Comments for Gateway Cinephiles

Comment on StLIFF: Day Three by Andrew

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:02:42 +0000

Thanks for stopping by, Sam!

My wife absolutely adored Slumdog, so you’ve got good company there. :)

I need to think about the film a little more, but the problems I had with the narrative and the romance continue to nag at me, which is never a good sign.

On the other hand, the more I think about Of Time and City, the more I’m impressed by its languid beauty. Definitely recommended.

Comment on StLIFF: Day Three by Sam Juliano

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:21:13 +0000

That really terrific Andrew that you are seeing all this stuff. I have not seen the Davies, but I am a huge fan of his work and I adore DISTANT VOICES STILL LIVES, it’s beautiful follow-up and the trilogy.
I honestly didn’t see the narrative issue you site in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, which I saw on Wednesday night and have already posted the review at WitD. It was the first 2008 film I have awarded five stars to of the roughly 150 I’ve seen, so you can see I liked it! LOL!
I am today preparing my review of DEAR ZACHARY, (which will post tomorrow) and I am following up witha second five-star rating. I appreciate the points you make. It is surely one of the most overpowering and deftly-crafted documentaries I have ever seen.

Best Wishes for the rest of the St. Louis Film Festival. I will be checking in.

Comment on Motherhood, Interrupted by Evan Derrick

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:44:01 +0000

“It’s also maddeningly predictable to the point of tedium, and at least forty-five minutes too long given the absence of any narrative shakeups.”

That is exactly how I felt leaving the theater. I could not believe how bored I was through the entire film, primarily because I knew how every scene was going to end and which scene would be coming after it. Nothing was a surprise, everything was telegraphed from a mile away, and I kept wanting them to get to the point already. The courtroom scenes at the end injected a little life into the proceedings, but at that point it was too little, too late.

And Jolie’s “I want my son!” broken record just exacerbated things.

Comment on You Are Cordially Invited by Evan Derrick

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:32:43 +0000

P.S. Adding you to our blogroll, which I should have done a while ago.

Comment on You Are Cordially Invited by Evan Derrick

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:32:25 +0000

Beautiful piece, Andrew. I really don’t have anything to add. You’ve captured the film beautifully. Let me know if you’d ever like to come write for MZ. :)

Comment on A Year at the Movies by Sam Juliano

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:47:14 +0000

Congratulations Andrew! That is not shabby at all, it’s actually quite impressive, especially when you consider how erudite and poetic your stuff is. Keep up the stellar work!

Comment on 3-Minute Intro: Don’t Look Now by Andrew

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:21:01 +0000

Yep, my wife and I both adore this film, but it’s not for everyone, and certainly by the “standards” of today’s horror films it’s positively glacial. (Although not as bad as Polanski’s, IMHO.) Some of my fellow Cinephiles weren’t as electrified as I was the first time I saw Don’t Look Now, but that’s just the nature of watching film with a group. I think “The Orphanage” was this year’s big hit among our horror movie screenings, just as “Suspiria” was last year.

Comment on 3-Minute Intro: Deep Red (Profondo Rosso) by Andrew

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:18:01 +0000

Thanks, Kevin. Having experienced Suspiria and now Deep Red, I’m still not sure if Argento is exactly my speed. His whole approach to film-making is so completely divorced from anything one expects from American or even British thrillers and horror films, I’m still not sure what to make of him. Still, I’m downright fascinated by what I’ve seen, if not exactly frightened or even that engaged (That thing called “drama” isn’t really in Argento’s quiver.) “Otherworldly” certainly is an apt descriptor of his work.

Thanks for visiting, Kevin. I’ll be checking out your Halloween posts as well.

Comment on 3-Minute Intro: Don’t Look Now by Kevin J. Olson

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:01:12 +0000

An underrated, unconventional horror classic. Hopefully this film will not be lost on a new generation of horror fans, but sadly this pacing and style of horror film is most likely to not find favor with the “Saw” crowd.

Comment on 3-Minute Intro: Deep Red (Profondo Rosso) by Kevin J. Olson

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:56:15 +0000

Nice! I love when people lead others towards Italian horror. It is simply the best kind of horror; so etherial and dreamlike, that while Argento’s American contemporaries were abndoning all style for the hank-and-slash type films, the Italians were making one-of-a-kind horror films.

Even though I prefer “Tenebre” to “Deep Red”, I am elated when people write about Italian horror.

I am getting ready to do a review on one of my favorite Italian horror films, “Stage Fright” or as it’s known in Italy “Deliria”, for Halloween. Directed by Michele Soavi, one of the lesser known Italian horror greats, it’s one of a fantastic Italian take on the American slasher film.

I’ve been diggin’ the horror version of ‘3 Minutes’….good stuff.