Peter Schilling Fast Food Nation and For Your Consideration. Fast Food Nation, 2006. Directed by Richard Linklater, written by Linklater and Eric Schlosser. Starring Catalina Sandino Moreno, Wilmer Valderrama, Ana Claudia Talancon, Greg Kinnear, Ashley Johnson, Bobby Cannavale, Paul Dano, Esai Morales, and, in small roles: Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Luis Guzman, Avril Lavigne, Lou Taylor Pucci, … Read more
Rififi, 1955. Directed by Jules Dassin, written by Dassin, with Rene Wheeler and Auguste Le Breton. Starring Jean Servais, Jo le Suedois, Robert Manuel, Jules Dassin, Marie Sabouret, Janine Darcey, Claude Sylvain, and Marcel Lupovici. I know what they say: they say that crime doesn’t pay. And it doesn’t I suppose. After all those years … Read more
Once again I’m ignoring this weekend’s top releases–especially Stranger Than Fiction, which does not look appealing in the least (sorry Amy). Instead, dear readers (or reader), there are two films outside the mainstream worth checking out: The Mill City Museum is hosting the documentary Urban Explorers: Into The Darkness tonight at 6:30. Director Melody Gilbert … Read more
Certainly people grow tired of mere contraptions. But they never grow weary of imagination. —Vachel Lindsay, The Art of the Moving Picture One summer I met with a gentleman named Harley Buckwilliams, a tall fellow bent with osteoporosis and pigeon toed, a wanderer and would-be filmmaker from Topinabee, Michigan, on Mullet Lake. Buckwilliams–I never got … Read more
Briefly: Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat has been hailed by many as the last refuge of shock humor, carrying on a tradition that included the likes of Lenny Bruce. But listening to any Lenny Bruce album–a joy in my mind, albeit an often times challenging one–there wasn’t any loathing for his subjects. When he would riff … Read more
I’ve been remiss: there are two fascinating films in town, and tonight’s your last chance to one of them. Unfortunately, I can’t speak to Death of a President, as I’m going to tonight’s 7:15 show, but I’ll weigh in on it tomorrow–it’s around for another week. So I’m hoping, gentle readers, that you go instead … Read more
It’s funny, it’s sexy, it’s beautiful and filled with a deep sympathy for its characters that’s rare in comedy… it’s none other than Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein! Tonight, at the Central Library, the Friends is bestowing us with the gift of this lovely film tonight at 7:00. I loved this movie as a kid, wishing … Read more
St. Louis Cardinals 4, Detroit Tigers 2. Cardinals win World Series 4 games to 1. This is a movie blog, I know. I also know that I shouldn’t feel so damned sad about a bunch of millionaires losing a baseball game. But I do. So if there’s any Tigers fans out there, including my Mother, … Read more
Sorry, folks: I didn’t get an opportunity to see a preview of a (good) movie this week (plus I thought Antoinette was opening today… duh). Of the three major films beginning this weekend (and no, I don’t count Saw III or Catch A Fire in that bunch): Running With Scissors (area theaters): Shallow mental-illness flick … Read more
For those of you disappointed with Factotum and who seek to enjoy the real taste of cheap hooch and hard times (not to mention great beer with a movie), you need to check out the Phil Harder’s collection of vintage film footage of 1950s Minneapolis, its derelict set, and their haunts. A Night of Film … Read more