Continue reading Trifecta of Westerns: Death Rides a Horse (1967), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) & One-Eyed Jack’s (1961)
Ahhh…how good it feels to see a full-on, well-made, spaghetti western again, and not one of those cheap imitations! I’ve been on a bit of an Italian-film diet after numerous complaints about my film choices never being after 1970 and always Italian. In my own defense, I do tend to choose foreign over domestic, but they aren’t always pre-1970. Here we have a happy medium … Continue reading Duck, You Sucker (1971)
This is a French film about self esteem, sanity, and being stuck in a rut. Seraphine is a poverty-stricken cleaning lady, somewhere in her 40s/50s, who appears to go through life on a very unenjoyable plateau of habituation (I would like to say the French word, habitude, here because there is a point in the film when she focuses on that particular word, but I … Continue reading Seraphine (2008)
Wow. I haven’t written in a while. Well, let’s get on with it and not wallow in the sorrow of wasted time! And, there’s no better filmmaker to begin again with than Werner Herzog. I’m sure I’ve said it in nearly every single post I’ve ever written about a Herzog film, but what I like most about his films are their characteristically Herzoggian qualities: real … Continue reading Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
The one thing I would like to say about this documentary film is that they should be ashamed of themselves for plagiarizing The Future of Food (2004). In The Future of Food, the documentarian (Deborah Koons Garcia) tackles the organic food vs. GMO food issue in decent detail. She interviews individuals who have been affected by GMOs: farmers, mothers of sickened children, consumers, experts. She … Continue reading Food, Inc. (2008)
Without doing any actual research to confirm my suspicions, I have to assume that this film was blacklisted by the Germans because it too closely resembled the political and social insanity that was brewing in 1933. The film’s titled prologue tells the viewer that it wasn’t until 1951 (if I recall correctly) that this film was shown in Germany. I can see why. I don’t … Continue reading The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
This film, by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, is apparently based on a novel called The Roadside Picnic (1971), by Arkadi and Boris Strugatsky. I have not read this novel but I just might, now that I’ve seen this adaptation. The film is classified as Science Fiction. And I would say this is correct insofar as 1984 (novel and film) is also considered SF. Meaning, of course, … Continue reading Stalker (1979)
When one first considers the film Hedwig and the Angry Inch on the surface, one might expect to just watch a film about the extravagant lifestyle of a drag performer. But this film is about a lot more than that. It’s not just about wigs and makeup and some sort of Culture Industried presentation of homosexuality. It’s about the process of living. It’s about making … Continue reading Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
This film, directed by John Carpenter, has all of the elements of an exquisitely-made, cheesy, outer space, science fiction film. It really reinforces the notion that just about ANYBODY can make a film, with pretty much any prop they have lying around the house, and have that film be distributed and cultified throughout the generations. I’m a big fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey (the … Continue reading Dark Star (1974)
It was a brilliant move for Spike Lee to make a half Italian-language WWII film. He sets the film in Italy; there are Italian Resistance fighters (i partizani) and Judases and Nazis and compassionate Nazis; he has Italian cast members who are speaking Italian (and there are Germans speaking German too); the cinematography is foggy in a daybreak-on-a-mountainside sort of way; and he blends it … Continue reading Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
Well, I’m glad I didn’t watch the trailer before I watched the film. I love how trailers can be so misleading; how they present an idea about what the film is about, but in actuality, the film isn’t actually about whatever they present. The trailer is the ultimate public image, I suppose. Well, in this case, since there were no ‘stars’ in the film, the … Continue reading Zabriskie Point (1970)
We live in a truly awful world. Not because we are headed for Armageddon but because the Culture Industry keeps feeding us the same plotlines and we keep gulping them down like starving pups suckling on the incontinent teets of the She Wolf. I like that they put it into animation form, at least. Change the characters into non-humans, okay, but still give us Frodo, … Continue reading 9 (2009)
This is a hard one. I debated whether to even post on it, actually, because it’s not that great of a film. But I suppose I can still glean a little something from it. If not, what am I doing here? I’d like to start out with the absurdities of the characterization of Julian (Richard Gere). Julian is presented as a high-rolling gigolo, able to … Continue reading American Gigolo (1980)
