"Artsy Fartsy" Archives
- Belle de Jour (1967)
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We hope you’re reading this review before you actually decide to watch Belle de Jour. Surrealist Luis Bunuel’s 1967 film works from the standpoint that real art makes the audience work to understand it. As a result, watching Belle de Jour can be an exercise in confusion (as if reading the subtitles weren’t work enough). [...]
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- Bound (1996)
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Although the words “Dino De Laurentiis Presents” usually indicate imminent pain caused by cinematic trauma, Bound is actually one of the best movies we’ve seen in some time. Violent, suspenseful, and funny, Bound is a welcome relief from the usual mob-caper movie. When Bound first hit theaters, it was treated to a lot of brouhaha [...]
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- Chungking Express (1994)
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If Chungking Express were a snake, it would be a boa constrictor. It starts off slow, gradually easing you into the everyday life of its characters. Before you know it, the movie has wrapped itself around your brain. It’s a smart little film with dialogue that would be pretentious anywhere else and an eclectic soundtrack [...]
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- Exotica (1995)
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When it came out, Exotica was hailed by critics as a cerebral thriller with an intricate plot (“just like Pulp Fiction!”). The video previews show a phosphor-blue strip club with the fast-paced bump-and-grind music one expects from a strip club, and lots of dramatic cut scenes with actors saying intense things like “You have no [...]
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- Teaserama (1955)
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Even if you don’t know the name Bettie Page, you’ve probably seen her face or its likeness. Her appearance in dozens of pinup magazines and on postcards has ensured her familiarity; her reclusivness later in life cemented her cult status. In Teaserama, Page is the undisputed star of the show and the only reason to [...]
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- Zachariah (1971)
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Zachariah proudly proclaims itself to be “the first electric Western.” We’re also pretty sure it could also honestly be advertised as “the last electric Western,” “the only electric Western,” “the best electric Western,” and perhaps most descriptively, “the worst electric western.” Zachariah is supposed to be a musical, but it doesn’t have all that many [...]
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