Author: Simon Hardy Butler
Flight of Fancy: ‘Birdman’ Worth Taking Off With, Despite Flaws
Virtuoso filmmaking by Alejandro González Iñárritu. A bravura, Oscar-worthy performance by Michael Keaton. Innovative, feels-like-one-take cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki. You’d think that with all those ingredients, Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) would be an instant masterpiece, pushing director Iñárritu into a very select group of celluloid heroes. Indeed, there are moments in the…
Scary Movies: 11 Classic Films to Watch on Halloween
With Halloween on the horizon, I thought it might be a good time to revisit a number of classic flicks that would be appropriate to view on the holiday. All of these movies rely on atmosphere to underscore their frissons, providing sufficient creepiness for the occasion. Some of them are more well known than others,…
Pulling Punches: Kill Bill, Movie Violence and Bringing Eyeballs to the Screen
So my wife Trudi and I are watching Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) on TV the other day. The fight scene involving Daryl Hannah and Uma Thurman. Thurman’s “Bride” plucks out the eye of Hannah’s hitwoman. Then steps on it as her adversary writhes. Trudi squirmed. And I thought: Did I really have to see…
A Tale of Two Racisms: ‘Jud Süß’ and Stepin Fetchit
If YouTube had never existed, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to see Jud Süß (1940) and the Stepin Fetchit short film Slow Poke (1932). Thankfully, I did, and I’m very grateful. I think everyone should see these movies – with good reason. They’re some of the most offensive pictures ever created, and they’re…
Blurred Images: Nudity, ‘Dating Naked’ and the Need for More Censorship
Which is worse: racism or treating a woman as a sex object? I pondered this question recently after catching a snippet of Dating Naked (2014-present) — the ridiculous new show on VH1 featuring would-be romantic partners appearing au naturel — on TV. This silly program dares to blur any offending genitalia or breasts out, so…