February 2012
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Film Journal #243 - Lena Dunham's "Tiny Furniture"...
A spiritual sucessor to Noah Baumbach’s “Kicking and Screaming,” however, updated for the current generation. Terry Gross interviewed director, writer and actor Lena Dunham on her little film and how it has opened big doors for her.
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Film Journal #242 - Michel Hazanavicius' "The...
An undeniably charming and well-crafted piece of nostalgia filmmaking. Film critic Jim Emmerson takes a look at the movie’s incredible popularity.
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Film Journal #241 - Errol Morris' "The Thin Blue...
Errol Morris’ groundbreaking documentary may not seem radically different to viewers now, but that’s only because his approach to making documentary films has been adopted by countless others. Regardless of aesthetic technique, the story of Randall Adams and David Harris is incredibly compelling and a depressing example of the American justice system at its worst.
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January 2012
17 posts
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Film Journal #240 - David Fincher's "The Girl With...
I don’t care if this was a faithful adaptation to the Swedish best-selling novel. I don’t care if the film’s flow falters and it becomes obvious that this is an adaptation of that novel. The only thing that matters in this movie is Rooney fucking Mara. She gives the performance of a lifetime.
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Film Journal #239 - Woody Allen's "Midnight In...
The artist’s job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.
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Film Journal #238 - Brad Bird's "Mission:...
Pixar alum Brad Bird makes his big screen debut in the fourth entry in the “Mission: Impossible” series. What’s on display here are not Bird’s talents as an emotional storyteller as seen in “The Iron Giant” and “The Incredibles,” but rather his incredible eye for rewarding and exhilarating action. However, the film does peak in the middle with a...
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Film Journal #237 - Bennett Miller's "Moneyball"...
Brad Pitt is at the top of his game here in this otherwise traditional sports film.
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Film Journal #236 - Martin Scorsese's "Hugo"...
Sorry, I’m still not really sold on 3D.
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Film Journal #235 - George Clooney's "The Ides of...
As with 2005’s “Good Night, and Good Luck,” George Clooney crafts an intriguing and character based political thriller that largely works thanks to the charismatic performances by its cast. Starring Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Clooney himself, it’s hard to deny the acting caliber on display here.
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Film Journal #234 - Jonathan Levine's "50/50"...
Cancer films can have it easy when it comes to gaining audience sympathies, but “50/50” doesn’t take the familiar route thanks greatly to a solid performance by Joseph Gordan-Levitt. Levitt brings a conflicted emotional depth to the film’s protagonist and filmmaker Jonathan Levine allows us to see the ways in which Levitt’s behavior influences those closest around...
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“David Fincher once outlined the four ideal personality traits of a director as...”
– Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
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Film Journal #233 - Steven Soderbergh's...
“Contagion’s” greatest accomplishment is terrifying the living daylights out of you on completely reasonable and believable terms. Soderbergh’s voyeuristic and method approach to the script make the film play out in a matter-of-fact/cause and effect matter that is extremely chilling due to its grounding in the reality of our modern world.
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Film Journal #232 - Miguel Arteta's "Cedar Rapids"...
A fairly predictable comedy about a naive and innocent, but completely earnest protagonist who comes out of his shell to overcome corrupt and immoral dealings. Sound familiar? However, this basic plot is made enjoyable by the dedicated performances of its cast. I love John C. Reilly.
December 2011
16 posts
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Film Journal #231 - Derek Cianfrance's "Blue...
By juxtaposing scenes of two young lovers with their future failing marriage, director Dreck Cianfrance hits an honest mark as he shows the incredible highs and lows found in romantic relationships.
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Film Journal #230 - Lars Van Trier's "Melancholia"...
It’s the end of the world and only the chronically depressed are emotionally capable of handling such a tragedy. I kind of like that message.
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Film Journal #229 - John Cassavetes' "The Killing...
The more Cassavetes films I watch, the more I believe that the man’s greatest gift is painting uncomfortably real portraits of deeply flawed people. He sees through criteria we may consciously or unconsciously use to judge people and cuts through straight to their human essence. This makes for films that are undeniably honest, but also hard to swallow for they are seldom seen in the...
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Film Journal #228 - David Fincher's "Zodiac"...
This is David Fincher’s overlooked masterpiece. A procedural drama in which every element works together like clockwork and the film’s chilling realism is accentuated due to its pioneering digital cinematography.
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Film Journal #227 - Antoine Fuqua's "Tears of the...
Another choice of the neighbors. I could’ve sworn this film was directed by Edward Zwick while I was watching it. It’s a historical drama with race as a key issue and big spoonfuls of sentimentality. Bruce Willis frowns a lot.
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Film Journal #226 - Michael Bay's "The Island"...
We told our 13-year-old neighbor that he could bring over a DVD and watch it on our projector. This is what he brought. Michael Bay, your evil presence is felt all over this world and I will never forgive you for it.
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Film Journal #225 - John Cassavetes' "A Woman...
An utterly devastating film that moves and disturbs you with the sheer reality of its tragedy. Cassavetes understands the honest complications in everyday human relationships and the often sad truths for those living with mental illness. Read this.
