Digital Overtone

Rarely has a movie been met with lower expectations or higher acclaim than Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Rarely have I heard more starkly opposed reviews from people whose opinions I respect. Before moving on to anything critical, I will preface this review with a couple things to keep in mind. First, I really enjoyed watching this movie. It is visually spectacular. Second (and perhaps more importantly in the context of what follows), expecting much out of Star Wars apart from visual excitement is asking a lot. I know this, but I went in expecting anyway. No real spoilers, unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last two decades.

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Comments Off Posted by Kyle / criticism and film

From the pen and from behind the camera of the man who delivered the phenomenal Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) we get Winterschläfer (Winter Sleepers), the story of three couples whose lives are altered and inextricably intertwined in the aftermath of an auto accident.

German with subtitles. Highly recommended.

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Comments Off Posted by Kyle / criticism and film

I must confess that Pieces of April was not everything I expected and more: a movie full of miscalculations, a spent metaphor, and two-dimensional characters. I may have been hasty, though, in my initial judgment that it offers nothing of value.

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Comments Off Posted by Kyle / criticism and film

Last evening I saw Garden State for a second time. The narrative is not tight, the script more than a little rough around the edges. It is not grandiose, or revelatory, or sexy. It is low-key, and beautifully sweet, and Braff seems to realize that those things are sexier than anything.

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Comments Off Posted by Kyle / criticism and film

Thematic thoughts on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. On intention, historiography, the probable public reaction, and the permanence of people.

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Comments Off Posted by Kyle / criticism and film