So, I guess I didn’t even notice that I’ve been writing on my blog for a year already! We’re a month past Cinematophiliac’s one-year anniversary but I’d like to share a few stats with you: # of views to-date: 1,353! Still the featured blog under the tag, “Herzog.” This is awesome! Some faithful readers, the known ones being: Norse Penny Press, Ad Nihilum in Odio, … Continue reading Commemorating a Year of Cinematophiliac
I kid you not, dear readers-six, that I have been waiting to watch this film for two and a half years! It was recommended to me that long ago, and it sat on our Netflix queue’s ‘unknown availability’ list for two and a half years. Also on our unknown availability list is Klaus Kinski’s Nosferatu the Vampyre so we’ll have to wait and see how … Continue reading Last Year at Marienbad (1961)
What I like about this film are its moments of raw, human desperation. This is certainly something typical in Aronofsky’s other films, like Requiem for a Dream (2000), which I’ve mentioned in a previous post. I think the strongest examples of this raw, human desperation in The Wrestler, have to be found in two scenes: first, the flashback to the 14-minutes-ago scene in the wrestling … Continue reading The Wrestler (2008)
There are a few things to consider with this film: hard work (the bootstraps kind) that leads to a sense of entitlement, a culture or mentality that allows megalomania to thrive unchecked (I might even call this Capitalism), and basic psychology. The protagonist (and we know he’s the protagonist because he’s the first actor to appear onscreen), Daniel Plainview, is a loner. He has no … Continue reading There Will Be Blood (2007)
I’d like to begin this (long overdue) post by quoting a headline from a recent yahoo.com news story: “Michelle Obama wearing shorts proved too much for the media.” I think the implications of such a news ‘story’ sum up the film, Network, pretty well. Though I’m very weary of jumping to the conclusion that Network is a film that accurately reflects today’s media sentiments. I … Continue reading Network (1976)
Paul Verhoeven directs this WWII-era drama. It reminds me a lot of The Lives of Others, perhaps because it costars Sebastian Koch, who is in both films, and because both films deal with the Nazi Stasi. It was a long film: 2 and a half hours. But there was a lot to be shown. I think what stands out to me most in this film … Continue reading Black Book (2006)
This was a smart film. It is French, but that is not the reason it is smart. It is smart because the main point of the film comes only in a few seconds toward the end of the film when the viewer, after having been drawn through the narrative of Anna, a little 9-year old girl who is rebelling against her bourgeois-turned-bohemian parents, gets a … Continue reading Blame it on Fidel (2006)
Just a few brief words about this film: What I found throughout this film is a lack of support for a lot of Bill Maher’s “Biblical (or other religious textual) evidence.” There were countless scenes in which Maher was saying to people “such and such is in the Bible” and the people would say, “no, i believe it said this,” and he would say, “no, … Continue reading Religulous (2008)
What can I say? I’m severely behind in the times. And the worst part is that I feel my brain going to mush. So, I will, yet again, backlog myself beginning with Lolita! I’m not sure what’s worse: the pedophiliac tendencies of Humbert Humbert (can’t help but think: Pervert Pervert) or the manipulative, woman-charms of Lolita. They’re both sick and liable in their joint and … Continue reading Lolita (1962)
This is a Czech New Wave Film by Vera Chytilova. In going through the special features, it’s clear that she had many difficulties in her film career due to the State’s control over the Czech film industry. But that’s a topic for another day, perhaps. But she made this film. And it was thought-provoking. The two characters in the film, whose names change frequently, are … Continue reading Daisies, a.k.a. Sedmilkrasky (1966)
So, I had to see some more David Lynch because we’ve been watching Twin Peaks. I’m not quite sure what the point of Blue Velvet was, other than to show some secrets of small-town living, but I think Lynch must just like showing aberrant behavior on film. What do I want to say about this film? It was interesting. It was violent. It was kooky. … Continue reading Blue Velvet (1986)
I thought that since the novel had been published in 1939, and the film came out in 1940, that more than likely the director, John Ford, and screenwriter would have stuck a little more closely to the novel. Well, I was right in some respects; wrong in others. I’m not going to bother researching John Steinbeck’s role in the making of this film but if … Continue reading The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
I had forgotten that this particular Herzog film starred Klaus Kinski, even though I now remember scenes from it that were on the documentary, My Best Fiend, which is about the tumultuous relationship between Herzog and Kinski. Actually, watching My Best Fiend really helps one to appreciate the evil genius of Kinski’s acting. As Woyzeck is drawing to a close, and Woyzeck is wielding the knife … Continue reading Woyzeck (1979)
