Movies

113 posts

Sun 07 Apr
2013

Goodbye to Two Greats

8:10 AM
Add Remarks

Mourning the passing of film critic Roger Ebert and comics legend Carmine Infantino.

Tue 13 Nov
2012

The People vs. James Bond

8:29 PM
Remarks (11)

Fifty years on, defending 007’s right to be himself.

Mon 09 Jul
2012

Wes Anderson’s Kingdom

8:13 PM
Remarks (15)

My review of “Moonrise Kingdom.”

Thu 14 Jun
2012

Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs Screenplay Will Be Highly Inaccurate and That’s Okay

11:19 AM
Remarks (5)

Understanding why the “The Social Network” got things wrong, and why it’ll happen again.

Fri 27 Apr
2012

Salvaging a Blu-Ray on My Mac

12:31 PM
Remarks (16)

After a firmware update, a Blu-Ray disc we owned stopped playing. Here’s how I liberated it.

Mon 27 Feb
2012

Integrity and “The Artist”

10:04 AM
Remarks (4)

Complaints about Michel Hazanavicius’s Oscar-winning ode to the silent film era.

Mon 26 Sep
2011

Drivers and Thieves

7:34 PM
Remarks (6)

Nicolas Winding Refn’s remarkable movie “Drive” and the curious phenomenon of nostalgia.

Thu 28 Jul
2011

Super-Heroes Are Faking It

10:06 AM
Remarks (15)

“Captain America” and the real world.

Tue 05 Apr
2011

The Silver Computer Screen

10:36 PM
Remarks (9)

What user interfaces in the movies tell us.

Thu 31 Mar
2011

The Enduring Value of Netflix by Mail

8:32 AM
Remarks (20)

In its quest for transformation, will the movie service leave behind thousands of the titles it currently carries?

Thu 03 Feb
2011

Facebook, For the Win

4:32 PM
Remarks (3)

“The Social Network” is the new American archetype for winning, through and through.

Wed 12 Jan
2011

Listening to What Movie Lovers Have to Say

4:30 PM
Remarks (12)

More thoughts on Blu-Ray, whether extras matter, and how commentary tracks could save home video (even though they won’t).

Tue 28 Sep
2010

Annals of Crime

5:28 PM
Remarks (3)

An incredible line-up of classic movies in Film Forum’s “The Heist” festival.

Mon 19 Jul
2010

Origins of “Inception”

1:55 PM
Remarks (8)

Thoughts about ‘original ideas’ in Christopher Nolan’s superb new movie.

Thu 25 Feb
2010

A Metallic Taste

11:20 PM
Remarks (7)

In spite of not being a fan of heavy metal music, here are some nice things I have to say about two movies about heavy metal music.

Wed 17 Feb
2010

Slow to Judge

11:03 PM
Remarks (2)

An appreciation of the ‘breakthrough familiarity’ in the movies and television shows of Mike Judge.

Mon 25 Jan
2010

Watching Movies When Not Watching Baby

11:12 PM
Remarks (6)

I probably wont’t be writing lengthy movie reviews like I used to, so I’s resorting to quick write-ups for the time being.

Thu 13 Aug
2009

Conversation Pieces

2:09 AM
Remarks (22)

Gorgeous samples from Bill Butler’s cinematography for Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation.”

Thu 09 Jul
2009

Minimalism, Michael Mann and Miami Vice

11:46 PM
Remarks (46)

In “Public Enemies” and other recent films, director Michael Mann is in fact designing his narratives.

Mon 29 Jun
2009

Typography in Doubt

8:13 PM
Remarks (3)

The John Patrick Shanley film “Doubt” reminded me of how rare a thing is truly intelligent, rewarding typography.

Sun 31 May
2009

“Up” Is Really Down a Little

11:48 PM
Remarks (20)

For all their success, it would just be nice to see Pixar wipe the floor with their box office competition for a change.

Sat 07 Mar
2009

Watchmen in Greater Detail

6:07 PM
Remarks (14)

Embellishment, not adaptation, is what drives Zack Snyder’s movie.

Sun 22 Feb
2009

The Award for Best Super-hero Movie Goes to…

5:03 PM
Remarks (35)

“The Dark Knight” isn’t as good as a movie as I thought it was, but it still deserved an Oscar nomination for best picture.

