Kubrick in Progress | Killer’s Kiss (1955) Criterion Collection Blu-ray
If technically Stanley Kubrick’s second feature film, the director almost entirely disowned his first (1952’s Fear and Desire) and considered Killer’s Kiss to be the start of his filmmaking career. Made when he was just 27-years-old, the noir thriller is clearly a formative work, unpolished and lacking either the intellectual or technical rigor Kubrick would…
Film After 11 Podcast | The Sixth Sense (1999)
How well does The Sixth Sense play for a modern kid today who doesn’t know much about it? For that matter, how well does one of the most famous plot-twist movies in cinema history hold up to repeat viewings for someone who already knows the ending? Those are the big questions we explore in this…
Perception and Reality Are Two Different Things | Juliet of the Spirits (1965) Criterion Blu-ray
Federico Fellini’s 1963 masterpiece 8 ½ is remembered, rightly so, as a defining work of Surrealist cinema. Part of that film’s genius is the way its fantastical elements are rooted in an autobiographical confession for the director’s own personal flaws, self-absorption, and lousy treatment of the women in his life. Attempting at least somewhat of…
Film After 11 Podcast | Ramblings on Ridley Scott + The Martian (2015)
My last excuse for not doing a new Film After 11 podcast episode was that the family and I all went on vacation and had no time to record one, so we ran a rerun instead. I fully expected to come back prepared to watch a new movie with one of my sons and record…
Late Nights Gettin’ to You? | Insomnia (2002)
As Christopher Nolan has increasingly focused on huge and bombastic IMAX spectacles, almost to the point that he’ll soon have nowhere bigger left to go, his very small and intimate 2002 thriller Insomnia often gets lost in the arc of the director’s career. Even though I doubt many fans would say they dislike it, when…
Film After 11 Podcast Rerun | Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Due to a scheduling conflict, the Film After 11 podcast will take a small vacation this week. In lieu of a completely new episode, we’ve dug through the archives to present a rerun of our very first attempt at this podcast thing, back when it was called Film at 11. That our review of Who…
It’s Unscientific, Unexplainable, Unnatural, Unreasonable | House (1977) Criterion Blu-ray
I’ve liked, loved, disliked, or hated countless movies over the years. I’ve felt indifferent to many others. Never before have I had an experience like watching House (or Hausu if you prefer), the 1977 Japanese cult film about a group of annoying teenage girls who get trapped in a haunted or demon-infested mansion. I’m left…
Film After 11 Podcast | Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
In a rare turn, I let my son Joseph pick the movie for this week’s episode of the Film After 11 podcast. He’d already watched a few minutes of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy at a friend’s house and wanted to see the rest. Who was I to argue with that choice? I’m still…
The Poetry of War | Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) Criterion Blu-ray
Jim Jarmusch might not be the first name one would consider to direct a hitman thriller. In most of his early work, such as Stranger Than Paradise or Mystery Train, the indie auteur established a very laconic style of character drama mostly lacking much in the way of plot or… well… drama. Today, we’d probably…
Film After 11 Podcast | Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
This week’s double-length episode of the Film After 11 podcast is a doozy. With Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters, my son Thomas and I started off talking about its predecessor, 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Somewhere along the way, the conversation went off the rails and… well, let’s just say that, like any Marvel…
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