On the heels of reading a real uplifting novel like The Grapes of Wrath, it was a much needed pick-me-up to be able to watch Akira Kurosawa’s Dodes’ka-den. I’m kidding. About the uplifting part. This film takes place in what looks like a nuclear fallout zone. I imagined the setting as Hiroshima, a year later. It’s pretty much a slum. The viewer is only given … Continue reading Dodes’ka-den (1970)
As my faithful readers know (thank you!), this is a blog devoted entirely to analyzing film. And, I normally stick pretty closely to the unspoken tenets of only writing about films. But once before on this blog, I ventured into writing about Arthur C. Clarke’s Odyssey Tetralogy because of the corresponding films and my overpowering desire to write about the books in a place where … Continue reading The Grapes of Wrath (Novel, 1939)
Okay, so I do get out to the cineplex every now and then. But, I’ve got to admit that I really do not like the $9.50 ticket price! I mean, really! And I won’t even go into the debacle at the refreshment counter over a gold-plated bottle of water. This film was what it was: blockbuster action, shoot ’em and kill ’em and stab ’em … Continue reading X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Sometimes I don’t quite know what to say about a film. The old tendency is to say: “It was good. I liked it.” And be done with it. But that’s not enough. That’s never enough. Sometimes I don’t have much to say until I start writing. That’s the beauty of this blog: the process of writing brings out so much more in terms of the … Continue reading Let the Right One In (2008)
This film is campy 50s Sci-Fi at its greatest. It is billed as having some of the most grotesquely explicit special effects of its time so I was looking forward to maybe some arms or heads being dismembered, or something like that. Well, I guess I should’ve kept my hopes in check for 1950s campy SF. The film was actually pretty good. The setting is … Continue reading Fiend Without A Face (1958)
I’m wondering why Keanu Reeves accepted the lead role in this film because it’s so similar to the story line of his character, Neo, from The Matrix. I’ve seen and taught The Matrix so many times it’s not funny. I’ve only ever seen one other film more times than The Matrix and that’s The Neverending Story. So as I was watching this film, although clearly the … Continue reading The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
Sometimes there are lulls between my posts, not because I’m not watching any films, but because I am lazy. I am watching films constantly. And, really, I have no excuse for not writing about the films by the next day but alas I sometimes find myself with a cartload and not enough energy to write a full post on any of it. So I’m going … Continue reading Can I have some fries with that Catch-up?!
I suppose we all know where this one is headed. Now, I’m not opposed to period action films. There are some that I actually like, like Gladiator. There are others I completely abhor, like Troy. I became skeptical of the film from the moment I saw Colin Firth’s face appear on screen. I said to D, “Oh, it’s Mr. Darcy!” And then I cringed at the … Continue reading The Last Legion (2007)
I have seen two other Ousmane Sembene films: Black Girl and Borom Sarret (1966). I showed one of my college writing classes Black Girl and I remember someone saying they were tired of the whole Black-White thing, and why couldn’t we just move past it. Well, sure, the film deals with issues of Black and White, but from a completely different context than we are … Continue reading Camp de Thiaroye (1987)
This was a delightful film, filled with truly spectacular special effects. Actually, the Special Features documentary on Ray Harryhausen, the creator of the film’s stop-motion animation effects, was a highlight of the disc. Harryhausen created the memorable effects on films like Clash of the Titans, the Sinbad series, Jason & The Argonauts, 1 Million Years B.C. etc. I’ve said many times on this blog that … Continue reading First Men In The Moon (1964)
This film was clever, but not in the “Sixth Sense.” The story, as it was unfolding, was predictable in the predictable sense, but it still left you feeling fulfilled as a viewer because it is satisfying watching compassion develop on screen. I like the idea of the watcher (Wiesler) becoming enmeshed in the lives of those he’s watching. The film portrays, obviously, the lowering of the … Continue reading The Lives of Others (2007)
I’m blown away by this film. It is the best Herzog film I’ve seen yet. The pace is perfect. The story is profound. The characters are well presented. What struck me as I was watching this film was Antonio Gramsci’s concept of the organic intellectual. (I’ve noted this also in my post on Slumdog Millionnaire) This comes out most profoundly in the scene when Kaspar … Continue reading The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
