To Be Or Not To Be (1942)

A very influential book for me about movies growing up was Danny Peary’s Cult Movies 2, which I found a graffitied copy of in the school library. In it, Peary writes about fifty cult movies, the images of which I couldn’t forget from the book and led me to seeking out absolute favourites (The American […]

The Sacrifice (1986)

The Sacrifice (1986; Offret) was one of Nathan Beard’s answers for ‘What movie would you want to watch when the world ends?’ when we held the VHS Tracking – Live event for Blue Room Theatre a year or so ago. I always had it in mind to watch because of that, alongside my ongoing journey […]

Smoke (1995)

There’s a feeling of comfort I get from Smoke (1995). It’s an indie drama that has serious moments about loss, grief, bad luck, the chaotic nature of the universe, and so on. But it also radiates a sleepy feeling of the third hour of hanging out with friends or the activity that animates around you […]

The Evil That Men Do (1984)

Friday night, kicking back on the couch, and I was in the mood for some Eighties Charles Bronson. Even if the movies are beneath Bronson’s resolute, granite-like presence, they are still compelling to me even if they go through the Death Wish motions. The Evil That Men Do (1984) again reunites Bronson with director J. […]

California Split (1974)

I love rewatching California Split (1974). Even though it is ultimately a sad movie about gambling and addiction, it is a hang out movie with Elliott Gould and George Segal in peak 1970s charismatic handsomeness. Director Robert Altman creates such a sense of place and vibe with the widescreen lensing (cinematography by Paul Lohmann) and […]