Wa-hey! Looks like we missed out on our update early this week! So to make up for it, we’re giving you a double dose of links today, because that’s the kind of awesome guys we are. Enjoy!
Muriels team-up! Over at Slant, voters Simon Abrams, Chuck Bowen, and Glenn Heath contributed to a list of the best horror films of the last decade.
Simon Abrams reviewed the new DVD of The Robber and the new Bollywood production Ra.One.
Andrew Bemis got the heebie-jeebies with Black Christmas’ Billy, the portrait-posing serial killer Henry, the object of every clown-hater’s nightmares, The Exorcist’s devil, a killer that does nothing but eat and sleep and make little baby sharks, the world’s worst case of cabin fever, and the nefarious Buffalo Bill. He also found time to take the Dr. Phibes quiz. Good on ya, Andrew!
Scott Black gave us a rundown of his 31 Days of Halloween selections.
Chuck Bowen reviewed the new Pauline Kael collection.
Sean Burns interviewed the director and star of Martha Marcy May Marlene and reviewed the movie. He also recapped week 2 of the Philly Film Festival.
Dennis Cozzalio complained about Jeffrey Wells. Join the club, brother.
Chris Devlin kept on truckin’ with his October Horror Challenge.
Jim Emerson paid tribute to The Magnificent Ambersons and looked back at the legacy of Pauline Kael.
James Frazier parlayed some face time with the Republican candidates into a straw poll of their favorite movies. The biggest surprise of the bunch has got to be Rick Perry.
Kenji Fujishima came down with a massive case of consumption (artistic, that is), and posted a mess of pictures from his recent trip to the Bay Area.
Glenn Heath reviewed the new Almodovar, Ginger Snaps, and Quatermass and the Pit. He also spotlighted some highlights of the SD Asian Film Festival.
Craig Kennedy! Where to begin? Links to Matt Zoller Seitz’s video tribute to Tree of Life! Quotes from Halloween favorites like Jaws, The Silence of the Lambs, Alien, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Birds, Carrie, and the Looney Tunes classics Hair-Raising Hare and Hyde and Hare! A weekend forecast! The lineup of Almodovar-selected classics at the AFI Fest! Trailers for Into the Abyss, Pina, Hugo, and The Lorax! And a new poster for We Need to Talk About Kevin! Whew!
Adam Lemke made some progress on his Horror Challenge.
Uncle Crizzle reviewed Puss in Boots and Margin Call, spotlighted the new 3-D projector at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, and more.
Phil Nugent shared his thoughts on Louis Menand, Them Tenacious Birthers, and the long-standing fallout from the Robert Bork hearings.
Philip Tatler got all worked up over The Island of Lost Souls.
Bryan Whitefield shed some light on The Stuyvesants, the classic album Architecture and Morality, and a striking new ad.
Alison Wilmore reviewed Margin Call, 13, Bellflower, The Double, Like Crazy, and Silver Bullets.
Finally… I’ve never been one to talk about my son much in public forums, for reasons too boring to go into here. However, I don’t begrudge others their right to do so, especially when their kids are engaging and cool. In that spirit, here’s Dennis’ daughter Nonnie with her rendition of Poe’s The Black Cat:
And to double your fun, here’s the wound-up Razor, the dog who lives with Kenji Fujishima:
Michael Lieberman posted a video that sums up for him the state of America today. Hint: it’s not pretty:
And oh, what the hell. Here’s last year’s Best Supporting Actor winner John Hawkes crooning a tune from his latest movie:
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm spent.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Muriel's Musings: Oct 19-21, 2011
This week’s big story from Muriel-land is that Dennis Cozzalio turned his blog over to one Dr. Phibes, who unleashed his latest horror upon the world- a brand new, bone chilling quiz! It’s enough to make one scream, especially if one is as busy as I am. But this time I’ll try to find time for it, if only to celebrate the centenary of the late Mr. Price.
In other news:
Andrew Bemis trembled at his memories of an African-American urban legend, Muriel’s favorite mop-topped psycho, and the split-personality case from Session 9.