This might not have been the best movie for someone like me to watch. I say that because I typically do not like racket, or cacophony, or din (thank you GRE!) especially in music. I can’t stand the sound of endless clashing cymbals or frantic guitar leads (I’m thinking of heavy metal riffs here). And, as the title suggests, there’s a lot of screaming in this … Continue reading Pinocchio 964, a.k.a. Screams of Blasphemy (1992)
This was a really funny film. As I was watching it, it felt very much like Napoleon Dynamite, in the sense that Ferrell & Reilly were portraying characters from what the viewer might consider their own past or from their own former perception of reality as a kid. They said and did things just like elementary or middle school aged kids, though they were 39 & 40 years old. … Continue reading Step Brothers (2008)
This is an interesting film. Fuqua does not take the “Pete and Repeat” attitude like others before him have done. He doesn’t stick completely to the most recognized and overdone Arthurian narrative, and while I commend him for taking the narrative road less traveled (because Arthurian tales DO vary), I also have to say that what Fuqua did to the essence of the Arthurian tales is … Continue reading King Arthur (2004)
I have mixed emotions about this film. On one hand, I love the costumes and characters that Guillermo del Toro creates for his films. Pan’s Labyrinth was also great in terms of that. What I’m struggling with in terms of Hellboy II is the fact that there are many aspects of the film that have been more-than-just-slightly appropriated from at least two other epic stories: The … Continue reading Hellboy II (2008)
I’ve been holding off on writing about this film because I wasn’t quite sure what to say about it. It’s a film about perception of reality, though on the surface it is about suicide, love, life, living & relationships. This film reminded me of a Haruki Murakami novel because of the mystery that unfolds for the viewer. As the film progresses, the viewer sees that what was … Continue reading Last Life in the Universe (2003)
So, I’m embarassed to say that I didn’t finish watching this film. I’ll tell you that off the bat. It is a long film, 3 hours I believe. And, I think it might be a feat of endurance, on certain days, to watch a 3 hour long silent film. I had watched about half of it and got the urge to fast forward through it … Continue reading Woman in the Moon (1931)
Ahh…this is good television, let me tell you. There is too much to cover, really, but I’d like to tell a tale of a green reptilian alien baby hand puppet, and I’d like you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride! Okay, I’m not going to say much more about the green reptilian alien baby hand puppet other than to merely mention it, but I … Continue reading “V” the TV Miniseries (1984)
This is the first episode of the What’s Your Thing? series created by me and Samantha. We call ourselves Goo Goo Plex Films. Eventually I will learn how to upload a better quality video to YouTube but for now this will have to do. And, if you’re wondering, that is us singing and playing the theme song, and Samantha played the accordian for the sound … Continue reading What’s Your Thing? – Episode 1 – Samantha Walks
I love Arthur C. Clarke’s Odyssey quadrilogy, and the 2001 film was truly remarkable, so when I saw that this Japanese film was intentionally made to somewhat mimic the 2010 sequel, I couldn’t resist. Perhaps that was a mistake…. It’s hard to say whether this was a “bad” film or not. It is what it is: a cheesy Sci Fi B-movie. There is a play (i.e. twist) on … Continue reading Sayonara Jupiter (1984)
A.k.a. La decima vittima in Italian. Directed by Elio Petri. To my knowledge, I’ve never seen any other films by Petri. I’m not sure I’ll be running to the video store (or the Netflix queue) to try and find others, to be honest. This film, on the surface, is about society’s acceptance and perpetuation of violence. The plot centers around legalized hunting of humans, a.k.a. The … Continue reading Tenth Victim (1965)
I do watch films other than just B&W Italian or Socialist Russian fairy tales, by the way. I just don’t always write about them on this blog. I write about the films I want to write about: those that say something profound to me. But, I like children’s movies a lot, probably because the other side of my personality is child-like. The CG animation films always … Continue reading Wall-E (2008)
This film’s English title is The Swindle. It’s directed by Federico Fellini. By now, I’ve seen about 85 % of Fellini’s films. Slowly but surely I’ve been accomplishing that goal over the years. What I like about Fellini is how he presents (and therefore essentially critiques) society and our various approaches to life. A consistent presentation of such in his films is that of the … Continue reading Il bidone (1955)
The film’s Italian title is La maschera del demonio. I’ve seen a few other Bava favorites: I tre volti della paura (Three Types of Horror, a.k.a. Black Sabbath, 1963), and Ercole al centro della terra (Hercules in the Center of the Earth/Hercules in the Haunted World, 1961). I’m continually impressed with Bava’s films. I have never specifically been into Italian horror films but the more … Continue reading Black Sunday: The Mask of Satan (1960)
