By Jackson Diianni Robert Bresson is often described as the “patron saint” of the cinema, or “the most Christian director.” For the past 60 years, the dominant reading of his films in academic circles has been a religious one. The words “transcendental,” “spiritual,” “Jansenist,” “Christian” and “metaphysical” are interchangeably applied to his films, particularly those … Continue reading
By Jackson Diianni The first thing one notices about Dogville (2003) is the way it looks. It’s essentially a stage play, shot in a blackbox, on a minimalist set. This presentation style is new to film, but it is borrowed from the theater, which can be said of the film’s content as well. Dogville is … Continue reading
By Jackson Diianni I had high expectations for The Pledge (2001). It was placed on Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list, effectively naming it one of the 300 (give or take) greatest movies of all time. It’s one of a handful of movies Jack Nicholson has made in the 21st Century, which lead me to believe … Continue reading
By Jackson Diianni Raging Bull (1980) is a movie I’m very ambivalent about. There are great things about it and there are terrible things about it. The script by Mardik Martin and Paul Schrader is great. The direction by Martin Scorsese is not great. Neither is the performance by Robert De Niro, although it is … Continue reading
By Jackson Diianni Forget horror movies. Clean, Shaven (1993) is the scariest movie you’ll ever see. This is the debut film of Lodge Kerrigan, who directed and produced it. The plot follows two characters; a schizophrenic and a policeman. The policeman is tasked with tracking the schizophrenic, who has escaped from a mental institution and … Continue reading
By Jackson Diianni The Wrestler (2008) immerses us in the life of Randy “the Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke), an aging ex-professional wrestler who has fallen on hard times. Randy seems to have lost the ability to regulate what is healthy for him and he struggles to maintain a meaningful relationship with anyone in his life. … Continue reading
By Jackson Diianni Michael Mann’s Thief (1948) begins with a ten-minute scene depicting a bank heist. Frank (James Caan), a master safecracker, breaks into a vault and steals a set of priceless diamonds. He doesn’t trip any alarms, he doesn’t leave any trace. He and his cohorts disappear into the night undetected. Cut to the … Continue reading
By Jackson Diianni Richard Linklater is a rule-breaker. I knew that going into Before Midnight (2014), so I should have kept an open mind. I was expecting it to be like its predecessors, and even though it follows the same formula (wandering, dialogue-driven romance), it deviates wildly in tone. The rule of threes would dictate … Continue reading
By Jackson Diianni The Age of Innocence (1993) is something of a departure for Martin Scorsese, who has made a career directing violent crime movies. Yet there is something about it that is not unlike the worlds of Raging Bull (1980), Mean Streets (1973) and Goodfellas (1990). Where those movies were about characters living in … Continue reading
By Jackson Diianni Django Unchained (2012) gives us a superhero in place of a slave. It’s a film that mocks racism, slavery and white supremacy in the most masturbatory way possible. The point is that people can go to the movies and see Jamie Foxx kicking a slave-owner’s ass, or see the KKK fumbling with … Continue reading