Scott Black got his horror on with Return of the Living Dead.
Sean Burns recapped Week 1 of the Philly Film Fest and harbored little love for Take Shelter.
Go ahead, take a look at Jim Emerson’s latest post. I dare ya.
James Frazier gave pretty good odds to 50/50.
Kenji Fujishima Occupied Wall Street. Strictly for research purposes, of course.
Glenn Heath checked out Weekend and Take Shelter.
Craig Kennedy announced the AFI Festival Main slate and World Cinema lineup and the Gotham Awards nominations (http://livingincinema.com/2011/10/20/gotham-nominations-unleash-the-awards-hounds/), plus previewed this weekend’s goodies, took a look at Paranormal Activity With a Vengeance and Oranges and Sunshine, quoted Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Cronenberg’s The Fly, posted trailers for Black Gold and The Woman in Black, and somehow found time to eat and/or sleep. Amazing!
Uncle Crizzle reviewed the new Johnny English movie and linked to a bunch of soul-centric pieces he’s written. Oh, and if you dig curvy ladies- and really, why wouldn’t you?- the Criz delivered on that front too.
Phil Nugent had a busy week for the AV Club.
Bryan Whitefield relayed some reflections on Method Man and bought some new luggage.
And Alison Willmore reviewed Klitschko and Margin Call.
Finally, the trailer for another Doctor movie starring Vincent Price. This one’s decidedly lighter than Dr. Phibes, but who knows? Perhaps Dennis will give this doctor a shot a quiz sometime in the future:
In other news:
Andrew Bemis trembled at his memories of an African-American urban legend, Muriel’s favorite mop-topped psycho, and the split-personality case from Session 9.
Scott Black got his horror on with Return of the Living Dead.
Sean Burns recapped Week 1 of the Philly Film Fest and harbored little love for Take Shelter.
Go ahead, take a look at Jim Emerson’s latest post. I dare ya.
James Frazier gave pretty good odds to 50/50.
Kenji Fujishima Occupied Wall Street. Strictly for research purposes, of course.
Glenn Heath checked out Weekend and Take Shelter.
Craig Kennedy announced the AFI Festival Main slate and World Cinema lineup and the Gotham Awards nominations (http://livingincinema.com/2011/10/20/gotham-nominations-unleash-the-awards-hounds/), plus previewed this weekend’s goodies, took a look at Paranormal Activity With a Vengeance and Oranges and Sunshine, quoted Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Cronenberg’s The Fly, posted trailers for Black Gold and The Woman in Black, and somehow found time to eat and/or sleep. Amazing!
Uncle Crizzle reviewed the new Johnny English movie and linked to a bunch of soul-centric pieces he’s written. Oh, and if you dig curvy ladies- and really, why wouldn’t you?- the Criz delivered on that front too.
Phil Nugent had a busy week for the AV Club.
Bryan Whitefield relayed some reflections on Method Man and bought some new luggage.
And Alison Willmore reviewed Klitschko and Margin Call.
Finally, the trailer for another Doctor movie starring Vincent Price. This one’s decidedly lighter than Dr. Phibes, but who knows? Perhaps Dennis will give this doctor a shot a quiz sometime in the future:
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
OCCUPY MURIEL! - Oct. 15-18th(ish)
Without further ado...
- Simon Abrams wrote his first piece for Salon, an articulation of why The Walking Dead is better than you think. So there.
- Danny Baldwin bucketed THE MILL AND THE CROSS and THE WAY.
- Andrew Bemis is afraid of a dude with mommy issues, the tooth fairy, and a guy with eyeballs in his hands.
- Scott W. Black didn't think CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED was as good as its predecessor.
- Sean Burns was told "You just lost your best ticket. Go to hell, you bag of shit." (no link; sorry)
- Paul Clark plotted his horror-ific itinerary for Columbus, OH's Incredible Two-Headed Marathon.
