COMMENTARY

  • 1 Hitchcock: Bourgeoisie-Critique

    H is a critic and satirist of the bourgeois life, but he’s more critical of those who invite chaos by an inordinate yearning for excitement. Shadow The Birds

    1 Hitchcock: Opening–Exterior to Interior

    From exterior view of the city thru an open door or window to interior scene where the drama begins Foreign Correspondent Mr and Mrs Smith Shadow Notorious Paradine Case Rope I Confess (from darkened street to villain’s home) Psycho Topaz

    1 Hitchcock: Food, Alcohol; Eating, Drinking

    May 5, 2022–472w Hitchcock: Food, Alcohol; Eating, Drinking Multiplicity and differences in food. Sameness means fewer possibilities Uniformity imposed by mechanization Fast food as an emblem of democratic comfort (MacDonald, everybody gets the same list of choices, regardless of class) Margaret Visser, Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perlis […]

    Dark of the Sun (1968): Jack Cardiff’s War Adventure, Starring Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux

    Jack Cardiff helmed Dark of the Sun (aka The Mercenaries in the UK) is a 1968 adventure war film starring Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux, Jim Brown, and Peter Carsten. Ranald MacDougall’s script, based on Wilbur Smith’s 1965 novel, The Dark of the Sun, relates the tale of band of mercenaries sent on a dangerous mission […]

    Death in Hollywood: Hutton, Jim (1934-1979)

    On June 2, 1979, Hutton died of liver cancer, two days after his 45th birthday, and four weeks and a day after being diagnosed.

    Greed in the Sun (Cent mille dollars au soleil) (1964): Verneuil’s Crime Adventure, Starring Belmondo and Lino Ventura

    Henri Verneuil directed Greed in the Sun (French: Cent mille dollars au soleil), a French-Italian crime adventure, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Lino Ventura. Director Verneuil said the film was “a Western, but since in France we don’t have horses, I use trucks. I give Jean Paul the hat, blue jeans, boots of a cowboy. He’s […]

    100 Books: Bataille, Georges (1897-1962)

    Georges Albert Maurice Victor Bataille (French: 10 September 1897 – 9 July 1962) was French philosopher and intellectual working in philosophy, literature, sociology, anthropology, and history of art. His writing, essays, novels, and poetry explored erotism, mysticism, surrealism, and transgression. His work would prove influential on schools of philosophy and social theory, poststructuralism. Georges Bataille […]

    Irreversible (1998): Gaspar Noe’s Bold, Audacious, Sick, Ugly, Mesmerizing, Scintillating Feature (French Extreme Cinema) (Cinema of the Body)

    Irréversible (French pronunciation: ​[iʁevɛʁsibl]) is a 2002 French psychological thriller drama film written and directed by Gaspar Noé. Starring Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, and Albert Dupontel It depicts the events of a tragic night in Paris as two men attempt to avenge the brutal rape and beating of the woman they love. The film is […]

    French Extremist Cinema: Cinema of the Body–Horror

    Research in progress: April 30, 2022 French Extremism or, informally, New French Extreme) is a term coined by Artforum critic James Quandt for cycle of transgressive films by French directors at the turn of the 21st century. Bava as much as Bataille, Salò no less than Sade are the determinants of a cinema determined to […]

    Stars at Noon, The: Claire Denis’ New Romantic Thriller (Cannes 2022 Competition)

    Claire Denis directed The Stars at Noon, a romantic thriller based on the novel of the same name Denis Johnson. The movie features Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn and Danny Ramirez. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Fest. Premise A mysterious English businessman and American journalist, who […]

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