Sin Nombre is the kind of meticulously crafted and confident film you’d expect from a seasoned director; you might, then, be surprised to learn that it is actually the debut feature from filmmaker Cary Fukunaga. This is an auspicious beginning for Fukunaga; a combination of equal parts road trip movie, immigration story, and tale of … Continue reading
Posted in November 2009 …
The Effects of FX
We can look back over even just a decade of film and be impressed by how many advances have been made in the special effects field. We can also smile with amusement over how the state-of-the-art effects of yesteryear now look obvious and crummy by today’s standards; this shouldn’t be a big surprise, as the … Continue reading
A Useful Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats, 2009, dir. Grant Heslov
Alright, imagine that in the 80’s, the US government sanctioned the implementation of an Army regiment trained using New Age hippie tactics and placing emphasis on the paranormal. These soldiers were taught the art of remote viewing (the ability to gather information about unseen or far away targets through extra-sensory perception), and it was hoped … Continue reading
Something Seasonal: Contemporary Films I’m Thankful For
November is a time of year to ruminate on all the things that we’re thankful for, and as we close in on the end of 2009, I find myself with a list containing innumerable pieces of my life that I’m grateful of. I have a wonderful fiancée with whom I have a fulfilling relationship; I … Continue reading
A Useful Review: The Girlfriend Experience, 2009, dir. Steven Soderbergh
There are probably specific expectations some might impose upon a film whose lead is a famous and popular porn star; for example, the promise of erotic visuals, the thrill of the voyeurism inherent to watching porn, and of course, chief of them all, the guarantee of smoldering on-screen sex. Why else would you hire Sasha … Continue reading
A Useful Review: A Serious Man, 2009, dir. Ethan and Joel Coen
Why do bad things happen to good people? It’s a basic if somewhat cliched question, true, but knowing the answer is essential to how you will perceive the latest dark opus of the Coen brothers, A Serious Man. The film’s prologue, a shtetl tale involving a husband, a wife, and a rabbi (who may or … Continue reading
A Constant Visual Feast 