Broadway by Light

"Broadway by Light" never seeks to settle into one particular pattern; there are recognizable groupings of various signages, but there isn't a true sense of progression until the short's ending as dawn appears. But what is most striking is just how looming these ostensibly commercial products appear, towering over the other objects in the frame, especially the men that infrequently appear as almost automatons at work. Aside from some astonishingly flurries of signage rushing at the screen, Klein's editing is mostly static, but nevertheless "Broadway by Light" is a strange, defiant experience.

House of Little Deaths

Scout Tafoya seems to be aiming for two simultaneous and seemingly incongruous approaches here, mixing an intent eye on the prostitutes at the heart of House of Little Deaths with a more experimental and abrasive tone. The first half brazenly rejects all attempts at narrative, consisting solely of a single night in the brothel that forms the base of the film, as the prostitutes turn their tricks for a seemingly endless parade of men. Despite the observant shots of them as they get ready for the night, the women all seem to coalesce into one many-formed entity—perhaps for the best. The second half unfortunately does decide to venture into narrative, with increasingly diminishing returns from the already admittedly punishing first half. However, this is somewhat offset by the startling disruptions, such as the repeated shots, the extreme close-ups, the cuts to silence/mismatched shots with dialogue, and especially the colors, which are repeatedly tinted in many different hues, from blinding white to deep reds. House of Little Deaths is more than likely an hour too long and too impenetrable for its own good, but it is an admirable, worthy effort nonetheless.

Bad Seed

Bad Seed proceeds for most of its runtime in a pleasing and sedate pace, and perhaps the aspect that most distinguishes it is its general weightlessness. Though the narrative is set around a gang of car thieves that the main character, Henri (Pierre Mingand), is unwittingly dragged into, Wilder wisely feels no urge to infuse the film with additional urgency or weightlessness, mixing in liberal amounts of wit, ostensibly extraneous segments (the height of which is Jean's kleptomaniacal obsession with neckties), and a gleeful satirical element in showing the rich society and their haplessness in the face of the thieves. Even the potential thorns of the romance between Henri and Jeanette (Danielle Darrieux, in a wonderfully coy performance) are elided, as the general arc is preferred over any "big" moments. Nevertheless, Wilder's first film is made with a not insignificant amount of flair, using superimpositions and fast-paced editing (especially in the final chase) to match the screenplay's charms. The film does end in a shockingly melancholy fashion, but the film up to that point is so generous in its easygoing way that it almost feels like a natural transition. Bad Seed is a charm and a joy, where its lightness of tone and feeling is a feature rather than a demerit.

A David Bowie Ranking

Transferred and altered from Topsters.net.

1. Station to Station
2. Heroes
3. Young Americans
4. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
5. Low
6. Hunky Dory
7. The Gouster
8. Let's Dance
9. Diamond Dogs
10. Aladdin Sane
11. Scary Monsters
12. Blackstar
13. The Next Day
14. The Man Who Sold the World
15. Heathen
16. Reality
17. Lodger
18. Black Tie White Noise
19. Outside
20. Earthling
21. Hours
22. Space Oddity
23. The Buddha of Suburbia
24. Tin Machine
25. Tonight
26. Pin Ups
27. Never Let Me Down
28. David Bowie

2016 Halftime Scenes of the Year

So I can remember at the end of the year.

• The party or the final confrontation, My Golden Days
• Trauma montage, Cameraperson
• First night at Sound Machine, Everybody Wants Some!!
• The main event/Christine in motion/Gun range, Kate Plays Christine
• Opening credits, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• The wedding, Sunset Song
• Rhythmic exercise, Cemetery of Splendour
• First dance/final dance, Mountains May Depart
• Opening the presents, Henry Gamble's Birthday Party
• The 12 Commandments, Love & Friendship

