Four childhood friends - big boys, all grown up now - wearing trench coats the hot sun would surely find them sweating profusely in, carry large, dark, duffel bags loosely at their sides. Two have arrived later than the others. Both pairs of posturers have knocked on the same door and asked if a man … Continue reading Johnnie To’s Bag Carrying Posturers…
“You Were Never Really Here” A Real Human Being… [Must-Watch]
Choosing between orange or grape soda... watching Psycho with your mother on your day off... deciding to splurge on a brand name item at the store... remember when these things mattered... There's a small little moment early on in Ramsay's film: ball-peen hammer wielding vigilante Joe - played to utter perfection by (former child actor) Joaquin Phoenix … Continue reading “You Were Never Really Here” A Real Human Being… [Must-Watch]
Delmer Daves’ Respect for the Hard Working West…
Perhaps more than any other classic American genre, the western may have the most obvious symbolic binary: black hats signify the outlaws, white ones are worn by the lawmen. Delmer Daves’ big screen adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s pulp story “Three-Ten to Yuma,” (screenplay by Halsted Welles) subverts this. It pulls certain lines of dialog verbatim, … Continue reading Delmer Daves’ Respect for the Hard Working West…
The Age of Balconies and Binoculars…
Much like Stanley Kubrick’s visionary ambition to make 18th century paintings come to life, with the stunning visuals of his drama, Barry Lyndon; Martin Scorsese uses two distinct kinds of period canvases to draw you into his setting of forbidden desires, shared by Archer and Ellen, in Jay Cocks' adaptation of Edith Wharton's The Age of … Continue reading The Age of Balconies and Binoculars…
When Dogs Are Painted Less Alien Than Asians…
Random Disclaimer: the following essay contains spoilers for the television series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine... As a creator, when you’re responsible for representing a culture that is alien to you, sometimes, you need someone closer to said culture to tug on your leash a little tighter. The other day, at Wondercon down in Anaheim; I saw in … Continue reading When Dogs Are Painted Less Alien Than Asians…
Projector of Feelings 