Rushmore (1998), directed by Wes Anderson, Spine #65 of the Criterion Collection. What is quite noticeable about the characters of Rushmore is that they all act very childlike.  Not like those innocent babies that still drool on themselves, but rather those teenagers that impulsively act and consequently pout if they do not get what they […]

Harakiri (1962), directed by Masaki Kobayashi, Spine #302 of the Criterion Collection What a great film in which tradition and ritual are questioned while we audience members are confronted with our own emotions and views on morality.  This is accomplished by a layered story that is slowly revealed through multiple character perspectives as well as […]

Traffic (2000), directed by Steven Soderbergh, Spine #151 of the Criterion Collection. After viewing the film, Traffic seems to be that landmark, eye-opening film on drugs we’ve all been waiting for.  Yet on reflection and closer examination, one asks: have we really been waiting for this?  It would be easy to say that all the […]

I wanted to start by clarifying last week’s post.  I mentioned that “film should not be viewed as a product, but instead as art and should stand alone in terms of quality and value.”  The problem with this statement is that one cannot put a value on art, or else it ceases to be art […]

In my thesis on the branding of the Coen Brothers, I commented on how supplements, or “extra-texts” such as trailers, audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentaries, etc., may be changing the way we are viewing films. What the exact effect has been, no one can say, as there have been no true scientific studies. However today, it’s […]