A FEW (MORE) WORDS ON THE KILLER
PINNLAND EMPIRE
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1w ago
The Killer has become my comfort movie. It's what I throw on when I can't sleep or just need something to watch. I don’t think it’s a masterpiece or any great cinematic achievement. It’s just a fun slick hitman thriller (emphasis on “fun” as there’s quite a bit of underrated humor that flows all throughout the film). I shared my initial thoughts on it last year (click here to read), but now that I’ve watched it ten more times or so – I have a little more to say. First of all – this post is absolutely an excuse to share my throwaway Hitchcock/Fincher comparisons that didn’t make it in to my ..read more
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MY WINNIPEG
PINNLAND EMPIRE
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3w ago
Last month we looked at Cowards Bend The Knee - Guy Maddin’s semi-autobiographical love letter to both Canada and some of his personal favorite filmmakers (click here to read). To me - this film serves as a buffer for My Winnipeg. Like Cowards, My Winnipeg is also an autobiographical love letter to his home country but this time, instead of Bunuel & Lynch, he pays homage to the likes of Abel Gance, Fritz Lang, The Lumiere Brothers and Dziga Vertov… I was totally inspired by just how far [Abel] Gance was willing to go - Guy Maddin, cineaste magazine J'accuse / My Winnipeg I ..read more
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VISUAL REFERNCES IN TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY
PINNLAND EMPIRE
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1M ago
This entry isn't anything significant. I just felt like highlighting some of the standout references and homages from the latest season of True Detective. I've shared these on my twitter account but since I'm still shadowbanned, no one really sees them except for the bigger accounts that steal my tweets and passed them off as their own (none of these homages were hard to miss so I'm not that bent out of the shape about people stealing from me). The folks responsible for this season were quite open about their inspirations. All I did was make the comparisons based off of their own words (wit ..read more
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COWARDS BEND THE KNEE
PINNLAND EMPIRE
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1M ago
Guy Maddin is a unique mixture of a wholesome amount of Canadian pride and immense self-depreciation due to what he feels is always being in perpetual second place to the Americans (his words, not mine). Maddin’s films are sometimes so specifically Canadian that I often need someone from there to explain some of the humor or references I felt like I didn’t catch at first. That isn't a complaint. The relationship between Americans and English-speaking Canadians has always been fascinating to me. We're essentially like bickering first cousins always taking jabs at each other. Over a decade a ..read more
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A FEW WORDS ON THE CINEMATIC INFLUENCES ON SALTBURN
PINNLAND EMPIRE
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2M ago
The Shining / Saltburn The biggest praise I have for Saltburn is that Rosemund Pike was finally given a role worthy of her talents. I don’t care if you like Saltburn or not (I thought it was “fine” overall). But I don’t think it can be denied that once she appears in the film around the 30-something minute mark - the tone completely changes. I mean that in the best way possible. The movie just instantly becomes better. It’s a testament to her aura. Richard Grant’s performance shouldn’t go unnoticed nor should Barry Keoghan’s (this is yet another example of how he shines best when he ..read more
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THE SCHOOL OF MAYA DEREN: DAVID LYNCH CONTINUED
PINNLAND EMPIRE
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2M ago
Meshes Of The Afternoon / Twin Peaks Happy new year! Here’s a collection of some Deren/Lynch comparisons that got left on the cutting room floor a few years back that I felt like posting for whatever reason. This is an ongoing series so make sure to to check out the previous entries: Part One Part Two Part Three  Part Four Part Five Meshes Of The Afternoon / Twin Peaks Meshes Of The Afternoon / Mulholland Drive At Land / Lost Highway Meshes Of The Afternoon / Lost Highway At Land / Twin Peaks Meshes Of Th ..read more
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THE SCHOOL OF BRESSON: HAL HARTLEY
PINNLAND EMPIRE
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3M ago
  Mouchette / Trust When I was in college and afterwards, I really came to understand and appreciate what Bresson was doing - Hal Hartley, LWLIES.COM Jean Luc Godard is often the go-to comparison for Hal Hartley. He was once even dubbed the “Jean Luc Godard Long Island”. And While Hartley certainly doesn’t deny Godard’s basic/surface influence, there are other filmmakers that he’s drawn inspiration from over the last 40 decades (at a certain point we need to move beyond the Band Of Outsiders/Simple Men comparison).  Now…comparing Hartley’s work to Robert Bresson isn’t bre ..read more
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BEST OF 2023...
PINNLAND EMPIRE
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3M ago
Even though I no longer do my annual end of the year wrap-up, I still contribute my list/thoughts to both Wrong Reel & Toronto Film Review. Click the image below to watch/listen to the newly formatted Wrong Reel podcast (make sure to subscribe) where some of the the unofficial "wrong reel all-stars" tackle 2023... And click below to see the many different best-of -2023 lists rounded up by David Davidson of Toronto Film Review ..read more
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YANNICK
PINNLAND EMPIRE
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3M ago
I normally don’t like when filmmakers poke fun at critics. Their “clap-backs” at negative criticism are either really juvenile or just not very witty. To be clear - I have no problem with a filmmaker defending themselves or even (momentarily) stooping to the level of an immature critic that crosses the line. Just be good with your response. Don't be flat or generic. If you’re going to take a swing at the low-hanging fruit - at least make sure that you knock it out of the park. Filmmakers rarely do this. Quentin Dupieux’s latest short feature; Yannick is an exception. I haven't been to excit ..read more
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THE SCHOOL OF PERSONA: MAY DECEMBER
PINNLAND EMPIRE
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4M ago
I couldn’t not think of Persona when I first read Samy’s script, in the clear way that it’s such a unique example of a film that pairs these two women and where likenesses are being exchanged, or that one character is learning about the likeness of the other and trying to incorporate her into her process as an actor - Todd Haynes, Letterboxd ' Persona / May December I caught a handful of Persona-esque shots in Todd Haynes May December only to discover afterwards that it was intentional (click here to learn about Haynes' influences on his latest film). Normally, a filmmaker being inf ..read more
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