L’Éducation Sentimentale (Sentimental Education)
When I first read Gustave Flaubert’s gorgeously melancholic Sentimental Education, I was struck by how modern it felt for something written in 1869 (and taking place in the 1840’s.) His protagonist, Frédéric, feels like the original Emo poster child from which all young, disillusioned and weepy icons have sprung. From Morrissey and the Smiths to…
The Demise of Quentin Tarantino, Part 2: Kill Bill Vol. 2
It’s not that Kill Bill Vol. 2 is “bad” so much as it contains all the clues and seeds of Quentin’s imminent self destruction. All the self-indulgence, all the voyeuristic hard-ons at watching _____ do _____ to each other, the utter lack of characters with any depth… it’s all here, waiting to hatch. If QT…
The Demise of Quentin Tarantino, Part 1: Kill Bill Vol. 1
It’s true- Movie Club usually avoids such mainstream fare as this, one of the biggest blockbusters from one of Cinemadom’s biggest stars: Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, Vol. 1. So why is it here? First of all, believe it or not, Kill Bill is “out-of-print” in the interwebs- that’s right, you can’t stream it, can’t buy…
An Unmarried Woman
More than almost every other artistic medium, movies are eternally trapped within the era they were made. Despite being from a long time ago in a galaxy far away, Star Wars is clearly from the 1970’s, Toy Story from the 1990’s, and The Wizard of Oz from the 1930’s. It’s not just the technical qualities…
Will Eisner – Profession: Cartoonist
Hopefully, you are aware that there’s a lot more to comic books than Spiderman and Batman. But if you don’t, consider yourself lucky- there’s an entire world of art out there ready for you to explore. American Comics may still be linked with caped crusaders in the minds of many, but around the world, the…
Tord och Tord / Simhall (Bathhouse)
It’s exciting when you discover a new filmmaker that has a truly fresh take on the world we live in, mostly because it doesn’t happen that often- the older you get, the harder it is to be impressed by anything. Which is why Swedish animator Niki Lindroth von Bahr is such a delight- her short…
Small Town Girl
Screwball comedies officially began in 1934 with the advent of the Hayes Code- a self-censoring list of things movies could not show, as a response to the rapid increase of both sex and violence in Hollywood (and the big public outcry that came as a result.) Not being able to talk about sex maturely, filmmakers…
We Don’t Need a Map
Symbols are such strange, odd things- nothing more than a squiggle or a doodle, they nevertheless hold sway over the human beings who believe in them. Be it a flag or an icon, symbols trigger emotions, start wars, rally people to a cause. We Westerners living on the chunk of dirt called America don’t think…
Silkwood
Imagine a movie with Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, and Cher. Imagine it being directed by award-winner Mike Nichols, and being co-written by Nora Ephron of When Harry Met Sally fame. Seems like an instant Hollywood classic, yet Silkwood, which is that film, lounges in the dusty corners of forgotten cinema. Which is a real shame,…
Enter Laughing
Steven Spielberg’s The Fablemans might be the latest in a long legacy of artists making thinly-veiled autobio pics about their humble beginnings, but it’s worth noting the great works that came before (and are mostly forgotten.) First and foremost is the late, great Carl Reiner’s debut feature comedy, Enter Laughing- a sweet and hilarious look…
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Movie Club 