The letter “Q” left me in quite a quandary this week, as I struggled to find an appropriate movie to watch with my son for our alphabetical marathon in the Film After 11 podcast. While I quizzically pondered this question, I quickly found that the 2008 James Bond adventure Quantum of Solace would qualify. Thomas… Read More Film After 11 Podcast | Quantum of Solace (2008)
Like countless fictional films about the making of other fictional films (Day for Night, The Player, etc.), French director Olivier Assayas’ 1996 comedy (?) Irma Vep attempts to blur some sort of line between fantasy and reality. However, this one begs a particularly frustrating question: Can a movie really be a satire of pretentious French… Read More Pretentious French Movies About Pretentious French Movies Are Still Pretentious | Irma Vep (1996) Criterion Collection Blu-ray
Unlike some recent episodes where I’ve struggled to pick appropriate movies to watch for our Film After 11 podcast’s run through the alphabet this year, I knew exactly where I wanted to go for the letter “P.” This week, my son Joseph sits down for Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper’s 1982 haunted house thrill ride… Read More Film After 11 Podcast | Poltergeist (1982)
During an early scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a Medieval peasant woman digging in a pool of mud calls up to her son (Michael Palin), “Dennis, there’s some lovely filth down here!” Wallowing in filth is the best either of them can hope for, and is likely better than their current circumstances.… Read More You’ll Get Your Rags All Dirty | Jabberwocky (1977) Criterion Collection Blu-ray
Having saddled myself with the arbitrary gimmick of choosing titles for the Film After 11 podcast this year in alphabetical order, I find myself struggling with the “O” this week. Most of the movies I own beginning with that letter are either inappropriate for a 12-year-old or just not something he’d enjoy. I wound up… Read More Film After 11 Podcast | O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
The movie that won Jane Fonda her first acting Oscar, Klute deserves equal credit for director Alan J. Pakula, master of the 1970s paranoid conspiracy thriller. If not a conspiracy story, per se (though a little bit so), Klute is certainly rife with paranoia, and Pakula subverts the thriller genre in unexpected and remarkably effective… Read More The Sin, the Glitter, the Wickedness | Klute (1971) Blu-ray
I introduce my son Joseph to his first movie by the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, with a viewing of the classic North by Northwest in this week’s Film After 11 podcast. One of my goals with this podcast is to instill my children with some appreciation for older movies they wouldn’t seek out on… Read More Film After 11 Podcast | North by Northwest (1959)
I have one serious gripe against the 1991 Bruce Willis action movie directed by Tony Scott. IMDb, Wikipedia, and just about every other reference source I can find today insist on spelling the title as The Last Boy Scout (four words total), even though the movie’s poster art and opening credits clearly (as I read… Read More Friday Night’s a Great Night for Football | The Last Boyscout (1991) Blu-ray
I’m typically a little wary of watching comedies with my kids for the Film After 11 podcast. The humor in older movies doesn’t always play well for the younger generation. My own boys also almost never laugh during comedies, leaving me unable to read their reactions until asking them later. Nevertheless, this week I introduced… Read More Film After 11 Podcast | Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The appeal of films by Jim Jarmusch, especially his early work, is difficult to explain to someone who’s never watched one, and frankly even to some who have. His movies don’t exactly feel or behave like anything you’d expect from a regular movie. 1989’s Mystery Train, for example, has little story or plot to speak… Read More Some Days Just Go Like That | Mystery Train (1989) Criterion Collection Blu-ray
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