The American System’s Dark Heart: Serpico at 50
Sean MurphyLook at that dude. Pacino, clean-shaven and short-haired as the movie begins, sports the best ‘stache of the decade, then goes goatee, then gets full facial (hair and head), all…
You Want To See Something Really Scary?* 10 Horrific Scenes for Halloween
First off, a confession of sorts: scary movies don’t scare me. Or, to put it less bluntly, as a one-time horror movie aficionado, I quickly outgrew the ways gore supplanted…
Goodfellas at 30: The Most Definitive American Movie of the Last Three Decades
First, a confession. I did not love Goodfellas the first time I saw it (in the theater, shortly after it opened, in October, 1990). Then again, this seems to happen with certain…
1455 RECOMMENDS: YOUR REQUIRED COVID-19 VIEWING (PART TWO)
Following up on our first installment of required viewing, here’s the promised list of movies (some quite appropriate and relevant) to accompany social distancing, working from home, reading, relaxing, and…
1455 RECOMMENDS: YOUR REQUIRED COVID-19 VIEWING
Following up on our recommended reading list, here’s the promised list of movies (some quite appropriate and relevant) to accompany social distancing, working from home, reading, relaxing, and staying both…
Happy 90th, Gene Hackman
90 years young, today. Impossible to pick the best performance from a career filled with them. But, if pushed, I'd say The Conversation is his most nuanced and impressive work,…
You Want To See Something Really Scary?* 10 Horrific Scenes for Halloween
First off, a confession of sorts: scary movies don't scare me. Or, to put it less bluntly, as a one-time horror movie aficionado, I quickly outgrew the ways gore supplanted…
I Like To (Re)Watch or, The Movies on My Mind
Celebrating one of my favorite movies, Serpico, I wrote the following: I want—and need—to revisit this movie on an annual basis, because it satisfies many needs. One, it's a masterpiece, so there's…
Welcome to Machine: Why ‘Dead Man’ is Jim Jarmusch’s Masterpiece
Johnny Depp is going to be gone someday, and for those enjoying his work posthumously, an assessment of his enigmatic career—bookended by the cotton candy of 21 Jump Street, and…
R. Lee Ermey and the Darkness of the Heart
I believe the only time I actually almost witnessed the cliche of someone pissing themselves with laughter was in July, 1987, during the opening minutes of Full Metal Jacket. My…