Monthly Archives: December 2011

Cul-de-sac (1966)

Posted on December 30, 2011 by

Cul-de-sac (1966) dir. Roman Polanski I feel a bit out of my depth trying to evaluate Cul-de-sac, because a) I’ve never seen a production of absurdist theater and b) I didn’t enjoy Cul-de-sac very much at all, aside from Donald … Continue reading →

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Zelig

Posted on December 30, 2011 by

Zelig (1983) dir. Woody Allen As a Woody Allen film, it stands out more for being unusual than for being particularly funny. Zelig is a mockumentary about Leonard Zelig, the “human chameleon.”  He has sort of a Quantum Leap type … Continue reading →

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The Man in the White Suit

Posted on December 30, 2011 by

The Man in the White Suit (1951) dir. Alexander Mackendrick The early parts of The Man in the White Suit could have been written by Ayn Rand.  Alec Guiness is a genius inventor who cares only for his work.  He … Continue reading →

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The Asphalt Jungle

Posted on December 29, 2011 by

The Asphalt Jungle (1950) dir. John Huston The real fun heist movies are the ones that let you think “I could do that.”  You can look around at your friends and pick out which one would be the heavy, which … Continue reading →

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Scarlet Street

Posted on December 28, 2011 by

Scarlet Street (1945) dir. Fritz Lang After seeing The Woman in the Window – made with the same director and lead cast the year before – I was much more sympathetic to Joan Bennett’s character in Scarlet Street than I … Continue reading →

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The Navigator

Posted on December 28, 2011 by

The Navigator (1924) dir. Buster Keaton and Donald Crisp The Navigator has a bit of a Frat Pack plot.  Our hapless protagonist wins over the initially disinterested woman by goofing around.  We like him because he is a doofus, but … Continue reading →

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The Quiet Man

Posted on December 14, 2011 by

The Quiet Man (1952) – John Ford John Ford’s The Quiet Man was not well-received in Ireland.  William C. Dowling lists objections the Irish made of the film, which accused it of romanticizing the country where Ford’s (born Feeney) parents were born. … Continue reading →

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10 Hottest Women Alive – 2011 Edition

Posted on December 12, 2011 by

The 8th annual edition of The Metropolis Times’s most popular feature is here!  We’ve got some new faces, and a bit of trivia – for the first year, three of the ten winners played Queen Amidala’s handmaidens in the Star Wars films. … Continue reading →

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Scarface (1932)

Posted on December 11, 2011 by

Scarface (1932) dir. Howard Hawks The Hays Code wasn’t technically in effect when Scarface was released, but the tide of censorship was rising.  Hawks stayed close to the line of acceptability, but he was always on the side that would … Continue reading →

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Take Shelter

Posted on December 11, 2011 by

Take Shelter (2011) – Jeff Nichols Arkansas native Jeff Nichols delivers an understated film on a topic that is traditionally overdone.  The psychological journey of Michael Shannon is similar to Natalie Portman’s in Black Swan, but Take Shelter uses more … Continue reading →

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