Tue 03 Feb
2009

What Willis Was Talkin’ ’Bout

8:13 PM
Remarks (5)

A profile of a legendary cinematographer suggest that art direction isn’t much like film direction.

Tue 01 Jul
2008

Scenes from a Franchise

10:50 AM
Remarks (40)

Nearly two decades of “Batman” reviews from The New York Times.

Thu 05 Jun
2008

Go Speed Racer Go

12:44 PM
Remarks (33)

Unexpectedly, the Wachowski Brothers’ adaptation of “Speed Racer” turns out to be art.

Wed 27 Feb
2008

Watching Woody

10:21 PM
Remarks (15)

The first of twelve books I’m hoping to read this year only made me watch more movies.

Tue 29 Jan
2008

High-Fidelity Stereoscope

5:37 PM
Remarks (11)

“U2 3D” and the price of innovation.

Mon 05 Nov
2007

Manhattan in Black and White

11:16 PM
Remarks (14)

Gordon Willis’s abstract naturalism in Woody Allen’s beautiful 1979 film.

Thu 18 Oct
2007

Known Pleasures

9:43 PM
Remarks (10)

Man and myth in Anton Corbijn’s biopic of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis.

Wed 22 Aug
2007

The Start Is at the Finish

12:17 AM
Remarks (24)

Where do movie credits belong?

Thu 02 Aug
2007

Total Eclipse of the Heart

12:56 AM
Remarks (4)

My favorite Antonioni film.

Mon 23 Jul
2007

Coin-operated, User Experienced

10:29 PM
Remarks (7)

How the art of pinball is like the design of experiences.

Tue 10 Jul
2007

Robots, Rats and La Ragazza con la valigia

12:24 AM
Remarks (11)

A good movie that did really well, and a bad one, too.

Wed 27 Jun
2007

Transform Hard with a Vengeance

12:47 AM
Remarks (12)

I confess: I’m not a Formula One racing car, but rather a robot in disguise.

Fri 27 Apr
2007

Moviegoing in the Thirties

12:46 AM
Remarks (21)

Habit-forming moviegoing, and recaps of “Grindhouse,” “Blades of Glory” and “Hot Fuzz.”

Fri 26 Jan
2007

The Helvetica Hegemony

8:25 PM
Remarks (7)

A quick update on matters relating to the 800 lb. gorilla of typefaces.

Wed 22 Nov
2006

The Nontraditional Traditionalist

6:46 PM
Remarks (4)

A very small tribute to the director Robert Altman.

Mon 20 Jun
2005

Back to the Batcave

8:32 PM
Remarks (23)

Notes on the context around Christopher Nolan’s reinterpretation of Batman.

Sat 14 May
2005

Sith Time’s the Charm

7:43 PM
Remarks (15)

Looking forward to “Episode III.”

Mon 25 Apr
2005

How Many Blogs Does One Man Need?

6:12 PM
Remarks (10)

Just because I have the power to create a new weblog, does it mean I should?

Sun 06 Mar
2005

Tape Worm

7:42 PM
Remarks (4)

Putting an end to a decade’s worth of video fun.

Sun 14 Nov
2004

That’s “Incredibles!”

1:46 PM
Remarks (3)

Because others have more time to do it more better, here are only some random thoughts on “The Incredibles.”

Mon 11 Oct
2004

Afterwards

10:03 PM
Remarks (5)

Jet lag, post-vacation doldrums, and losing Superman.

Thu 23 Sep
2004

Elephant in the Room

11:47 PM
Remarks (5)

Comments on Gus Van Sant’s “Elephant.”

Tue 24 Aug
2004

Hollywood Killer

10:46 PM

There’s a cynical and almost frigid heart driving Michael Mann’s “Collateral.”

Wed 02 Jun
2004

Late to School

10:12 PM

Better late than never: an appreciation for “School of Rock.”

Sun 18 Apr
2004

My Review of “Kill Bill Vol. 2”

10:24 PM
Remarks (6)

“Kill Bill Vol. 2” is a really good movie. I liked it a lot.

Thu 15 Apr
2004

Couch Report

11:52 PM
Remarks (3)

Less time at the office means more time in front of the DVD player.

Wed 07 Apr
2004

Hell on Reels

12:19 AM
Remarks (3)

You know a movie is bad when it makes me want to go see a Jim Carrey movie.

