At its very least, director Michel Gondry’s follow-up to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind answers the head-scratcher, “What sort of person walks away from $50 million?” Apparently that individual would be brimming with humanity and humility, as terrified by the burden of power and celebrity as he is intrigued by its perks. In short, […]
Dayna Papaleo
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You’re gonna need that first aid kit, Crowe
Thanks to filmdom’s less-than-inspired offerings last year, I truthfully wasn’t looking forward to the Daynas, the awards named after me, voted on by me, and traditionally intended to spotlight those slighted by Oscar. But I couldn’t not hold them, due to the fact that a Dayna now carries such astonishing clout, plus celebrities really seem […]
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Prepare to be challenged
His intelligent gray eyes belie his perpetual interrupted-nap exterior. He sounds like a cross between Governor Schwarzenegger and Count von Count from Sesame Street, only with a whistling speech impediment that might make a rational person shy away from excessive public speaking. But SlavojZizek is “an academic rock star,” an honest-to-goodness philosopher in an age […]
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Arthouse future and arthouse past
You only need to get one gander at the opening credits of Caché (Hidden), Michael Haneke’s latest film, to know that the Austrian auteur will not be making things easy for you. Using the tiniest letters, Haneke jams the names of his cast, crew, and financiers into one frame over a street scene that seems […]
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It’s not quirky for quirk’s sake
It’s probably about time you met Andrew Bujalski, but I’ll dish a little before he shows up so it’s not a totally blind date. The Boston-based filmmaker has crafted two low-budget, 16mm affairs that have made quiet yet deep splashes in the world of independent cinema and earned him comparisons to mortal gods with names […]
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A ‘little scientific experiment’ gone horribly wrong
In the early 1960s, Nile perch were introduced into Lake Victoria in an effort to restock depleted waters, a lucrative move that brought fishing jobs to Tanzania and lined the pockets of enterprising exporters satiating European hunger for the one of the biggest freshwater fish around. What probably seemed like a good idea at the […]
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Get that emperor some clothes
Woody Allen just might be the most overrated filmmaker drawing breath today. And like most people, when I use the word “overrated,” what I’m really saying is that I am unable to see the appeal behind something everyone else seems to unconditionally adore (as long as I’m confessing, I feel the same way about The […]
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Nobody’s looking at you
While our gentile ancestors were gorging on salt pork and flaunting the tops of their heads, the Chosen People were reportedly very busy. In a speech dating from 2003, the now former Prime Minister of Malaysia claims that our Jewish forebears “invented socialism, communism, human rights, and democracy so that persecuting them would appear to […]
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Don’t call it what it is
“Most Americans hate gay people” according to Jeffrey, a Hollywood suit played by Campbell Scott (The Exorcism of Emily Rose). As Craig Lucas’s filmmaking debut The Dying Gaul opens, the unctuous Jeffrey is doing his best to convince an unsuccessful screenwriter named Robert (Peter Sarsgaard, Jarhead) to straighten up his characters in order to get […]
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Play
Spanking new year, same old story: we all peer outside from the warmth of our homes for a couple weeks and then, realizing that winter ain’t going anywhere anytime soon, concede that if we want to stave off cabin fever, we’re going to have to make with the bulky coats and really unattractive boots. So […]
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Only kidding about the roses
Maybe aloof simplicity isn’t such a bad idea: Cillian Murphy in “Breakfast on Pluto.”
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Going through ‘The Ringer’ and looking ahead
Believe it or not, there are still a few sacred cows roaming Hollywood pastures, subjects that are not yet (and may never be) eligible for mockery. The Holocaust immediately springs to mind, as does 9/11, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will most likely make that list. And it’s usually inappropriate to make light of […]
