Tag Archives: Film

“Rust and Bone”

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: This movie might have been something had director Jacques Audiard bothered to give it a shape and some conciseness. I love Marion Cotillard; she reminds me a bit of Nadia Sibirskaia, though there’s a smidge of … Continue reading

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“Pain & Gain” and Michael Bay

Sax von Stroheim writes: Pain & Gain, the new true crime caper movie from Michael Bay: Uncouth Reflections Movie of the Year? Movie of the Decade? Movie of All Time? Its subject is excess, and it’s catching, so forgive the … Continue reading

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“Footnote”

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: I found this Israeli movie, which is like a family tragedy played as half-farce, to be messy and precious in ways that don’t really suit what’s best in it. But the characterizations — mostly of egotistical … Continue reading

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Arthouse Movie Posters

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Movie culture is pretty much dead now, isn’t it? Sure, it’s possible to whip up some decent arguments to the contrary. But for all intents and purposes movies are no longer significant drivers of culture. Frankly, when a … Continue reading

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Notes On Two Early Films by Masaki Kobayashi

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: “A Sincere Heart,” from 1953, demonstrates that Masaki Kobayashi’s gift for staging was evident very early on. In particular, his ability to invest spaces with emotional meanings, and to link them to other spaces via subtle visual … Continue reading

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Linkage

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Given the play it receives in the media and on Facebook, it might surprise you to know that, according to Gallup, around 4% of Americans think gun control is the most important issue facing the country. Related. … Continue reading

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Malick Studies

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: I see Terrence Malick’s latest emanation is upon us. Call me crazy, but I tend to be less than enthusiastic about Malick’s movies; they often strike me as weird combos of dum-dum ideas and imperious stylization of the kind you might find … Continue reading

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Linkage

Fabrizio dël Wrongo writes: David Chute posts a 2000 piece dealing with film preservation and digitization. What would Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau think? (H/T Michael Castañeda) Was Blue Öyster Cult the first non-German band to use an umlaut in its name? Wikipedia suggests … Continue reading

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“Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai”

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: “Hara-Kiri,” the latest from Takashi Miike, has met with tepid reviews, perhaps because it’s 1) a remake of a classic, and 2) defiantly short on action. But I thought it was largely riveting — aside from … Continue reading

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Notes on Two Early Films by William Wyler

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: In 1929 William Wyler directed a treatment of Peter B. Kyne’s “Three Godfathers,” a Western story of redemption which has been filmed several times, notably by John Ford in the 1940s. Where Ford emphasizes the spiritual … Continue reading

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