Lawless Time (Weekly Links)

For a Good Time, Call…’s cast (this is the problem with an ellipsis in the title)

Links to reviews I wrote for the Herald this week, and etc.

Lawless. “Hillcoat drops the leash.”

Sleepwalk with Me. “Maybe better as a monologue, but a nice movie.”

For a Good Time, Call…. “Monotonous.”

Side by Side. “Much-needed.”

And a fall preview thingie.

On KUOW’s “Weekday,” I talk with Marcie Sillman about Side by Side and its revelations about the digital changeover in movies, plus a little about Sleepwalk with Me. It’s archived here; the movie portion is served up at the 11:35 point.

At What a Feeling!, take a tour with reviews of Henning Carlsen’s Wolf at the Door, Krzysztof Zanussi’s Contract, and Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire.

Movie Diary 8/28/2012

Sleepwalk with Me (Mike Birbiglia, 2012). Along with its other attributes, the film brings back a certain post-Annie Hall vogue for the relationship comedy, which I never thought I’d feel nostalgic for, but which this movie make me feel at least  somewhat nostalgic for. (Birbiglia, who also plays the lead role based on his one-man show, even addresses the camera in his first-person narrative.) The movie is as modest as the comic’s own presence, and although it looks artless it does have a feel for second-rate clubs and motel rooms that seems authentic. (full review 8/31)

At What a Feeling!, the Eighties wayback machine lands on Francois Truffaut’s Confidentially Yours, a very mild (and unintended) end to a beautiful career.

Movie Diary 8/27/2012

Side by Side (Christopher Kenneally, 2012). A lucid and ambitious chronicle of how digital killed film, told even-handedly and with a pretty amazing array of the people who would know about this stuff. On the one hand, you’ve got Fincher, Soderbergh, and Lucas huzzahing the revolution; on the other, Christopher Nolan and Vilmos Zgismond sound the cautionary notes – except it isn’t cautionary, it’s a eulogy, ’cause it’s over. By the way, Nolan’s Chips Ahoy analogy is not something I ever thought I’d hear, especially coming from that source. Keanu Reeves makes a good host for the documentary. (full review 8/31)

At What a Feeling!, politics is in the air with a review of Sidney Lumet’s Power, with Richard Gere in the Karl Rove role.

Hit and Rush (Weekly Links)

Everybody needs to get a haircut: Cosmopolis

Links to reviews I wrote this week for the Herald, and etc.

Premium Rush. “Not a masterpiece, not hardly. But…”

Cosmopolis. “Cronenberg’s skill is razor-sharp.”

Hit and Run. “A layer of humor that would doubtless be excused as racial rather than racist, and at that point – well, fine line, and all that.”

Compliance. “Utter creepiness.”

On KUOW’s “Weekday,” I talk with Steve Scher about the subversive casting in Cosmopolis, and a few other Cronenberg notes. The session is archived here; the movie section bows at the 18:30 mark.

At What a Feeling!, pause to consider the sweet spot between the ridiculous and the sublime, as we dig out a vintage review of Rowdy Herrington’s Road House.

Movie Diary 8/23/2012

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky, 2012) and The Devil, Probably (Robert Bresson, 1977). Did not see this double bill coming. Let us say that the sincere and heartfelt coming-of-age clichés of the first film are put in stark relief by the utterly concentrated focus of Bresson’s youth picture. Sorry, Perks, you never had a chance.

At What a Feeling!, travel back in time (1989, to be exact) for a review of Stephen Herek’s most rad Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

Movie Diary 8/22/2012

Premium Rush (David Koepp, 2012). It absolutely does not look promising, but Koepp is part of a dwindling population of people with a familiarity with actual storytelling, and some of that makes its way into this tale of bicycle messengers doing their thing. Plus, he’s got Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Shannon on board, which helps immensely. (full review 8/24)

At What a Feeling!, catch up on the Eighties reviews, with looks back at Alan Parker’s Mississippi Burning and Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Movie Diary 8/20/2012

The Lawless (Joseph Losey, 1950). New DVD of this well-managed social-issue picture is a very nice job. Racial tension in a small town where the immigrant fruit pickers live on the wrong side of the tracks – the kind of movie progressive Hollywood was cooking up at that moment. The unlikely couple at the center is Gail Russell and the always-electric Macdonald Carey (actually, a pretty good role for him). One manhunt across a field of clacking rocks is a good example of Losey’s ability to make a real location into something abstract.

At What a Feeling!, walk your dog over to a vintage review of Lawrence Kasdan’s The Accidental Tourist, the 1988 film that got Geena Davis an Oscar.

Old Odd Life (Weekly Links)

ParaNorman, is that you?

Links to reviews I wrote for the Herald this week, and etc.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green. “Not your usual heirloom tomatoes.”

Sparkle. “Carmen Ejogo burns with a really wicked fire.”

ParaNorman. “A lack of oomph.”

Old Goats. “A lot of things don’t happen in this movie, which is one of the things to admire about it.”

On KUOW’s “Weekday,” I talk with Steve Scher about movie actors and their images and our expectations of them. The talk is archived here; the movie bit kicks in at the 17:40 mark.

This afternoon brings another session of “Framing Pictures” to the Northwest Film Forum at 5 p.m. This free conversation features Richard T. Jameson, “flâneur extraordinaire” Bruce Reid, and myself talking about (at least) Robert Bresson (NWFF has a new print of The Devil, Probably playing this week) and the mysteries of the new Sight & Sound “Greatest Movies” poll.  More here.

Sunday afternoon, August 19, join me at the Frye Art Museum for “Americans Unwillingly Abroad: Two Blacklisted Directors,” a talk in the Magic Lantern series. I’ll focus on the disrupted careers of Joseph Losey and Jules Dassin, and how they transformed themselves into European filmmakers after being ousted from Hollywood during the Red Scare. 2 p.m., free.

At What a Feeling!, another week of 1980s reviews closes with a 1989 consideration of Norman Jewison’s In Country.

And check out a past example of “Framing Pictures,” as the Seattle Channel presents last month’s installment online and on cable; you can watch it tonight at 10 p.m. or elsewise during the weekend (sked is here), or online here.

Movie Diary 8/16/2012

The Space Children (Jack Arnold, 1958). Ah, disappointment. The childhood memory does not hold up, and despite some nice shots and the director’s social concern, the overall thing is pretty tedious. It’s about kids at a seaside rocket base encountering a blob from space, which comes in peace.

At What a Feeling!, go back to a low point in Charles Bronson’s run of Eighties vehicles, with a review of J. Lee Thompson’s incredible Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects.

Movie Diary 8/15/2012

Sparkle (Salim Akil, 2012). A remake of the 1976 Irene Cara musical scripted by Joel Schumacher – but let’s pause there for a moment. All right. Still, this movie has a few things going for it, including a strong farewell turn by Whitney Houston (albeit overshadowed by the powerhouse Carmen Ejogo). (full review 8/17)

At What a Feeling!, an Eighties flashback to the comedy duo of Nick Nolte and Martin Short, in Francis Veber’s Three Fugitives.