This Russian film was directed by Aleksandr Rou. And like all fairy tales, it has a moral. And, like many Russian films, that moral tends toward glorifying the State. And that’s okay. I don’t mind. I liked this film a lot. I loved the colors and the characters with their backwards names, like “Dneirf,” which was translated in the subtitles as “Friend.” Or “Lesaew,” which … Continue reading Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors (1963)
Saw this last night. Sean Penn’s skills at acting are certainly amazing. Actually, overall, all of the actors were amazing. The film itself was put together nicely with stock footage from the 70s. One such use of stock footage was the brilliant opening sequence where men were being rounded up by the police and taken down to the station in paddy wagons just for fraternizing in gay … Continue reading Milk (2008)
This is the third part of the UP Series, directed by Michael Apted. The series started with Seven Up in 1964 and then Seven Plus Seven in 1970. It’s an intriguing series to watch because you see fourteen children from different socioeconomic backgrounds in the UK, whose lives are tracked in increments of seven. It’s interesting to see how your own predictions for them are … Continue reading 21 and Up (1977)
This classic Eisenstein has eluded me for years. Despite having read many readings about this film in grad school, I haven’t managed to actually watch this film until now. It was well worth the wait. Why, you ask? For starters, I didn’t fall asleep. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is elaborate on your own thoughts. I think with Battleship Potemkin, this is infinitely difficult … Continue reading Battleship Potemkin (1925)
It’s amazing how much the Little Christian Bale looks, acts, and speaks like the Big Christian Bale. His voice, his lips, his eyes: all Christian Bale. Now, you might be wondering why I say his lips here, but since he became Batman, one can’t help but focus on his lips when he’s in the Bat Suit. It’s a legitmate observation. And, it makes me think … Continue reading Empire of the Sun (1987)
I’ve decided to create a new blog just for what I’m reading. There’s nothing on there right now but I’ll be posting my thoughts soon on the first few chapters of Stephen Hawking’s ‘A Brief History of Time,’ which is one of the books I’m currently reading. I’m planning to use the new reading blog to help me flesh out my thoughts on the different … Continue reading My new reading blog
Like most films I see, I did not research this one. Usually, I at least read a description of the film, but for this film, I didn’t even do that, even when my good friend RG carted us to see a prescreening, which we didn’t get to see because of the crowd of overanxious auntyjis. So when I sat down in the theatre to see Slumdog … Continue reading Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Films that deal with rape, especially male-child rape, make me feel panic. After watching Mysterious Skin(2004), I was left with an awful feeling and insomnia for a few days. After that film, all I could think about was Samuel Delany’s novel, Hogg, and that made me feel even worse. I emailed a former Professor from my alma mater about it and he suggested I read … Continue reading The Kite Runner (2007)
I’ve recently experienced a major lull in brain activity that has kept me away from my blossoming blog. That doesn’t mean, however, that I haven’t been watching any films. On the contrary, I’ve been watching just as many as I normally do, I just haven’t been writing about them. I’ll just say a few things about a few of the films I’ve watched recently, because … Continue reading Major Lull in Brain Activity: An Attempt to Catch Up
Despite the clear fictionality of the “history” that is portrayed in this film, it was a decent film. I didn’t know what to expect and was hoping it wouldn’t be a horrible film. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. What I liked was the plot. I think this film does what Babel cannot: show the TRUE interconnectivity between people who “seem” to have no connection with each … Continue reading 10,000 B.C. (2008)
I suppose one of the most powerful scenes in this film was at the beginning when we see the Spanish soldiers, and many chained slaves, traipsing through the thick forest carrying the two women in their carriage-box things. At that moment, something became clear to me: the absolute ridiculousness of the colonizers’ absurd attempts to not only conquer but to bring their inappropriate cultural practices into an … Continue reading Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972)
What I liked about this film was that reason and true humanism won out over the representation of capitalist-vicious-greed. In the end, when Dr. Hendron keeps Stanton off the ship, it shows true courage in the face of the oppressiveness of money-that-supposedly-gets-you-anything. I think that’s an important message to convey because today we’re in that same situation–big businesses are profiting relentlessly from the exploitation of … Continue reading When Worlds Collide (1951)
