Author: Jonathan Eig
Rupert Goold’s True Story: Another Dead Man Walking
Twenty years ago, Tim Robbins tackled the issue in Dead Man Walking. Ten years ago, it was Bennett Miller in Capote. Now, Rupert Goold has taken it on in True Story. The unifying issue in all three movies concerns the relationship between a murderer and another character who would serve as confessor, advisor, perhaps even…
7 Films About Neuroses & Psychoses That Don’t Get Enough Attention
“We all go a little mad sometimes.” It was chilling when Norman Bates said it in Psycho (1960), and it grew more chilling over time, as we came to understand the true scope of “a little mad.” Norman, or course, was crazy eight ways to Sunday and his line stands as one of the great…
Reviewing ‘While We’re Young’: Noah Baumbach’s Crimes and Misdemeanors
Sometimes you need a foil. When Gary Fleder’s Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead came out in 1995, I gained a newfound respect for Quentin Tarantino. Fleder and screenwriter Scott Rosenberg were trying to emulate Tarantino, whose Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction had recently exploded on Hollywood and left a ton of fast-talking,…
From Tragicomedy to Cyber-Punk: 6 Movie Mash-Ups
In the beginning there was tragedy and there was comedy. If the mask was smiling, you were in for a riotous night of theatre. If it wore a frown, well, then the gods were angry and you could be sure the poor humans in the play would suffer. For thousands of years, there was tragedy…
David Cronenberg’s Films Ranked from Worst to Best (Part Two)
In Part One, we began looking at the career of David Cronenberg. It has some clever lines. But if you only care about the cream – or in Cronenberg’s case, maybe “burnt ends” is a better metaphor – then proceed into the abyss. Here are his top ten feature films, IMDB rank in parentheses. 10.…