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New Digs, Same Content
Due to the demise of Typepad, Lessons of Darkness has migrated to WordPress. While that means hyperlinks around the web won’t work anymore (ugh), the site’s content remains. So enjoy!
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Been a Long Time
Five years later, a new post! Alas, it's just a quick note to say that, while I no longer have time to maintain or update this blog, I'll be keeping it online for the foreseeable future – thereby preserving the many blog-specific reviews I wrote for it, as well as the alphabetical review archive of…
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The Master (2012): A-
A taut, unnerving thematic follow-up to There Will Be Blood as well as the work of Stanley Kubrick, Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master investigates the line between bestiality and civility through the 1950 story of Naval veteran Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) and his burgeoning relationship with new age guru Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman). With…
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Take Shelter (2011): B+
A mood of ominous psychotic dread and two finely calibrated performances successfully compensate for a slight final misstep in Take Shelter. Likely destined to be compared to Melancholia, another tale in which internal chaos threatens to manifest itself in apocalyptic external ways, Jeff Nichols’ superbly controlled film concentrates on Curtis (Michael Shannon), a construction worker…
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Longest. Roundup. Ever.
Why even bother with the chitchat? Here are reviews from the past three months: The Village Voice:Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (Village Voice)Scheherazade, Tell Me A Story (Village Voice)The Smurfs (Village Voice)The Perfect Age of Rock 'N' Roll (Village Voice)Gun Hill Road (Village Voice)Golf in the Kingdom (Village Voice)Fire in Babylon (Village Voice)Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Village Voice)Zookeeper (Village…
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Summertime Reviews
The summer movie season is in full bloom, which means it's time for another new review round-up. This one's a doozy, and includes my thoughts on Terrence Malick's latest masterpiece. Slant magazine:The Tree of Life (The House Next Door)Priest (Slant magazine)Brother's Justice (Slant magazine)Bridesmaids (Slant magazine)Something Borrowed (Slant magazine)Everything Must Go (Slant magazine)The High Cost…
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Scream 3 (2000): C-
Ghostface once again returns to kill Sidney (Neve Campbell) in Scream 3, but it’s the audience who truly suffers from this wretchedly unfocused, unscary third installment in the Wes Craven-Kevin Williamson meta-horror series. This time penned by Ehren Kruger (from a Williamson treatment), the film feebly attempts to keep its self-referentiality high by setting the…
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The Monthly Avalanche
My last link collection covered more than two months' worth of work, while this one covers only one – progress! The Village Voice:Rio (Village Voice)Footprints (Village Voice)Born to Be Wild 3D (Village Voice)They're Out of the Business (Village Voice)Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer (Village Voice)Hop (Village Voice)Mia and the Magoo (Village Voice)Limitless (Village Voice)Korkoro (Village…
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Final 2010 Round-Up
As this post's title makes clear, here are the last of my 2010 reviews (not counting some blog reviews that'll appear here shortly). On to 2011! Out Now:True Grit (Slant magazine)Little Fockers (Slant magazine)Summer Wars (Time Out New York)
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Almost There
Since my last few reviews of 2010 have yet to be published, this link collection is the second-to-last of the year; my final round-up, which will include thoughts on True Grit and Little Fockers, should arrive next week. Out Now:The Fighter (Slant magazine)TRON: Legacy (Slant magazine)The Tourist (Slant magazine)Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (Slant magazine)Barney's…
