Thematic preoccupations are what make individual filmmakers so intriguing as one steps back to examine certain artist’s entire careers.
Self-critique or self-indulgence, Holy Motors isn’t afraid to attempt everything under the sun.
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom mourns Japan’s devastation and celebrates the possibilities of its rebound.
A tour group passes behind a kitchen furniture setup. The guide says, “And here we have two dining room chairs and a table.”
An intellectual achievement rather than a visceral or emotional one.
Self-controlled but suffused with feeling, Father of My Children is a grownup love letter to life.
Understanding Screenwriting #27: Up, Summer Hours, A Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, & More
by Tom Stempel
Up has been driving me nuts.
The film never leaves France, but it’s implicitly global.
Preserving a judicious silence interrupted by occasional ill-timed bleating on my behalf, part two is super-delicious and crunchy.