- Dennis Cozzalio was lucky enough to catch WENT THE DAY WELL in it's theatrical rerelease, received a very cool compliment from an esteemed colleague, and weighed in on a few THINGs.
- Chris Devlin continued his October Horror Challenge, inexplicably panning a film that features Peter Fonda and Warren Oates versus Satanists. You'd have to work pretty hard to make that bad. My curiosity = piqued.
- Kenji Fujishima consumed art.
- Ye gads, Craig Kennedy can post, can't he? Trailers for ALPS (by that DOGTOOTH guy) and THE DEVIL INSIDE; horror quotes from SCREAM, THE EXORCIST, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and Bugs Bunny; early (mostly positive) European feedback on Tintin; and Craig's own revisiting of THE EXORCIST and THE SHINING can all be found over at Living In Cinema.
- Matt Lotti has been reduced to nothing more than a fetching picture of Jennifer Lawrence. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Lotti's family.
- Sam C. Mac cataloged his favorite music from 1999. There must have been a typo since neither Midnight Vultures nor Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department are anywhere on the list.
- Lucas McNelly coped with his AD quitting.
- Philip Tatler IV attempted to enumerate the qualities of the best film of 2010. He also played a lot of Jeopardy on Facebook.
- Bryan Whitefield liked The Hour and posted another cool picture.
- And Alison Willmore took a look at THE SKIN I LIVE IN for Movieline.
And now this:
- Simon Abrams wrote his first piece for Salon, an articulation of why The Walking Dead is better than you think. So there.
- Danny Baldwin bucketed THE MILL AND THE CROSS and THE WAY.
- Andrew Bemis is afraid of a dude with mommy issues, the tooth fairy, and a guy with eyeballs in his hands.
- Scott W. Black didn't think CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED was as good as its predecessor.
- Sean Burns was told "You just lost your best ticket. Go to hell, you bag of shit." (no link; sorry)
- Paul Clark plotted his horror-ific itinerary for Columbus, OH's Incredible Two-Headed Marathon.
- Dennis Cozzalio was lucky enough to catch WENT THE DAY WELL in it's theatrical rerelease, received a very cool compliment from an esteemed colleague, and weighed in on a few THINGs.
- Chris Devlin continued his October Horror Challenge, inexplicably panning a film that features Peter Fonda and Warren Oates versus Satanists. You'd have to work pretty hard to make that bad. My curiosity = piqued.
- Kenji Fujishima consumed art.
- Ye gads, Craig Kennedy can post, can't he? Trailers for ALPS (by that DOGTOOTH guy) and THE DEVIL INSIDE; horror quotes from SCREAM, THE EXORCIST, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and Bugs Bunny; early (mostly positive) European feedback on Tintin; and Craig's own revisiting of THE EXORCIST and THE SHINING can all be found over at Living In Cinema.
- Matt Lotti has been reduced to nothing more than a fetching picture of Jennifer Lawrence. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Lotti's family.
- Sam C. Mac cataloged his favorite music from 1999. There must have been a typo since neither Midnight Vultures nor Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department are anywhere on the list.
- Lucas McNelly coped with his AD quitting.
- Philip Tatler IV attempted to enumerate the qualities of the best film of 2010. He also played a lot of Jeopardy on Facebook.
- Bryan Whitefield liked The Hour and posted another cool picture.
- And Alison Willmore took a look at THE SKIN I LIVE IN for Movieline.
And now this:
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Comings 'n' Goings - Oct 11-14
Well, it’s after midnight, and here I am doing my weekly post for the blog. Alas, I can’t take all the time the task deserves, because I’ve got to be up early to get in line for the annual horror marathon here in Columbus, known as the Incredible Two-Headed Marathon. More about it on my blog, in case you’re interested and/or envious.
Here’s what else has been going on in the Muriel-sphere these past few days:
Simon Abrams looked at The Makioka Sisters, Good Neighbors, and Delhi Belly.
Danny Baldwin can’t quite forgive Nic Cage his Trespass. If only he’d remembered his lucky crack pipe…
Andrew Bemis got up close and personal with a little bloodsucker, a big dude with a strange orb, and the world’s least popular acupuncturist.
