Every once in a while, there’s a perfect sequence of film. The part with the plane in North by Northwest. The accidental gunshot in Pulp Fiction. The Raiders of the Lost Ark truck chase. 2001‘s zero-g workout scene. The beginning of Up. Blade Runner‘s tears in the rain. Buster Keaton. The POV tour of the […]
Film
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Top Five Movies of the Year
Narrative and docs!
Top Five Movies (Narrative) By Tin Pan Theater 1. Short Term 12 We laughed, cried and rejoiced with the characters in this film. It was the only movie of the year where the closing credits made us feel like we were saying goodbye to family. 2. Before Midnight The most realistic film about long term […]
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Because They Needed the Monet
Christian Bale leads a smarmy Scorsese riff into the gaudy 1970s
Christian Bale has transformed himself in all sorts of ways, but his turn as Irving Rosenfeld is something else again. It’s such a striking transformation that the camera can’t tear away from Bale’s body throughout the opening scene of American Hustle. His pasty beer gut juts forward proudly, suggesting chronic constipation. We watch him construct […]
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Two Short Film Reviews
Ebenezer Scrooge meet fake beard and Art, skateboarding and activism
If we take the entirely creepy 1934 carol “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” at its word, the man in red sees us when we’re sleeping and knows when we’re awake, and thus, he knows if we’ve been bad or good. What the song fails to inform, is the state of Santa’s personal behavior. Has […]
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Broadcast News
Anchorman 2: Ron Burgundy Ruins News Forever
Ron Burgundy tries to hang himself in the first 15 minutes of “Anchorman 2”—and for a second, even this Anchorman fan thought that might not be a terrible idea. It’s been nine years since the brilliant “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” began its long journey toward becoming a cult classic, and expectations for a […]
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A Spoonful of Daddy Issues
Schmaltz, booze, and Disney in Saving Mr. Banks
If only Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks had been terrible, I could’ve screamed, “Damn you, Disneyfication!” from the chim-chimneyed rooftops. But the film is sweet and likeable, and not without a bit of an edge. It’s a Disney edge, sure, but it’s there. Mr. Banks is centered around Mary Poppins—particularly author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), who’s […]
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Senior Moments
Not everything’s black and white in Nebraska
Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) is determined to get to Nebraska. He’s received a form letter notifying him that he may have won $1 million, which he’s inclined to accept at face value. All he has to do is go to the sweepstakes office in Lincoln and collect the prize. There are a few obstacles: Woody […]
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Hot Elf Action!
Holy smokes, you guys! The Hobbit is incredible!
Guys! Guys! Why didn’t you tell me about this? They made a movie out of my book? Have you heard about this? Talk about crazy, right? I mean, one minute I’m dicking around in my office at Oxford—making up Elvish, for flip’s sake—and the next minute I’m in a movie theater, wearing 3D glasses, about […]
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A Replacement for Breaking Bad
Statham and Franco light up a quasi-parodic action flick
Watch the trailer for Homefront, and you won’t quite be able to tell if it’s parody or not. You’ve got Jason Statham starring, of course, as a tough guy with a history. In this case, he’s a cop who used to wear a really bad wig and go undercover with biker gangs. Statham is seen […]
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Liar, Liar, Spandex on Fire!
The Armstrong Lie is stunning (and not just for cycling fans)
“I didn’t live a lot of lies, but I did live one big one.” That’s how the new documentary from director Alex Gibney opens, with a half-confession from disgraced cycling superstar Lance Armstrong. It is a perfect first line and sets the tone for the rest of the stunning film, which chronicles Armstrong’s miraculous cancer-be-damned […]
