Category Archives: Movies

Depressive Affinities: Bergman’s “Thirst” and Zanussi’s “Contract”

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Early in Ingmar Bergman’s 1949 “Thirst,” a serpent is plucked from a sun-dappled wood and placed on a swarming anthill. It’s meant as an image of paradise encumbered, and it sets the tone for what will … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Performers | Tagged Contract, Eva Henning, Film, Ingmar Bergman, Krzysztof Zanussi, Leslie Caron, Maja Komorowska, movies, Persona, Thirst | 6 Comments

Juxtaposin’: Celebrity Spokeswomen

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes:

Posted in Movies, Performers, Television | Tagged Advertising, Audrey Hepburn, Commercials, Galaxy Chocolate, Juxtaposin', Sweet Brown, television, WePay | 5 Comments

But What About the Ladies?

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Brundle Guy

Brundle Guy writes: So today is the Oscars. I won’t be watching, as I haven’t been able to stomach an Oscar telecast in years. But for all the headache-inducing hoopla that goes up around Oscar-time, there’s a trend that’s really … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Sex, Women men and fashion | Tagged Antonia Bird, Catherine Hardwicke, Cloud Atlas, gender, Lana Wachowski, Mary Harron, Oscars, sexism, women | 7 Comments

Juxtaposin’: Tracking Shots, Literal and Metaphorical

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes:

Posted in Movies | Tagged Billy Bitzer, Film, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Juxtaposin', Millennium Mambo, movies, New York Subway, Shu Qi | 2 Comments

Blowing Up the Fantasy Bubble: A Review of Kirk Hammett’s “Too Much Horror Business” (and More)

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: One of the best gifts I received this past Christmas: Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett’s book covering his extensive horror collection. It’s called “Too Much Horror Business” (after a song by New Jersey punk band The Misfits), … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Commercial art, Movies, Music, Personal reflections | Tagged Alan Lomax, Bela Lugosi, Black Sabbath, books, Boris Karloff, Brothers Grimm, Charles Darwin, Collecting, Dennis Muren, Famous Monsters of Filmland, Film, Forrest J Ackerman, George Lucas, Harold Ramis, Harry Smith, Heavy Metal, Henri Langlois, horror, Industrial Light and Magic, Jan Svankmajer, Joe Dante, Jurassic Park, Kirk Hammett, Metallica, Monster Kids, movies, Peter Jackson, Phil Tippett, Punk, Ray Harryhausen, Rick Baker, Sam Raimi, Science Fiction, Star Wars, Steven Spielberg, The Misfits, Too Much Horror Business, Universal Horror | 13 Comments

I Graduated From a Monkey Prison

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: In 1972, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, the fourth installment in the series, was released. When the film begins, humans have enslaved the apes but eventually the apes rise up in revolution against their oppressors. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Education, Movies, Photography | Tagged brutalism, landscaping, Orange County, Planet of the Apes, Science Fiction, University of California Irvine, William Pereira | 20 Comments

“Silver Linings Playbook”

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: In The Big Picture, screenwriter William Goldman says that when it comes to voting for Best Actor or Actress at the Oscars, he never chooses those who who are playing “drunks or retards.” “Actors kill for those parts,” he … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged Bradley Cooper, dancing, David O. Russell, girls in yoga pants, Jennifer Lawrence, mental illness, William Goldman | 8 Comments

This is Getting Old

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes:

Posted in Movies | Tagged Clive Owen, Daniel Craig, Film, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Liam Neeson, movies, Skyfall, Taken 2, The International, Turkey | 8 Comments

Getting the Best Out of People: Freedom v. Control

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Seth Roberts, formerly of Berkeley and now professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, decided to stop grading his students. He writes: The more freedom I gave my students, the more difficult it became to grade them. At … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Movies, Television | Tagged anarchism, David Fincher, directing actors, Kevin Spacey, Montaigne, Steven Soderbergh, teaching | 4 Comments

“Premium Rush”

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: “Premium Rush” is a shallow chase movie that, for the most part, doesn’t ask us to make too much of it. Its plot concerns a New York bike messenger (the ubiquitous Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is tasked with … Continue reading →