TheCriterionContraption Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Criterion Contraption Revisits 'Chasing Amy'
Filed under: Comedy », Gay & Lesbian », Fandom », Newsstand », Home Entertainment »
You might remember that I wrote about The Criterion Contraption last month -- a blog by Matthew Dessem that hopes to review each and every Criterion DVD. The latest in the mix is one I have been waiting for -- Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy -- one of the most contested additions to the roster (the other being Armageddon... poor Ben Affleck). I didn't realize just how long it has been since I popped it into my DVD player until reading his great review -- one that isn't necessarily full of praise, but captures enough of Smith's essence that you can enjoy it either way.From the first image, which just happens to be of Guinevere Turner (who has gone on to success collaborating with Mary Harron and writing and acting in The L Word), Dessem points out -- this is a film that is 100% entrenched in the '90s, from it's make-up, to its plaid, to Comic-Cons without star-studded line-ups. He's pretty hard on Ben's Holden McNeil, which is a fair assessment, although it can also be argued that the character's inadequacies make him the perfect Holden -- it might be unbelievable that Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams) would fall for a man like him, but it's almost suitable -- he's the mistake she can't can't quite rationalize, which makes perfect sense with the passive ending. But even if you're not up for Affleck and his wordy speeches, there's Jason Lee. From slapstick to wordless acting, the review points out just how great Lee was in the movie.
Personally, I'm thinking it's time to pull out the plaid and pop in the DVD, which is kind of like Some Kind of Wonderful for the next generation -- the guy's friend realizes she's a lesbian, but tries him out and has disastrous results. The big difference: instead of offering diamond earrings, he offers a menage a trois with his best friend. What could describe the '90s better?
Blogger Takes on the Herculean Task of Watching & Reviewing Every Criterion DVD
Filed under: Classics », Independent », Fandom », Lists », Cinematical Indie »
There's DVD, and then there's The Criterion Collection. They started by pioneering special-edition laserdiscs, and then exploded into the DVD scene, bringing us amazing collections of art house and mainstream films with great extra features and stellar restorations. You can check out the full, drool-worthy list on their website here. It's a list that often makes me scheme ways to schmooze up some copies, since the high-quality often comes at a high price. But did you know that there's a blogger out there who has made it his mission to watch every single one of them? Matthew Dessem started a few years ago, and he's still going strong.Watching them might not be such a big feat if the dude wasn't also writing up in-depth reviews, equipped with screen captures, for each and every one. They're pretty hefty reviews too -- out of curiosity, I threw his latest, a review of Vagabond, into Word, and it almost boasts 1,700+ words. But size is nothin' without quality, which the blog also includes. You can turn things up to 11 with his This is Spinal Tap review, listen to an Autumn Sonata and question faith with The Last Temptation of Christ.
I'm really hoping he makes it all the way through. I can't even bring myself to regularly journal for more than a few months at a time, let alone make the effort to blog huge reviews with great screencaps just for my own pleasure. Keep up the great work, Mr. Dessem!
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
_thumbnail.jpg)
