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‘Anomalisa’ deserves a more energetic Kaufman

Anomalisa Written by Charlie Kaufman Co-directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman U.S., 2015 Weird is rarely used as a good quality in film criticism, but few words so completely describe Charlie Kaufman’s work as weird does. All of his films are a window into his very particular worldview, and that p.o.v. is certainly unlike …

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‘Anomalisa’ Movie Review – a winningly bizarre exploration of love and mental distress

Anomalisa Directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman 2015, USA The original Anomalisa was a “sound play” by Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation), performed before an audience only twice. The “sound” aspect referred to the fact that its main character has a disorder that makes him see everyone with …

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Satanic Sunday: ‘The House of the Devil’ a suspenseful brand of evil that stays with you

In Ti West’s The House of the Devil, an earnest college student tries to get rent together by taking on a last minute babysitting job. Samantha (Jocelin Donahue of The Burrowers and The End of Love) willfully ignores the inherent danger in going out to a remote house to provide care for complete strangers. Her clients are incredibly desperate for help but the promise of fast cash is far too enticing for the young woman. Samantha’s job provides a quiet, creeping evil that makes the audience hold its collective breath for a protracted time before the action kicks in. It’s effective in sustaining a lasting dread of harm of the unknown and accomplishes what most movies associated with the Devil fail to do- convince us that followers of Satan and their ultimate goal are a genuine threat without edging into cheesy or overwrought territory that is well-worn.

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The Nostalgia Files: ‘Last Action Hero’ (1993)

Last Action Hero Written by Zak Penn, Adam Leff, Shane Black, and David Argott Directed by John McTiernan USA, 1993 The concept of a film within a film is an idea that provides for truly interesting cinema. Films that are self-referential, satiric, and make fun of their own genre are often hilarious, thought-provoking, and downright …

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‘Manhunter’ a disturbing examination of voyeurism

Manhunter is adapted from the Thomas Harris novel Red Dragon, the book which introduced the world to the serial killer known as Hannibal Lecter. It came five years before Harris’s other novel was adapted to the screen ( The Silence of the Lambs), and 27 years before the NBC hit crime drama Hannibal. In between, the role of Dr. Hannibal has been reprised several more times, including Hannibal in 2001 and in a second adaptation of Red Dragon made in 2002 (under the original title).

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Supporting Actors: The Overlooked and Underrated (part 4 of 5)

Tom Noonan as Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter (Michael Mann, 1986, USA): Noonan is absolutely incredible as a serial murderer in this underrated adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon. With all respect to the talented but miscast actors involved in Brett Ratner’s 2002 adaptation Red Dragon (USA), with the exception of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal …

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