Dir. Peter Ustinov. Starring Terence Stamp, Peter Ustinov, Robert Ryan There are women in Lawrence of Arabia, even if one hears little of them and sees even less. Billy Budd, released in the same year, is genuinely devoid of women. They are a foreign presence at sea, though “foreign” may be too weak a word; “alien” would… Read More Billy Budd (1962)
Dir. Richard Linklater. Starring the entire population of Austin, Texas, but not nearly enough Butthole Surfers. Dir. Nicholas Roeg. Starring Jenny Agutter, Luc Roeg, David Gulpilil Do you have a favorite drip in Jackson Pollock’s Full Fathom Five? Does one of the nails he hammered into his canvas stand out? It’s much the same in Slacker, an… Read More Slacker (1990) and Walkabout (1971)
Dir. Ted Kotcheff. Starring Gary Bond, Donald Pleasence, Chips Rafferty The following review addresses what might reasonably be referred to as animal cruelty. “All the little devils are proud of Hell,” Doc (Pleasence) mumbles by way of greeting. It’s at that moment that I knew that Wake in Fright would be strong medicine; forty-some years… Read More Wake in Fright (1971)
Seeing Things Secondhand 