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“What’s interesting about this whole thing is [this]: a director doesn’t have to...”
– Nicolas Winding Refn
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WatchArtist: Vivian Girls
Song: “Light In Your Eyes”
Album: Share the Joy
Available on Polyvinyl Records
Director/Director of Photography/Editor: Gerry Maravilla
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Film Journal #224 - Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive"...
“Drive” is a true triumphant of style over substance and I don’t mean that as a slight. By combining elements of Walter Hill’s, “The Driver,” and other minimal 1970s films and infusing them with an even greater sense of European style, Refn delivers a movie that feels both familiar and contemporary. While it never tops the incredible opening scene and credit...
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Film Journal #223 - Takashi Miike's "Ichi the...
Japanese director Takashi Miike doesn’t give a fuck about what you think is acceptable to show on screen. He pushes boundaries and comfort levels in unprecedented ways that leave the view wanting to take a long, hot shower after watching one of his films. “Ichi the Killer” is an extremely violent and often disturbing film that will be enjoyed by all who can stomach it.
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Film Journal #222 - Nicolas Winding Refn's...
While it’s looking less and less like “Drive” will be coming to El Salvador, I’ve still been committed to seeing as much of Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s filmography as possible. Refn’s Viking acid trip blends elements of Leone and Herzog for a concoction that’s probably as bizzare as that sounds. Read Salon.com’s Andrew...
Anonymous asked: Stumbled upon this by accident- inspiring stuff. As someone who has just started to take cinema seriously, I was wondering what your essential films are.
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Film Journal #221 - David Fincher's "The Game"...
David Fincher knows how to construct an engaging thriller even when the script is lacking. Can someone smarter than me please write a paper on San Francisco in Fincher’s films? I’d love to read that.
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Film Journal #220 - Apichatpong Weerasethakul's...
I’m still not quite sure what I just watched, but I still want to say that I felt moved and hypnotized by this film. There are echoes of Malick, but at the same time, it’s something else all its own. Peter Bradshaw over at The Guardian has the right idea.
November 2011
21 posts
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Film Journal #219 - Terry Zwigoff's "Crumb" (1994)
At times, this intimate documentary of counter culture comic book genius Robert Crumb is almost too close for comfort, but it is never less than fascinating. Zwigoff’s film smartly looks at both the work of the man and the people that surrounded this one-of-a-kind soul. If only all documentaries could be this damn good. Read this and this.
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Film Journal #218 - Todd Solondz's "Happiness"...
People bestowed the title ‘sick psychopath’ don’t seem quite so strange or crazy in this 1990s indie classic. Or maybe it’s ‘crazy’ people have never been portrayed with this level of humanity. Darkly hilarious and often surprising, I found that the sad, honest and idiosyncratic nature of the performances stayed with me, reminding me that the idea of...
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Film Journal #217 - Miranda July's "The Future"...
Only Miranda July could deliver a film with this amount of quirkiness and poignancy. July looks through the shell created by our modern world and undercovers the pressures brought on by traditional archetypes, now also heavily influenced by our changing media landscape. Beneath it all, she finds our Western society’s sad, paralyzed pulse, yearning for something more, but unsure of how to...
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Film Journal #216 - Steve Barron's "Teenage Mutant...
A lazy Sunday afternoon and morbid curiosity got the better of me as I decided to re-explore this childhood favorite of mine. It has all the Ninja Turtle trademarks I remember (martial arts, pizza, surf lingo) and all the flaws I readily expected. Mainly, plenty of groan-worthy dialogue, an out of place existential voice over by April O’Neal and some of the most blatant product placement...
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Film Journal #215 - Walter Hill's "The Driver"...
“The Driver” is one of the coolest movies I’ve ever seen. A pay-for-hire getaway driver evades a conceited detective across the Los Angeles landscape. He rarely speaks, but his calm demeanor recalls the suave essence of screen personas like Steve McQueen, but with a dab of the French New-Wave thrown in for good measure.
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Film Journal #214 - Monte Hellman's "Road to...
Monte Hellman’s 1971 cult-classic “Two-Lane Blacktop” is one of my favorite movies of all time. The director hasn’t made a film in over 20 years, so needless to say, I went into watching his latest movie with some pretty high expectations. I wish I could say that they were met, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by this neo-noir film within a film. There are...
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Film Journal #213 - Nicolas Winding Refn's...
I’ve decided to make my way through Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s filmography as I await the release of “Drive” here in Latin America. After watching the “Pusher Trilogy,” I checked out this sideshow biopic of the United Kingdom’s most famous criminal. Refn never attempts to understand or explain the insanity that is Michael Gordon Peterson,...
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Film Journal #212 - Jim Jarmusch's "Dead Man"...
This revisionist Western by Jarmusch unfolds in a series of vignettes that weave a mesmerizing dreamlike atmosphere. Accompanied by a haunting guitar score performed by Neil Young, “Dead Man” finds poetic rhythm in the way it unravels. Read this interview with the writer/director.