I honestly don’t know when I had the opportunity to watch this film when I was younger. In 1991 I was in middle school. And, as I’ve said before on this blog, my film-watching was closely scrutinized by my mother. Perhaps I saw it in rerun on TV when I was in high school. But most of my high school memories have been securely blocked … Continue reading The People Under the Stairs (1991)
Or maybe you prefer Quadrilogy. This four-book saga is made up of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 2010: Odyssey Two (1982), 2061: Odyssey Three (1987), and 3001: The Final Odyssey (1997). Since these are related to film, I am comfortable writing about them on this blog. But even if they weren’t, this blog will probably diverge occasionally to discuss non-film texts. So, it’s okay either … Continue reading Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘Odyssey’ Tetralogy
I’m not a comic book or graphic novel reader. So I can’t say for sure how accurate the filmed version of Iron Man is in terms of its adherence to the original. It is an interesting concept for a super hero though: a regular person with no “unnatural” abilities, except for a genius-level mind and a penchant for MacGyver’esque engineering-oneself-out-of-tough-spots. Brilliant concept, really. Use your own … Continue reading Iron Man (2008)
This feature-film by Werner Herzog presents an interesting view of the time period concerning the rise of the Nazis in Germany, and their effects on Jews in Germany and Poland: 1932 & 1933. What stands out the most to me is how obvious it is to viewers today (it’s amazing to think it was over 70 years ago!) that the incomprehsible “racial” divide between Germans and … Continue reading Invincible (2002)
There are probably better things to be done on a Sunday during the early afternoon but today I’ve chosen to watch The Blob. I can’t say whether I’ve actually seen the film before–in my youth–because I wasn’t old enough when the movie came out, and my mom was a stickler for age-appropriate film viewing. Perhaps, though, I had seen a few scenes via re-run on … Continue reading The Blob (1988)
It’s nearly Halloween so I thought I’d take a mind trip through some classic 70s Italian Horror. I’ve seen another Dario Argento film, Profondo Rosso/Deep Red, which had David Hemmings (Barbarella, Blow Up) in it. Suspiria came highly recommended. A friend from grad school recommended it to me a few years ago and I have just now gotten around to watching it. What can I … Continue reading Suspiria (1977)
I watched Barbarella thinking it would be a nice campy, kitschy, cheesy 60s SF film and what I got was that, and a whole lot more. Honestly, I was stunned that the film opens, not just with a dis-robing Jane Fonda, but with a totally naked Jane Fonda. I know we were in the middle of a cultural revolution of sex at the time, but … Continue reading Barbarella (1968)
I watched this film when it first came out. Luckily, it was a free screening at SDSU for students so I only lost the 3 hours of my life, and not $8.00. That would have only added insult to injury. I always like to use Troy as an example of a horrible literature-to-film adaptation. In 2004 I hadn’t even read the Iliad yet but from taking … Continue reading Troy (2004)
I’m not entirely sure why I decided to watch this film other than the fact that the movie poster pretty much draws you in. I mean, who can resist Raquel Welch with blonde hair in a loin cloth?! Even I cannot resist that. As I was watching the film, I was trying to determine what the point of it was: why? why? why? The only … Continue reading One Million Years B.C. (1967)
Some other films I’ve watched recently (and enjoyed) that I will probably never write about are: Kurt Cobain: About a Son (2006, different, but very powerful) Pete’s Dragon (1977, Disney, a classic from my childhood) Sweeney Todd (2007) Northern Exposure (1991+, TV series) Dexter (2006+) Slings and Arrows (2003+, Canadian TV series about a Shakespeare Festival, fun) The Seventh Seal (1957) Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982) … Continue reading Back Log
I’ve said before on this blog that I like Westerns. I mostly like Spaghetti Westerns, but the occasional American Western will do. This film presented an interesting concept: outlaws mixing with regular guys mixing with railroad and law men. Ultimately, what stands out for me are the interactions between Wade (Crowe) and Evans (Bale). What was striking in this film was the depiction of Wade … Continue reading 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
This documentary is about a Buddhist monk ordainment festival that takes place in Bodh Gaya, India and in some place in Austria. Herzog takes the viewer through the long journey to the festival (at the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment) and to various other important locations. One monk had traveled for 6-7 years straight, making the journey by prostrations. While Herzog only encounters this particular … Continue reading Wheel of Time (2003)
