Category Archives: Cinema

Film Quote (Tarkovsky)

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Cliff Burns

“In cinema it is necessary not to explain, but to act upon the viewer’s feelings, and the emotion which is awoken is what provokes thought.” Andrei Tarkovsky

I hate comic book movies (d’you think it shows?)

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Cliff Burns

This movie sucks (and so do you) Whatever happened to scholarship, whatever happened to standards? Why are there no good, reliable movie critics these days? Where have you gone, Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris? We miss you Manny Farber and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, classic cinema, comic book movie, film, film review, movie, movie review, superhero movies | Tagged blockbusters, book excerpt, Cinema, film, film reviewers, I hate comic book movies, JJ Abrams, Joss Whedon, Mouth: Rants & Routines, movies, Rotten Tomatoes, superhero movies | 2 Comments

Best Films Watched in 2018

Posted on January 8, 2019 by Cliff Burns

Thanks to the irresistible temptations of Netflix and the unfortunate discovery of podcasts, I watched less than 100 movies in 2018, far below my usual tally. Ah, but in my defense, the proportion of good movies to bad ones was … Continue reading →

Posted in Academy Award, Best movies of the year, Cinema, classic cinema, cult film, Documentary, film, film review, foreign language film, movie, movie review | Tagged "Sorry to Bother You", Best Films of 2018, Boots Riley, Cinema, Favorite movies of 2018, films, Luis Bunuel, movies | Leave a comment

Censorship at the CBC

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Cliff Burns

Speaking of censorship…I responded to Eli Glasner’s choices as the “best” pictures of the year on CBC’s website and my comment was “disabled” because, apparently, the administrators thought I was too mean for pointing out that Eli’s pick for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Best movies of the year, Cinema, classic cinema, film, film review, movie, movie review | Tagged Best Films of 2018, Best movies of 2018, censorship, Cinema, film, film scholarship, movie review | 2 Comments

Val Lewton: A Master of Suspense

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Cliff Burns

I have to give a plug to the folks at The Secret History of Hollywood. I’ve spent the last couple of days listening to podcasts of their comprehensive, 6-part documentary on the life and career of an under-appreciated cinematic genius, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, classic cinema, cult film, film, horror movie, movie, Orson Welles, Val Lewton | Tagged Cat People, classic cult films, horror movies, I Walked With A Zombie, Jacques Tourneur, RKO Pictures, Val Lewton | Leave a comment

Best Movies of 2017

Posted on January 4, 2018 by Cliff Burns

For the second year in a row I managed to watch over one hundred movies in 2017. Here is a roster of my favorite cinematic experiences of the past year: “I, Daniel Blake” (Directed by Ken Loach) “Dogtooth” (Directed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Best movies of the year, Cinema, classic cinema, Documentary, film, film review, foreign language film, movie, movie review | Tagged Andrei Tarkovsky, best films of 2017, best movies of 2017, Cinema, film, Ken Loach, movies | Leave a comment

Silver Saucers & Bug-Eyed Monsters

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Cliff Burns

Keep Watching the Skies: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties (21st Century Edition) by Bill Warren (Introduced by Howard Waldrop) McFarland & Company Inc., Publishers (2010) A thoroughly remarkable tome. At once an invaluable, nay, exhaustive resource and a … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Cinema, classic cinema, cult film, film, movie, science fiction film | Tagged Bill Warren, book review, classic science fiction films, cult films, Howard Waldrop, Keep Watching the Skies | Leave a comment

Film quote

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Cliff Burns

“Could it be that some film directors (like Hitchcock), if they are to gaze with such longing, are safer and freer if they don’t ask too much about their own motives? Is it possible that a similar liberating restraint applies … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, classic cinema, film, movie | Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Cinema, David Thomson, film, film quote, movie quote, movies, The Big Screen | Leave a comment

“Kedi” (Turkey; 2016)

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Cliff Burns

“Kedi” (Documentary; 79 minutes) Director and Producer: Ceyda Torun My wife and I spent ten days in Istanbul during the summer of 2016. Despite arriving only a short time after an attempted coup, we found the atmosphere of the ancient city … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, Documentary, film, film review, foreign language film, movie, movie review | Tagged "Kedi", cats of Istanbul, Ceyda Torun, Charlie Wuppermann, film, Istanbul, movie, movie about cats, Turkey, Turkish cinema | Leave a comment

Best Movies of 2016: An Eclectic Roster

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Cliff Burns

I managed to squeeze in over 100 films in 2016. A good mix of foreign and domestic releases (those looking for blockbusters, comic book flicks and eye candy should search elsewhere). Here’s my list of favourites: “High Rise” (Director: Ben … Continue reading →

Posted in Academy Award, Best movies of the year, Cinema, classic cinema, cult film, Czech New Wave, Documentary, film, foreign language film, movie | Tagged Ben Wheatley, Best films of 2016, best movies of 2016, Cinema, Czech New Wave, David Lynch, film, Jeff Nichols, movies, The Wolfpack | Leave a comment