The Yards (2000)

The Yards (2000) has been one of those movies that has always sat there on my “Must watch” lists, and I’ve never felt strongly compelled to watch it, thinking to myself, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll get around to it.” After seeing Armageddon Time and watching Two Lovers for the first time, I was more inclined to […]

The King Of Marvin Gardens (1972)

The post Easy Rider era of 1970s American cinema was a mythologised time when major studios produced depressing dramas about losers (though mainly white male losers). Fitting right into that sub-genre is The King Of Marvin Gardens (1972), which was director Bob Rafelson reuniting with Jack Nicholson after the success of Five Easy Pieces; I’d […]

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

A post-Exorcist vehicle for star Ellen Burstyn, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) was the first Hollywood studio production Martin Scorsese directed who was hand-picked by Burstyn after seeing Mean Streets (on Francis Ford Coppola’s suggestion). Burstyn plays Alice, a housewife with dreams of becoming a singer who hits the road with her young son, […]