|
|
Frost/Nixon
(2008)
|
Derek Smith
|
Its boxing metaphor plays out in such mind-numbingly literal terms, there might as well have been a woman in a bikini announcing the beginning of each day's interview.
Posted Dec 07, 2008
|
|
3.5/4
|
The Bucket List
(2007)
|
Derek Smith
|
The only Ang Lee film where he shows even a modicum of originality in his direction or any real personality or interesting visual flair.
Posted Jan 16, 2008
|
|
4/4
|
This Land Is Mine
(1943)
|
Derek Smith
|
It moves along like a well-oiled machine until the devestating final act ties all of the smaller stories together, making it's point without being overbearing or obvious.
Posted Dec 30, 2006
|
|
1.5/4
|
How Green Was My Valley
(1941)
|
Derek Smith
|
[Its] moralizing is dishonest and at times offensive. No matter how effectively a story is told, it's hard to buy into one that so often deceives its audience.
Posted Oct 30, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
Bitter Victory
(1958)
|
Derek Smith
|
There is a sense that while the men here are well-versed in the theories of war, they are clueless about the realities of combat.
Posted Oct 30, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
Down by Law
(1986)
|
Derek Smith
|
Its soul is the same as all Jarmusch films, but here he digs a bit deeper into the roots of his own methodology and that to which he is opposed.
Posted Sep 25, 2006
|
|
2.5/4
|
A Prairie Home Companion
(2006)
|
Derek Smith
|
With A Prairie Home Companion, Robert Altman has once again showcased his talent for creating complex, insular worlds for his characters to inhabit.
Posted Aug 19, 2006
|
|
2/4
|
Perfect Blue
(1997)
|
Derek Smith
|
[An] nime thriller [that] often plays as an examination of identity and celebrity, but ultimately gets so lost in its own complex structure that it doesn't end up saying much at all.
Posted Aug 19, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
The Seventh Continent
(1966)
|
Derek Smith
|
A stunning examination of the effects of emotional isolation and the inability to communicate in the modern age.
Posted Aug 19, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
Benny's Video
(1992)
|
Derek Smith
|
Similar to The Seventh Continent, this film's objective is to analyze and deconstruct the effects rather than senselessly guess their causes
Posted Aug 19, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
They Live
(1988)
|
Derek Smith
|
Carpenter's ability to fuse the bawdy humor and action with an intelligent script make for a genre film that is both thoughtful and entertaining
Posted Aug 19, 2006
|
|
1.5/4
|
Little Miss Sunshine
(2006)
|
Derek Smith
|
It remains stuck in a limbo state that more and more indie films find themselves these days, because of its non-committal attitude.
Posted Aug 19, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
Top Hat
(1935)
|
Derek Smith
|
Top Hat does not glorify wealth or upper class status - if anything it continually pokes fun at it.
Posted Jun 24, 2006
|
|
32/100
|
The Bow
(2005)
|
Derek Smith
|
A painful experience that no amount of eye candy can make up for.
Posted Mar 28, 2006
|
|
3.5/4
|
Pandora's Box
(1929)
|
Derek Smith
|
One of the great films about the mysterious allure of the female form and the destructive power of the male gaze that's inflicted upon it.
Posted Mar 28, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
The New World
(2005)
|
Derek Smith
|
A melancholy revery of a time when nature provided a spiritual sustenance that could not be replaced by religious or social order.
Posted Mar 28, 2006
|
|
70/100
|
The Firm
(1988)
|
Derek Smith
|
A jarring exploration of the male psyche and the devastating consequences of pride and uncontained machismo in a society where men's lives have lost meaning.
Posted Mar 28, 2006
|
|
3.5/4
|
Salesman
(1969)
|
Derek Smith
|
Functions as both a tribute to their work ethic and a condemnation of the system that considers such a profession a healthy route to the American dream.
Posted Mar 28, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
Funny Ha Ha
(2003)
|
Derek Smith
|
One of the most accurate portrayals of post-collegiate disillusionment
Posted Mar 28, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
The World
(2004)
|
Derek Smith
|
The World is less a condemnation of the current state of the world than an attempt to explain and come to terms with it.
Posted Mar 04, 2006
|
|
71/100
|
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
(2000)
|
Derek Smith
|
its tongue-in-cheek humor effortlessly gives way to poignant drama and period musical pieces throughout.
Posted Dec 06, 2005
|
|
59/100
|
Where the Truth Lies
(2005)
|
Derek Smith
|
A delightfully seedy mystery who's joy lies only in the journey.
Posted Dec 06, 2005
|
|
38/100
|
The Birth of a Nation
(1915)
|
Derek Smith
|
shocks audiences with its blatant racism yet remains one of the defining films of the silent era.
Posted Sep 24, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
Grizzly Man
(2005)
|
Derek Smith
|
Offers the best that non-fiction films have to offer, where the filmmaker is able to interact with, rather than simply react to, his subject...
