Monthly Archives: November 2012

The Sound & Music of Wreck-It Ralph

Something often missed about the best animated movies is the ingenious use of sound to tell their stories. I can remember the soundscape of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Dumbo almost as well as the images.  Now that … Continue reading

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Lincoln in the Movies

A wonderful look at the many incarnations of our 16th President throughout the history of movies. Most are very different from the Lincoln we get in the Spielberg clips.

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New Clips from Spielberg’s Lincoln

Lots of talk about Abraham Lincoln over the past few days. Rightfully so, all things considered. It’s a good time for some new clips from Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Oscar favorite. Plus a striking photo of David Strathairn:       … Continue reading

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Villains the Front-Page Created: The Central Park Five

“Let the animals get themselves.” It isn’t pretty and it isn’t right, but it’s an adage that has been widely adopted by virtually all anomie-laden societies in Western culture. As a result, major cities are susceptible to bigoted battles of … Continue reading

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Those Oscar Missed: Best Original Score

GUEST COLUMN BY JAKE THOMPSON I have to admit that it was extremely difficult to pick just five major snubs of all time in the Best Original Score Oscar category (musical/song/adaptation scores are not included here).  There were so many … Continue reading

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Homeland, Ep. 206: A Gettysburg Address

Last we saw Sergeant Brody, he was picking himself off the ground of a dank interrogation room pleading forgiveness to the woman whose life he nearly ruined. Homeland effectively yanked the rug out from under its audience and exploded all … Continue reading

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Growing Up With Death & Cell Phones: After Lucia (Después de Lucía)

An austere tone piece about the numbing effects of grief and the harm of childhood bullying, After Lucia paints a nightmarish portrait of contemporary Mexico City. The ‘Lucia’ of the title relates to the passing of a woman who’s survived … Continue reading

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Kubrick Meets Requiem

Pretty much anything set to Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet gets a 300% boost in adrenalin. Considering that looking at a Stanley Kubrick image has almost that much adrenalin just in silence, this video cut together using Kubrick’s one-point … Continue reading

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Yearning for Reality, Italian Style

Where Matteo Garrone’s Gomorrah incited shock in international cinema by exposing the violence that incarcerates modern day Naples, his follow-up, Reality, speaks to many of the stereotypes the world already possesses for Italy. Fit with meatball Italians in tight pants, … Continue reading

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A Mother Scorned: Blood of My Blood (Sangue do Meu Sangue)

Portugal’s submission for this coming Oscars, Blood of My Blood, justifies its slow progression by patiently allowing excruciating moments to play amongst soup operatic drama. Until the soap opera takes a strange turn in the final act, the manufactured-cum-realistic approach … Continue reading

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