That's what I was thinking about THE KNICK. I mean, a film could definitely be made of the subject, but it would be a very different experience. And of course there are many reasons for the choice of medium, but a lot of discussions that I've read on the subject make it sound less like the filmmakers are hoping to…

With the news of the difficulties of Fincher's HBO shows I thought about the exodus of filmmakers to television. A few of those filmmakers have pointed out how TV allows them to explore material that current film production won't support anymore. And after watching the first season of THE KNICK, I wonder: would these…

I really didn't think they did right by her character in GHOST PROTOCOL. The script gives her almost every major mistake that kept complicating or risking the mission's failure. It seemed her character arc was starting to point in the direction of having her realize she was not cut out for the job. The sequence at the…

I haven't read the books, so I had no problem with Cruise playing a part that did not seem to suit him on paper. And I thought the movie started out promisingly, nicely paced and with some great use of Pittsburgh locations. And that's before mentioning Werner Herzog's presence. But then it felt slightly more ponderous…

MUSEUM HOURS is fantastic. The combination of its patience and its power of observation is really quite moving. Looking forward to this one.

From a recent LA TIMES piece I learned that Christopher McQuarrie was brought in to do re-writes of the GHOST PROTOCOL script, and he heavily changed the trajectories of the characters to "reverse a plan to begin phasing out Hunt." In this part of his career, it turns out, McQuarrie seems to be one of Tom Cruise's…

After PHOENIX and CRIMSON PEAK, this is the 2015 release I'm most looking forward to.

I liked the 2000 film with Samuel L. Jackson, but I will remember it primarily as the first time I saw the always great Jeffrey Wright.

True that.

Even though I do have bit of a soft spot for the Pinter version, it is certainly far from the best possible conclusion to his career. And I don't love all his plays, but remember reading some of the early stuff like THE BIRTHDAY PARTY and THE HOMECOMING, and then watching NO MAN'S LAND on stage and finding them all…

This was Ingrid Bergman's last feature film. And I remember reading an anecdote in Guillermo del Toro's book on Alfred Hitchcock, where Hitchcock went to watch this film and expressed his displeasure for the way Bergman photographed Bergman - that is, the director did not shoot his actress as lovingly as Hitchcock…

Absolutely agree. One has to admire a show that is so consistently able to display a stern but undeniable compassion for a character that, just in the previous episode, has risked, and even succeeded in many cases, losing all sympathy.

Must bring up BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO as a perverse love letter to the art of film sound recording. That anecdote from Rebello's book on PSYCHO finds a virtual recreation in that film.

Given all that has been written about Marlon Brando, I wonder if his life and work would be best served these days by video essays or at least documentaries about Brando fandom or non-cinematic legacies. I'm sure there is a lot to discover from his fascinating career, but more personal and idiosyncratic readings might…

Altman's IMAGES and Polanski's THE TENANT are both from the 70s, although I wonder if everyone would agree that they are both "classics" (I would say they are). Several images and ideas in the trailer, however, remind me very strongly of those movies. Also, some have pointed out the influence of Polanski's REPULSION,…

All of which makes that image of BoJack sitting on his boat as the truck hauling it speeds down the highway very puzzling to me. I'm not sure how "blank" or "lost" he looks, as Ms. Framke describes it. There's a brooding epicness to the image (I might even say a "coolness") that has traces of a triumphant feel to it.…

As powerful as the episode's climax felt, with one of the most judiciously, smartly placed expletives in the sentence "I will FUCKING kill you" that I can remember, I could not help but feel disappointed. Partly it is disappointment in BoJack for failing once again to do the right thing, or even failing to resist…

I also agree that it is not as horrible as a lot of the responses suggest. I prefer the first version but there are a few things about Branagh's film that I like. It is far more audacious in its psychological twists (although it must be said that it recovers some character developments that are a lot more present in…

Something that made me enjoy this film greatly was the set of Wyke's house. Designed by Ken Adam, it is a place that encourages you to scan it leisurely for all its detail. You are not restless trying to catch everything that's been put into it. Instead, the film's pacing and framing lets you take it in. One of the…

Sam Fuller would've made a great runner-up for F. And A is quite stacked already, but Robert Aldrich had a fascinating, highly influential career.