Film Stuff » Dreams of Arcadia

Still Looking for “My Movie”

Aug 102011

[Before I go to far, let me encourage you to read two remarkable essays describing the event I'm about to discuss. Over at "The Cooler" you'll find a surprisingly moving account by Jason Bellamy here; and the ever wonderful Sheila O'Malley's (of The Sheila Variations) companion piece here. Go on, I'll wait...]

A while back, a group of my favorite film bloggers met up at a party, and, as they stood in a small circle basking in the warm glow of a love equally shared, a magical thing happened. Stephen Boone, a blogger for Capital New York, quietly posed a question that crystallized a moment in time, and focused the minds of his companions as sharply as etched and frozen glass:

“I want to know, from all of you, what movie …” he put his hand over his heart. “is your heart.” Continue reading »

The Twilight Samurai

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May 162011

What do you do when the life you thought you were born to live becomes a mere shadow of what you thought it would be? When the dream that once drove you dissipates; replaced by empty routines that perpetuate the way things were more than the way they could be? And what of the evolution of your self? As time passes, and traditions fade, the things that once mattered pale in comparison to the possibilities for change. However, the past doesn’t always relinquish it’s hold so easily, and there are often times when the old ways are summoned forth to address challenges heretofore unmet; presenting obstacles that can interfere with one’s changing attitudes and demand psychological and moral compromises that can upset one’s mental balance. What would you do if such a challenge looked to destroy what appears to be your one true shot at happiness, and peace? Continue reading »

The Existential Horror of “Howard the Duck”

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Oct 232010

I was going to give this movie a full, if somewhat satirical critical treatment. Then I watched it again and realized that no measure of postmodernist deconstruction or critical insight could possibly be applied to something so abominably bad. The following is pretty much everything you need to know. Continue reading »

A Look Back: “Dinner at Eight”

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Aug 082010

Note: This post was originally published by my friends Scott Jordan Harris and Simon Mason at The Spectator Arts Blog: “Touching From a Distance,” a wonderful pop culture an entertainment blog based in the U.K.. If you love film, music, literature, theatre, and the fine arts, TFAD is a site for you.

After the positive reception and well deserved 1932 Best Picture Oscar for the excellent ensemble drama Grand Hotel, MGM sought to replicate its success by enlisting the talents of David O. Selznick to produce an equally star studded and flamboyant followup. Turning once again to Broadway for inspiration, Selznick acquired the rights to a play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, hired George Cukor to direct, and had Herman Mankiewicz and Frances Marion write the adaptation (with Donald Ogden Stewart adding some additional dialogue.

The result was Dinner at Eight, a slickly produced film featuring some of Hollywood’s best actors at the height of their abilities. While not as artistically or financially successful as Grand Hotel, Dinner at Eight would go on to earn a rightful place in cinematic history, becoming a classic largely on the strength of its performances, the acuity of its observations, and a particularly legendary double-take and retort from one of the screen’s truly grand dames. Continue reading »

A Rage in the Heart

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Jun 132010

Note: This post was originally published by my friends Scott Jordan Harris and Simon Mason at “Touching From a Distance,” a wonderful pop culture an entertainment blog based in the U.K.. If you love film, music, literature and theatre, TFAD is an excellent place to keep up to date on current events, news, and the occasional crunk poetry reading