The Rules of the Game (1939, Jean Renoir) (1)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Jan 6, 2016
There are two big sequences in Rules of the Game. There’s the hunting sequence, which concentrates on the rabbits and pheasants before–and as–they are killed for sport. The animals are hunted without motive or enjoyment. Until a line in the third act connects events, the hunt is m read more
[BASP] Watchmen (2009, Zach Snyder), the ultimate cut (2)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Jan 5, 2016
The Best of An Alan Smithee Podcast: Episode Five Watchmen (2009, Zach Snyder), the ultimate cut Originally posted: April 26, 2010 Subscribe via iTunes. read more
In the Mood for Love (2000, Wong Kar-wai) (2)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Jan 4, 2016
In the Mood for Love runs under a hundred minutes. Its present action is somewhat indeterminate, but less than a year total and a few weeks for the longest continuous sequence. As for the length of that continuous sequence, I’m not sure. There’s such a smoothness to William Chang’ read more
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969, Peter R. Hunt) (1)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Jan 3, 2016
There’s a lot of good stuff in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, some of it really good. Director Hunt and editor John Glen have a great time with the fight scenes. The film opens with a hurried, though a playful introduction to George Lazenby in the title role, then moves immediately in read more
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012, Peter Jackson), the extended edition (2)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Jan 3, 2016
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is really long. Director Jackson’s greatest achievement with the film has to be making that length work. He runs out of ideas for action sequences (worst is when he repeats one just a couple set pieces later), he doesn’t give his actors anything to do ( read more
Turkey Shoot (1982, Brian Trenchard-Smith) (2)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Jan 3, 2016
Turkey Shoot is a peculiarly charmless bit of trash. It’s a Most Dangerous Game story with multiple potential victims, prisoners of the state in a dystopian future. Their hunters consist of an evil lesbian (Carmen Duncan), a vicious fop (Michael Petrovitch) with a pet monster and a bureaucrat read more
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969, Peter R. Hunt) (2)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Jan 3, 2016
There’s a lot of good stuff in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, some of it really good. Director Hunt and editor John Glen have a great time with the fight scenes. The film opens with a hurried, though a playful introduction to George Lazenby in the title role, then moves immediately in read more
Days of Being Wild (1990, Wong Kar-wai) (2)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Jan 1, 2016
Director Wong crafts Days of Being Wild as a series of vignettes, only with the film’s principal character never the protagonist of any of these vignettes. Wong and editors Kai Kit-wai and Patrick Tam go for lyrical transitions (or none at all); combined with the emptiness of Wild’s Hon read more
Take Shelter (2011, Jeff Nichols) (2)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Jan 1, 2016
Take Shelter is relentless; sort of an anti-Field of Dreams. Michael Shannon is a husband and father, respectable, employed member of a somewhat rural community. There’s not tons of money (wife Jessica Chastain pays for their summer vacations by selling her sewn goods) and daughter Tova Stewa read more
A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit (1989, Nick Park) (2)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Jan 1, 2016
A Grand Day Out is about as close to pure magic as a movie can get. It’s this fantastic story, gentle in the right parts, sharp in the right parts, but it’s also this adorable and technically masterful bit of animation. Director Park brings this delightful Britishness to it; from Peter read more
Life of Brian (1979, Terry Jones)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Dec 27, 2015
Life of Brian operates most significantly on two levels. The first level is the intellectual one, where the audience is invited to anticipate if and how the film will juxtapose Graham Chapman (he’s the Brian whose life the film concerns) against Jesus. Brian is the kid down the block who just read more
The Wicker Man (1973, Robin Hardy), the final cut
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Dec 15, 2015
The Wicker Man can never decide on a tone. Director Hardy and writer Anthony Shaffer are both interested in minutiae of the film’s fictional setting, but never the same minutiae at the same time. Hardy is more interested in how the people live, cut off from the mainland, while Shaffer is more read more
Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966, Fukuda Jun)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Dec 6, 2015
I’m having a difficult time writing about Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster because, even though the movie isn’t good, I wish I liked it more. I wish I enjoyed it more. As a cultural artifact, Sea Monster is definitely interesting. Most of the film has to do with these four not so bright dud read more
The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 28, 2015
The most amazing aspect of The Empire Strikes Back is its effortlessness. The film is clearly exceptionally complex–the three story lines have different sets, different actors, different tones, not to mention entirely different special effects requirements–not to mention Frank Oz’ read more
The Sound of Music (1965, Robert Wise)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 27, 2015
So much of The Sound of Music is exquisite, the film’s got enough momentum to get over the rough spots. The film has three and a half distinct sections. There’s the first, introducing Julie Andrews to the audience, then introducing Christopher Plummer and family to the Andrews and the a read more
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954, Stanley Donen)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 26, 2015
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a lot of fun. The songs are always pretty good, with some standouts and the dance numbers are fantastic (ditto the choreographed fight sequences–director Donen and cinematographer George J. Folsey shoot it all beautifully), and the cast is likable. But there read more
Dawn of the Dead (1978, George A. Romero)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 24, 2015
Dawn of the Dead is relentless and exhausting. Director Romero burns out the viewer and not by the end of the film but probably three-quarters of the way through. He establishes the ground situation with a sense of impending doom, not just with the principal cast and how they’ll fare in the z read more
Diabolique (1955, Henri-Georges Clouzot)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 16, 2015
Diabolique has an extremely messy script. Not just in how the film changes gears multiple times as far as the pace. The entire film takes place in a week (and a day, maybe) and the first half or so takes place in three days. Director Clouzot is initially deliberate with those seventy-two hours, enc read more
Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964, Honda Ishirô)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 2, 2015
I’m not sure if Mothra vs. Godzilla should be much better, but it certainly should be somewhat better. There are constant problems with the film; little things, big things, but clearly fixable things. Like the composite shots. They’re terrible. Director Honda, seemingly overwhelmed with read more
The Grim Game (1919, Irvin Willat)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Oct 25, 2015
Some of The Grim Game is spent on Harry Houdini’s illusions. The film puts Houdini, playing a reporter, in various tight spots where he has to escape from one thing or another. By the third act of the film, Houdini’s escapes aren’t even the focus–though there is a fantastic read more