One of my favorite poets is William Butler Yeats and when I heard about this film, I thought of him and one of my favorite poems of all time, Sailing to Byzantium. The “perne in a gyre” gets me every time. I see I’m out of touch just enough to only just now realize how deliberate that connection is–wikipedia covers all bases. This film definitely … Continue reading No Country for Old Men (2007)
I didn’t realize it when I ordered the film on Netflix, but based on the number of languages available in subtitles and overdubbing, this film must have had quite a world-wide appeal. Or, at the very least, it has become a classic of Russian cinema. It’s a delightful, propagandistically-charged (if that’s even a word) tale of a young, and “well educated” Soviet boy, Volka, who comes across … Continue reading Old Khottabych (1956)
We came across this film from the Czech Republic on Netflix in the “Watch Instantly” section. Who could resist a description and a movie poster like this: In this bizarre fantasy from the Czech Republic, an ordinary couple, Karel and Bozena, are unable to conceive a child. When Karel digs up a tree root and whittles something vaguely resembling a human baby, Bozena’s strong maternal longings … Continue reading Little Otik: Otesanek (2001)
I’ve seen a few De Sica films, including The Bicycle Thief and The Garden of the Finzi-Continis–both in Italian film classes I had as an undergraduate. I love Italian film. I love Italian Neorealist film because it deals with (and usually stars) regular/real people in real-life situations. It is for this same reason that I like the fiction of Muriel Spark–regular people, regular problems. In … Continue reading Umberto D (1952)
I can honestly say that this is the absolute funniest film I’ve seen in a long time. I most appreciate the sick, childish, and ridiculous humor that directors Hurwitz and Schlossberg have let run rampant throughout. This film is littered with stereotypes for all, and while it provides an endless “I can’t believe they’re doing that!”, those ridiculous stereotypes nonetheless have specific functions in the … Continue reading Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay–Unrated (2008)
Hiroshi Teshigahara directed Woman in the Dunes in 1964, and while I haven’t read Kobo Abe’s novel, on which this film is based, I have recently been reading a lot more Japanese fiction, notably Haruki Murakami. Murakami led me to this film. One of the things that keeps me coming back for more Murakami is his persistent placing of his protagonists (or others) into holes that … Continue reading Woman in the Dunes (1964)
Christian Bale’s presentation of the grossly emaciated and psychologically-disturbed Trevor Reznik is disturbing but also fitting. Bale in The Machinist is reminiscent of Bale in American Psycho (2000)–another film that gives the viewer a wicked look into the life of a highly disturbed individual. In the case of American Psycho, the highly-disturbed individual, Patrick Bateman, is a high-powered Wall Street egoist. In The Machinist, Trevor Reznik … Continue reading The Machinist (2004)
This was an interesting film. It was a bit dorky in a Napoleon Dynamite sort of way. The purposeful bad acting and the outlandish humor made it ongoingly enjoyable. I laughed a lot because of the ridiculously non-politically correct humor that ran rampant throughout the film, like Mr. M’s Jesus-Christ-Superstar’esque play ‘Hamlet 2’ and his unorthodox interactions with his high-school drama students. Overall, I think the film accomplishes … Continue reading Hamlet 2 (2008)
The Wild Blue Yonder: I just watched this fictional, quasi-documentary style film by Werner Herzog after watching his documentary about an American scientific research facility in Antarctica (Encounters at the End of the World, 2007), which recently played at the DFT. Encounters provided the viewer with amazing footage of undersea-and-ice life on the sub continent. As Herzog tells the viewer at the beginning of … Continue reading The Wild Blue Yonder (2005) & Encounters at the End of the World (2007)
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s presentation of the absurdities of religion (and modern life/capitalism) in The Holy Mountain was an enjoyable find for me. A memorable scene was reminiscient of one of my absolute favorite films of all time: Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960). In The Holy Mountain, Jodorowsky’s play on the Jesus Christ Superstar-esque commodification of the image of Christ leads the viewer to a point at … Continue reading The Holy Mountain (1973)
For my first post, I’d like to delve into my thoughts on The Dark Knight (2008). Initially, I was reluctant to watch the film because of its reputation for violence. I’m typically uninterested or unamused with gratuitous violence and sex in film. Luckily, The Dark Knight lacked the gratuitous sex. And, being well hardened to images of violence, I wasn’t altogether overwhelmed with what violence … Continue reading The Dark Knight & the Autonomy of the Self
Cinematophiliac 