February 2012
15 posts
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Film Journal #238 - Broderick Fox's "The Skin I'm...
An inspiring and personal documentary by my former professor and advisor. Find out more about it here
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Film Journal #247 - Steven Spielberg's "War Horse"...
Spielberg’s first film since 2008’s “Indiana Jones” debacle sees the celebrated director tackle an homage to the epic dramas of the 1930s. “War Horse” is a film with panoramic cinematography, a sweeping score and big-scale sentimentality.
As New York Times film critic A.O. Scott writes in his spot-on review, “Mr. Spielberg lays siege to your cynicism,...
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Film Journal #246 - Abbas Kiarostami's "Certified...
A rich, layered and thought provoking film on the nature of art, relationships and individual perceptions of value. Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami has one of his protagonists introduce the main theme in the opening minutes and then uses the duration of the film to prove it.
“Certified Copy” has sparked intellectually stimulating conversations across the internet about its...
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Film Journal #245 - David Fincher's "Panic Room"...
Fincher’s take on a B-movie thriller. The film has his trademark flourishes and some good performances, but alongside “The Game,” it’s probably my least favorite Fincher film.
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Top 10 Films of 2011
Kelly Reichardt’s “Meek’s Cutoff”
Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life”
Mike Mills’ “Beginners”
Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive”
Werner Herzog’s “Cave of Forgotten Dreams 3D”
Paul Feig’s “Bridesmaids”
Lars Van Trier’s “Melancholia”
Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris”
Joe Cornish’s...
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Film Journal #244 - Alexander Payne's "The...
Director Alexander Payne specializes in male melodrama. Here, Payne makes use of Clooney’s career-defining charisma to tell a story stuffed with morally complex situations. At times, it’s overwrought, while in other moments, played too light. Still, as Noel Murray over at the A.V. Club put it, “For all its faults, it would be a mistake to dismiss a movie that features people we...
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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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