The End

I see a lot of movies. Despite all evidence to the contrary in this series, I do see new movies all the time, but mostly I get mired in random phases where I’ll watch anything and everything I can get my hands on starring a singular actor or actress, by a certain director, or in […]

The Rescue

I’m a bit anal and I like things neat and tidy, so I’ve tried to maneuver this series by giving equal time to different types and eras of film. There have been a few times where the same film or filmmaker would have sufficed for more than one topic here, but I’ve been trying to […]

The Dead

Let me just say upfront that today’s meme is “Saddest Character Death,” so with a topic like that, all who read these lines should assume SPOILERS from here on out. (I’ll still be subtle about some things, but you’ve been warned and my conscience is clear.) I’ll put some minds at ease by saying that, […]

The Old Friends

And now we’re back to one of those who on earth thought up these topics moments, because today’s meme is: “Movie Seen More Than Ten Times.” I can safely say that I’ve seen about two-thirds of the movies I’ve discussed in the last month more than ten times each. It’s something I do, watch a […]

The Fatigue

I haven’t really paid attention to popular culture as a whole since around 2001, which was when I stopped watching television. There are reasons for that (mostly socio-polito-emotio-spiritual), but when I say “as a whole,” I mean by not having an eye on the big picture that TV provides, there are huge trends and phenomena […]

The Professional

On AFI’s list, “100 Years, 100 Heroes and Villains,” the latter group seems to be sub-divided into two main categories. One is that of the madman, whose behavior is generally violent and erratic, such as Annie Wilkes, The Joker, and Freddy Krueger. The second, however, is comprised of the cool, calculating antagonist, along the lines […]

The Bait-and-Switch

I’m not a fan of the “It was only a dream” method of story-telling. Having said that, I can’t imagine who would be, as it’s essentially a big practical joke perpetrated on the audience by the screenwriter. I’m not referring to movies such as The Sixth Sense or The Fight Club, where you can go […]

The End of an Era

The death of Elizabeth Taylor was, to many, the death of the Golden Age of film. She’d been in ill-health for a long time, so her passing was not a shock, but it was still something that hit me harder than I thought it would, and I wanted to mark the occasion. As Richard and […]

The Camberwell Carrot

Of my least favorite character in one of my favorite books, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon, is said: “Phlox, recognizing early that she lacked a strong sense of humor, or rather that she lacked the ability to make up jokes, had memorized thousands of bizarre passages from books and from here and there, […]

The Happy Accident

He didn’t make number one on AFI’s 100 Heroes and Villains – that went to Atticus Finch, and no one’s gonna argue that – but it’s a very, very close second for Indiana Jones. It’s hard to think of an action hero who could be more universally beloved, for he truly fits the cliche of […]

The Glorious Bastard

I have a fascination with the unlikable protagonist. By this, I don’t mean the “antihero,” because I feel that their striving and emotional arc are still close enough to being heroic as to be worthy of being compared to one. However, when the main character is so far off that spectrum, when their personalities are […]

The Matched Set

For today’s meme “Favorite Romantic Couple,” let me start by saying that I like my pairs evenly matched. They’ve got to be able to fight fairly, meet on common ground, and each keep the other on edge. My favorite Shakespearean couple is Beatrice and Benedick; out of all classic dramatic movies, I love Scarlett and […]

The Homefront

It’s been well documented that movies got a bit tame after 1933, once the Hays Code was consistently enforced. Prior to that, film had become a tawdry sex, drug, and crime riddled pleasure-spree. The films of that period were titillating, but it got to a point where some were aiming for little more than one-upping […]

The Pictures That Got Small

I had a difficult time deciding what I would write for today’s meme, “Best Movie Cast.” The topic brings to mind a great ensemble, something that has a large and varied group of actors telling a tale in which they’re essentially equally featured. Films like Magnolia, Little Miss Sunshine, and Glengarry Glen Ross were mentioned […]

The Misdirection

Projects like this series (which we’re now halfway through!) are actually perfect for me, as my mind already organizes things into categories like “My Favorite…” or “The Very Best Of…” I arrange things thus all the time on the fly, but it’s also what my brain refuses to stop doing when I’m trying to fall […]