Mon 15 Mar
2004

The Sum of Its Parts

11:50 PM
Remarks (2)

David Mamet’s “Spartan” is a wonderful construction that amounts to very little.

Fri 12 Mar
2004

News Flashes

12:42 AM

Films from the writing staff of television’s funniest half hour.

Tue 13 Jan
2004

A Very Long Fairy Tale

12:52 AM
Remarks (1)

A quick take on a very long movie — Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West.”

Tue 06 Jan
2004

House of Acting

12:34 PM

Something perfect in the imperfection of “House of Sand and Fog.”

Thu 01 Jan
2004

A Night on the Tiles

11:32 PM

“Shampoo” plus Scrabble equals New Year’s Eve.

Mon 22 Dec
2003

Burn Baby Burn

3:24 PM
Remarks (3)

SuperDrive in hand, Mr. Subtraction teaches you how to make legal back-ups of your DVDs.

Thu 18 Dec
2003

Long Haul in Middle Earth

11:29 AM

Peter Jackson has done his best to make sure the myth of “The Lord of the Rings” goes on forever. And ever.

Thu 13 Nov
2003

Devolution Number Three

7:21 PM
Remarks (1)

If you missed “Battlefield Earth,” you can catch “The Matrix Revolutions.”

Thu 23 Oct
2003

The Kill Bill Tour of Japan

12:08 AM
Remarks (7)

Orientalism in the new Quentin Tarantino movie.

Thu 02 Oct
2003

In the Mood for Language

12:06 AM
Remarks (1)

Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” is exquisitely calculated and it features the Bill Murray performance we’ve all been waiting for.

Mon 04 Aug
2003

Troubles, Thieves and Spelling Bees

12:23 AM

One weekend, four movies.

Wed 23 Jul
2003

The Sound of Washington

9:55 PM
Remarks (1)

“All the President’s Men” is a brilliant movie that sounds like no other.

Thu 03 Jul
2003

The Math of Charlie’s Angels

8:37 PM
Remarks (1)

The &#8220Charlie’s Angels” sequel got me thinking about an alternative method for critically rating films.

Mon 23 Jun
2003

Lee vs. Lee

1:35 PM
Remarks (2)

Ang Lee’s “The Hulk” is repeatedly intruded on by Stan Lee’s Hulk.

Fri 20 Jun
2003

Hulk Smash! Or Flop?

5:46 PM
Remarks (5)

The advanced word for “The Hulk” sounds bad.

Fri 06 Jun
2003

That’s Incredibles

6:33 PM
Remarks (2)

Brad Bird’s “Incredibles” may make his career.

Thu 22 May
2003

Blind Ambition

7:49 PM
Remarks (3)

The true spectacle of “The Matrix Reloaded” is ambition.

Wed 14 May
2003

No Escape from The Matrix

2:43 PM
Remarks (2)

Everywhere you go, there’s “The Matrix.”

Sat 03 May
2003

Gene Pool

2:37 PM
Remarks (2)

Bryan Singer’s “X2: X-Men United” is a solid movie first and a faithful adaptation second.

Sat 26 Apr
2003

The Commercial Con

12:55 AM
Remarks (1)

“Confidence” is generic, and advertising is unstoppable.

Tue 22 Apr
2003

Talk Talk

10:50 PM

Pedro Almodóvar’s “Talk to Her“ reminds me that there is an art to filmmaking and it makes my jaw drop.

Mon 07 Apr
2003

Don’t Judge a Film by Its Poster

1:40 PM

The poster for “Identity” is the best one I’ve seen yet this year, and it looks like “The Matrix: Reloaded” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” are one and the same.

Mon 24 Mar
2003

H-E-Double Toothpicks-site

5:42 PM

Signs are good for the 2004 cinematic debut o “Hellboy.”

I’d Like to Thank the Academy

12:30 AM
Remarks (1)

Five random notes on the occasion of the 75th Academy Awards.

Mon 17 Mar
2003

Remembering Superman

11:03 PM

Looking back at Christopher Reeve’s first two “Superman” movies.

Thu 06 Mar
2003

Gangs of Rio de Janeiro

6:28 PM

“City of God” is driven by a torrid determination to record a lost history.

Thu 27 Feb
2003

Boys in Blue

1:40 AM

There’s just enough to recommend about “Dark Blue” to make its likely shortcut-to-video fate seem unfair.

