Pan Left Productions

A few days ago I blogged about the film Avatar and how it reinforced gender stereotypes and dominant ideas about body images. I also saw this week a very different sort of film, one that I was pleased to see presented a much more realistic and healthy idea of what female bodies can be like, in addition to a more realistic vision of male/female relationships..  This sort of thing is so rare in the film world that I just have to mention it.

read more at Steev's blog

I was unsure, for several weeks, whether I wanted to go see the film "Avatar."  The concept was interesting, but given that it was James Cameron directing, and something like the most expensive film ever made, I was expecting it would have problems.  Not to mention that action movies appeal less and less to me these days, mainly because the cinematography for them, in general, has been steadily ramping up to a level of intensity that way too much for my nervous sys

Lately I've been stacking up the rental list, soaking my eyes in cinema with the wife, or with friends, or solo. And occasionally I'll come across some movies that I think got a bad rap. Of course most people will probably think I'm crazy, cuz the critics got they're fangs in them and they never had a real shot. But remember, 2001:A Space Odyssey was a critical disaster. So for fun I'm putting out my top 5 flix I've seen in the last couple years that we're condemned by the movie rags and critics. They're ranked by most personal surprising. Keep an open mind and give em a shot.

Dear Movie Diary,

It has been a little while since I last wrote. I went to the theater last week to see the best rated films that will probably be up for Oscars. I first went to www.rottentomatoes.com to see what were the highest rated films at the El Con theater. I picked NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and JUNO. I wondered if all the hype would make me feel dissapointed about the movies, and it did. And then again, maybe I was just in a funny mood.

Dear Movie Diary,

In light of my new sensitivity, I got 3 comedies on my video plan for this weekend. Last night I started watching THE SOLOMON BROTHERS and had to stop it 1/4 way through because it was just not funny. End of story!

Dear Movie Diary,

Inland Empire, the latest movie from director, David Lynch, has had a surprising effect on me. I confess, I have not been much of a Lynch fan in the past. I'm not familiar with most of his work. My experience has been limited to Blue Velvet (ok, but not great for me, people may cringe) and Wild at Heart (i liked better, go figure).