There's something depressing about a young couple helplessly in love. Their state is so perfect, it must be doomed. They project such qualities on their lover that only disappointment can follow.
Most of us do not consciously look at movies.
Sometimes miraculous films come into being, made by people you've never heard of, starring unknown faces, blindsiding you with creative genius.
I believe that young people wearing hoods, unless they are very young, can be frightening. What are they hiding? Why don't they want to come out into the light with the rest of us? They may be perfectly nice, but the hoods send an uncertain statement.
Why do alcoholics begin down the same hazardous road day after day? They are in search of that elusive window of well-being that opens when you drink your way out of a hangover and aren't yet drunk all over again. The alcoholic's day consists of trying to keep that window open.
Movies that encourage empathy are more effective than those that objectify problems.
Many thrillers follow such reliable formulas that you can look at what's happening and guess how much longer a film has to run.
It does seem true that a lot of people will do anything, however humiliating, for fame.
People never think of themselves as choosing to be politically correct. They simply think in the way that they do.
We think of first love as sweet and valuable, a blessed if hazardous condition.
Open-heart surgery is now part of a typical life experience for many people. Folks talk casually about 'having a stent put in,' as if they had their tires rotated.
' The Lucky One' is at its heart a romance novel, elevated however by Nicholas Sparks' persuasive storytelling. Readers don't read his books because they're true, but because they ought to be true.
'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' is without a doubt the best film we are ever likely to see on the subject - unless there is a sequel, which is unlikely, because at the end, the Lincolns are on their way to the theater.
James Cameron's films have always been distinguished by ground-breaking technical excellence.
Time is what the depressed and panicked lack.
Sometimes it's all about the casting.
We can't help identifying with the protagonist. It's coded in our movie-going DNA.
I do suspect my star ratings average too high. But, of course, star ratings are ridiculous. I'm stuck with them.
Well, you know what, I'm 60 years old, and I've been interested in politics since I was on my daddy's knee. During the 1948 election, we were praying for Truman. I know a lot about politics.
I'll tell you, I think that the Internet has provided an enormous boost to film criticism by giving people an opportunity to self publish or to find sites that are friendly.
