The first time I saw Siege (aka Self Defense) was at Ex-Fest IX in Philadelphia. It was the first of eight films that played that day and it really set the tone for a pretty killer marathon. While you can sum it up as being a low-budget Canadian version of Assault on Precinct 13, it’s got a certain amount of charm that makes it stand out amongst the other B-Movie entries of the era. … Read More Every ’80s Movie: Siege (Self Defense) – 1983
I watched My Night at Maud’s while Polly revolted against the core principles of civility. This might not be the right millennium for an Eric Rohmer retrospective. Wrong decade. Wrong year. And certainly wrong month — a grand jury indictment of over 300 Catholic Priests who have sexually abused over 1,000 kids in Pennsylvania alone… Read More I Watched My Night at Maud’s While Polly Revolted Against the Core Principles of Civility
I watched Persona while Polly ate breakfast. I figure what better way to examine the mystery of the pug that refuses to eat from her bowl than the story of an actress who refuses to speak. I think it’s been about twenty years now since I really got into film. When I first started to… Read More I Watched Persona While Polly Ate Breakfast
Charming. Whimsical. Inspiring. These are all words that one would commonly use to describe a Steven Spielberg movie, and oftentimes it would be in a positive connotation. Unfortunately for The Post, his latest crusade to capture the unbridled determination of the human spirit starring Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep and an absurdly rich cast of television… Read More Dress for the Oscar you Want…
Who are the heroes of today? The ones you would chapter a narrative based on? There are a billion people with a million followers, but is there a clear voice that can be distinguished through the static of a constant and rapidly shifting conversation? Isn’t this how we ended up where we are now, at… Read More Black, White & Blue: James Baldwin’s I am Not Your Negro
Can anyone love anything as much as Timothy Treadwell loved being amongst the grizzlies we see him with during his annual excursion into the Alaskan wilderness, trips he chronicled for educational purposes, posterity, and perhaps a stab at fame? Footage that shows him frequently venturing to within arms-length of these majestic creatures, acknowledging the dangers… Read More Chance is the Lifeblood of Cinema
Six, sometimes seven, but almost never less than five times a day I find myself biting through my fist as I craft a hateful message to WILK, the local talk radio station, to tell them how idiotic they are, but alas, I never send them. By the time I’ve gone through the half dozen revisions… Read More I Watched Jesus Camp and Now I’m a Little Scared
Beginning with the amazing flashback of the implementation of a pickle dispenser station, to the franchising debate and that rabble-rouser scene where our hero fights for corporate sponsorship, The Founder, like Steve Jobs of yesteryear, is the American success story I don’t know I want to see. Montages of sales pitches and investment schemes, monologues… Read More I Watched the Founder, Thought About Steve Jobs and Now I Want to Punch Myself in the Face
In an effort to fill the void digital has created, collecting physical media has become en vogue again. And with the current trend of 80s revival penetrating the culture, VHS tapes have come back from the dead. I have a soft spot for VHS tapes. I had a great collection during the days when I… Read More Analog Escapades in a Digital World
The Cinematic Equivalent Of An Adult Coloring Book might sound a bit harsh, but when you take a step back and look at Edgar Wright’s latest offering, Baby Driver, you’ll see it fits. The framework is there for something nice, and the mechanics are familiar and comforting, but the end product is artificial and only something… Read More Am I Just a Dick or Was Baby Driver a Dud?
Cinema Vertigogo 