Category Archives: Bright Wall Dark Room

The Dark Crystal (1982)

A piece I wrote for A Bright Wall in a Dark Room: Wherein being a Gelfling doppelgänger isn’t necessarily a bad thing When Chad asked if we’d be interested in writing about one of our favorite childhood movies, this one was kind of a no-brainer for a number of reasons. One reason is that I used [...]
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Amadeus (1984)

Originally posted on Filmosophy. Milos Forman’s Ma Non Troppo Vivace Although Amadeus isn’t ostensibly a holiday movie, I can’t seem to pass through this time of year without an urge to settle in with a hot chocolate and watch it.  I remember first seeing this film with my mother when I was very young at a small theater [...]
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Donnie Darko (2001)

Written for Filmosophy: SOMETIMES THE SEARCH IS ALL WE HAVE TO KEEP US GOING The experience of trying to decipher Donnie Darko is kind of like buying an old, dusty jigsaw puzzle at a yard sale and then trying to assemble it, only to realize that you may not have all the pieces to complete the picture, [...]
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Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in, 2008)

ARE YOU SO SURE THAT I WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND? A new piece I wrote for Filmosophy. Modern pop culture’s romanticism and vilification of vampires in fiction is primarily attributable to a 15th century Romanian Prince, Vlad III the Impaler, also known as Dracula. Bram Stoker’s famous novel, written in 1897, was inspired by Southern Slavic vampiric folklore [...]
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The Red Violin (1998)

A piece I wrote for Filmosophy: MADE WITH LOVE: The Secrets of the Red Violin by Jessie V. Finding the right violin can be a difficult thing. I imagine it’s a lot like choosing most other instruments for other kinds of musicians, because it serves as the conduit between your innermost self and the world. [...]
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Breaking the Waves (1996)

A piece I wrote for Filmosophy. SHE LOVED TOO MUCH by Jessie V. It took some time for me to muster up the courage to watch this film, based on what I’d heard about it.  Lars von Trier has never been known as a conventional writer or director, and Breaking the Waves is no exception. The [...]
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The Basketball Diaries (R.I.P. Jim Carroll)

A review I wrote for Filmosophy: Those Are People Who Died! Jimmy had a heart attack, he was 60 years old, Strung out for a while before he stopped cold, Then became a poet with some albums on the side, Jimmy, we’ll miss you man… Another icon who died! Real stories of individual decay always seem to make [...]
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Carol White reacts to her environment

A piece I wrote for Filmosophy: CAROL WHITE REACTS TO HER ENVIRONMENT I recently revisited Todd Haynes’ film Safe (1995), a film that has haunted me for some time, and was reminded of its relentless, though seemingly purposeful, ambiguity. It is a movie that defies accurate characterization overall: horror, satire, drama, metaphor, all seem to [...]
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