Word: blankly
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Faye Dunaway literally withers away before the camera's eye, becoming merely a living mask of death by the story's conclusion. It's a touching performance, but one wonders if an actress of Dunaway's magnitude is required to deliver it. Daniel Blank (David Dukes), the killer who strikes concurrent with her periods of medical crisis, suffers periodic fits that make him prowl the city, striking down victims with a particularly vicious mountain climber's icepick. Yet here too is caricature--the screenplay never sufficiently explains the root of his troubles, nor why he feels compelled to shave...
...distortion of basic democratic principles. The Junta rejected the idea that alternative constitutional proposals appear on the ballot. The government required that every Chilean over 18 vote; if not, they would be imprisoned. There were no voter registration lists. If a person left his or her ballot blank, it was counted as a pro-government vote. Finally, all votes were counted by The Junta in secret with no independent observers allowed. This so-called election was severely criticized by Eduardo Frei, former Chilean president, the Chilean Catholic Church, Sen. Edward Kennedy, and by 40 U.S. congressmen led by Tom Harkin...
...goalkeeper Phil Coogan and center fullback Bob Kloepper, the Harvard defense posed their second shutout of the season. Coogan had an excellent game, making several point-blank saves on Prep breakaways...
Ordinary People is based on the Judith Guest novel of the same name, the message of which, according to people I know who have read it, is that it's never anyone's fault; and for "it," fill in the blank. A variation on "Guilt is not a constructive emotion," it would seem to work well in therapy, or as well as anything else, and on this level it should be appreciated. It is not the stuff of art. Among other things, life is a little more complicated than that, and one of the complications is that our existence itself...
Much about Stardust Memories, even the ugliness, is beautiful. Having passed through his Brown period (Interiors), Allen emerges in his Black & White period as a spectacular director who masterfully designs long takes and exciting compositions. He enjoys the metaphorical blank screeen, toys with soundtrack blasts and whispers with the control of a superb cinematic technician. One shot, a wide landscape that turns Allen's dancing silhouette into a contemporary fiddler on the roof, is absolutely gorgeous. Allen's expert eye and ear are matched by the steady hand of Gordon Willis (who shot Manhattan) behind the camera...