Christopher Llewellyn Reed's Blog, page 65
January 16, 2016
“Hammer to Nail” Triptych: “The Look of Silence,” “Creep” and “The Overnight”
This was a big media week for me, with a new Dragon Digital Media Reel Talk episode, another Baltimore Sun “Roughly Speaking” podcast, and two new pieces (on three movies) on Hammer to Nail. Check them out: The Look of Silence is one; a double-shot of Patrick Brice, about Creep and The Overnight, is the other. Enjoy!
January 15, 2016
“Roughly Speaking” on the 2016 Oscar Nominations
Today, Linda DeLibero – Director, Film and Media Studies, Johns Hopkins University – and Christopher Llewellyn Reed (that’s me) – Chair and Professor, Department of Film & Moving Image, Stevenson University – joined Dan Rodricks on his Baltimore Sun podcast, “Roughly Speaking,” where we discussed the just-announced 2016 Oscar nominations, giving our opinion on what we agreed with and what we didn’t (here are my own […]
“Reel Talk” – with Chris Reed and Ann Hornaday – on “Anomalisa,” “The Hateful Eight,” “The Revenant” and the Best Films of 2015
Welcome to the third episode of the 2015-2016 season of Dragon Digital Media‘s Reel Talk with Christopher Llewellyn Reed . My guest this time was Ann Hornaday, film critic for The Washington Post. We reviewed three films, as usual – Anomalisa, The Hateful Eight and The Revenant – and added an additional segment where we discussed the best films of 2015 (or, at the very least, our personal favorites – […]
“Anomalisa” Is Typical Kaufman, for (Mostly) Better and for Worse
Anomalisa (Duke Johnson/Charlie Kaufman, 2015) As a screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman has been responsible for some of the most inventive scripts of the past two decades, starting with Being John Malkovich, in 1999, and continuing through such superior examples as Adaptation. (the period is in the title) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in the early aughts, to name my favorites. Then, […]
January 10, 2016
Mr. Reed’s Metaphysical Neighborhood Presents the Best Technical and Artistic Film Work of 2015
This coming week – on Thursday, January 14, in fact – the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce its 2016 Oscar nominations. Before that happens, I would like to finish with my annual “best of” lists: I already posted my “best film” and “best acting” lists, so today’s post – about the (often) unsung artists and craftspeople […]
January 9, 2016
“Roughly Speaking” on Tarantino and González Iñárritu; “Hammer to Nail” on Bagnall
On yesterday’s edition of Dan Rodricks‘ Baltimore Sun “Roughly Speaking” podcast, we discussed the two new (ultra-violent) Westerns out this week: Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant. Here is the link. I come on just shy of 40 minutes. You can subscribe to receive these podcasts automatically (instructions at the bottom of the link’s page). Enjoy! Also this past […]
January 8, 2016
“The Revenant” Offers Much Ado About Pain
The Revenant (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2015) The Revenant, based on Michael Punke’s true-life novel of the same name, is the latest film of human torment from (now, Oscar-winning) director Alejandro González Iñárritu. Ever since his marvelous turn-of-the-millennium feature debut, Amores Perros, González Iñárritu has specialized in visually stark and emotionally baroque epics of pain and suffering, some of which achieve […]
January 5, 2016
Mr. Reed’s Metaphysical Neighborhood Presents the Best Film Acting of 2015
Here are what I consider the best acting in films released in 2015. Four days ago, I published my list of best (and worst) films of the year, and most actors in most of those films turned in admirable performances. The same goes with directors. I see no need to publish a separate “best directors” list, since […]
January 4, 2016
“The Hateful Eight” Offers Two Halves: One Brilliant; the Other a Bloody, Silly Mess
The Hateful Eight (Quentin Tarantino, 2015) Writer/director Quentin Tarantino – since his debut, Reservoir Dogs, one of the United States’ noted auteurs – released his eighth feature, The Hateful Eight (or “The H8ful Eight,” as it is also known) for a “70mm Roadshow” on December 25, 2015. It opens in Baltimore in wide (non-70mm) release on Friday, January 8, 2016. I […]
January 1, 2016
Mr. Reed’s Metaphysical Neighborhood Presents the Best and Worst Films of 2015
[For an explanation of my blog post title, check out my “best of” list from 2013.] So here we go … below you will find a number of lists, including: my top two favorite films of the year; my next 9 favorites; my next 9 favorites after that, for a total of 20 best films of the […]
