"America," Not America

No one is disputing the fact that Wong Kar-wai is a very serious, seriously gifted filmmaker. Not one of the critics that have given the film across-the-board pans. Wong has come to be known as a formal master of the highest degree, but in My Blueberry Nights, he pushes his ... read more

Posted on 04/08/2008 by FC Scribes 12:45:AM

Hsiao-Hsien's Latest Substitutes Underhanded Realism For Wide-Eyed Idealism

Growing up is hard to do. Albert Lamorisse's seminal 1956 film, The Red Balloon, was about the pains and complications of coming of age, shown in marked contrast with the easygoing lifestyle of being a child. But Lamorisse's film itself has come of age - it turns 52 this year ... read more

Posted on 04/04/2008 by FC Scribes 02:12:PM

Morris' Abu Ghraib Doc Goes Heavy On Style, Light On Content

The first note I wrote down during the course of watching Errol Morris' latest doc, Standard Operating Procedure, was: "SO Errol Morris!" And how. If Morris has achieved anything as a filmmaker, it has been the proving of the fact that documentaries allow for just as much stylistic flourish as ... read more

Posted on 03/25/2008 by FC Scribes 01:37:PM

Balzac Adaptation Is An Exercise In Restraint

At a ball, Armand de Montriveau (Guillame Depardieu) is relating a story to Antoinette de Langeais (Jeanne Balibar) and her friend. He was recently in London, and was shown the axe used to kill an infamous king. The only instructions he received from the executioner, he tells Antoinette, were: "Don't ... read more

Posted on 02/20/2008 by FC Scribes 01:44:AM

Raul Ruiz's excessively expressionistic film just winds up a jumbled mess

by Zachary Wigon 

It’s hardly original to point out that, in works of art, the division between form and content is a porous one. There are numerous films – many of them excellent – wherein the style and formal choices made exert a strong influence on how the narrative, characters and ... read more

Posted on 01/29/2008 by FC Scribes 06:26:PM

Feel-good biopic fails to reach beyond the level of facile sentimentality

by Zachary Wigon 

There’s something to be said for formulas. When formulas work, they work. This goes without saying in the realm of science. In the realm of art, the success or failure of a formula is given a bit more variability. One wants to follow the formula closely enough that ... read more

Posted on 01/29/2008 by FC Scribes 06:23:PM

Sayles soaks his paean to the blues in Southern mythology

by Zachary Wigon 

The blind guitar player. The runaway train-hopper. The drunken knife fight. The last chance at saving the establishment. They're all elements of folklore and mythology, be it Southern blues mythology (the first three) or cinematic mythology (the last one). How many films have we seen where a proprietor ... read more

Posted on 01/29/2008 by FC Scribes 06:15:PM

Mungiu's "Abortion" Drama Is A High-Water Mark Of The Romanian New Wave

by Zachary Wigon 

It's no illusion that the Romanian film world has been thriving as of late. Two years ago, The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu was brought to New York and opened to significant critical acclaim. This past year marked the release of 12:08 East Of Bucharest, another Romanian film that ... read more

Posted on 01/29/2008 by FC Scribes 04:04:PM

Woody's Latest May Be His Darkest Yet

by Zachary Wigon 

Full disclosure: Woody Allen is one of my absolute favorite filmmakers, so anyone looking for a relatively "objective" review should look no further. That being said, I can't say Cassandra's Dream is one of the Woodman's stronger films, although it certainly is interesting when viewed in concert with ... read more

Posted on 01/22/2008 by FC Scribes 12:45:AM