Another Previous Favorites List

1. Mulholland Dr.
2. Eraserhead
3. Paris, Texas
4. Blade Runner
5. Close-Up
6. Yi Yi
7. In the Mood for Love
8. A Brighter Summer Day
9. Sans soleil
10. Persona
11. Heat
12. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
13. Seven Samurai
14. "La jetée"
15. Trust
16. Sunrise
17. The Night of the Hunter
18. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
19. Stop Making Sense
20. Blue Velvet
21. Carol
22. The Young Girls of Rochefort
23. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
24. Mistress America
25. The Battle of Algiers
26. Manhunter
27. 2001: A Space Odyssey
28. Lost in Translation
29. Tokyo Story
30. The 400 Blows
31. The Devils
32. Journey to Italy
33. Vertigo
34. Inland Empire
35. "Duck Amuck"
36. Jeanne Dielman
37. Out 1
38. Meek's Cutoff
39. Sunset Blvd.
40. Lolita
41. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
42. "Outer Space"
43. The Passion of Joan of Arc
44. Miami Vice
45. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
46. "Night and Fog"
47. Paths of Glory
48. Death Proof
49. Public Enemies
50. The Double Life of Veronique
51. My Golden Days
52. M
53. Casablanca
54. "World of Tomorrow"
55. Eyes Wide Shut
56. Phoenix
57. Last Year at Marienbad
58. Singin' in the Rain
59. Brazil
60. Wild at Heart
61. The Shining

Oeuvre Lists

Taken from Letterboxd.

The Coen Brothers "Sometimes it's a hard world for the little things."

1. Barton Fink (Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Actor (John Turturro), Best Performance (John Turturro), Best Art Direction, Best Ending; Palme d'Or, FIPRESCI Prize, Vulcan Award (Dennis Gassner, Nancy Haigh))
2. Fargo (Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Frances McDormand), Best Cinematography, Best Score; Grand Prix)
3. Inside Llewyn Davis (Best Sound, Best Scene ("Fare Thee Well"), Best Use of Song ("Fare Thee Well"), Best Original Song ("Please Mr. Kennedy"); Jury Prize)
4. Raising Arizona (Best Costumes; Cannes Best Actor (Nicolas Cage))
5. The Man Who Wasn't There (Best Supporting Actress (Scarlett Johansson), Editing; Cannes Best Screenplay)
6. A Serious Man (Cannes Best Direction, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
7. Intolerable Cruelty
8. Burn After Reading (Best Ensemble)
9. No Country for Old Men (Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem))
10. Hail, Caesar!
11. The Big Lebowski (Best Visual Effects)
12. True Grit (Cannes Best Actress (Hailee Steinfeld))
13. Miller's Crossing
14. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Best Makeup)
15. Blood Simple
16. The Ladykillers
17. The Hudsucker Proxy

Paul Thomas Anderson "We may be through with the past, but the past is never through with us."

1. Inherent Vice (Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (Katherine Waterston), Best Ensemble, Best Editing, Best Costumes, Best Makeup; Palme d'Or, FIPRESCI Prize)
2. The Master (Best Supporting Actor (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Scene (Informal Processing); Grand Prix, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
3. There Will Be Blood (Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Performance (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Visual Effects, Best Score, Best Ending; Jury Prize, Vulcan Award (Johnny Greenwood))
4. Punch-Drunk Love (Best Actress (Emily Watson), Best Sound, Best Use of Song ("He Needs Me"); Cannes Best Direction)
5. Magnolia (Best Original Song ("Save Me"), Cannes Best Actor (Tom Cruise))
6. Boogie Nights (Cannes Best Actress (Heather Graham))
7. Hard Eight (Cannes Best Screenplay)

Stanley Kubrick "Gentlemen of the court, there are times that I'm ashamed to be a member of the human race and this is one such occasion."

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Visual Effects, Best Use of Song ("Also sprach Zarathustra"), Best Scene (Frank's birthday); Palme d'Or, FIPRESCI Prize, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
2. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
3. Paths of Gory (Best Ending; Grand Prix)
4. The Shining (Best Actress (Shelley Duvall), Best Performance (Shelley Duvall), Best Editing, Best Sound; Jury Prize)
5. Eyes Wide Shut (Best Ensemble, Best Art Direction; Cannes Best Actress (Nicole Kidman))
6. Lolita (Best Supporting Actress (Shelley Winters); Cannes Best Actor (James Mason))
7. Dr. Strangelove (Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Peter Sellers), Best Supporting Actor (George C. Scott); Cannes Best Screenplay)
8. Barry Lyndon (Best Cinematography, Best Costumes, Best Makeup, Best Score; Cannes Best Direction, Vulcan Award (John Alcott))
9. Full Metal Jacket
10. The Killing
11. Spartacus
12. A Clockwork Orange
13. Killer's Kiss

Quentin Tarantino "Do you know what I do? This is what I do. I kill people and sell their corpses for cash."

