Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton. Paxton is going to be remembered for his comedic performances in James Cameron films (even near dark (bigelow) was produced by Cameron). He’s absolutely essential in these blockbusters. Paxton also directed frailty and
They Live – 1988 Carpenter
Stars wrestler Roddy Piper and Keith David- who I love Carpenter’s score here might be the real star- it’s fantastic Carpenter is clearly influenced by Romero (which he mentions in the film) 50’s sci-fi (he
Dirty Pretty Things – 2002 Frears
Strong ensemble led by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou- Ejofor, in particular, is excellent Film about the haunting and seedy underbelly of London, immigration and the black market Ejofor plays a moral man (something he’s very
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution – 1976 Herbert Ross
Ross is not a great artist but he made 6 archiveable films, including this one, between 1972 and 1981 Strong performances from V. Redgrave, Arkin (playing Freud), Olivier in supporting turns The set designs
The Razor’s Edge – 1946 Goulding
Anne Baxter, Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, John Payne, Clifton Webb and Herbert Marshall make for a near perfect ensemble. Power and Payne aren't great actors but give some of their best work here (payne is only
Get Out – 2017 Peele
First archiveable film from 2017 for me- I saw I don’t feel at home in this world anymore as well and it missed the archives- it’s an entertaining miss but a miss nonetheless It’s the
Hacksaw Ridge – 2016 Gibson
Continues Mel’s meditation on violence (and beauty- this film is quite stunning to look at)- braveheart and apocalypto I wasn’t as high on Garfield (who I think is a great actor) as many critics and
The Getaway – 1972 Peckinpah
Peckinpah trademark here with the opening credits sequence does not disappoint. Here we have a stunning freeze frame opening Lucien ballard photography is top notch as is Quincy Jones Score (in the heat of the
Destiny – 1921 Lang
Not his debut (8th film according to IMDB) but my first in the archives for Lang Quite an epic with the story in 3 parts clearly influenced by Griffith’s intolerance (Mideast story line, Spanish story
While the City Sleeps – 1956 Lang
George Sanders, Dana Andrews, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price and Ida Lupino are all perfectly cast and do a great job here I really don’t care for Lang’s use of fast forward here on some chase
Julieta – 2016 Almodóvar
It’s enjoyable and certainly an archiveable film but it is minor Almodóvar The plot twists are part Hitchcock and the mise-en-scene and family melodrama part douglas sirk- as all of good Almodóvar work is One
Boys Don’t Cry – 1999 Peirce
It’s pure indie cinema goodness. A brilliant film. Difficult scenes- horrifying and sickening Known for the Oscar (deserving) from Hilary Swank but just as strong are the performances from Sevigny and Sarsgaard I really didn’t