Meek’s Cutoff [2010]
1. A very slow dissolve: for a moment a horseman appears to be riding in the sky.
2. She throws the clock, then the rocking chair out the back of the wagon. They’re just dead weight.
3. Meek details his theory about women and men. Women are born of chaos, men are born of destruction.
The Birds [1963]
1. “They get a sort of hangdog expression.”
2. When Tippi Hedren says “thank you” to Suzanne Pleshette she mirrors Gene Tierney saying “thank you” to Vincent Price in Laura.
3. He doesn’t bother to close the garage door.
Pan’s Labyrinth [2006]
1. He pops an eyeball into the palm of his hand.
2. The root unfurls.
3. Shades of The Shining.
Platinum Blonde [1931]
1. “He looks stupid, doesn’t he? But oh how smart he gets when he bends over a typewriter.”
2. Passionate necking as viewed through a glass water sculpture.
3. She scratches at a stain on his tie. He says, “Look: eggs marks the spot.”
Miral [2010]
1.“Miral is a red flower. It grows on the side of the road. You’ve probably seen millions of them.”
2. Vibrating bedrail. Vibrating navel.
3. She thinks she’s found a good place to hide the incendiary books and papers: the icebox. Her father catches her and says sadly, “I’ve seen this before.”
It was very gripping, a unique view into the situation. My take.
Farewell [2009]
1. The headlights from a passing car briefly reveal a person sitting in the back seat.
2. “If you want peace, screw your wife.”
3. He walks over to the light switch and turns it off. They look through the mirror into an interrogation room.
Fred Ward makes a surprisingly good Reagan!
The Thin Blue Line [1988]
1. Portraits in newspapers. Benday dots.
2. The trajectory of the chocolate malt is neatly plotted on the crime scene diagram.
3. He reaches up to scratch his head, revealing his handcuffs.
The Old Dark House [1932]
1. The soggy map draped over the steering wheel like an old rag.
2. “My name is Femm. Horace Femm.” Cadaverous in candlelight.
3. She screams, “He’s alive! He’s alive! He’s alive, I tell you!” Frankenstein in-joke?
The Box [2009]
1. A spotted couch in front of a spotted wall. (Like Madeline Kahn’s car in High Anxiety?)
2. A flatbed editing table in a library?
3. CGI snow. CGI steam.
Source Code [2011]
1. The center of Cloud Gate at Millennium Park as a metaphor. Infinite worlds.
2. Gliding through the tableaux of a single moment frozen in time. A plume of coffee hanging in the air.
3. He gently combs the small tuft of hair that still grows in the middle of his scalp.