1. Death Proof (Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Editing; Palme d'Or, FIPRESCI Prize, Vulcan Award (Sally Menke))
2. Inglourious Basterds (Best Direction, Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz), Best Performance (Christoph Watlz), Best Art Direction, Best Scene ("Cat People (Putting Out Fire)"), Best Ending; Grand Prix)
3. The Hateful Eight (Best Actor (Samuel L. Jackson), Best Supporting Actor (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Best Ensemble, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, Best Score; Jury Prize)
4. Pulp Fiction (Cannes Best Screenplay)
5. Jackie Brown (Best Actress (Pam Grier), Best Use of Song ("Didn't I"); Cannes Best Direction)
6. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Best Sound; Cannes Best Actress (Uma Thurman), Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
7. Kill Bill Vol. 2
8. Django Unchained (Best Costumes, Best Original Song ("Ancora Qui"); Cannes Best Actor (Christoph Waltz))
9. Reservoir Dogs

Michael Mann "There is a flip side to that coin."

1. Heat (Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Ensemble, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Score, Best Scene (The heist), Best Ending; Palme d'Or, FIPRESCI Prize)
2. Manhunter (Best Use of Song ("In-A-Gadda-Vida"); Grand Prix)
3. Miami Vice (Best Supporting Actress (Gong Li), Best Costumes; Jury Prize, Vulcan Award (Dion Beebe))
4. Public Enemies (Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale; Cannes Best Actress (Marion Cotillard))
5. Thief (Best Art Direction; Cannes Best Direction)
6. The Insider (Best Actor (Russell Crowe), Best Performance (Russell Crowe); Cannes Best Actor (Russell Crowe))
7. Ali (Best Makeup; Cannes Best Screenplay)
8. Blackhat (Best Visual Effects; Cannes Best Actress (Tang Wei))
9. The Last of the Mohicans (Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
10. Collateral
11. The Keep

David Lynch "Mother, they're still not sure it is a baby!"

1. Mulholland Dr. (Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Justin Theroux), Best Supporting Actress (Laura Harring), Best Ensemble, Best Use of Song ("Llorando"), Best Scene (Club Silencio), Best Ending; Palme d'Or, FIPRESCI Prize)
2. Eraserhead (Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Original Song ("In Heaven"); Grand Prix, Vulcan Award (Frederick Elmes, Alan Splet, and David Lynch), Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
3. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (Best Actress (Sheryl Lee), Best Performance (Sheryl Lee), Best Score; Jury Prize)
4. Inland Empire (Best Editing; Cannes Best Actress (Laura Dern))
5. Blue Velvet (Cannes Best Screenplay)
6. Wild at Heart (Cannes Best Direction)
7. "Premonitions Following an Evil Deed"
8. "Lady Blue Shanghai"
9. Twin Peaks
10. The Elephant Man (Best Costumes, Best Makeup)
11. The Straight Story (Best Actor (Richard Farnsworth), Cannes Best Actor (Richard Farnsworth))
12. Lost Highway
13. Dune
14. "Sailing with Bushnell Keeler"
15. "The Alphabet"
16. "Six Men Getting Sick"
17. "The Amputee"

Wise Guys

It's hard to convey just how much of a travesty Wise Guys is. Unlike similar comedic De Palma misfires such as The Wedding Party and Get to Know Your Rabbit the film is never boring, but it is perhaps something worse: actively aggravating. Everything in the film, from the score to De Palma's direction (one of the few redeeming factors, as his visual sense of rhythm and the occasional trick including his trademark split-diopter remain intact) to the acting in particular, is heightened past the point of absurdity. The characters and plot are reduced to caricatures, and the viewer gets the sense that the filmmakers are laughing at their characters, providing little in the way of anything to sympathize with.

The narrative itself is surprisingly coherent, following a clear emotional throughline that takes the odd couple at its center on a relatively satisfying arc. But what rankles is the depiction of it, how willing De Palma is to indulge Harry and Moe's hijinks; even the ending is botched, as the characters leave virtually unchanged, with only the slightest bit of luck keeping them from destruction. Granted, the mob aspect is performed rather well, due to the intensely committed and effortless performances of Dan Hedaya and Harvey Keitel, respectively, but it is lost among the endless scenes of Harry and Moe shouting at each other before plunging into the exact same mannerisms.

