“The Holy Mountain” Is a Brilliant Epic That Entertains with Surreal Strangeness

May 27, 2010 by

Over the last few months I have been privileged to share with you, my dear readers, a collection of the strangest, most offbeat films in my catalogue.
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Polanski Should No Longer Be Allowed to Hide Behind His Fame

May 27, 2010 by

Artists have not always been known to be the most well behaved of individuals, but at the same time, the art remains separate from the artist. Not so with Roman Polanski.
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Hang Cool Teddy Bear Presents an Eclectic Musical Menagerie **

May 13, 2010 by

Meat Loaf is back with Hang Cool Teddy Bear, only his fourth release to include zero tracks by Steinman.
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Avoid Spending This “Night on Elm Street” *

May 6, 2010 by

Back in 1984, Wes Craven wrote and directed a little picture titled “A Nightmare on Elm Street” for a fledgling distributor by the name of New Line Cinema.
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Unrepentant “Bully”

May 6, 2010 by

Larry Clark is a complicated artist.
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“Candyman” Is Anything but Sweet

April 29, 2010 by

Clive Barker’s patented blend of deep mythology and dark, often disturbingly erotic nightmares has left a major footprint on popular culture.
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Elvis Costello Plays the Arlington

April 21, 2010 by

When Elvis Costello took the stage for his sold-out show at the Arlington Theatre last Wednesday, he found himself surrounded by nearly a dozen artfully placed guitars.
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Off the Beaten Path:

April 21, 2010 by

Most of the films I discuss on "Off the Beaten Path" are just that -- funky little movies with way too much edge for their own good. But this week, I want to take a break and discuss something entirel...
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“Hedwig” Is Much More Than Meets the Eye

April 14, 2010 by

"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" is one of my favorite film of the last decade, if not ever. It's got the perfect mix of clever lines, emotional depth, conversation factor, trippy visuals, rewatchability a...
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“Crazies” Not Crazy Enough **

March 4, 2010 by

I don't know what it is, but George A. Romero's films tend to translate into pretty damned good remakes. First, there was "Night of the Living Dead" in 1990. Then there was "Dawn of the Dead" in 2004....
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“Crow II” Flounders **

February 18, 2010 by

Takashi Miike is an incredibly talented filmmaker. He's made about a dozen truly wonderful movies. Problem is, he's made over 80 films in total. "Crow Zero II," his latest endeavor, is a huge step up ...
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“Men” in the Middle” ***

February 18, 2010 by

Who is a pornographer? Surely the fine folks over at Vivid Entertainment are pornographers. But what about the Hyatt? Holiday Inn? The Hiltons? (Well, minus Paris, perhaps). This the question Jack Har...
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“World’s Greatest Dad”

February 4, 2010 by

So the Oscar nominations came in Tuesday. As usual, they were all for boring, safe, generic movies. Almost nothing edgy or off the beaten path made the cut. Just the same old, same old and Meryl Stree...
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Word Farm Benefits Amateur Screenwriters

February 4, 2010 by

It was barely 9 a.m. on a Saturday, but the halls of the new Social Sciences and Media Studies building were abuzz with chatty students munching on cereal and pastries. Welcome to Word Farm.
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Another Michael Cera-nade ***

January 14, 2010 by

Twenty-five years ago, Michael Cera wouldn't even have been cast as the goofy sidekick in a John Hughes film. Today, he's shaping up to be an honest-to-god movie star.
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