Inside Vulture Video In honor of Video Store Day on October 19, Anna Rose Stamm rhapsodizes about physical media and the irreplaceability of video stores like Bloomington’s own Vulture Video. The very first Christmas gift I can remember receiving was a VHS tape of A Bug’s Life. I still remember the way those tapes sound… Read more »
Still from In the Mouth of Madness Guest writer April Ridge gives a quick introduction to the John Carpenter classic. “You’ll go mad with fear!” The Carpenters’ “We’ve Only Just Begun” pipes into the insane asylum as John Trent (played by the wonderfully terrified and terrifying Sam Neill) is freshly admitted into his padded cell…. Read more »
Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade While there is much to love about Stanley Donen’s romantic thriller, Michaela Owens tucks into one specific aspect that makes Audrey Hepburn’s character so entertaining. Reggie Lampert is terrified. Her husband, Charlie, has been murdered. A trio of dastardly men are after the $250,000 he stole from them,… Read more »
Poster for His Girl Friday Jesse Pasternack explains what makes Cary Grant’s work so dazzling in the indelible rom-com His Girl Friday. His Girl Friday (1940) is full of great performances. There’s the iconic and hilarious one given by Rosalind Russell, the sweet and subtly funny one given by Ralph Bellamy, as well as a… Read more »
Armageddon (Michael Bay, 1998) immediately announces what kind of film it is. Beginning 65 million years ago with the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, we watch the blast ripple across the planet and into the opening titles. “Armageddon” bursts into flames and explodes in pieces outward toward the audience. From the vantage point of 2023,… Read more »
Bright red blood. When you say the name Wes Anderson to me, that is the first thing that comes to my mind. Not mise-en-scènes that are perfectly balanced or stone-faced actors saying witty lines or whimsical European dreamscapes. No, it is blood cascading down the arms of Luke Wilson — sweet, beautiful Luke Wilson —… Read more »