Movie News: Tim Burton’s Career Reaches Incestuous Peak
It looks like Tim Burton finally bit the bullet. His newest film, tentatively titled “Johnny Depp,” will tell the story of the American-born actor and his rise to international fame. From his humble beginnings in Owensboro, Ky., to his multi-million dollar career as a movie star, the sprawling epic will run for over three hours, … Read more
Movie Review: Oz the Great and Powerful
I’m always curious why auteur directors step outside of their boxes. Even if the films they make aren’t particularly good, they’re at least consistent, and they enhance our understanding of the director’s style. That said, I’m of the opinion that Sam Raimi needs to get back in his horror box, and fast. I’m in the … Read more
Op-Ed: Stanley Kubrick: Iconographic King
An elevator door opens to reveal a river of blood. A bone tossed into the sky by a monkey becomes a space station. A young droog kicks and beats an old man to the tune of Singin’ in the Rain. A crazed aircraft commander rides a nuclear bomb like a rodeo cowboy. An over-the-top drill … Read more
Movie Review: Quartet
Quartet is a quiet drama-comedy that tells the story of four older men and women living at Beecham House, a home for retired musicians, and their struggle to maintain their identities as they reach old age. Well-known as a prolific and successful actor, Dustin Hoffman decided to step behind the camera for Quartet, his first … Read more
Op-Ed: Søren and Josh’s Oscarcast
If you were following us on Twitter (and you should be), you’ve already seen bits and pieces of thoughts from the Movie Fail staff on this year’s Oscars ceremony this past Sunday. In this podcast, Josh and I cover everything from the Rhythm and Hues protests to Seth MacFarlane as we discuss the event. Take … Read more
Five Movies With Bad Sequels (Guest Post)
We’ve all seen them: movie sequels that never should have been made. The original movie was great, so when the sequel comes out, you think, “Hey, why not? The first one was good, so I’ll give it a shot.” And then you watch it, falling into a trap that has been catching moviegoers since the … Read more
Academia: Altman Makes The Long Goodbye, But Not to Film Noir (Guest Post)
Last week, we posted an article about the 1946 adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s harbdoiled novel The Big Sleep starring Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, and whether it should be classified as a film noir. This week, we look at another adaptation of a Chandler novel from 1973: Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye, starring Elliot Gould and Nina … Read more
Op-Ed: Five Films to Cuddle Up With
As you may or may not have heard, I am now officially a film correspondent for The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I was asked to create a multimedia presentation for the paper. Below you will find the fruits of my labor: five excellent films you and your significant other can … Read more
Movie Review: Elza (Le bonheur d’Elza)
Elza (also known as Le bounheur d’Elza) is a semi-autobiographical independent drama about a young French woman and her search to find her estranged father in Guadaloupe. Directed and co-written by Mariette Monpierre, the movie is notable for being first narrative film by a female Guadeloupean director However, despite the promise of a highly personal, … Read more
Academia: The Big Sleep And Genre: Neither Here Noir There
Howard Hawks’ seminal classic The Big Sleep is difficult to categorize. The first instinct for many film writers and scholars has been to categorize it immediately as a so-called “film noir,” lumping the movie together with other classic films like John Houston’s The Maltese Falcon and Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity. However, it is difficult to … Read more
