FilmMattic

Creative Coup d'etat...Maybe?       Like all great, or once-great properties that have come before it, Star Wars has been seized by the mechanisms of commerce and vicissitudes of time. Disney, the ubiquitous merchant of magic, which for some is now an unbecoming title—well, the magic part at least—is the new owner of that cherished timespace. While its current profile inspires neither uniform applause nor outright derision, Disney's capacity for magnificence is uncontested. With a catalog of films that stretches as far back as  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , the first full-length traditional animated feature in motion picture history, Disney has demonstrated time-and-again an ability to sustain feelings of wonder and awe, and a primal adeptness in the management of story and fantasy. These statements spotlight a reputation that is owed primarily to its founder, Walt Disney, a brilliant visionary who carved a lineage that is steeped in fantastical...

These Go To Eleven...111!        Those who frequent my blog may wonder where in the hell have I been. But I like to maintain mystery in the digital world. I am not Amish; not that there's anything wrong with that (is it not a coincidence that Peter Weir's Witness features in this edition...). And I don't practice the Thoreau method. What I do is rigorously follow the wisdom of Wooderson from  Dazed and Confused . "Living man, L-I-V-I-N!" Such an answer is perfunctory, I know. I am quite the cyber obscurest. All you need to know is that I am having fun and working hard. It is my social networking duty, first and foremost, to keep that perpetually curious aura alive. 

The Best of the Worst       Part I of my "Top 10 Least Favorite Movie CHARACTERS"  can be found by clicking the above link.         I suppose I'll have to choose my words carefully. Chuck Norris is watching. I'll oblige only because Bruce Lee's reincarnated-self is not here to protect me.        These characters are the vermin of cinema. But they are the best vermin, contaminating the world, charmingly, one evil at a time. They are simply too good at being bad. While their actions, behavior, and generally their outlook on life is morally objectionable and admittedly terrifying, their determination and affinity for destruction is captivating.         Evil is not the prerequisite, but its very existence is crucial to my ultimate aversion to these characters.  So, I urge you to tread cautiously. Trading glances with individuals so miserably appalling is known to ...

Love to Hate       Let's face it. We are wired to dislike certain people. Human nature assures us there's a line to be crossed between that which we deem admirable and that which we deride gleefully. Movies are no different. The characters who inhabit these tantalizing worlds solidify our diametric ideological curiosities. And I'm most curious about the disreputable. Therefore, in this post, I will identify my "Top 10 Least Favorite Movie Characters."        Common themes you may discover are the false representation of power, the willful subjugation of powerless figures, betrayal, cowardice, fraudulent ethics, deception, malfeasance, and of no less importance, obnoxious personalities.        These characters are despicable. The actors are not. In no way is it my objective to denigrate the work of these performers. In fact only great performances qualify for my list. It's not the performance...

Because 99 Is Too Few and 101 Is Too Many         I'm jubilant. The idea that I can even cultivate a list of 100 directors, stretching from the silent era to present-day, from pioneers to pop-culture pragmatists, brings me great elation. These are directors whose work nourishes my cinematic education, whose talents I've increasingly come to admire.        I'm a fairly disciplined and autonomous thinker. I've been told routinely that I'm a champion of vim and vigor, of which my ethic is tethered inextricably. The reason, I suppose, is that I tend to excel only in areas where my interests lie aggressively and most authentically; a rather simple principle to guide one's ambitions, correct? Well, film is my cornerstone passion. It has been for as long as I can remember. In the last two-to-three years, coinciding with the genesis of this very blog, my indoctrination has grown even more radically—an inexorable pursuit that is not...

Ain't No Monty High Enough       " The Ten Best Actors of All-Time Relay Race" rivals the Summer Olympics, exceeds the popularity of the NBA Finals, and portends this year's Presidential Election results. Where else could man venture to achieve such prestige? What institution has a greater collection of talent? The answer is nowhere unless nowhere is code for My Film Views , the mastermind of said blog-a-thon. Or the lovely Melissa Bradley , whose willingness to enlist the tenuous wisdom of yours truly is responsible for my participation.

The Intersection of Film and Life: Part II       This is Part II of my "Top Five Things I Learned From The Movies." Part I can be found here .