The MacGuffin

“We’ll always have Paris” – Rick Blaine

If there was a vote taken to choose only one film from the 20^th century to preserve for future generations to experience, my guess is that Casablanca (1942) would be that film.  It is so iconic, so memorable, so enjoyable to watch, that it’s no wonder that it is one of the most popular entertainments ever made.  The film has been copied and parodied so often that people know of it without ever seeing it.  The story of Rick, Ilsa, Victor Laszlo, and their love triangle is one of the most famous stories ever seen on screen; it is a representation of all that is great with the movies.

“Nothing in it happened, but it’s all true” – Francis Ford Coppola

Tetro is arguably the best film of 2009 that no one saw.  Brimming with passion, the emotions of the characters run strong, the pain runs deep, and the artistry is felt within every frame of the movie.  It unfolds slowly, allowing the tension to build almost unexpectedly to an unseen climax, it is like a slow burning match held in one’s fingertips a moment too long.  The film is about family, rivalry, and buried secrets, but above all, it is about a filmmaker returning to form, coming back from decades in the cinematic abyss.

Spencer and John travel to the Grand Illusion – one of the premiere independent cinemas in the United States – to learn about their upcoming fundraiser, discuss the career of Zack Snyder in advance of the release of The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, and close out with their DVD picks of the week.

What does it take to kill another person?  To take another person’s life, to be the one responsible to remove another person from existence forever, and to live with that guilt is something that is hard for any regular person to bear.  For a soldier, they are trained to specifically do this, to use deadly force to protect the freedoms of their fellow civilians.  How does one turn the switch on, to do the thing that we know is against everything our own humanity tells us not to do?  Even more importantly, how does one turn that switch off?

Devil: Could have been a claustrophobic mystery, but instead focuses on everyone except those stuck in an elevator with the devil. 4/10

Easy A, the new comedy from director Will Gluck and writer Bert V. Royal, tells of the sham and genuine misadventures of Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone), a teenage virgin who possesses two of the great qualities for movie main characters: a sardonic wit and a tendency to make bad choices.

The Town (2010) is a hot-blooded potboiler of a crime film.  It is a throwback to the crime movies of the 70s, where cops and robbers fought it out on the mean streets of the city.  In many ways, it’s a lot like a western, but instead of horses, you have cars, instead of saloons, you have sports bars, and instead of the O.K. Corral, you have Boston’s Fenway Park.   As a follow up to his superb directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone (2007), Ben Affleck shakes off any notion of a sophomore slump.  That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, as a director, Affleck is the real deal.

Brandi Sperry: The Virginity Hit, a comedy in limited release that hits Seattle today, tells the story of teenager Matt’s (Matt Bennett) quest to lose his virginity. It’s a tried-and-true trope for a reason, as the question of when and where to “do it” for the first time is one we all face. Here, indie filmmakers Andrew Gurland and Huck Botko attempt to put a new perspective on the genre by literally giving it a new perspective: that of Matt’s best friend Zack’s (Zack Pearlman) video camera.

Another MacGuffin Film Podcast Top 5′s segment. In honor of the release of Buried, Brandi and Allen share their top 5 films set in one place.

I have been absent from the MacGuffin site for quite a while now.  Part of this was due to starting school and having more of a busy life lately.  However, part of it was also due to the fact that I have been watching fewer movies and more TV shows lately.  I have fallen in love with the idea of the television show.  It allows you so much more time to get to know the characters and experience their lives.  With that in mind, I plan to write more reviews than I have been in the past, but they will primarily be television reviews, starting below with Skins.