While Christopher Nolan may not have invented the ingenious “backwards” gimmick, he did perfect it. Memorably, even Seinfeld beat Nolan to the punch in a famous episode three years earlier. Perhaps the most innovative prior example was Harold Pinter’s play (and 1983 movie) Betrayal. Even if the reverse-chronology narrative isn’t Nolan’s invention, nor is it… Read More Forth and Back | Memento (2000)
We’re all done with that alphabetical marathon on the Film After 11 podcast and, at the moment at least, not beholden to any specific theme. If you think of one, please let me know. In the meantime, this week’s episode is timed to correspond with the theatrical release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. I figured… Read More Film After 11 Podcast | Batman Begins (2005)
Part Western, part noir, and mostly a bunch of tough guys glaring at one another for 80 minutes, Bad Day at Black Rock was a collision of B-movie and prestige picture when it was made in 1955. Headlined by a couple major stars, one veteran character actor, and some other notable talent on the rise,… Read More We’re Suspicious of Strangers, Is All | Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) Blu-ray
We’ve finally hit the end of our alphabetical marathon on the Film After 11 podcast. That of course brings us to the letter “Z,” for which I thought Ben Stiller’s fashion industry parody Zoolander would be a good choice. That movie’s rated PG-13, right? No, it’s rated R? Turns out, both are true. I explain… Read More Film After 11 Podcast | Zoolander (2001)
How does one describe a movie like Absolute Beginners? That’s a question I’ve been pondering since first watching it recently, a Blu-ray copy having sat on my shelf for just over a decade. I’m not sure it can be described. The best I’ve come up with is that the film feels like it exists in… Read More You’ll Never Stop Me from Having It All | Absolute Beginners (1986) Blu-ray
As the Film After 11 podcast nears the end of its alphabetical marathon, we’re stuck with the letter “Y” and not a lot of good choices for a 12-year-old to watch. I very nearly picked the James Bond film You Only Live Twice, but had reviewed that myself just last year and wasn’t too eager… Read More Film After 11 Podcast | Young Guns (1988)
Not even the troubled production and financial failure of his masterpiece Brazil could prevent director Terry Gilliam from embarking on an even bigger and more elaborate project next. His subject: the filmed biography of a man who was, at one time, the most famous and revered individual on the Earth and its moon. As recounted… Read More This Is Precisely the Sort of Thing That No One Ever Believes | The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) Criterion 4K Ultra HD
A secret government conspiracy to cover up the existence of aliens, you say? Where have I heard that one before? Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day (running in theaters as I write this) feels really late to the game on this subject, seeing that The X Files had eleven seasons of it on television, starting way back… Read More Film After 11 Podcast | The X Files: Fight the Future (1998)
In a very weird way, watching the original 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer feature film proves what a genius Joss Whedon once was. That anyone could take such a lousy, inept movie and turn it into a long-running and beloved TV series is an almost miraculous feat few could achieve. Unfortunately, beyond that, I find… Read More Does the Word “Duh” Mean Anything to You? | Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) Blu-ray
I had no problem picking a “W” movie for this week’s installment of the Film After 11 alphabetical marathon. Of course, the 1991 comedy What About Bob? was an easy choice. Is it even possible for anyone to dislike this movie? I can’t imagine so. My son Joseph definitely enjoyed it. If his reaction in… Read More Film After 11 Podcast | What About Bob? (1991)
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