30): Great Caesar’s Ghost I Still Have a Lot of These Left

Okay, two sentences each, let’s make this happen, ready, hike. Force of Evil, 1948, dir. Abraham Polonsky / America’s commitment to leftist filmmaking runs shallower than you’d find in many other countries, but that’s not Polonsky’s fault. His first feature (made not long before he was blacklisted) puts everyman John Garfield in a decent suit,… Read More Movie Diary 2023 (6/1-6/30): Great Caesar’s Ghost I Still Have a Lot of These Left

July 5, 2023 TimLeave a comment

Top 250 American Movies: 31-40

For each movie in the top 100, I’ve written a question to answer. (It would get very, very boring for me to have to write some variation on “boy howdy, you’ll never believe how good this movie is” one hundred more times.) There’s no exact sentence or word count I’m holding myself to here, but… Read More Top 250 American Movies: 31-40

August 7, 2022 Tim1 Comment

94th Academy Awards Nominations: Hastily Scribbled Thoughts

Another year of Oscar nominations, another year where I can’t do this as it’s happening because no one pays me to do this at my day job. So it goes. Thank you for reading me anyway! 1) The Power of the Dog is the front-runner for Best Picture, full stop. Many of your favorite movie… Read More 94th Academy Awards Nominations: Hastily Scribbled Thoughts

February 8, 2022February 8, 2022 Tim2 Comments

The Last Duel (2021)

Dir. Ridley Scott. Starring Jodie Comer, Adam Driver, Matt Damon Spoilers, I guess…this is still a recent-ish release. The title cards separating the film’s chapters are not subtle about what they’re after. Chapter 1 begins after five or six minutes of prologue. It belongs to Jean de Carrouges (Damon), and the screen says: “The truth… Read More The Last Duel (2021)

January 2, 2022 Tim1 Comment

House of Gucci (2021)

Dir. Ridley Scott. Starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino Spoilers for a recent release. Tempting as it is to begin with the accent work in this movie, I think it’s more revealing to begin with Dariusz Wolski’s photography. House of Gucci is shot in most of the same washed-out tones that one comes to… Read More House of Gucci (2021)

November 26, 2021 TimLeave a comment

Black Hawk Down (2001)

Dir. Ridley Scott. Starring Josh Hartnett, Tom Sizemore, Sam Shepard One of the stupidest things anyone has ever said about war movies is that they’re all anti-war movies. This is Steven Spielberg’s interpretation, and while I don’t think it’s necessarily a popular one, there are definitely movies which are anti-something else which are frequently mistaken… Read More Black Hawk Down (2001)

May 18, 2021 TimLeave a comment

Better than BFI’s Top 100: 60-56

For a brief introduction and a running list of movies covered in this project, click here 60) Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott Last year I was in my living room with a cockroach. I thought I saw it duck out from behind my curtains and then run back behind them, and I wasn’t entirely sure that… Read More Better than BFI’s Top 100: 60-56

June 6, 2019 Tim1 Comment

Better than the Oscars: 70-66

The following is from my series of Oscar Best Picture rankings, as well as my strongly worded suggestions for what should have won from among the nominees. For an introduction to the project, click here. For a way to vote on some Oscar-related ideas, click here. If I’ve written a review on any of the… Read More Better than the Oscars: 70-66

June 13, 2018 Tim1 Comment

100 Exceptional American Movies in 10 Genres: Location, 5-1

You can read up on the basis for this series here, and also find links to other posts in the series. Movies I’ve reviewed on this site have a link in the title which you can follow to read my full review. 5) The Thing (1982), directed by John Carpenter It’s worth noting that the… Read More 100 Exceptional American Movies in 10 Genres: Location, 5-1

July 24, 2017January 29, 2018 Tim2 Comments

Better than AFI’s Top 100: 20-16

The following is part of an overview of the top 100 American narrative fiction feature films, from my perspective. For an introduction to the project and an index of other entries in the series, click here. For a list of more than 800 films which I considered for the top 450 and my eligibility qualifications, click here.… Read More Better than AFI’s Top 100: 20-16

June 14, 2017June 24, 2017 Tim2 Comments

Seeing Things Secondhand

Tag: Ridley Scott