Sean Burns left his Sunday shoes on for Footloose and capsulizedOld Custer Blackthorn for the Philly Weekly.
Steve Carlson gave us the rundown so far on his Horror Challenge.
Chris Devlin also tackled his own Horror Challenge, including such one-word titles as Funhouse, Dagon, Madhouse, Splinter, and Creep.
Jim Emerson got under Almodovar’s Skin.
James Frazier cut Midnight in Paris down to size.
Kenji Fujishima checked out some confused young girls at NYFF.
Daniel Johnson found plenty to enjoy in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.
Craig Kennedy- holy crap, dude. I won’t even itemize these posts, since he’s been so busy. Just check ‘em out already.
Uncle Crizzle saluted the Black’n’Dekker cult classic Monster Squad.
Lucas McNelly didn’t just have one of those days- he had two.
Allison Willmore had something to say about Trespass, Happy Life, Big Year, and Fireflies in the Garden, a movie that stars Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe but which seemingly no one had ever heard of until this week.
Finally, this trailer’s long been a guilty pleasure of mine, thanks in large part to James Mason’s narration. Dude was such a pro that he didn’t even have a problem with crediting Pat freakin’ Boone above himself when reading off the cast, to say nothing of being billed alongside a duck. Granted, Journey to the Center of the Earth isn’t much of a movie- hell, it’s not even the best Jules Verne adaptation Mason ever appeared in- but no doubt it paid Mason well enough to star in movies in which he played crazed morphine addicts, not to mention literature’s favorite pedophile. Check it out:
Oh, and for the morbidly curious, here’s our very own Uncle Crizzle in his cinematic acting debut!
Here’s what else has been going on in the Muriel-sphere these past few days:
Simon Abrams looked at The Makioka Sisters, Good Neighbors, and Delhi Belly.
Danny Baldwin can’t quite forgive Nic Cage his Trespass. If only he’d remembered his lucky crack pipe…
Andrew Bemis got up close and personal with a little bloodsucker, a big dude with a strange orb, and the world’s least popular acupuncturist.
Sean Burns left his Sunday shoes on for Footloose and capsulized
Steve Carlson gave us the rundown so far on his Horror Challenge.
Chris Devlin also tackled his own Horror Challenge, including such one-word titles as Funhouse, Dagon, Madhouse, Splinter, and Creep.
Jim Emerson got under Almodovar’s Skin.
James Frazier cut Midnight in Paris down to size.
Kenji Fujishima checked out some confused young girls at NYFF.
Daniel Johnson found plenty to enjoy in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.
Craig Kennedy- holy crap, dude. I won’t even itemize these posts, since he’s been so busy. Just check ‘em out already.
Uncle Crizzle saluted the Black’n’Dekker cult classic Monster Squad.
Lucas McNelly didn’t just have one of those days- he had two.
Allison Willmore had something to say about Trespass, Happy Life, Big Year, and Fireflies in the Garden, a movie that stars Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe but which seemingly no one had ever heard of until this week.
Finally, this trailer’s long been a guilty pleasure of mine, thanks in large part to James Mason’s narration. Dude was such a pro that he didn’t even have a problem with crediting Pat freakin’ Boone above himself when reading off the cast, to say nothing of being billed alongside a duck. Granted, Journey to the Center of the Earth isn’t much of a movie- hell, it’s not even the best Jules Verne adaptation Mason ever appeared in- but no doubt it paid Mason well enough to star in movies in which he played crazed morphine addicts, not to mention literature’s favorite pedophile. Check it out:
Oh, and for the morbidly curious, here’s our very own Uncle Crizzle in his cinematic acting debut!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
The Haps: October 8th-10, 2011
Hey folks. As long as we're recommending potential Muriel-ballot ringers, allow me to throw out A Separation. It opens December 30th (just under the eligibility wire), and if you miss it, your ballot will be short the most beautifully constructed screenplay of the year. I'm just sayin'.
