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 Night and the City while four-year-old Polly showed an utter lack of patience and demanded lunch become brunch. Now I want a Bloody Mary.… Read More I Watched Night and the City While Polly Ate Brunch
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
Never meet your heroes. That’s one of the pillars of cultural decorum I’ve learned to follow over the years, and as technology and social media blur the boundaries of public and private life, it’s become a more difficult mantra to follow. Can I ever watch a James Woods movie the same way after reading through… Read More Truth, Justice and Cinema Verite: How Observational Documentaries Have Helped Shape the Political Culture
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
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