FilmMattic

Auteur-ior Motives Editorial note: I wanted to put this list together sooner, so as not to compromise its already dwindling relevance -- but a few important films remained unseen and I felt that their exclusion would render my own personal recollections of the past year incomplete.       It was for me a milestone year in cinema. Perhaps more than any previous year, I devoted significant time to the art form. Buoyed by intense curiosity and passion, I've undergone what I believe is my own loosely attentive film school. In my quest to achieve wider cinematic erudition, there was really no limit to what I could do: Studying filmmakers obsessively, seeking out any literature I could get my hands on, attempting to quantify the quintessence of filmmaking, in the hopes of reducing it to a concept that I could more sufficiently understand; I mean who does this stuff?        But all of this deep stimulation is secondary to the real ...

It's Not The Final Countdown       Formulating a list that by its very proclamation boasts of "My Ten Favorite Films" requires a mindset I've never been truly ready to embrace. To exclude so many films that I love is to commit an almost homicidal act upon works that to me are endowed with such everlasting appeal, my affinity for them incontrovertible. What follows, therefore, is merely an attempt. 

Lucky Number 13 Image courtesy of ScreenRant       Forget the Super Bowl. When your team's not represented, it's a tawdry affair. A massive marketing bonanza. Lest we forget that all the so-called "great" commercials can be viewed online on our time, at our convenience. Forget football. Let's talk movies.        2013's movie schedule is truly astonishing to behold. How foolish I must have been to think 2012 was the anomaly, an indicator of how conditioned our myopic thought-processes have become. How we're taught to believe that bearing witness to such excellence month after month is an elusive desire. But the outlier I thought I discovered may in fact have been the primal markings of an exciting new trend in which first-rate craftsmanship is the standard currency. 2013 promises a cornucopia of original stories, science fiction forays, major superhero films, unexpected sequels, classic adaptations, exciting prequels, and so, so much mor...

Looks Like I've Made It       It is important to maintain a semblance of tradition despite the jarring reality that my blog has exhibited reclusive tendencies more severe than Henry David Thoreau during his Walden Pond stint. While receding quietly into the distance, a compulsion to maintain some blogging consistency, even if remote, propels me forward. And what represents forward at the present moment is my annual edition of the "Best Films of the Past Year;" substitute 2012 for past year.

Strains, Lanes and Automatons        Not quite the year of Planes, Trains and Automobiles , 2011 distinguished itself as the year, which demonstrated Hollywood's recidivist tendencies (bad habits), driven, unsurprisingly, by a strong capitalistic urge to promote superheroes, comic book characters, and any other potentially robust profit stream; I guess the ancillary benefits associated with excessive merchandising are too potent a force (sadly Luke Skywalker would pose no threat to the gross infiltration of Hollywood executives, after all, his franchise helped establish the model). Indeed, 2011 was the year of the superhero. But these monetarily-inspired incarnations, while neither transcendent nor groundbreaking, were quite commendable ( X-Men: First Class, Thor, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ), revealing an advantageous benefit of superhero hysteria: Successful blending of art-house and commercial fare.       Obj...

You Cannes Do It       My man De Niro's in charge. That's enough to get me in front of my computer, typing on a Saturday night, instead of standard weekend dance fever. If that's not an intimation of my love for movies, I don't know what is.         Held in the South of France every year, the Cannes Film Festival is one of the most respected festivals in the world. It opened this past May 11th and runs until May 22nd. There's a total of 20 films in the 'main competition' category, but many 'out-of-competition' films will also generate substantial buzz.       Cannes is a cineaste's wet dream. It is my dream. An opportunity to witness a great cinematic work of art before the rest of the world is a privilege, one that shall not be treated with casual indifference. To be one of the lucky few in Palais des Festivals et des Congrès is, in my film-centric estimation, equivalent to winning a lottery ticket. And unlike Wil...

Mexico Duh, Winning!       Today, we celebrate our Independence Day! Actually, that is entirely untrue. I just really admire Bill Pullman's character in Independence Day . The common misconception about Cinco de Mayo is that it's Mexico's Independence Day. I hate to be the one to dispel the glaring misnomer, but Mexico's Fourth of July actually occurred 50 years earlier in the month of September. Instead, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla. On that fateful day in history, May 5, 1862, 5000 inadequately trained, ill-equipped Mexican peasants fought against a sizable regiment of French soldiers. Unfortunately, the French eventually occupied Mexico and defeated the Mexicans. But the Battle of Puebla showed the Mexican people that bravery and conviction could serve as lynchpins for a country yearning for unity and teetering towards nationalism.        Oh yeah, one other thing. Why does the U.S. even care? Well, May 5, ...