Comment Archives: stories: Film: Video Essays
Re: “Enter at Your Own Risk: The Scariest Movie Locations of All Time”
The original (1959) House on Haunted Hill. I was young enough to be scared by the cheesy special effects the first time I saw it.
As far as Roger Corman-Vincent Price films go, The Masque of the Red Death scared me more than Pit and the Pendulum.
Re: “The Evolution of the Modern Blockbuster: Part 1”
I was 16 in 1984 and 21 in 1989 and these movies were my life. I went from being a child to being a "man" in between these two bookmarks. I'm not sure what I have come here to say, but I will say that I loved this 5-part series. Thank you.
Re: “We Love the Aughties: An End-of-Decade Clip Party, Part One”
loved it, but.....no 25th hour?
also, you should consider expanding its "sharing" options. i'd love to be able to embed this video or share it on tumblr.
Re: “2010: Scenes from a Year in Film”
Machete don't text.
Re: “2010: Scenes from a Year in Film”
Actually, not really.
Re: “Do the Right Thing Is About More Than Just Race”
Really marvelous work —thanks for pointing the way to the Rosenbaum review, which I hadn't read. I think Sal's complexity has as much to do with Danny Aiello as Spike Lee; from the DVD commentary it sounds like Lee was fighting Aiello to make Sal less sympathetic. I guess Aiello likes playing basically nice guys. (Turturro, on the other hand...)
Re: “To Have and To Have Not: Class Envy in Film Noir”
Regarding "hinky," credit where it's due: There's a pretty funny conversation about the word "hinky" in 1993's "The Fugitive." It officially entered my vocabulary after that -- though I can never pronounce it with quite the same flair as Tommy Lee Jones.
Re: “To Have and To Have Not: Class Envy in Film Noir”
...also, I think this is the first time I've ever heard the word "hinky" used!
Re: “To Have and To Have Not: Class Envy in Film Noir”
Matt: This is an entertaining and succinct analysis of The Prowler. I enjoy what might as well be a pullquote: "It's not just a classy thriller. It's a thriller about class." You've nailed Losey's thematic obsession and rendered it articulate through the lens of envy. Thanks!--Michael Guillen.
Re: “We Love the Aughties: An End-of-Decade Clip Party, Part Two”
Not bad. But Hustle & Flow is not good in any way whatsoever. That fucking song, my god...
Re: “We Love the Aughties: An End-of-Decade Clip Party, Part Two”
Pride and Predjudice? The one with Keira Knightley.
Re: “We Love the Aughties: An End-of-Decade Clip Party, Part Two”
These are so great!! I just wanted to make one suggestion: The Proposition. Wow-- it's amazing to see what's happened in the last decade-- and I now have my marching orders for the next month.
Re: “We Love the Aughties: An End-of-Decade Clip Party, Part Two”
These compilations are wonderful. Thank you for putting them together. I especially appreciate your inclusion of Zodiac and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, two absolutely fantastic movies of 2007 that were too often overlooked and forgotten about. I'm also happy about the inclusion of the two Romanian gems, 4-3-2 and 12:08.
Re: “We Love the Aughties: An End-of-Decade Clip Party, Part Two”
Both were well done but I have to admit personal sadness at the omissions of Memento and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I bet others will be looking for The Dark Knight.
Re: “Is Steve McQueen Really That Cool?”
I am OK with McQueen not being seen as a good actor He probably wasn't. He didn't have much of a range. He seems good enough for what he was though. I can't blame him for not stretching that much; the video points out how much he did suck when he tried to stretch. I disagree with this being seen as a personal failure. He was who he was.
He embodied a certain type of masculinity. Pretty metrosexual. Adventure oriented. Aloof and cool. Kind of narcissistic. For a while that was good enough to make him a movie star.
Re: “Quentin Tarantino in His Own Words”
Tarantino did an interview with Charlie Rose where he says that he considers himself more of a writer than a filmmaker. He also reveals (I didn't know, at least) that he wrote Kill Bill as a book first, and then adapted it to the movie, which I thought was interesting.
Re: “Enter at Your Own Risk: The Scariest Movie Locations of All Time”
bee-utiful real estate. Our homes are our greatest fear, our closest companion, the dead thing we imbue with life. Fear for the homeowner
