Anne and I read as much poetry, perhaps more, than we do fiction. Of the poets writing and publishing today, we have many mutual favorites. But there are two poets in particular who, when they release new material, send us rushing to a nearby independent bookstore to grab a first edition. Both of them write in a way that seems sacramental… the sound, the pace, the flavor of the language is as fragile and beautiful as the imagery it inspires... Read more
More than 20 guesses, and still no winner on Half-Shot Contest #9. Okay, here’s a little more of the picture… If you love movies, I’m pretty sure you know this film. Read more
Got the daily bundle of letters in response to the Brokeback Mountain reviews, but I also received one that was quite unusual. I don’t usually post the complimentary letters because I don’t want to appear to be glorying in somebody’s appreciation. But this one really struck me… While I am not Christian, nor even theistic; I truly wanted to commend your work on this site as being insightful if different, from that of most reviewers. Your brief description of the... Read more
I still haven’t found a good half-shot related to the term “reverend.” (And since the last winner was The Cubicle Reverend, I should be able to find SOMETHING related to that name.) So, until I find one, here’s another half-shot for you…. Any guesses? Read more
“TRADITION, TRADITION, DA-DA-DA-DA…. TRADITION!” Disney returns to hand-drawn animation! Thank goodness. There’s a beauty and a personality to hand-drawn cartoons that CGI just can’t replace. Don’t get me wrong, I love what can be done with digital animation. But to let it completely replace other styles of animation that have their own strengths? A waste. Since Disney started incorporating CGI into their animation, I can’t say their films have improved much. I still prefer classics like The Rescuers and One... Read more
Just saw Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull story, which really lives up to that title. It’s a Charlie-Kaufman-like leap into the absurd, as we are drawn into the comical lives of the filmmakers and stars trying to make a movie of this “unfilmable” novel. Maniacally non-chronological, and full of comedian Steve Coogan’s direct-to-the-camera commentary (in which he pokes fun at his own Hollywood disaster Around the World in 80 Days), it runs along like an adrenalin rush, but ends... Read more
Cinematical has an interview with Julia Jentsch, the actress who deserves an Oscar nomination for her performance in Sophie Scholl: The Final Days. (Alas, the film is only nominated for Best Foreign Film. It deserved a screenplay nomination and a Best Supporting Actor nomination as well.) Read more
Jennie Spohr is wrapping up an impressive endeavor over at Seattle’s University Presbyterian Church. The film festival she hosted, entitled “Dreams of Our Childhood,” inspired quite a few moviegoers to look at films with greater discernment, to appreciate more fully the possibilities and the power of big screen art. Thanks, Jennie, for your hard work. It was exciting to see people gathering in a church to discuss the rich veins of truth and beauty in films like Born into Brothels,... Read more
Having just seen Born into Brothels again, I’m inspired to consider what other films have done such a great job of making us care about wrongs that need to be righted in the world. If you were to host a film festival in hopes of inspiring viewers to apply themselves to serve a good cause, what films would you show? What matters would they ask us to consider? Some films are downright preachy, and they end up being more irritating... Read more
THERE WILL BE DANIEL DAY-LEWIS! While the list of films I cannot wait to see in 2006 has grown rather large, none of them match my eagerness for the next Paul Thomas Anderson film — There Will Be Blood. So any news about the next film from the director of Punch-drunk Love and Magnolia makes me lean very close to the screen to make sure I don’t miss a detail. Cinematical grabbed my attention today with a link to a... Read more
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