All posts by Zan »

Thank You for Smoking (2005) Movie Review

Thank You for Smoking (2005) Movie Review

Zan November 7, 2006

Personally, I am an enthusiast of satirical films which don’t necessarily condemn the subject of the satire. Of course, it’s all up to the subjective perceptions of the viewer, but a film like “Thank...

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The Departed (2006) Movie Review

The Departed (2006) Movie Review

Zan October 17, 2006

“The departed…what was their name?” asks Sergeant Collin Sullivan (Matt Damon) about a gruesome photo of a recently deceased mobster. That’s what “The Departed”, Martin Scorsese’s interminable bloodbath of a film, is all about:...

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Bukowski: Born Into This (2003) Movie Review

Bukowski: Born Into This (2003) Movie Review

Zan October 2, 2006

Unlike documentaries on musicians and even visual artists, docs focused on major literary figures are far and few in between. Of course, there are the obligatory A&E spotlights on Mark Twain and Shakespeare, but...

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LoveCracked: The Movie (2006) Movie Review

LoveCracked: The Movie (2006) Movie Review

Zan September 12, 2006

Sometimes, ideas are birthed that are sound, insightful, and even mature, but when implemented in the physical world they deflate like a sulky blow-up doll. Asking your girlfriend to have a threesome, for instance....

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Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic (2005) Movie Review

Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic (2005) Movie Review

Zan August 25, 2006

It really pays to be born a woman with a genotype predestined for phenotypic cuteness; that is, if you are misfortunate enough to have to be born at all. What can’t they get away...

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Footsteps (2006) Movie Review

Footsteps (2006) Movie Review

Zan August 1, 2006

I am not certain about the cultural prevalence of snuff films in countries outside the U.S. , but I am rather certain that, even in this debauched land, snuff remains a seedy underground taboo...

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The Da Vinci Code (2006) Movie Review

The Da Vinci Code (2006) Movie Review

Zan July 16, 2006

If you look at the sheer numbers of it, you might think to yourself, “Why would anyone need to write a review about a movie which is about a book which sold over 40...

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Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man (2005) Movie Review

Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man (2005) Movie Review

Zan July 2, 2006

Nothing gets me more hype than finding out that a musician I am a fan of is really as fucking weird as I imagined them to be. For instance, Prince. Now, if you’re a...

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Brothers of the Head (2005) Movie Review

Brothers of the Head (2005) Movie Review

Zan June 22, 2006

In no way do I wish to encourage film makers, or film goers, to indulge in any more “mockumentaries”. “Spinal Tap” is an inanely brilliant comedy, but beyond that, all the fake interviews where...

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Munich (2005) Movie Review

Munich (2005) Movie Review

Zan June 11, 2006

On the heels of the international Tom Cruise cash cow “War of the Worlds”, uber director Steven Spielberg blessed the world with ” Munich “, a film of the quality and depth one would...

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Brokeback Mountain (2005) Movie Review

Brokeback Mountain (2005) Movie Review

Zan May 24, 2006

So yea, this one was a little late coming, but its coming was inevitable. For me personally, buying into the media/word of mouth propaganda barrage surrounding the release of last year’s ” Brokeback Mountain...

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Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) Movie Review

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) Movie Review

Zan May 16, 2006

It is a rare and triumphant occurrence when a film, especially one categorized into the genre of Action/Comedy, makes you say, “That is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year”. Or last...

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Coming Attractions: The Movie (2006) Movie Review

Coming Attractions: The Movie (2006) Movie Review

Zan April 26, 2006

Only in Hollywood would you see gorgeous women, aspiring to be something, showing off their slinky bulimic figures at a screening for a film the likes of “Coming Attractions”. Ah, the sycophants never miss...

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Family (2006) Movie Review

Family (2006) Movie Review

Zan April 19, 2006

The straight to DVD genre of films has never appealed much to my appetite for cinematic intake. Not like every film that makes it to theatres is a masterpiece, but most of the time...

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Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004) Movie Review

Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004) Movie Review

Zan April 9, 2006

As a musician, I truly savor films which are made in effigy, in historical retrospect or just in plain celebration of the lives and artwork of other, considerably better known musicians. And the musician...

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The Future of Food (2004) Movie Review

The Future of Food (2004) Movie Review

Zan April 2, 2006

Besides all of the generous plants who give us oxygen, photosynthesis which makes that possible, and the 99.5% reliability of the TV turning on everyday if our cable bills have been paid, there is...

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The Libertine (2004) Movie Review

The Libertine (2004) Movie Review

Zan March 23, 2006

When I first saw commercials for “The Libertine”, not only the title, but the way Johnny Depp looked made me think of a cheesy metal band that I secretly enjoy called Cradle of Filth,...

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Hostel (2005) Movie Review

Hostel (2005) Movie Review

Zan March 17, 2006

Creative advances in the use of gore, a plethora of perky breasts and entrepreneurial spirit gone horribly wrong all intermesh to form “Hostel”, the backpacking sophomore effort from writer/director Eli Roth (“Cabin Fever”). In...

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