I have a habit of starting movie-watching projects, making a spreadsheet (the best part), then abandoning them unfinished, aways meaning to get back to them, but rarely doing so.
At the end of 2020, I thought of a new project that encompasses all of the old ones: 365 Films in 365 Days, watching at least one film a day for 2021…
Read MoreWhen 70’s director extraordinaire Hal Ashby made his second feature, HAROLD & MAUDE (1971), he was still at the start of his directing career even though he’d labored over 20 years in Hollywood to get there.
In some ways, this seems the secret to the Hal Ashby paradox for this programmer. Arriving in the City of Angels in the late 40’s. . .
Read MoreReleased in 1983, Verhoeven's final film in Holland, The Fourth Man, stands as both a Eurohorror icon and a cinematic cipher. From religious psychosis to daydreams of death to a jewel-toned palette of murder, the film's highbrow Hitchcockian narrative is matched and arguably bested only by the outrageousness of its lysergic exposition. Crafted consciously to present as an arthouse award darling, this Dutch Giallo* is intentionally front-loaded with spiritual satire, structural sophistication, and color-saturated style…
Read MoreWhat can one say about a wild movie that is near impossible to explain? The movie is a crazy part-satire part heart on its sleeve, part Shakespearean, part soft-core sex, part LSD trip out musical. It’s directed by self-made filmmaking genius, World War II vet, and breast enthusiast Russ Meyer, the Stanley Kubrick of exploitation, and written by young future Pulitzer Price winning critic Roger Ebert. . .
Read MoreINAUGURATION DAY #7: WAG THE DOG (1997, dir by Barry Levinson) Today in honor of a new president's inauguration, we wanted to take a look at 7 very different American movies that each come at the US Presidency in different ways. Taken together they form a kaleidoscopic x-ray of the good and the bad, the inspiring and the cautionary in politics and the Presidency. First up. . .
Read MoreFIRST FEATURE FIREWORKS #12: Who's That Knocking At My Door (1967, dir Martin Scorsese) To kick off the new year, let's take a look at 12 first features this programmer thinks light up cinema with fireworks. First up is Martin Scorsese's debut feature. Like many first features, KNOCKING took Scorsese years, numerous painful re-shoots and re-edits, before it finally. . .
Read MoreGREAT DISRUPTIONS, GREAT MOVIES: This week, we take a look at four amazing movies made during or just after periods of tremendous disruption. As we all look to the new year and the next phase of cinema after COVID, it might be instructive to . . .
Read MoreTHREE WINKS AT CHAPLIN #1: THE KID (1921, dir by Charlie Chaplin) As you try to shake off your post-Christmas food overload glaze and/or begin to start thinking about what 2021 has in store, we thought we'd post three appreciations of three Charlie Chaplin movies. First up is. . .
Read MoreODE TO IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946, dir Frank Capra) PART 1 of 3: For the next three days, we'll be posting a three chapter appreciation of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Frank Capra's holiday classic is one of those movies that just gets better every time you see it. Like . . .
Read More12 FILMS OF CHRISTMAS: #12 Black Christmas (1974, dir by Bob Clark, Canada) Over the next few days, we want to write about some of the classic yet, possibly, still underrated or under the radar holiday movies. One of the great things about Christmas movies is that Christmas can be. . .
Read MoreTHREE GREAT DIRECTOR & WRITER COLLABORATIONS #3: Network (1976, dir by Sidney Lumet, written by Paddy Chayevsky) One of the amazing things about THE SOCIAL NETWORK (our upcoming Netflix Watch Party 6/13/20) is how well it showcases the incredibly strong voices of director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin while weaving together their strengths into a unity as a movie. That got us to thinking. What other great director & writer collaborations have there been? The first and possibly most obvious has to be
Read MoreHAPPY THANKSGIVING SECRET MOVIE CLUBBERS! We're thankful to you for being part of our community of filmlovers and filmmakers. In honor of Turkey Day, we wanted to write this short appreciation of PLANES TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES, John Hughes' Thanksgiving comedy masterpiece. Whatever essence and indescribable whatsit that made John Hughes, John Hughes is on full display here. Hilarious, heartbreaking, heart on its sleeve, this comedy tells. . .
Read More![KYMM'S 365 DAY MOVIE CHALLENGE: The Point (1971, dir by Fred Wolf, USA) [Based on the music album by Harry Nilsson]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7a8f6d95bc3643e73bc2e8/1614799238722-CG84FTUI8EU1X13F36HI/I_ThePoint_AlbumMoviePoster.jpg)
