Words Seem Out Of Place

Fifteen years ago, writer-director Sofia Coppola's  Lost in Translation became a surprise hit, its particular melancholic spirit resonating deeply with far more people than Coppola ever imagined possible. After all, this was very much a personal film, forged out of her own loneliness and existential angst over feeling disconnected from everyone and everything in her life. Clearly, many of us could relate. Fifteen years on, many of us still do. On a few occasions on social media recently, I've noticed some viewers reassessing the film through the lens of contemporary understandings of historically cliched portrayals of relationships between older men and younger women in film. For some, the relationship between Bill Murray's Bob and Scarlett Johansson's Charlotte—mostly platonic beyond a few embraces and chaste kisses, but over the course of the movie it's obvious that each character is tempted to take things to the next level—has taken on a whole n...

“I don’t want to be made pacified or made comfortable. I like stuff that gets your adrenaline going.” “Everyone else seemed so much more normal. I began drawing in order to create my own universe. I still have a tendency to withdraw into my own world. Directing films requires communication with hundreds of people, and it has made me open up.” "Exactly, there are rest notes and there are flurries. You need rest moments where the camera is simply covering two people in an unbroken wide shot and you see the body language. It's a cinematic exhale. That's why we have punctuation. Peak experience only exists in relation to something that is not. It's all context." "I don't believe in censorship in any form." “Those of us who work in the arts know that depiction is not endorsement. If it was, no artist would be able to paint inhumane practices, no author could write about them, and no filmmaker could delve into the thorny subjects of our time...

Every Wednesday, social media reminds us to celebrate #WednesdayWisdom, #WednesdayMotivation, and #WomanCrushWednesday (or #WCW). When I think of all three, I think of one person first and foremost. I'll give you a second to think on it. Here's a hint: Oh, okay, I'll just tell you. Michelle Pfeiffer! Surprise! Life of late has been hectic, busy, stressful, overwhelming , exhausting, relentless , and even at times crushingly depressing. Thus, I've had less time or mental capacity for writing this month. In order to keep this place going, though (Because you demand it! I hope?), here's a little fresh content. It's light on text but heavy on visuals, and when then the visuals are Michelle Pfeiffer photos*, you really can't complain about that ratio. These are publicity shots of a young Ms. Pfeiffer from 1979. We're talking very early in her career, when she was guest starring on Fantasy Island  (I will write about those appearances one day,...

"All my life I've been tossed in the garbage, except when men wanted to use my body." "Do you like to ride, Elaine?" ***** Released two years ago this month, writer-director-editor-producer Anna Biller's 2016 indie sensation The Love Witch remains one of my favorite films in recent memory. The story is elegant in its simplicity: Elaine (Samantha Robinson) is our titular Love Witch, using what she refers to as "sex magic" and "love magic" to make men love her. She's a beautiful, and beautifully symbolic, metaphor for both the male gaze in cinema and men's innate fear of womanhood, as well as embodying societal linkages between women, love, and sorcery. The film understands how men have historically viewed women as they wish to see them—beings of pure fantasy, there to serve male desires. The Love Witch  spins that reality on its head in wildly entertaining and deliciously subversive ways. The men are mos...

La Notte , 1961. Mood. A pretty good visualization of life these days: everything's more challenging than it needs to be and I feel contorted into a pretzel for reasons beyond my control when all I really want to do is sit comfortably and enjoy a drink. I just need a minute to think, dammit. Those minutes are few and far between right now, though. So, posting may be lighter around here than it was in October. I do have one or two pieces in the hopper and almost ready to go. Keep your eyes out for those. Otherwise, poke around almost four years' worth of pop cultural and highly personal musings. You're sure to find something you might enjoy. For example, you like Michelle Pfeiffer? I got you covered. Before I let you go, if you're in the United States and registered to vote, please do so today. It's important. Thank you.