The framing, the quirky characters, the details, the whipsmart dialogue and its delivery. Every time I watch a Wes Anderson film that one becomes my new favourite until I watch another one. I love how he tells his stories, how his characters interact, and all the little moments, styles, and touches that make a Wes…
Tag: bob balaban
Isle of Dogs (2018) – Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson delivers another highly-enjoyable stop-motion animated feature with Isle of Dogs. He penned the script from a story he developed with Jason Schwartzman, Kunichi Nomura, and Roman Coppola. Set in a not-so-distant future in Japan, the story follows young Atari (Koyu Rankin) who travels to an island to seek out his missing canine, Spots…
Altered States (1980) – Ken Russell
William Hurt is on the search for the purest truth, and that, in this case, places him squarely in the mad scientist chapter of DK Canada’s very enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book. Eddie Jessup (Hurt) is a scientist seeking the ultimate truth, and finds himself experimenting with isolation chambers and a ritualistic, possibly hallucinogenic…
Miami Vice (1986) – Stone’s War, and Killshot
Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Micheal Thomas) get caught up with journalist Ira Stone (Bob Balaban) again, when the reporter shows up in the aptly titled Stone’s War. Written and directed by David Jackson, the episode first debuted on 3 October, 1986. Stone comes to Crockett in Miami when he finally has…
Miami Vice (1985) – Back in the World, and Phil the Shill
Detective Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson who also serves as director of this episode) recalls his time in Vietnam, when an old friend, Stone (Bob Balaban) resurfaces with a story about some heroin that made it out of Saigon and is now resurfacing in Miami. Back in the World was written by Terry McDonnell and first…
2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984) – Peter Hyams
We dive into the cinematic universe of Arthur C. Clarke with this next film. I’d previously written about 2001: A Space Odyssey here, so I could jump right ahead to its sequel, 2010: The Year We Make Contact. This was my first introduction, film-wise into the worlds Arthur C. Clarke had created. I’d previously…
Trailer Tracks: 2010 – The Year We Make Contact (1984) – Peter Hyams
It’s difficult to follow in the steps of a master, especially one like Kubrick, but this sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, based on Arthur C. Clarke’s fantastic novels, bravely tried to do that. Some of it works, some of it doesnt, some of the effects look horrid when compared to the older original film,…
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) – Steven Spielberg
The further along we get into the 101 Sci-Fi Movies list the more films I’ve seen, and this one is one of my faves. Spielberg’s UFO classic, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I’ve always found the idea of UFOs and visitors endlessly fascinating. I remember laying out on the sports field at CFS Daniel’s Head…
The Mind Reels 