The Magnificent Seven
Rarely have so many charismatic actors been used in a film that feels quite as soulless as Antoine Fuqua’s update of The Magnificent Seven.
Michelle Williams
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Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
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Glinda
Simon Abrams -
Take This Waltz (2012)
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Margot
Roger Ebert -
My Week with Marilyn (2011)
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Marilyn Monroe
Roger Ebert -
Meek's Cutoff (2011)
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Emily Tetherow
Roger Ebert -
Blue Valentine (2011)
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Cindy
Roger Ebert -
Shutter Island (2010)
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Dolores
Roger Ebert -
Mammoth (2009)
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Ellen
Roger Ebert -
Wendy and Lucy (2009)
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Wendy
Roger Ebert -
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
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Claire
Roger Ebert -
Deception (2008)
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S
Jim Emerson -
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
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Alma Del Mar
Roger Ebert -
The Baxter (2005)
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Cecil Mills
Roger Ebert -
Imaginary Heroes (2005)
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Penny Travis
Roger Ebert -
The United States of Leland (2004)
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Julie Pollard
Roger Ebert -
The Station Agent (2003)
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Emily
Roger Ebert -
Me Without You (2002)
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Holly
Roger Ebert -
But I'm A Cheerleader (2000)
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Kimberly
Roger Ebert -
Dick (1999)
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Arlene Lorenzo
Roger Ebert -
Halloween: H20 (1998)
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Molly Cartwell
Roger Ebert
* This filmography is not intended to be a comprehensive list of this artist’s work. Instead it reflects the films this person has been involved with that have been reviewed on this site.
2016 Fall Movie Preview: 50 Movies That'll Prove Film Isn’t Dead
An extensive preview of 50 films coming out within the next four months, from "Sully" to "Toni Erdmann."
TIFF Announces First Wave of Galas and Special Presentations
The first films announced for the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.
Sundance 2016 Interview: Kenneth Lonergan of "Manchester By The Sea"
An interview from Sundance with writer/director Kenneth Lonergan about "Manchester By the Sea."
Sundance 2016: "Certain Women"
A review of Kelly Reichardt's "Certain Women," starring Michelle Williams, Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart.
Sundance 2016: “Manchester by the Sea”
A review of Kenneth Lonergan's "Manchester by the Sea."
2016 Sundance Film Festival Preview
A preview of our most anticipated titles at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
Sundance 2016 Completes Lineup with New Films from Werner Herzog, Kelly Reichardt and More
A look at the latest additions to the now-completed Sundance 2016 lineup.
Thumbnails 7/2/15
Rape scenes are lazy writing; Penelope Spheeris on "The Decline of Western Civilization"; The new online racism; Affleck and Garner at the box office; Tenth anniversary of "Brokeback Mountain."
Simon Curtis on "Woman in Gold"
An interview with "Woman in Gold" director Simon Curtis.
Thumbnails 7/10/14
The longest film ever made; Social media spawns outrage; Kanye West is a sanctimonious prat; Binge-watching can be good medicine; 10 films mishandled by the MPAA.
#143 November 21, 2012
Marie writes: When I first learned of "Royal de Luxe" I let out a squeal of pure delight and immediately began building giant puppets inside my head, trying to imagine how it would look to see a whale or dragon moving down the street..."Based in Nantes, France, the street theatre company Royal de Luxe performs around the world, primarily using gigantic, elaborate marionettes to tell stories that take place over several days and wind through entire cities. Puppeteers maneuver the huge marionettes - some as tall as 12 meters (40 ft) - through streets, parks, and waterways, performing their story along the way." - the Atlantic
(Click images to enlarge.)
#141 November 7, 2012
Marie writes: "let's see what happens if I tickle him with my stick..."(Photo by Daniel Botelho. Click image to enlarge.)
#124 July 18, 2012
Marie writes: Intrepid club member Sandy Kahn has found another auction, and this time it's all about Hollywood! Note: the spaceship on the cover is a screen used miniature from "Aliens" (1986). Estimate: $80,000 - $120,000
Go here to download a free copy of the catalog in .PDF
Waltzing with the in-between
May Contain Spoilers"Take This Waltz" materialized out of a humid summer day in Toronto and made me tremble and fall in love... with who or what I'm not sure; the city yes, and maybe the idea of the in-between.
There is something incredibly delicate and beautiful about the thought of in-between: of that space of the possible, of movement, of choices being sought and yet to be made, of freedom and abandon and all the stuff that dreams are made of, but yet to solidify. It is a place of alchemy. Some call it a moment - a fleeting moment.
