Monday, July 27, 2009

If you do not think Harry Dean Stanton is a cinematic treasure, please watch the clip of repo man below and and read the exerpt from Roger Ebert's original review of the film. And if you still don't believe it - there's nothing i can do for you.



"Harry Dean Stanton is one of the treasures of American movies. He has appeared in a lot of films without becoming a big star, but he has that total cynicism that brings jobs like repo into focus."

Full review here

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Thursday, July 16, 2009


While I enjoyed Stalker, i found my head thoroughly scratched due to the final scene. Did the girl have supernatural powers or were those glasses merely moved by the rumble of the passing train? The film open with a glass being moved by a train, which, in retrospect, leaves one to wonder...
A possibility i have toyed with, little discussed on the Internet, is the idea of these powers being the result of her father's great desire. Remember both Stalker and Writer leaned into The Room momentarily when Writer lost his balance. Could one of them wished this for the girl? Do you have to step fully into the Room in order for it's powers to work. It's a long movie and not without it's slow spots for sure, but i found it quite worth the effort. I most was surprised at the humor and the effective way it created tension out of absolutely nothing. I think Shamaylan's The Happening owes a great debt to this movie. Upon thinking more about it i realized it reminded me of a Becket play with one crucial difference - a payoff at the end. The endless talking, little explained characters and bizarre environments did not bother me due to the fact they had an ending which lived in that world. Not some pointless, boring Beckett-style shite.

In all a big thumbs up for Stalker. If you have a spare 2 hours and 40 minutes, check it out and get back to me.