Monthly Archives: December 2005

Jiminy Glick in LaLawood

Posted on 12/16/2005 by mauer

I’m honestly a little amazed that no one has mentioned this film yet – let alone seen it. I mean, you people obviously aren’t afraid to watch shitty films as evidenced by discussions on Catwoman, Fantastic Four, and Two-Lane Blacktop. … Continue reading →

Posted in (by verdict), piece of crap, recently watched | 1 Comment

Upright Citizens

Posted on 12/15/2005 by reynolds

First, I’ll just plug the comedy troupe: Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, and Ian Roberts. They had a short gig on Comedy Central, and now pop up seemingly everywhere in small roles (or, for Poehler, bigger billing on SNL). … Continue reading →

Posted in (by verdict), likey | 1 Comment

Inspired opening sequences

Posted on 12/12/2005 by john

I’ve been thinking about this lately: the opening sequence of a film. It’s typical for a filmmaker to go the narrative exposition route–that is, he/she front-loads all the essential information about what has happened prior to when the film begins … Continue reading →

Posted in (by verdict), (random lists) | 3 Comments

Question for Film Eggheads

Posted on 12/12/2005 by michael

riddle me this, dynamic didacts: let’s say you were assigned to teach a class with the unwieldly title “Popular Culture, Civil Society and the Public Sphere” where at least one unit would focus on comedy, another on historical representation and … Continue reading →

Posted in (by verdict) | 42 Comments

Cowboy sex

Posted on 12/12/2005 by jeff

Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain is a work of art—a lean, spare, unsentimental film suffused with loneliness and longing. That being said, I think the American public will ignore this plaintive love story. Though the Wyoming landscape is gorgeous to look … Continue reading →

Posted in (by verdict), classic, favorite films, likey, recently watched | 41 Comments

Geopolitics and mainstream film

Posted on 12/12/2005 by jeff

Less flashy but more substantial than The Constant Gardener, I found Syriana to be intelligent and provocative—an unassuming and impassioned yet labyrinthine melodrama. Though it flirts with moral ambiguity, the film is very clear about who the bad guys are … Continue reading →

Posted in (by verdict), likey | 19 Comments

Narnia

Posted on 12/12/2005 by jeff

When it is not attempting (poorly) to replicate the visual splendor and complexity of the Lord of the Rings films (the CGI here can be quite muddy), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe proves to … Continue reading →

Posted in (by verdict), likey, recently watched | 1 Comment

obsessive behaviour

Posted on 12/11/2005 by arnab

recently watched: the duellists (for the first time) and fitzcarraldo (for the second time after many, many years). i liked the duellists quite a bit, even if visually it seemed somewhat like barry lyndon-lite. scott always seems more interested in … Continue reading →

Posted in (by verdict), likey | 26 Comments

Diddlebock

Posted on 12/10/2005 by reynolds

Preston Sturges inspires the kind of rapturous drunkenly-exuberant logorrheic responses in critics that he depicts in his characters. There are moments of sublime confusion in most of his films–and a few (The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek and Unfaithfully Yours are … Continue reading →

Posted in (by verdict) | 3 Comments

of gay actors, indian actors, and pride and prejudice

Posted on 12/8/2005 by gio

this is my first post, and i’m sure i’m already going all wrong about it. but since arnab forced me to use the password “italysucks” for my first login, i’m trying to mess up his site as much as i … Continue reading →

Posted in (by verdict), actors/actresses, the state of things | 23 Comments