Bergman’s Island (2004) Few directors consistently speak to me as deeply as Ingmar Bergman. In this fascinating documentary, Marie Nyeröd visits the famed director at his home on the small Swedish island of Fårö to discuss his process, his most famous films, and his notorious relationships with women. This is the equivalent of an interview… Continue reading A visit with the master
Category: Daily Progress
This is where I document my progress, day by day
Green with fury
The Green Berets (1968) Colonel Mike Kirby (John Wayne) arrives in South Vietnam to lead a group of Special Forces while embedded journalist George Beckworth (David Janssen) reports on the conflict. Through a series of skirmishes with the Viet Cong, the film attempts to demonstrate the heroism and honor of American soldiers. I liked George Takei as… Continue reading Green with fury
Remind me why the Babadook always follows the tracks
By the Law (1926) Five prospectors head to the Yukon. After one of them kills two of his compatriots, the survivors, a husband and wife, subdue him, but, isolated from civilization, struggle deciding how to proceed. Should they extract justice or wait weeks for the authorities to come? Adapted from a novel by Jack London,… Continue reading Remind me why the Babadook always follows the tracks
Wandering in the company of four horny men named Riley
Horns (2014) When Ignatius Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) proposes to his longtime girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple), she rejects him, telling him she loves someone else. The next morning, Merrin is found dead and everyone in town, except for his childhood friend Lee (Max Minghella), believes a spurned Ig murdered her. A pariah, Ig spirals into a… Continue reading Wandering in the company of four horny men named Riley
Gleaning miracles from the edges of the future
The Gleaners and I: Two Years Later (2002) Varda’s follow-up to her seminal film is too self-aggrandizing. Instead of revisiting the people or places she met in the first movie, she reads congratulatory postcards from viewers. This pretentious film almost cheapens the power of the original. Edge of Tomorrow (2014) When he questions the orders… Continue reading Gleaning miracles from the edges of the future
The stellar Mr. Arkadin crawls at night in Indochina
Interstellar (2014) In the not so distant future, a planet-wide blight has hurled humanity backwards into a semi-agrarian society. Widowed former NASA astronaut Joseph “Coop” Cooper runs a farm with his daughter Murphy (Mackenzie Foy), son Tom, and father-in-law Donald (John Lithgow), but he still dreams of traveling to the stars. Murphy believes a ghost is manipulating… Continue reading The stellar Mr. Arkadin crawls at night in Indochina
Santa’s theory of the girl in a cage: A film by Bergman
La Cage aux Folles (1978) Renato owns a nightclub featuring his longtime lover, and accomplished drag performer, Albin. This creates complications when Laurent, Renato’s son from a previous relationship, brings his fiancée and her conservative parents home. After watching Robin Williams and Nathan Lane enthusiastically two-step their way through an energetic love affair alongside the perfectly cast Gene… Continue reading Santa’s theory of the girl in a cage: A film by Bergman
The player always dials for help in Phenix City
The Phenix City Story (1955) After his election as Attorney General of Alabama in 1954, Albert Patterson was assassinated by forces resisting his efforts to clean up organized crime in Phenix City. Fortunately, his death compelled state action in the corrupt town. The beginning of this film, featuring reporter Clete Roberts interviewing residents of the city, straddles the line between… Continue reading The player always dials for help in Phenix City
The piercing carols
A Christmas Carol (2009) The ghost of Jacob Marley (Gary Oldman) visits his former partner,the rich but miserable, Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carey) to warn him he needs to change his selfish ways. On Christmas Eve, three ghosts (all played by Carey) show Scrooge visions of Christmases Past, Present, and Future and by the end of… Continue reading The piercing carols
Don’t mind the tall, dark stranger
Megamind (2010) As their home planet died, Megamind (Will Ferrell) and Metro Man (Brad Pitt) were sent to Earth, where the two outsiders embarked on opposite paths. Metro Man became a beloved super hero, while Megamind chose a life of villainy. After discovering Metro Man’s weakness, Megamind sets a trap and destroys his nemesis, but… Continue reading Don’t mind the tall, dark stranger