Category Archives: Film

"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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"Prometheus" at a Cinema in Santa Fe, An Experience in Intensity

Posted on June 16, 2012 by williamjcobb

So while I was in Santa Fe I caught Ridley Scott’s prequel to Alien (1979), the flashy and eye-catching Prometheus, which is certainly trippy, even if it doesn’t all add up. I guess if I were rating it as such, … Continue reading →

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John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces" Finally to be Filmed, With Zach Galifianakis playing the Inimitable Ignatius Reilly

Posted on May 31, 2012 by williamjcobb

So one of the funniest American novels EVER is about to (finally) make it into a film version (in which Hollywood will no doubt muck it up, but so it goes): John Kennedy Toole’s (infamous) A Confederacy of Dunces (1980), … Continue reading →

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Pete Dexter's Great Novel "The Paperboy" Now Coming Out as a Film, Starring Nicole Kidman, No Less, As a Skanky Prison Wife

Posted on April 23, 2012 by williamjcobb

So I just stumbled across this little gem of good news: Pete Dexter’s knockout novel The Paperboy (1995) has been made into a film, which is about to be shown at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, starring Nicole Kidman, among … Continue reading →

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James Cameron's Metaphor of Climate Change as the 21st Century Iceberg to Our Big Oil Titanic, Plus a Shout-out to E.O. Wilson's new book "The Social Conquest of Earth" and the Coen Brothers classic "Barton Fink"

Posted on April 21, 2012 by williamjcobb

So I’m not exactly a huge fan of James Cameron films, full of over-the-top razzle-dazzle, some great images (such as the Titanic sinking, rising into the air and all the unfortunate passengers plummeting into the water) but enough bad melodrama … Continue reading →

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Review of Noah Hawley's "The Good Father" in the Dallas Morning News

Posted on March 29, 2012 by williamjcobb

So here’s my review of Noah Hawley’s new novel, The Good Father, published Sunday in the Dallas Morning News (click the hyperlink ‘review’). I liked the novel, even if it’s ultimately a downer story, of a father searching for the … Continue reading →

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Further Reflections on Scenes Cut From the Film Version of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," Or Films You Wish You Had Seen, and Some You Wish You Had Not

Posted on March 26, 2012 by williamjcobb

So being a diehard Cormac McCarthy fan (and more than just a little bit suspicious), I feel the hand of God or Fate or Providence in the fact that one of my students this semester was an actor (Baby Eater … Continue reading →

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On the Documentary "Gasland": a Real-Life Horror Film

Posted on March 14, 2012 by williamjcobb

So I see plenty of movies that I don’t say a word about, either because they’re too familiar to bother commenting about (Bridesmaids maybe) or because they’re not worth a comment (The A-Team, anyone?), but for a while I’ve heard … Continue reading →

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"Cave of Forgotten Dreams" Now on Netflix, as well as "Atrocious"

Posted on January 31, 2012 by williamjcobb

So although the (dubious, limited) charm of Netflix streaming wore off long ago, I do sometimes find something interesting there if I troll enough, and there are two new films I recommend:  Werner Herzog’s remarkable documentary about 32,000 year-old-cave art, Cave … Continue reading →

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