Anyhoo... what's in my inbox? *checks inbox* Good God, people!
- Simon Abrams liked himself some Park Chan-wook... and that's okay!
- Ali Arikan said, "Yes, Anatolia."
- Andrew Bemis met a couple of scary cats in Kevin Spacey and Robert Blake.
- Scott Black repped the horror genre hard with Dellamorte Dellamore, The Shout and Just Before Dawn. (In non-horror news, he also saw the latest film by some Jewish dude.)
- Chuck Bowen went hunting for different species of movie monsters and ended up bagging a Homo deadicus afrikaanus (AKA the lesser South African zombie) and a Homo slashus hockeymaskicus (AKA the immortal masked summer-camp slasher).
- Chris Devlin chugged along on the October Horror Challenge with the Nightmare on Elm Street remake and the original Prom Night. (Good idea skipping the worthless remake, bud.) Then he played a song inspired by They Live.
- Jim Emerson got frank about gettin' nekkid and tossed out an animated addendum to his recent breakdown of action scenes from Salt.
-James Frazier talked about why he liked Drive then talked about people who don't.
- Kenji Fujishima got his NYFF on.
- Glenn Heath was all about the youths: youths as poets, youths as dogs and youths as potential "zombie" chow.
- Craig Kennedy trailered the new Polanski and chose Peckinpah over Clooney this weekend. Plus, he handed out some words of wisdom.
- Michael Lieberman thought that if you don't know Dorsky, you don't know nuttin'.
- Lucas McNelly got rained on.
- Phil Nugent mused about Steve Jobs and capitalism as well as a couple alarmed bits of culture. Also, holy crap AV Club avalanche!.
- Philip Tatler rode away with The Phantom Carriage.
- Scott Von Doviak found The Walking Dead still has a strong pulse.
- Hey, what happened to those crazy kids from Once? Ask Alison Willmore.
Today's video: Jacques Tourneur has been knocking my shit out recently. Here's one real good reason why.
Anyhoo... what's in my inbox? *checks inbox* Good God, people!
- Simon Abrams liked himself some Park Chan-wook... and that's okay!
- Ali Arikan said, "Yes, Anatolia."
- Andrew Bemis met a couple of scary cats in Kevin Spacey and Robert Blake.
- Scott Black repped the horror genre hard with Dellamorte Dellamore, The Shout and Just Before Dawn. (In non-horror news, he also saw the latest film by some Jewish dude.)
- Chuck Bowen went hunting for different species of movie monsters and ended up bagging a Homo deadicus afrikaanus (AKA the lesser South African zombie) and a Homo slashus hockeymaskicus (AKA the immortal masked summer-camp slasher).
- Chris Devlin chugged along on the October Horror Challenge with the Nightmare on Elm Street remake and the original Prom Night. (Good idea skipping the worthless remake, bud.) Then he played a song inspired by They Live.
- Jim Emerson got frank about gettin' nekkid and tossed out an animated addendum to his recent breakdown of action scenes from Salt.
-James Frazier talked about why he liked Drive then talked about people who don't.
- Kenji Fujishima got his NYFF on.
- Glenn Heath was all about the youths: youths as poets, youths as dogs and youths as potential "zombie" chow.
- Craig Kennedy trailered the new Polanski and chose Peckinpah over Clooney this weekend. Plus, he handed out some words of wisdom.
- Michael Lieberman thought that if you don't know Dorsky, you don't know nuttin'.
- Lucas McNelly got rained on.
- Phil Nugent mused about Steve Jobs and capitalism as well as a couple alarmed bits of culture. Also, holy crap AV Club avalanche!.
- Philip Tatler rode away with The Phantom Carriage.
- Scott Von Doviak found The Walking Dead still has a strong pulse.
- Hey, what happened to those crazy kids from Once? Ask Alison Willmore.
