This film is a horror-comedy-whodunnit-murder mystery. It also has a few sly commentaries on male: female relations, feminism, and confidence. I would describe it as Agatha Christie meets Hot Fuzz. There is some mayhem but generally speaking there is not THAT much onscreen bloody imagery. Although the two leads always sparkle when they are onscreen, like … Read more
This is a relatively short film noir although it feels a little longer than its seventy-odd minutes. It lacks most of the violence associated with the genre. It’s a quiet film that is nevertheless unsettling and occasionally even weird. I suppose you could say that most of the missing physical violence is replaced by emotional … Read more
This 1996 neo-noir film was Anderson’s debut. Anderson later went on to direct such films as Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood among others. Hard Eight also has a good cast of actors that viewers will recognize from their ubiquitous character work. The movie also includes other actors who weren’t quite megastars at the time but would certainly … Read more
In the movie Godfather 2 after a long day of business, Michael Corleone finally returns home to his wife and children. Michael’s wife Kay has already gone to bed but was either not completely asleep yet or had awoken upon Michael’s return. The lamp by the bed was still on. As Michael looks at a picture that … Read more
In the movie The Five Heartbeats there is a classic scene in which the singer Bird, disturbed by some irregularities with his royalty payment amount and frequency, confronts the cheerful record label owner (and gangster) Big Red at a party. Big Red calmly explains to Bird that Big Red prefers to handle business during his office … Read more