Posted Sep 24, 2005
|
|
65/100
|
Downfall
(2004)
|
Derek Smith
|
Downfall takes on the unenviable task of portraying [Hitler] as a man, rather than a caricature or parody as the norm has dictated.
Posted Jul 24, 2005
|
|
2/5
|
Stardust Memories
(1980)
|
Derek Smith
|
Posted Jul 24, 2005
|
|
83/100
|
Last Days
(2005)
|
Derek Smith
|
Van Sant again sidesteps all of the typical narrative trappings and here his style clearly justifies itself.
Posted Jul 24, 2005
|
|
65/100
|
Me and You and Everyone We Know
(2005)
|
Derek Smith
|
Walks a thin line between sincerity and pretension, but ultimately deals with enough issues head-on to make the occassionally excessive quirkiness forgivable.
Posted Jul 05, 2005
|
|
3/5
|
A Close Shave
(1995)
|
Derek Smith
|
Posted Jul 01, 2005
|
|
40/100
|
Mad Hot Ballroom
(2005)
|
Derek Smith
|
It's amazing how little we end up knowing about the specific schools and the environment where these kids come from and how much time we're left watching them look cute.
Posted Jul 01, 2005
|
|
73/100
|
Rize
(2005)
|
Derek Smith
|
The dancing, which at first may seem purely ridiculous, becomes an expression of their tortured souls
Posted Jul 01, 2005
|
|
90/100
|
Miss Julie
(1951)
|
Derek Smith
|
A vivid portrait of class barriers, overbearing social mores and the torrid, forbidden love affair that is effected by it.
Posted Jul 01, 2005
|
|
73/100
|
The Age of Innocence
(1993)
|
Derek Smith
|
The great tragedy is that the hypocrisies that Newland and Olenska work to reveal are the very same ones that ultimately destroy everything passionate and human within them.
Posted Apr 23, 2005
|
|
93/100
|
Werckmeister Harmonies
(2000)
|
Derek Smith
|
It is an arduous task, but the film achieves a transcendent and ethereal beauty that only the few truly great masterpieces attain.
Posted Apr 23, 2005
|
|
66/100
|
Air Force
(1943)
|
Derek Smith
|
It isn't one of the director's most impressive outputs, but when a solid genre entry such as this is one of your "lesser" films, it says a lot about the quality of your work.
Posted Apr 23, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
Nouvelle Vague
(1990)
|
Derek Smith
|
Nouvelle Vague may be Godard's most complex and layered film, but attempting to unlock its secrets makes it one of his most rewarding.
Posted Apr 23, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
In Praise of Love
(2001)
|
Derek Smith
|
Love, in Godard's case, is indistinguishable from cinema and thus he sees the growing capitalist machine as a threat to both.
Posted Apr 23, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
Trust
(1990)
|
Derek Smith
|
A bold film that defies logic and the rules of screenwriting
Posted Apr 23, 2005
|
|
72/100
|
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
(2004)
|
Derek Smith
|
There is a distinct sense that Anderson is trying to re-invent himself with this film.
Posted Apr 23, 2005
|
|
77/100
|
All I Desire
(1953)
|
Derek Smith
|
[It] may be the most ironic statement on the disturbing allure of 50s suburbia that Sirk ever made.
Posted Apr 23, 2005
|
|
3/4
|
Tape
(2001)
|
Derek Smith
|
Linklater is testing the boundaries of what can be done with digital video, thematically as well as visually.
Posted Apr 23, 2005
|
|
90/100
|
Heat
(1995)
|
Derek Smith
|
It is a remarkably powerful, entertaining and invigorating piece of cinema that hits on more levels than seemingly possible.
Posted Apr 23, 2005
|
|
3/5
|
The Last Supper
(1995)
|
Derek Smith
|
Posted Feb 05, 2005
|
|
3/5
|
Stray Dog
(1949)
|
Derek Smith
|
Posted Feb 05, 2005
|
|
|
Garden State
(2004)
|
Derek Smith
|
'the biggest problems lie in the simplistic nature of the characters and the reliance on quirkiness, rather than genuine, realistic emotion, to connect with its audience.'
Posted Feb 05, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
Playtime
(1967)
|
Derek Smith
|
'It is a new way of seeing the world around us, both life affirming in its vision and brilliant in its satire'
Posted Jan 30, 2005
|
|
3/4
|
Two or Three Things I Know About Her
(1967)
|
Derek Smith
|
Godard strips the images of all meaning and with his camera presents them truthfully within his own political rhetoric.
Posted Nov 08, 2004
|
|
2/5
|
Street of Shame
(1956)
|
Derek Smith
|
Posted Oct 24, 2004
|
|
3/5
|
Ivan the Terrible, Part II
(1958)
|
Derek Smith
|
Posted Oct 24, 2004
|
|
3/5
|
The Firm
(1993)
|
Derek Smith
|
Posted Oct 24, 2004
|
>