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…
Do Dreams Expire in California – Do Feelings…?
"I forget everything when I'm scared." "Why are you scared?" Every weekend (which isn't a weekend for me), I stand behind a glass counter, afraid of the same thing. I'm afraid she'll come and see me... but, really, I'm more frightened that she won't. "If memories could be canned, would they also have expiry dates? … Continue reading Do Dreams Expire in California – Do Feelings…?
“Unsane” Less Can Make For More… [Must-Watch]
The opening scene of Unsane, recalls two distinct things with no dialog: in a long, handheld POV shot (the movie was shot on an iPhone); it homages the opening credits' style of sleazy, early Hollywood suspense pictures (such as Detour or Decoy), and director Steven Soderbergh's distinct, organic use of color temperature in his mise en scène is … Continue reading “Unsane” Less Can Make For More… [Must-Watch]
John Huston and the American Asshole…
"Hey, mister, would you stake a fellow American to a meal?" The first thing we learn about a bearded and battered Humphrey Bogart, in John Huston’s cinematic masterpiece, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, is that he’s a liar, a beggar and a con artist – a guy down on his luck just trying to scrape by … Continue reading John Huston and the American Asshole…
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 