Monthly Archives: February 2012

3 things about George Clooney’s THE IDES OF MARCH

The Ides of March [2011] 1. Final shot. The look on his face rivals Garbo’s at the end of Queen Christina. 2. He insists on reading a hard copy. Later he tells them to write something, then “I’ll put it … Continue reading

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Culture Lesson

Naturally, since I’m going to Paris for the first time in more than ten years soon, I’ve been thinking about my last trip there. And digging through stuff that’s buried in my computer. Here’s something I wrote back then.   … Continue reading

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3 things about Woody Allen’s MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Midnight in Paris [2011] 1. The way Dali pronounces “rhinoceros.” 2. “What is Valium?” “It’s the pill of the future.” 3. In the middle of their conversation it begins to rain. “I don’t mind being wet,” she says. The raindrops … Continue reading

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3 things about Ashgar Farhadi’s A SEPARATION

A Separation [2011] 1. “The court doesn’t care about those things.” 2. She phones for advice. Is it sacrilegious to clean the old man? 3. Rather than hit his wife, he slaps himself violently over and over.

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3 things about Terry Zwigoff’s BAD SANTA

Bad Santa [2003] 1. “Well sure. Santa fucking someone in the ass …” John Ritter winces exquisitely. 2. Willie favors Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon. 3. He uses the golf club as an axe to chop down the mannequin.

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3 things about Michel Hazanavicius’ THE ARTIST

The Artist [2011] 1. Over time, his mustache morphs from pencil-thin to brushlike. 2. “BANG!” 3. Malcolm McDowell’s ruddy nose (even in black & white).

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3 things about John Sturges’ THE GREAT ESCAPE

The Great Escape [1963] 1. Trouser leg dirt sleeves. 2. Richard Attenborough’s eye scar makeup seems to come and go. 3. He ends up back in the cooler with his baseball.

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3 things about Terrence Malick’s THE NEW WORLD

The New World [2005] 1. They share breath. 2. He carefully places her feather in the wooden box and closes the lid. 3. Waves crash against a beach of round, smooth stones.

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3 things about Alfred Hitchcock’s REBECCA

Rebecca [1940] 1. She hastily pops a chocolate into her mouth to cover up the taste of the medicine. 2. “A bunch of young people from London will come up and turn the place into a nightclub.” 3. Mrs. Danvers … Continue reading

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3 things about Barbara Kopple’s HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A.

Harlan County U.S.A. [1976] 1. An elderly woman declares, “They can shoot me, but they can’t shoot the union out of me.” 2. With a straight face, a coal company attorney claims that black lung is no more common among … Continue reading

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