New Korean Cinema has many trademarks which I enjoy. Its films are full of great actors including but not limited to Song Kang-ho and Choi Min-sik. They are as entertaining as they are insightful about the world in which we live. But more than anything, what I love about New Korean Cinema (as well as… Read more »
“What makes a man leave bed and board And turn his back on home? Ride away, ride away, ride away.” — Stan Jones, theme song from The Searchers “Face to face…with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Steven Spielberg loves The Searchers (1956). He has repeatedly cited… Read more »
I love watching different film adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays for the same reason that I love listening to different jazz musicians improvise off of old standards. The basic elements — whether it’s plot points or musical notes — may be the same, but the distinctive contributions of individual artists give it a particular character which… Read more »
The first time I saw Possession (1981), I didn’t understand it. Part of that was due to the circumstances of my viewing. I had wanted to see this film for years due to its reputation as an unforgettable and strange film. I knew that Plan 9 Film Emporium, Bloomington’s wonderful video store, had a copy…. Read more »
There are few movie musicals more beloved than The Sound of Music (1965). In its day it was a massive success, and if you adjust its earnings for inflation, it remains the most successful movie musical of all time. It seems fitting then that this adaptation of the Broadway hit of the same name has… Read more »
Leave Her to Heaven (1945) is one of the odder mainstream American films I’ve seen from the 1940s. Its plot involves the archetypes and interest in the dark side of humanity that are trademarks of film noir, but boasts colorful cinematography that feels like it belongs in a 1950s melodrama. The pacing isn’t even, but… Read more »