Is it possible to stand out and disappear at the same time? Matt Damon makes a convincing case study in Stillwater. As roughneck Bill Baker, he wears the signifiers of a blue-collar Oklahoman—a thick goatee, a camo-colored baseball cap, an eagle-clutched skull tattoo, a sturdy pair of jeans. He strides with a cowboy’s gait and talks in muttery, southern tones. After a long day of working construction, cleaning up houses wrecked by tornadoes, he chews on a cigarette and pulls his pickup into the local Sonic drive-thru. At home, he says a small prayer, quietly eats his hot dog, and falls asleep on the couch.
It’s a transformation—in look and presence—that occurs so immediately and comprehensively that it seems like an optical illusion. At first glance, he comes across as a Middle America cosplayer, treading close to the edge of parody. But the intrigue of...
It’s a transformation—in look and presence—that occurs so immediately and comprehensively that it seems like an optical illusion. At first glance, he comes across as a Middle America cosplayer, treading close to the edge of parody. But the intrigue of...
- 7/27/2021
- by Jake Kring-Schreifels
- The Film Stage
A classic Italian children’s book from 1945 gets an update in master illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti’s feature debut, “The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily.” Beautifully drawn with bold colors and appealing shapes, the film’s style is classic animation at its best, clear and pleasing, calculated to charm children and adults alike. The revised storyline, however, about how bears and humans clash, make amends, and then realize they’re too different to live together, can lead to unfortunate and inadvertent interpretations neither Mattotti nor the original author Dino Buzzati intended. In addition, the narrative’s pace, whizzing by from one scene to the next, frustrates an adult’s desire to relish the often-striking images, making the film most suitable for kids incapable of critically engaging with metaphor.
“The Bears’ Famous Invasion” first appeared in print toward the end of World War 2, written and illustrated by the multi-talented Buzzati, whose novel...
“The Bears’ Famous Invasion” first appeared in print toward the end of World War 2, written and illustrated by the multi-talented Buzzati, whose novel...
- 6/5/2019
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
After some hestitation if Quentin Tarantino would finish Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in time for a Cannes premiere, the festival announced today that his 1969-set film would officially be ready to have its world bow there. Set to screen in 35mm, it clocks in at 2 hours and 45 minutes, but it’s not the longest film added to the competition line-up. The festival will also premiere Abdellatif Kechiche’s sequel Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo, which runs a whopping four hours.
It’s also not the only Tarantino update we got this week. Speaking to /Film about his re-edited Netflix version of The Hateful Eight, he revealed that his rumored director’s cut of the Django Unchained is a reality and it’s coming sooner than we thought. “I’ve actually cut a director’s cut of Django. That’s about like three hours and 15 minutes, or three hours and 20 minutes,...
It’s also not the only Tarantino update we got this week. Speaking to /Film about his re-edited Netflix version of The Hateful Eight, he revealed that his rumored director’s cut of the Django Unchained is a reality and it’s coming sooner than we thought. “I’ve actually cut a director’s cut of Django. That’s about like three hours and 15 minutes, or three hours and 20 minutes,...
- 5/2/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Plato | The Shape of Water | John Harris | Blue notes | Guardian redesign | Ingvar Kamprad
What a disappointment to read that over 100 academic philosophers in the UK think that “Plato presents arguments for the existence of a divine creator” (Letters, 27 January). The Timaeus, the dialogue in which hasty readers may think they find such arguments, is explicitly identified by Plato as a parable, “an iconic myth” (29d), not a literalism. But more importantly, Plato’s demiourgos is the furthest thing from a “creator”. He is a copier of eternal patterns, not the maker of anything new. Perhaps such language is merely careless but philosophers should know better.
Boris DeWiel
Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
• While we are hearing about alleged plagiarism of plot (Shape of Water ‘uses Pulitzer writer’s work without credit’, 27 January), what about Guillermo del Toro’s title? It’s the same as the first novel in Andrea Camilleri’s Montalbano series.
What a disappointment to read that over 100 academic philosophers in the UK think that “Plato presents arguments for the existence of a divine creator” (Letters, 27 January). The Timaeus, the dialogue in which hasty readers may think they find such arguments, is explicitly identified by Plato as a parable, “an iconic myth” (29d), not a literalism. But more importantly, Plato’s demiourgos is the furthest thing from a “creator”. He is a copier of eternal patterns, not the maker of anything new. Perhaps such language is merely careless but philosophers should know better.
Boris DeWiel
Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
• While we are hearing about alleged plagiarism of plot (Shape of Water ‘uses Pulitzer writer’s work without credit’, 27 January), what about Guillermo del Toro’s title? It’s the same as the first novel in Andrea Camilleri’s Montalbano series.
- 1/29/2018
- by Letters
- The Guardian - Film News
Vera Season 2. Co. ITV
By Kieran Kinsella
Award winning author Ann Cleeves is one of Britain’s best loved crime fiction writers. The success of novels such as Raven Black and the Shetland Quartet caused her profile to rise and convinced TV network chiefs to bring some of her best loved characters to the small screen. ITV’s hugely successful adaptation of the Vera Stanhope novels is about to enter its third season. Just this week, the BBC reserved back-to-back prime time slots to air their adaptation of Ann Cleeves’ first Shetland tale. Ann kindly agreed to talk to Best British TV about her writing and her thoughts on the TV versions of Vera (Brenda Blethyn) and Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall).
When you are writing your novels do you begin by creating a detective and then develop the mystery or do you come up with an idea for a mystery...
By Kieran Kinsella
Award winning author Ann Cleeves is one of Britain’s best loved crime fiction writers. The success of novels such as Raven Black and the Shetland Quartet caused her profile to rise and convinced TV network chiefs to bring some of her best loved characters to the small screen. ITV’s hugely successful adaptation of the Vera Stanhope novels is about to enter its third season. Just this week, the BBC reserved back-to-back prime time slots to air their adaptation of Ann Cleeves’ first Shetland tale. Ann kindly agreed to talk to Best British TV about her writing and her thoughts on the TV versions of Vera (Brenda Blethyn) and Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall).
When you are writing your novels do you begin by creating a detective and then develop the mystery or do you come up with an idea for a mystery...
- 3/12/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
★★☆☆☆ For those seeking a brighter, more light-hearted alternative to the pervading gloom and near-suicidal despair of recent Nordic crime drama, the sun, sea and stunning Sicilian scenery of Inspector Montalbano must seem like a welcome change. Adapted from the best-selling novels by Andrea Camilleri, Inspector Montalbano features Luca Zingaretti as the macho sleuth, for whom solving crime is merely a distraction from indulging in the more simple pleasures of life.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 9/3/2012
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
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