Category Archives: Nostalgia

Forgotten/Ignored Gem: Mountains of the Moon

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Today’s release and rhapsodic reviews of The Lost City of Z (“…a miraculous movie, at once moving, intimidating, and gorgeous to behold.” — The Atlantic) have conjured memories of Mountains of the Moon, a little-known 1990 film examining the arduous and, ultimately, contentious, search by explorers Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke for another great mystery of the Victorian age—this on the other side of the world—the source of the Nile River.

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B-Movie Cult Classics Unearthed Watching Late-Night HBO in College (Pt. 5)

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I’d been meaning to feature the little-known horror gem Near Dark (1987) in this series of goofy remembrances from my college days but never got around to it. Sadly, it’s taken the recent, untimely death of Bill Paxton to finally provide a proper kick in the pants.

As remembrances of Paxton’s most indelible performances came pouring in—Chet from Weird Science, Pvt. Hudson from Aliens, Dixon in One False Move, Hank in A Simple

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Anatomy of a Scene: Rogue Nation

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I know, I know—it’s been forever since I last posted. Seven months, actually, an absence no doubt weighing heavily on my vast¹ and vocal² readership. (¹ Thirty-eight; ² Zero comments)

But for those of you keeping vigil in my front yard, it’s time to pack up the tents, scrape the candle wax off my sidewalk, head home to your parents’ basement to once again fire up those computers. Because I just watched a favorite scene from Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation for about the 20th time and feel the need to talk about it.

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RIP Jon Polito!

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Word on the street is that Mr. Polito succumbed to cancer today at age 65. You may not be familiar with the name, but Polito, with his compact build and unique voice, was a very talented and recognizable character actor. In terms of exposure, he’ll probably best be remembered for playing Det. Steve Crosetti in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street.

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Golden Ear: Taylor Hackford and the Art of Popular Songs in Cinematic Mediocrity

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robert-smith-cureNOTE: A slightly different version of this post first was published at FILMINQUIRY.COM, an independent film magazine.

As a person who came of age in the 1980s, I was lucky enough to witness some incredible cultural, societal and artistic developments. The fall of the Berlin Wall, for example. Chernobyl. The wedding of Charles and Diana. Feathered mullets. David Byrne‘s big suit. The “Velvet” Revolution. Cher‘s renaissance. Perestroika. “New” Coke. Pegged jeans. MTV before it sucked. The Soviet War in Afghanistan. Pac Man. The Sony Walkman. “Just Say No.” Madonna before she got old. The Cure before Robert Smith got fat.

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Hollywood and 9/11: An Uneasy Relationship

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NOTE: A slightly different version of this post first was published at FILMINQUIRY.COM, an independent film magazine.

Recently, I had the chance to tour the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City, which, as you can imagine, is quite a somber experience. Amid the thoughtfully presented exhibits, I started wondering about 9/11 as portrayed in film. Now, when I say “portrayed” I’m not talking tangentially, as when 9/11 is used to jumpstart plot (e.g., Zero Dark Thirty, Reign Over Me, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, to name but a few), but rather films that use the terrible events of that day as their plots.

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Forgotten Gem: Steven Soderbergh’s KING OF THE HILL

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NOTE: A slightly different version of this post first was published at FILMINQUIRY.COM, an independent film magazine.

Back in 1993, Steven Soderbergh, just off the disappointment that was his ambitious yet unloved second feature, Kafka, turned his attention to a property best described as a sure-thing, a money grab if you will: writer A. E. Hotchner’s despairing, yet uplifting, childhood memoir “King of the Hill”. Of course I jest.

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Father’s Day Spectacular!

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The Conflicted Film Snob shares a special bond with his father. In fact, the bond is so special, I’ve never lied to him. Ever. That’s 45+ years we’re talking. All because of the bond. If you’re not familiar with the power of such a filial bond, or even question it’s existence, I’d recommend the following clip. Who better to explain its power than Albert Brooks, in a scene from his 1991 comedy Defending Your Life…

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Four Sublime Weeks in 1994

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No, I’m not about to describe some long-ago fling so get your mind out of the gutter. Rather, I’m going to wax nostalgic about the incredibly fecund 28-day period in the fall of 1994 that saw the release of three terrific films, all personal favorites of The Conflicted Film Snob and, in his humble opinion, all still as vibrant, entertaining and relevant as they were—good Lord, could it really be?—22 years ago.

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Forgotten/Ignored Gems #4 – War Correspondent Edition

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Back on April 18, 1945, as the Battle of Okinawa raged in WWII’s Pacific Theatre, arguably the most beloved reporter in the field, Ernie Pyle, was felled by enemy fire. Nine years later, while covering the First Indochina War, photographer Robert Capa, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the man solely responsible for the only photos of D-Day’s first-wave landings, was killed by a landmine.

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