How better to describe the films of the late Satoshi Kon than guiding spirits to our agitated subconscious. Although all his films can be called dream factories, this notion becomes quite literal in his last feature Paprika, a film that…
The Film Canon: Matinee (1993)
By 1960 close to 90% of American households owned a television set. This little bit of trivia plays a significant role in Joe Dante’s period comedy, set in Key West, Florida in October of 1962 when channels began broadcasting President…
The Film Canon: The Great Silence (1968)
At first glance there is little to distinguish between Jean-Louis Trintignant’s spaghetti western protagonist ‘Silence’ and Clint Eastwood’s ‘Man with No Name’. But over the course of Sergio Corbucci’s The Great Silence we see, not only a completely new figure…
The Film Canon: Sleepless in Seattle 25th Anniversary
I was quite surprised to find out that Sleepless in Seattle was celebrating its 25th year of release, a perfect match as my 25th year comes closer into view. A film that I’ve seen just as many times over the…
The Film Canon: Spider-Man 2 (2004)
What a world of difference there is between the superhero blockbuster of today and the superhero blockbuster of 2004. What a vast, vast world of difference. Consider some of the best superhero films of recent memory – Logan, Guardians of…
The Film Canon: The Fly (1986)
David Cronenberg has long established himself to be a maverick in the world of film since his humble beginnings in the 1970s. From a career perspective, his filmography output took a different direction during the early to mid 80s. Cronenberg…
A Scanner Darkly: 10 Year Anniversary
In the author’s note of Philip K. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly the author states, “drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car.” The book is among…