DeVito's and Piscopo's performances, unfortunately, are in large part responsible for the morass that Wise Guys gradually plunges into. In the first quarter or so, where their characters' plotline is equally balanced with that of the mob's, it is still fairly grating, as they fail to nail the timing of the already tedious screenplay. But from the racetrack onwards (excepting the admittedly funny torture sequences), the film focuses almost entirely on them, and the two become even more eager to mug and belittle anyone they meet; their friendship is the only thing that feels real, but it is surrounded by thick layers of cheese and hair-tearing stupidity that refuses to let up.

Perhaps the worst part of Wise Guys is that it isn't even poorly put together; the pacing is fleet for the most part, there are rarely any serious defects in the filmmaking (aside from, of course, the egregiously long car-starting sequence), and the story is coherent. The tone, however, is so gleefully stupid, so idiotically pleased with itself and its even more pea-brained protagonists, that the film is ruined; I'm not certain if it was my trust in De Palma or my vastly different sensibilities, but I was revulsed in a way that few, if any films had caused. Simply put, for me Wise Guys is irredeemable on almost all accounts.

A Cowboy Bebop Ranking

1. 20 "Pierrot le Fou": Part noir, part horror, all nightmare; welcome to the madhouse.
2. 18 "Speak Like a Child": A mediation on the image, analog, treasure, the past, and our characters. Plus, best pre-title-card sequence.
3. 06 "Sympathy for the Devil": Beyond life and death; the blues have rarely been blown stronger.
4. 25 "The Real Folk Blues (Part 1)": As lyrical as the beginning of the end can get.
5. 04 "Gateway Shuffle": The ideal for character dynamics, over the top bounty of the week, etc.
6. 05 "Ballad of Fallen Angels": Heroic bloodshed, with about as much sadness.
7. 14 "Bohemian Rhapsody": More than two people are playing in this chess game.
8. 26 "The Real Folk Blues (Part 1)": The end; if it pulls one too many punches, it does so gently.
9. 23 "Brain Scratch": Incredibly daring conceptually, and it pulls it off spectacularly.
10. 11 "Toys in the Attic": Endlessly amusing, and more than a little creepy.
11. 24 "Hard Luck Women": If this wasn't uneven this could be the best; pure bittersweet emotion with some of the best (vocal!) music choices.
12. 13 "Jupiter Jazz (Part 2)": An uncommon kind of humanism for Cowboy Bebop.
13. 03 "Honky Tonk Women": Pure flash and style.
14. 01 "Asteroid Blues": The first, and still one of the most iconic to me; doesn't hurt that it's genuinely emotional.
15. 02 "Stray Dog Strut": A great deal of fun, and Ein is extremely cute.
16. 12 "Jupiter Jazz (Part 1)": A tad bit too much setup but Gren might have been formative.
17. 10 "Ganymede Elegy": Moreso the blues, and all the better for it.
18. 21 "Boogie Woogie Feng Shui": Heady, but moving; also, Faye and Spike as fairy godparents.
19. 17 "Mushroom Samba": Too light but the hallucinations are among the best sequences in the show (and very cute Ein!)
20. 19 "Wild Horses": Not wild enough.
21. 16 "Black Dog Serenade": Somewhat scattered but haunting.
22. 15 "My Funny Valentine": It doesn't sing as much as it should have.
23. 09 "Jamming With Edward": A little uneven, but Ed is so fun.
24. 08 "Waltz For Venus": Rocco sorta gets on my nerves, but genuinely moving.
25. 22 "Cowboy Funk": Andy's lame.
26. 07 "Heavy Metal Queen": The first insubstantial episode, with too many lows.

Jason Bourne

Going to start posting all my non-important-film reviews on here now.

There's no doubting that Jason Bourne feels for large chunks of its runtime like a sledgehammer pounding the viewer into submission. The deftness of the editing doesn't go far enough in alleviating the signature, almost headache-inducing shaky cam style. It is true that this particular choice creates a continual heightened state of intensity, but for the most part this energy is misdirected, creating an environment where every scene rather than just the action scenes is emphasized. (Though it is all almost worth it for the emotional impact that occurs when the climactic emotional confrontation starts, as the camera suddenly stabilizes for almost the entire scene.) Nevertheless, despite some rather clunky beats, especially in the first half that operates more in an expository mode, the movie gains traction and achieves genuine, fairly intelligent thrills.