Mon 24 Feb
2003

Wounded Walking

12:25 PM

After slipping and twisting my ankle, this is how I spent the weekend.

Fri 13 Dec
2002

Seen Anything Good Lately

7:21 PM

What I’m going to watch for the holidays.

Sun 29 Sep
2002

Moving Pictures

9:29 PM

The Film Movement distributes independent movies via U.S. mail.

Sat 14 Sep
2002

Ancient History

6:02 PM

Everything you always wanted to know about Blaxploitation.

Tue 20 Aug
2002

Feardotstupid

11:56 PM

Stephen Dorff makes another brilliant career move.

Mon 19 Aug
2002

Getcher Pants On

8:28 PM

More about “24 Hour Party People” and Trouser Press.

Sat 17 Aug
2002

Death of a Party

11:02 AM

Man city likes to party all the time, party all the time.

Mon 08 Jul
2002

Hella Good

9:28 PM

Hellboy is coming, Hellboy is coming.

Sat 06 Jul
2002

No-No-Notorious

11:47 AM

I saw Margaret Cho and her new movie.

Mon 24 Jun
2002

Report

6:49 PM

Report on “Minority Report”

Sat 15 Jun
2002

Movies 101

8:52 PM

David Bordwell on cinema.

Fri 14 Jun
2002

The Real Slim Scooby

6:36 PM

“Scooby-Doo” just doesn’t look like Scooby-Doo.

Sat 18 May
2002

Hack Attack

9:10 PM

My verdict on “Episode II.”

Fri 17 May
2002

Send in the Clones

4:45 PM

Trying to keep expectations low for “Episode II.”

Mon 29 Apr
2002

Fan Wars

6:53 PM

Fan-made films made in tribute to “Star Wars.”

Sun 07 Apr
2002

French New York

1:13 AM

Watching old Movies abotu New York.

Sun 31 Mar
2002

Panic Club

1:29 AM

“Panic Room” ain’t no “Fight Club.”

Mon 25 Mar
2002

Oscariffic

9:09 PM

It’d be hard to describe how distasteful I find the Oscars.

Fri 08 Mar
2002

Good Day Sunshine

10:41 PM

What I liked about “Scratch.”

Sun 03 Mar
2002

What Time It Is

1:03 AM

The Onion’s A.V. Club has an interview with Tsai-Ming Liang.

Wed 27 Feb
2002

Pixar’s Star

6:29 PM

John Lasseter of Pixar is on the Oscar campaign trail.

Thu 21 Feb
2002

Nineties Fever

7:54 PM

Getting nostalgiac for the Clinton Nineties.

Mon 18 Feb
2002

Lens Crafters

6:22 PM

MovieLens recommends movies to you.

Sun 27 Jan
2002

Park Life

2:01 PM

“Gosford Park” surprised me with its director’s continued vitality.

Tue 27 Nov
2001

Jung

7:36 PM

A harrowing documentary on Afghanistan.

Wed 07 Nov
2001

Toys of Summer

7:48 PM

Rick Lyman on the impending movie season.

Wed 22 Aug
2001

Send in the Clones

6:08 PM

The new Star Wars movie will be calld “Attack of the Clones.”

Sat 18 Aug
2001

The Ghost and Mr. Clowes

2:53 PM

“Ghost World” is the best comic book movie you’re likely to see.

Fri 13 Jul
2001

Does Whatever a Spider Can

1:30 AM

Spider-Man is coming! Spider-Man is coming!

Mon 09 Jul
2001

Action-Packed Weekend

9:38 PM

A couple of movies I sat and watched.

Tue 29 May
2001

Silver Fox

10:19 PM

That lovable old Howard Hawks.

Sat 05 May
2001

Mummified

12:26 AM

“The Mummy Returns” is two hours of cornball idiocy.

Mon 26 Mar
2001

Oscar Fever!

12:06 PM

The Academy Awards are an ostentatious celebration of mediocrity.

Mon 08 Jan
2001

A List of Things I Consumed

1:00 PM

A list of movies, books, magazines and other pop junk that came my way in the year 2000.

Sat 16 Dec
2000

What Do Directors Know?

12:46 PM

Steven Soderbergh on sexual chemistry.

Tue 12 Dec
2000

Tigers and Dragons

6:19 PM

“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” is the best film of the year.