Today's video: Jacques Tourneur has been knocking my shit out recently. Here's one real good reason why.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Where U At - 5-7 October, 2011
Hey folks, Paul here again. Glad to see Phil got the ball rolling with his last post by campaigning for THE ARBOR, which I can attest is quite worthy of his love. On a similar note, I recently caught up with the awesome COLD WEATHER, which has been described by some as a mumblecore detective mystery, which would be fairly accurate except that the term “mumblecore” seems so reductive anymore. Instead, I’ll call it a mystery in miniature, in the best way. For more details, I’ll direct you to my review of the film over at my blog.
In other Muriel-related happenings…
Simon Abrams took his chances with A Dangerous Method, and looked into the old-school virtues of Ealing comedies.
Danny Baldwin spent some time with Dirty Girl.
Andrew Bemis scared up some pre-Halloween love for Count Orlok, Rev. Harry Powell, and Near Dark’s Severin.
Scott Black got into the Halloween movie spirit as well, with reviews of Insidious, Cry Baby Lane, and more!
Sean Burns reviewed The Ides of March, the long-delayed Margaret, and Rocky With Robots. At least you dodged a bullet on Human Centipede 2, bud.
Chris Devlin continued his month of horror with genre favorites both old and new.
Jim Emerson’s cinematic adventures in Vancouver continued with The Mill and the Cross.
Kenji Fujishima double-featured Sleeping Sickness and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, enrolled with The Student, vacationed in Le Havre, and found Two Years at Sea to be time well spent.
Glenn Heath reviewed The Ides of March and Real Steel for his gig at sandiego.com.
Craig Kennedy plugged the Afghanistan War doc Where Soldiers Come From, eulogized Steve Jobs and Charles “The Chin” Napier, and dropped a quartet of new trailers just for you. Jesus Craig, slow down already! You’ll make the rest of us look bad.
Adam Lemke updated his Horror Challenge tally. Also, James Glickenhaus? Haven’t heard that name in forever.
Uncle Crizzle pondered whether he might be getting critical burnout- I feel your pain, man- and reviewed Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and (you guessed it!) Real Steel and Ides of March.
Lucas McNelly shut down production on his latest filmmaking project. For now, anyway.
Phil Nugent examined the performance-art aspect of modern politics and gazed into the “Heart of Dickness”.
Bryan Whitefield offered up his own tribute to Steve Jobs.
Well-traveled Alison Willmore paid a visit to The Women on the 6th Floor, time-warped back to 1911, and went to Hell and Back Again.
Finally, Crizzle posted a pretty sweet video of a pre-NCIS LL Cool J performing and inviting some ladies up to the stage. Bad idea, James- don’t forget what the LL stands for. Anyway, it’s good for a laugh:
In other Muriel-related happenings…
Simon Abrams took his chances with A Dangerous Method, and looked into the old-school virtues of Ealing comedies.
Danny Baldwin spent some time with Dirty Girl.
Andrew Bemis scared up some pre-Halloween love for Count Orlok, Rev. Harry Powell, and Near Dark’s Severin.
Scott Black got into the Halloween movie spirit as well, with reviews of Insidious, Cry Baby Lane, and more!
Sean Burns reviewed The Ides of March, the long-delayed Margaret, and Rocky With Robots. At least you dodged a bullet on Human Centipede 2, bud.
Chris Devlin continued his month of horror with genre favorites both old and new.
Jim Emerson’s cinematic adventures in Vancouver continued with The Mill and the Cross.
Kenji Fujishima double-featured Sleeping Sickness and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, enrolled with The Student, vacationed in Le Havre, and found Two Years at Sea to be time well spent.
Glenn Heath reviewed The Ides of March and Real Steel for his gig at sandiego.com.
Craig Kennedy plugged the Afghanistan War doc Where Soldiers Come From, eulogized Steve Jobs and Charles “The Chin” Napier, and dropped a quartet of new trailers just for you. Jesus Craig, slow down already! You’ll make the rest of us look bad.
Adam Lemke updated his Horror Challenge tally. Also, James Glickenhaus? Haven’t heard that name in forever.
Uncle Crizzle pondered whether he might be getting critical burnout- I feel your pain, man- and reviewed Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and (you guessed it!) Real Steel and Ides of March.
