Author Archives: Bill Wren

Predator and prey and packs in Collateral

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Bill Wren

This movie is filled with fascinating imagery as Michael Mann presents a nocturnal vision of the city that is dark and threatening. It also has a key image, the coyote, that I think many people misremember. If you look at … Read more →

Posted in Crime, Drama | Leave a comment

The tall tale of The Mexican

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Bill Wren

Call it a tall tale, a shaggy dog story or any of the other variations, this is a movie that uses exaggeration and fable to tell a story that centres around another romantic tall tale. And it works much better … Read more →

Posted in adventure, Comedy | Leave a comment

Pralines and cream: Legally Blonde

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Bill Wren

Maybe the reason I like this movie so much is because when I first encountered it I was sure I would absolutely hate it. It is such a piece of candy. It is such a piece of Hollywood fluff. It … Read more →

Posted in Comedy | Leave a comment

Hypocritical and disturbing: They Won’t Forget

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Bill Wren

I’m usually more forgiving of the sins of older movies as I try to keep in mind the periods they were made and the attitudes and mindsets of the day. But the subject They Won’t Forget takes on and how … Read more →

Posted in Drama | Leave a comment

Who was Lawrence of Arabia?

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Bill Wren

Lawrence of Arabia is the Icarus myth. A hero starts out at neither the bottom nor top but somewhere around the middle, perhaps a bit lower than that, then ascends. But he gets too close to the sun and falls. … Read more →

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The Male Animal is one peculiar movie

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Bill Wren

Relationships, sex, communists and, somewhere off camera ,World War II — The Male Animal from 1942 is a curious film to say the least. It comes with some pretty impressive credentials, however, including its stars as well as its origins: … Read more →

Posted in Comedy | Leave a comment

Things missed: Elwy Yost (1925 – 2011)

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Bill Wren

I remember Elwy Yost quite vividly. I’m pretty sure he’s the only thing I ever watched on TVO with his Saturday Night at the Movies (1974 – 1999). I always thought he was too much of a nerd. He had … Read more →

Posted in Movies | 3 Comments