John Nance Garner (one of FDR’s Vice Presidents) observed that the Vice Presidency “is not worth a bucket of warm spit.” But that was different when Dick Cheney became Vice President.
Hostiles – Journey Between Life and Death
The paradox of the film is that it simultaneously is a journey from life to death and a journey from death to life.
The Promise – Love in a Time of Genocide
The modern concept of genocide did not begin with the Holocaust; it started with the attempted extermination of the Armenians during the early years of World War I. The Promise tells the horrifying tale through the story of a love triangle (or perhaps quadrangle).
The New World (2005) Criterion Collection: Malick’s Love Triangle #TBT
In 2005, Terrence Malick delivered a sweeping, epic vision of the seventeenth century love triangle inhabited by the singular Native American princess Pocahontas (Q’orianka Kilcher) and her two English explorers, John Smith (Colin Farrell) and John Rolfe (Christian Bale). Thanks to the experienced filming eyes of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and Malick’s direction, the story beautifully appears… [Read More]
Knight of Cups: Finding the Pearl
As is often the case with Malick’s films, Knight of Cups is an immersive experience. It is best approached not with logic or by seeking symbols to interpret (at least not at first viewing).
And The Winner Is…or Should Be (Oscar Spotlight)
The Oscar races this year are absolutely clear cut… in my mind. Having seen fourteen of the nominated films (out of approximately sixteen films in the major categories), these are my favorites to win. At Best Actor, the portrayal of screenwriter and Communist Dalton Trumbo by Bryan Cranston put him in rare air, not that of the illicit drugs… [Read More]
The Big Short – Winning Is(n’t) Everything (Oscar Spotlight)
The Big Short is set in 2008 and tells the true story of Michael Burry (Christian Bale), a Wall St. guru who foresaw the downfall of the US economy due to sub-prime mortgage fallout. As a result of his discovery, he places over a billion dollars of investors money against the economy, drawing the attention… [Read More]
The Big Short
Perhaps your eyes glaze over when someone tries to explain the economics that lead to the housing bubble and Great Recession. It is indeed complicated, but The Big Short is an interesting way to try to understand it. It also is a great blend of comedy and pathos as we watch how it all developed and unfolded