Lucas McNelly shut down production on his latest filmmaking project. For now, anyway.
Phil Nugent examined the performance-art aspect of modern politics and gazed into the “Heart of Dickness”.
Bryan Whitefield offered up his own tribute to Steve Jobs.
Well-traveled Alison Willmore paid a visit to The Women on the 6th Floor, time-warped back to 1911, and went to Hell and Back Again.
Finally, Crizzle posted a pretty sweet video of a pre-NCIS LL Cool J performing and inviting some ladies up to the stage. Bad idea, James- don’t forget what the LL stands for. Anyway, it’s good for a laugh:
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Stuff We Done Did - October 4, 2011
Hey now! It's update time once again. Before you scroll down to make sure that I hyperlinked to your piece, I'd like to put in a HEAVY Muriel plug for THE ARBOR, Clio Barnard's meditation on the brief life and career of playwright Andrea Dunbar and the effect it had on her family, specifically her two daughters, Lorraine and Lisa. Barnard transcends the (already fascinating) subject matter, creating a sui generis documentary that is quite a cinematic/formal feat.
If I were voting today, it'd be number two on my top ten of the year and top the editing, directing, and ensemble categories. How, you may ask, could a documentary earn a spot in the ensemble acting race? To which I answer: watch the film, dummy. It's streaming on Netflix and I have a screener if you want to PM me. The trailer is pasted at the bottom of this post.
And now, here's yer run-down:
If I were voting today, it'd be number two on my top ten of the year and top the editing, directing, and ensemble categories. How, you may ask, could a documentary earn a spot in the ensemble acting race? To which I answer: watch the film, dummy. It's streaming on Netflix and I have a screener if you want to PM me. The trailer is pasted at the bottom of this post.
And now, here's yer run-down:
- SIMON ABRAMS looks at some horrible Spielberg rip-offs
- DANNY BALDWIN is a hoarder
- ANDREW BEMIS begins a spooktacular/ghoultastic/ghostational/etc. list of the scariest monsters in cinema, beginning with Peter Lorre, that chick from the killer VHS movie, and the midget in DON'T LOOK NOW
- SCOTT BLACK yammered about RAMMBOCK, ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, 30 DAYS TO DIE, and GRAVE ENCOUNTERS and made a Muriel cram list that I think we can all benefit from. He only gave ISLAND OF LOST SOULS a "B" which makes me angry at first but, ultimately, just sad for him.
- CHRIS DEVLIN begins a month of horror with I BURY THE LIVING
- JIM EMERSON has started his coverage of the Vancouver International Film Fest. with a review of Markus Schleinzer's MICHAEL.
- JAMES FRAZIER Excels at film watching!
- KENJI FUJISHIMA TIFFs and NYFFs whilst listening to Bowie's Low.
- DANIEL COOK JOHNSON says 50/50 "pulls it off with humorously heartfelt aplomb"
- CRAIG KENNEDY posts trailers for ANOTHER HAPPY DAY, THE LADY, and WAR HORSE. He reviews MARGARET, TAKE SHELTER, and WEEKEND. And then there's some Quentin Tarantion/Coen Brother art exhibit thing that's happening.
- ADAM LEMKE soldiers on through his own horror-ific month.
- MICHAEL LIEBERMAN's friends occupied Wall Street. And were arrested by The Man.
- PHIL NUGENT gets all political an' shit while making a hilarious Miami Vice reference.
- UNCLE CRIZZLE continues to astound. Corsets?! Blaze Magazine?! Professional doormen?! Donnie Hathaway?! Crizz covers it all in true Renaissance Man style.
- PHILIP TATLER IV saw a lady at Starbucks today that resembled Roman Polanski in THE TENANT. Seriously. It was deeply unsettling. I'm barely tethered to reality as it is these days.
- BRYAN WHITEFIELD eulogizes Nobel Prize winner Ralph Steinman and shares some great photos.
That's it then. Here's the aforementioned ARBOR trailer:
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