#118 June 6, 2012
Marie writes: Not everything is what is seems...(Click images to enlarge.)
#110 April 11, 2012
Yes, but is it Art? Marcell Duchamp's famous "Fountain" aka urinal
Indie Spirits are high for "The Artist"
SANTA MONICA, Ca. -- "The Artist," a nearly silent film, made most of the noise here Saturday at the Independent Sprit Awards, wining for best picture, best actor, best director and its cinematography. It was the latest in a series of good omens for the surprise hit, which seems headed for victory at the Academy Awards on Sunday night.
#102 February 15, 2012
Marie writes: my art pal Siri Arnet sent me following - and holy cow! "Japanese artist Takanori Aiba has taken bonsai trees, food packaging, and even a tiny statue of the Michelin Man and constructed miniature metropolises around these objects, thus creating real-life Bottled Cities of Kandor. Explains Aiba of his artwork:"My source of creations are my early experience of bonsai making and maze illustration. These works make use of an aerial perspective, which like the diagram for a maze shows the whole from above (the macro view) while including minute details (the micro view). If you explore any small part of my works, you find amazing stories and some unique characters." ( click to enlarge.)
How to Win an Academy Award
The Academy Award winners for the past thirty years have followed consistent molds, primarily in the categories of Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Picture. It is a very simple set of templates that I will explain with excessive evidence. This is not to say that the Academy Awards are a conspiracy run by some secret society, although that idea would be quite fun. Rather, at the very least, there is a subtext to American culture that plays out in the ideas and ideals in American cinema, and it plays out consistently. At the very least, I'm illustrating some unwritten ideals in American culture. Whether or not they are healthy or corrupt, they are there in us. So, "Best Picture" is not a great movie; rather, it is a great movie that fulfills the mold.
Complete list of Academy Award nominations
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Complete list of 84th Annual Academy Award nominations announced Tuesday:
And the Oscar nominations go to...
Hollywood nostalgia may be warmly embraced Tuesday morning when the 2012 Academy awards nominations are announced. Films involving the invention of the cinema, the transition from Silent to Talkies and the legend of Marilyn Monroe are among those certain to be nominated.
The Arikan Agenda: The Best Films of 2011
A few weeks ago on Facebook -- that sly keeper of family secrets, whose memory seems to have increased incrementally with its new Timeline mumbo-jumbo -- an actor of some repute posted a list of the best Twitter accounts of 2011, as compiled by a wholly forgettable outlet. He had been placed relatively highly, and someone commented that it was a very subjective list. Apart from the fact that taking issue with "a list of the best Twitter accounts of 2011, lol" is by definition absurd, the statement presented a logical fallacy (I am fully aware of the irony of regarding a throwaway Facebook comment in such depth). All lists are subjective: that's why they're lists. Nonetheless, this fairly simple fact gets lost in the year-end frenzy as interested parties start calling for the list-maker's head, like angry villagers wielding pitchforks, if and when their favoured books, albums, films, etc fail to place on a given critic's compilation of the year's best.
Chicago Film Critics announce awards
After years of speculation and delays, "The Tree of Life," Terrence Malick's long-awaited film that took viewers from the beginning of time to 1950s Texas, proved to be worth the wait, according to the Chicago Film Critics Association. The CFCA gave "Tree of Life" four awards including Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress for newcomer Jessica Chastain and Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki.
#84 October 12, 2011
Marie writes: Behold an extraordinary collection of Steampunk characters, engines and vehicles created by Belgian artist Stephane Halleux. Of all the artists currently working in the genre, I think none surpass the sheer quality and detail to be found in his wonderful, whimsical pieces...
Left to right: Little Flying Civil, Beauty Machine, Le Rouleur de Patin(click images to enlarge)
The best art films of 2010
This is the last of my lists of the best films of 2010, and the hardest to name. Call it the Best Art Films. I can't precisely define an Art Film, but I knew I was seeing one when I saw these. I could also call them Adult Films, if that term hadn't been devalued by the porn industry. These are films based on the close observation of behavior. They are not mechanical constructions of infinitesimal thrills. They depend on intelligence and empathy to be appreciated.
They also require acting of a precision not necessary in many mass entertainments. They require directors with a clear idea of complex purposes. They require subtleties of lighting and sound that create a self-contained world. Most of all, they require sympathy. The directors care for their characters, and ask us to see them as individuals, not genre emblems. That requires us to see ourselves as individual viewers, not "audience members." That can be an intimate experience. I found it in these titles, which for one reason or another weren't on my earlier lists. Maybe next year I'll just come up with one alphabetical list of all the year's best films, and call it "The Best Films of 2011, A to Z."