Jason Bourne's plot has been pared down to essentially two narratives, with almost no digressions. The first is that of Bourne's continual quest for answers regarding his past, and the second is the CIA's efforts to both catch him and deal with ramifications following his emergence. Perhaps ironically, it is the second of these plotlines that is more interesting, as the film operates better in a procedural gear that observes as the rapid exchange of information that occurs inside Langley works in concert to find and capture Bourne. In a barrage of technical data on computers, fast-paced dialogue, and clear but urgent commands, the CIA appears like a genuine threat even to a near-superhuman like Bourne, aided in no small part by the coldly menacing performance of Vincent Cassel as an operative, fittingly known only as the Asset.

Bourne himself is a force of sheer will, but lights of humanity continually shine through, especially in the extreme close-ups on his face, tracing the lines and scars of the past that cut even deeper than those on Tommy Lee Jones' face. This sense of humanity is even stronger in the people of the future, so to speak, in the forms of Alicia Vikander and Riz Ahmed. Their characters are played as energetic and ambitious, injecting a sense of tension as both characters' (especially Vikander's Heather) motivations seem unclear.

The sequencing of the film is particularly of note, revolving around three sequences functioning as a continual cat-and-mouse game where the identities can change at a moment's notice. Greengrass cuts smoothly and swiftly, often between three separate viewpoints, as the pursuit moves cleanly between crowds, cramped apartment buildings, and subterranean passageways, before exploding into fast-paced fistfights. The London sequence is perhaps the highlight of these, forming the tipping point where each of the characters' true allegiances is revealed, and Heather must scramble to decide which side she is on.

Despite its glaring flaws, Jason Bourne is a treat, as its frenetic pace eventually envelops the viewer. It's undeniably enervating and dour, but by the time "Extreme Ways" plays, Greengrass, Damon, and co. have announced and made a solid case for their intentions: Jason Bourne is back, both in the narrative and in the real world.

Admins Only

Mirror (19/2) Heat (18/3) 2001: A Space Odyssey (15/2) The Green Ray (15/2) Jeanne Dielman (15/2) Sans soleil (15/2) Playtime (13/2) Out 1 (13/2) Femme Fatale (12/2) Sunrise (11/2) Only Angels Have Wings (11/2) Imitation of Life (10/2) Carlito’s Way (10/2) A.I. Artificial Intelligence (10/2) The Aviator’s Wife (10/1) Lost in Translation (10/1) Le Bonheur (9/1) A Woman Under the Influence (9/1) Exotica (9/1) Margaret (8/2) Beauty and the Beast (8/1) Pickup on South Street (8/1) Weekend (8/1) Close-Up (8/1) Au hasard Balthazar (7/2) A Touch of Zen (7/2) Stop Making Sense (7/2) Mulholland Dr. (7/2) Chelsea Girls (7/1) Inland Empire (7/1) My Darling Clementine (6/1) The Young Girls of Rochefort (6/1) The Terrorizers (6/1) Metropolis (5/1) Brief Encounter (5/1) Early Summer (5/1) Vertigo (5/1) La Dolce vita (5/1) La Notte (5/1) Lawrence of Arabia (5/1) Le Cercle Rouge (5/1) McCabe and Mrs. Miller (5/1) The Godfather, Part II (5/1) Grey Gardens (5/1) Taxi Driver (5/1) Autumn Sonata (5/1) Days of Heaven (5/1) Raging Bull (5/1) Blow Out (5/1) Blade Runner (5/1) Body Double (5/1) Die Hard (5/1) Total Recall (5/1) A Brighter Summer Day (5/1) The Age of Innocence (5/1) Safe (5/1) Princess Mononoke (5/1) The Last Days of Disco (5/1) Punch-Drunk Love (5/1) Tropical Malady (5/1) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (5/1) Wendy and Lucy (5/1) The Social Network (5/1) The Master (5/1) The Forbidden Room (5/1) Mistress America (5/1) The Night of the Hunter (4/1) The Earrings of Madame de… (4/1) All About Eve (3/1) Hiroshima mon Amour (3/1) “Outer Space” (3/1) Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (3/1) A Streetcar Named Desire (2/1) Breathless (2/1) Solaris (2/1) The Red Shoes (1/1) Johnny Guitar (1/1) The Battle of Algiers (1/1) Paris, Texas (1/1) American Honey (1/1)