Nat

The Films of John Huston: The Red Badge of Courage

August 30, 2010
The Films of John Huston: The Red Badge of Courage

After tackling two contemporary classics (The Maltese Falcon, Treasure of the Sierra Madre), a few other popular works (In This Our Life, We Were Strangers, Key Largo), and three war documentaries (Report from the Aleutians, Battle of San Pietro, Let There Be Light), in 1951, Huston delved into America’s literary past and adapted Stephen...
Read more »

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Movie commentary, Movie reviews, Nat | No Comments »

The Films of John Huston: The Asphalt Jungle

August 23, 2010
The Films of John Huston: The Asphalt Jungle

This is one of those films that makes me happy about doing a retrospective on John Huston. Just when I think it’s going to get boring, I stumble on a movie like The Asphalt Jungle, and it blows me away. The Asphalt Jungle, for a cinemaphile today, is a study in influence—not what it...
Read more »

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Movie commentary, Movie reviews, Nat | No Comments »

Review: The Expendables

August 13, 2010
Review: The Expendables

The Expendables is a prime example of a “because they can” movie: Why do they have a moment where Jason Statham takes on five guys at a basketball court for roughing up his girlfriend? Why do they have Terry Crews marching down a hallway eviscerating an army of South American militants? Why do they...
Read more »

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Movie reviews, Nat | No Comments »

Rubicon Recap: Keep the Ends Out

August 10, 2010
Rubicon Recap: Keep the Ends Out

This episode is just as difficult to recap than last week’s, and it’s largely due to the same reasons. I still don’t understand the significance of the Yankee code nor the running theme of Grant being among the worst US presidents. Maybe that’s the point, but if we’re supposed to figure the codes out...
Read more »

Tags: ,
Posted in Nat, Rubicon, Television | Comments Off

Troll 2 Take 2X: My Take on Best Worst Movie

August 2, 2010
Troll 2 Take 2X: My Take on Best Worst Movie

I have a strong dislike for the fanboy subculture. It’s a personal preference, nothing more. We all have movies we “love” and will ardently defend with relish as we withstand an onslaught of attacks from friends who are just as happy to sling them. But there’s a point when you see someone screaming at...
Read more »

Tags:
Posted in Documentary, Movie reviews, Nat | 4 Comments »

Rubicon Recap: The First Day of School

August 2, 2010
Rubicon Recap: The First Day of School

While I’ve been waiting to get my hands on We Were Strangers for the next John Huston installment (entering into the more obscure Huston films), Shannon suggested I check out AMC’s new conspiracy series Rubicon. The prospect of Miranda Richardson in what I originally thought was going to be another sword-and-sandals series (read, I...
Read more »

Tags: ,
Posted in Nat, Rubicon, Television | 1 Comment »

The Films of John Huston: Key Largo

July 26, 2010
The Films of John Huston: Key Largo

Huston doesn’t give much time to Key Largo in his autobiography, save for sharing his dissatisfaction with Warner Brothers in the late 1940s and some epic stories of his gambling debts. Offhandedly he mentions that it was nominated for Best Picture and Claire Trevor won the award for Best Supporting Actress. What small part...
Read more »

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Movie reviews, Nat | Comments Off

The Films of John Huston: Treasure of the Sierra Madre

July 19, 2010
The Films of John Huston: Treasure of the Sierra Madre

After The Maltese Falcon, Treasure of the Sierra Madre is probably Huston’s most famous film—the two may vie for the title of best known. It’s a great movie in the sense that The Godfather and Casablanca are great movies: memorable characters, rich in themes, steep in action, imminently watchable.  The kind of “old” movie...
Read more »

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Movie commentary, Movie reviews, Nat | 1 Comment »

RIP Harvey Pekar

July 12, 2010
RIP Harvey Pekar

Harvey Pekar, author of American Splendor is dead. I always imagined Pekar as one of those Wonders of the World, an immovable force, railing against the idiocies of the world; he’d would always be there, ready and willing to look the darkness of life up its claws and not be afraid of what he...
Read more »

Tags: , ,
Posted in Nat, News, Pop culture | 2 Comments »

The Films of John Huston: Across the Pacific

July 12, 2010
The Films of John Huston: Across the Pacific

First off, let me admit that I jumped the gun getting to Huston’s war documentaries before covering 1942’s Across the Pacific. But I’m kind of glad I did, because it provides a nice break between Let There Be Light and Treasure of the Sierra Madre—two very intense films. Pacific is much lighter and a...
Read more »

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Movie reviews, Nat, Pop culture | 1 Comment »

Archives