This year and last, I showed this 2005 film to my AP Language and Composition class, I suppose for two reasons.  First (the less noble reason) - this time of year is extremely busy because of the Debate team travel schedule, and the movie itself takes almost 5 full class periods to show.  Second (hopefully … Continue reading The New World →

1.i remember that in a discussion with hitchcock,truffaut was comparing the way hitchcok shot a scene in one of his movies,and the way the same scene was shot by some american director who remade that movie.the scene was two guys talking in the street.bad guys probably.hitchcock shot it from inside a room, from above,so you could … Continue reading about movies →

Some movies, despite whatever virtues they possess, suffer from a fatal flaw that leads the reflective viewer to judge the movie an artistic failure.  It's hard to articulate the point precisely but I expect readers of this blog have experienced what I am alluding to--that moment during a movie, or afterwards, when you think: "Well, … Continue reading Movie Review: The Box →

I was tempted not to see this movie, assuming it would be just another hipster-doofus romance in Michael Cera's increasingly arrested film development. And Scott Pilgrim certainly is that. But I'm happy to report that it's also a remarkably inventive and entertaining movie. If you haven't seen the previews, the basic idea is to imagine … Continue reading Scott Pilgrim vs. the World →

There's a fun discussion of Vincent Gallo's Buffalo 66 over at the AV Club -- including a clip of the great photo-booth scene. I was struck by the fact that Scott Tobias seemed very concerned that his readers' lack of empathy for Gallo's character would prevent them from being able to appreciate the movie. I … Continue reading Spanning Time →

A propos of Nates' recent post about the american remake of the Swedish Let The Right One In, a survey question for OPers.  Name the top three American remakes of foreign films.

I've just heard that they've made an English version of the Swedish film, Let the Right One In. The original, which David introduced me to, is incredible. It's kind of a vampire coming of age story, but that really doesn't do it justice. If you haven't seen it, you should just go rent it. The … Continue reading Let Me In →

Coercion is likely to be more effective when the victim doesn't realize he is being coerced.  This is one of the main themes in Christopher Nolan's new movie, Inception, which I saw Monday night with high expectations.  In Nolan's movie, characters are susceptible to an exotic form of mind-control in which agents infiltrate their dreams … Continue reading Inception →

A while ago, Josh recommended the movie, Adventureland.  I had a chance to see it while home this week and was very impressed.  (Imagine setting out to make a movie about a young man losing his virginity--how many generic pitfalls there must be.)  My favorite line: --"They don't like people like me where I'm from." … Continue reading Adventureland →