Roberto Rossellini’s War Trilogy is not exactly a DVD release that needs to be reviewed. To put it simply: if you are a lover of cinema, especially Italian Neo-Realist films, these DVDs are a must-own. With improved transfers of image and sound, and loaded with extra features, the new Criterion Collection releases have finally brought […]
Monthly Archives: January 2010
Crazy Heart
January 23, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Crazy Heart, directed by Scott Cooper, and adapted from the novel by Thomas Cobb follows a pretty stereotypical plot. Jeff Bridges stars as country music singer Bad Blake, a performer who has seen better days. He is overweight, always drunk, and looks like he could use a good shower with a shave. Bad travels the […]
The Book of Eli
January 23, 2010 at 3:35 pm
I’m no sociologist, but it would appear that the current socio-economic climate has finally caught up with Hollywood, and they have reacted pretty much as expected: with lots of explosions. The apocalypse has become a major feature in American film, spurred by a fear of the coming end of our time as the dominant country, […]
The Man from London
January 23, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Bela Tarr is my favorite filmmaker, and The Man From London, coming soon to the MFA, is only his third film in the last twenty years. The last two, 1994’s Satantango and 2000’s The Werckmeister Harmonies are my favorite films of their respective decades, and the later is also simply my favorite film. Unless some […]
Downhill Racer
January 4, 2010 at 1:19 pm
When I saw that Criterion was releasing Downhill Racer I was surprised to say the least. I knew little about the film, but I did know it starred Robert Redford and that it was about skiing. Hollywood stars and sports did not seem in line with Criterion’s general release of foreign flicks, lost classics from […]
Adam Burnstine’s Top Ten of the Decade List
January 1, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr, 2000) I’m going to state it plain and simple: this is my favorite film. Not just of the 2000s, but my favorite film. Period. Bela Tarr’s brooding, draining masterpiece tells the tale of a small Hungarian town on the brink of a revolution. Not an explicitly political or spiritual one, but […]
Tyler Remmert’s Top Ten of the Decade List
January 1, 2010 at 5:29 pm
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind There is an element to memory that really sucks. Every pleasant memory about our friends or loved ones is offset by the painful remembrance of a lost lover. Eternal Sunshine is about the pain of memory, but it reminds us of an all too cliché musing—regardless of the […]
Kelly Smart’s Top Ten of the Decade List
January 1, 2010 at 5:27 pm
Into the Wild (2007) – Beautiful film that reminds you just how difficult preserving meat is. Old Boy (2003) – Chan-wook Park at his best, before he condescended to make Thirst. High Fidelity (2000) – Ah, contemporary relationships. The Last King of Scotland (2006) – A totally deserved Oscar for Forest Whitaker. Amazing character study. […]
Rob Ribera’s Top Ten of the Decade List
January 1, 2010 at 5:26 pm
1. There Will Be Blood 2. A Serious Man 3. Into Great Silence 4. Children of Men 5. Man on Wire 6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Extended) The best of the films, hands down. 7. The New World 8. Adaptation 9. A History of Violence 10. Herzog’s Naught Docs: The […]
Nicholas Forster’s Top Ten of the Decade
January 1, 2010 at 5:23 pm
10 Grizzly Man 9 Badasssss! 8 The Fall 7 No Country for Old Men 6 Million Dollar Baby 5 Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 4 Synecdoche NY 3 There Will be Blood 2 City of God 1 Children of Men