Category Archives: Film

"The Hunt" Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love a Bomb

Posted on April 4, 2020 by williamjcobb

So we all heard the hoopla about the notorious “anti-liberal” film The Hunt back in the Fall, causing its debut to be delayed, but it’s out now and it’s a hoot. First let me admit to being roughly in the … Continue reading →

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"Underwater" movie review: You think you got a big monster?

Posted on April 2, 2020 by williamjcobb

So in this time of virus lockdown and pandemic horror, let’s imagine creatures that don’t exist and have some scary fun! Or that seems to be the thinking of whoever made the new Kristen Stewart film, Underwater. It’s like Alien … Continue reading →

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Monsters Within & Without the Bunker: On "10 Cloverfield Lane," Which High-Fives "The Revenant," With a Nod to the Original "Cloverfield"

Posted on March 18, 2016 by williamjcobb

So I was amused by the original Cloverfield (2008), with its cool poster of the Statue of Liberty and tagline: Some Thing Has Found Us. It’s no great film or anything—kind of a Heineken ad spliced with (the film version … Continue reading →

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On Alexander Payne's "Nebraska" & a Christmas Without the Internet

Posted on January 14, 2014 by williamjcobb

So I happened to see the awesome/sad/hilarious film Nebraska, another classic by Alexander Payne, at a swanky art house theater (the Plaza Frontenac) in St. Louis before Christmas, but was unable to post anything about it, as I left the … Continue reading →

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My Review of Jim Harrison's "Brown Dog" in the Dallas Morning News

Posted on January 12, 2014 by williamjcobb

So I’ve been woefully out-of-touch with my blog, my misbegotten red-headed stepchild (with apologies to all ginger stepchildren in the world), but I haven’t been woefully out-of-touch with reading & living, which should always trump blogging. My review of Jim … Continue reading →

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"The Place Beyond the Pines": True Grit or Truly Gritty, With a Nod to Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Posted on May 6, 2013 by williamjcobb

So last night I caught the new Derek Cianfrance film The Place Beyond the Pines in St. Louis, once-great Gateway to the West, though the film should more fittingly be seen at a small cinema in New Paltz, New York, … Continue reading →

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Review of "Oz: The Great and Powerful," Plus "The Paperboy" Meets "The Master"

Posted on March 10, 2013 by williamjcobb

So last night I stumbled into the new James Franco/Mila Kunis special effects love-a-thon Oz: the Great and Powerful, and could easily do one of those catty, snarky Hollywood send-ups that go, “It was like The Princess Bride meets The … Continue reading →

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"Django Unchained": Cloudy With a Chance of Spaghetti Western & Meatballs

Posted on January 12, 2013 by williamjcobb

So I saw Tarantino’s Django Unchained yesterday—out of curiosity, not out of a being any huge Tarantino fan. (At their best, as in Pulp Fiction, Tarantino’s films are clever and zingy, and at worst—that unwatchable B-movie Grindhouse he made with … Continue reading →

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"The Evil Dead" as Seminal Precursor to "Cabin in the Woods," With a Remake in the Works for Next Year

Posted on December 12, 2012 by williamjcobb

So although I’m a fan of last year’s witty (and sometimes gory) film Cabin in the Woods, I’ve been reluctant to say anything about it, as it’s one you don’t want to spoil for those who have yet to see … Continue reading →

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A Tom Cruise Story That You Won't See on Entertainment Tonight

Posted on July 14, 2012 by williamjcobb

So what I find irritating about our celebrity-obsessed culture is that we adore our movie stars, then want to tear them down and make them out to be monsters, as if from some elaborate (and national) You Think You’re Better … Continue reading →

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