I started my blogging career as a film writer for Austinist, helped launch the “Reel Hub” film features for Bostonist, and continue to talk about movies that intrigue me.

Gordon Willis Takes On Manhattan

Willis described a scene between Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, where the characters not only occupy opposite ends of the screen but also are free to leave the frame and return, as a form of “peekaboo.” He discussed this scene several times alongside the tableau scene in Davis’s (early) apartment, where Muriel Hemingway reading on the couch is contrasted with an infamous, poorly lit spiral staircase. These and other scenes, notably one that places Allen and Keaton in a tiny corner of the screen, dwarfed by the 59th street bridge, show Willis’ tendency—particularly in Manhattan—to relegate the subjects of his shot to the corners. Full Review

Men Who Stare at Goats

Despite being a little over the top, the film is an often-entertaining (if ultimately somewhat pointless) ride through the PsyOps of the New Earth Army, with The Dude as guide (you could pretend that Jeff Bridges is playing a different character here, but he’s really not). From killing goats to locating long-lost idols and nemeses, the psychic abilities of Clooney’s character (“Jedi warrior” Lyn Cassady) prove remarkably effective, at least within the fictional realm. The film’s a sort of Fear and Loathing in Baghdad with a little Catch-22 mixed in, plus some Kevin Spacey going borderline Nazi (it’s mostly the mustache, but he’s also quite an asshole to his fellow Earth Army members). Perhaps more important than Cassady’s excessive tan and his appropriately groovy mental prowess, though, is the subtle yet sustained presence of Boston in the film. Full Review

Beyond Thumbs Up: A Critical Look at Film Criticism

“Traditional,” “evolving,” “models,” and “criticism” are all words that might have turned most people off already, but bear with us here: today’s 2.5-hour (longer than most movies!) panel discussion on the nature of film criticism at the Coolidge Corner Theater was actually at least as enlightening as annoying, if not more so. Moderators Cynthia Lucia and Richard Porton led panelists Phillip Lopate, Scott Foundas, Glenn Kenny, David Sterritt, Owen Gleiberman, and Ty Burr in discussing the development of criticism over the years and the specific challenges facing critics today. From dissing Bonnie and Clyde to dissing The Pirates of the Caribbean, the panelists certainly had the “criticism” part covered, but they also revealed what they love about films and what keeps them going to the theater despite a decline in the overall quality of film. Full Coverage