Film #144: The Tree of Life

The most special special effect in Terrence Malick's ultimate, unrelenting, devout cinematic achievement occurs at its outset: a valuable jewel-like dalliance of light and dark, color and blackness. It lingers, morphs, disappears and then returns to us at key moments.

I cannot help but open this piece by considering these apparitions. They happen so importantly. Why are they there? Why do

Film #144: The Tree of Life

The most special special effect in Terrence Malick's ultimate, unrelenting, devout cinematic achievement occurs at its outset: a valuable jewel-like dalliance of light and dark, color and blackness. It lingers, morphs, disappears and then returns to us at key moments.

I cannot help but open this piece by considering these apparitions. They happen so importantly. Why are they there? Why do

My Movie Poster Collection: The Autographed Ones

I've never been one for autographs, UNLESS said autographs rest upon a movie poster, in which case I'm freakin' in! This is my small collection of signed posters, accompanied by my comments. Many thanks go out to estimable Tim O'Donnell for taking the photos!

2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 68); signed by Keir Dullea.

I met Keir Dullea at a screening of Otto Preminger's Bunny Lake Is

My Movie Poster Collection: The Autographed Ones

I've never been one for autographs, UNLESS said autographs rest upon a movie poster, in which case I'm freakin' in! This is my small collection of signed posters, accompanied by my comments. Many thanks go out to estimable Tim O'Donnell for taking the photos!

2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 68); signed by Keir Dullea.

I met Keir Dullea at a screening of Otto Preminger's Bunny Lake Is

Films #139 and #140: Catalog (1961) AND per-mu-ta-tion (1966)

Catalog is exactly that. Animator John Whitney Sr., one of the fathers of modern computer animation, built a one-of-a-kind animation contraption in the late 50s after messing around with parts from a World War II anti-aircraft plane's gun director. After a bit of tweaking, the machine stood at twelve feet and could produce dazzling images, if operated correctly. According to Wikipedia, "Design

Films #139 and #140: Catalog (1961) AND per-mu-ta-tion (1966)

Catalog is exactly that. Animator John Whitney Sr., one of the fathers of modern computer animation, built a one-of-a-kind animation contraption in the late 50s after messing around with parts from a World War II anti-aircraft plane's gun director. After a bit of tweaking, the machine stood at twelve feet and could produce dazzling images, if operated correctly. According to Wikipedia, "Design

R.I.P. Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008)

One of my favorite notable people died the other day--in fact, the very day I unknowingly, maybe psychically, posted a comment about viewers whom I feel incorrectly judge my favorite and, frankly, the best movie of all time, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the science fiction/fact writer who co-authored the script to 2001 with Stanley Kubrick, and then wrote the novel around the

R.I.P. Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008)

One of my favorite notable people died the other day--in fact, the very day I unknowingly, maybe psychically, posted a comment about viewers whom I feel incorrectly judge my favorite and, frankly, the best movie of all time, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the science fiction/fact writer who co-authored the script to 2001 with Stanley Kubrick, and then wrote the novel around the

Defending 2001

2001: A Space Odyssey is my favorite movie. Those real cinemaniacs out there will totally empathize with this, while the people who didn't understand the film or whose attentions drifted away while watching it will be baffled at the logic of my tastes. They'll say "Ewww, it's so boring" or--like I heard my dad say when I was a small child--"What the hell? There was a baby floating in space at the

Defending 2001

2001: A Space Odyssey is my favorite movie. Those real cinemaniacs out there will totally empathize with this, while the people who didn't understand the film or whose attentions drifted away while watching it will be baffled at the logic of my tastes. They'll say "Ewww, it's so boring" or--like I heard my dad say when I was a small child--"What the hell? There was a baby floating in space at the