Great Scenes »
“Punch Drunk Love” (2002) and Three Great Scenes
PT Anderson’s stylistic transition from the epic Scorsese/Altman influenced Boogie Nights/Magnolia to the much more fragmented/angsty There Will Be Blood/The Master can be seen in 2002′s Punch-Drunk Love. At the time the film was marketed as PT
Read More »Dating, Dream Logic and Torture: “Audition” (1999)
WARNING: ”Audition” is a disturbing film and certainly not for everyone. I have been watching Mark Cousins fantastic documentary series The Story of Film on Netflix recently (big recommendation to film lovers!). Cousins takes on the
Read More »Great Scenes: Ingmar Bergman’s “PERSONA” (1966) – The Film Machine
“Art is a lie that makes us see the truth” – Picasso Ingmar Bergman’s PERSONA is a film that I have watched at least 25 times. To me, it is Art House filmmaking at
Read More »“Jacob’s Ladder” and Terrifying Childhood Movie Experiences
The horror film genre, for the most part, is filled with movies I have no interest in seeing. Many of the previews I have seen over the years for the latest batch of scary
Read More »“Rocky Balboa” and a Message to My Son
Today is my son Dylan’s 5th birthday and I wanted to write something he could read when he is older. After a little thought I was reminded of something that I have wanted to
Read More »Great Scenes: “Nashville” (1975) “Dues”
I am far from alone in considering Robert Altman’s Nashville one of the great masterpieces of American cinema. With a steady and graceful flow it pieces together elements of America’s personality to create a rich, clarifying
Read More »Great Scenes: “WILD STRAWBERRIES” (1957) – A Clock With No Hands
Here is an example of a really good dream sequence, from the first part of Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries. The film is about an old man coming to terms with the fact that his
Read More »A Director’s Drink: The Great Luis Bunuel and The Perfect (Dry) Martini
In my late teens, I got into the films of Luis Bunuel. This started from a fateful trip to the Edmonds library. On the same visit, I rented Bunuel’s The Discreet Charm of the
Read More »Great Scenes: “The Phantom of Liberty” (1974) – Dinner Table Manners?
Luis Bunuel was 73 when he directed this surrealistic/ absurdist classic, his second to last film. The last years of his career showed Bunuel at the height of his powers, balancing his interests in
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