Weekend Reel Reads: The Wachowskis’ Journey and Critical Idols: Among the longer online reads from the world of film include a New Yorker profile of the duo behind “The Matrix” and the origins of “Cloud Atlas,” as well as an appreciation of the work of Ellen Willis.
The Criticwire Survey: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Best Film: Lots of love here for “There Will Be Blood,” “Magnolia,” and “Boogie Nights,” but every one of his films is represented somewhere on the list.
Surprise! ‘The Master’ Tops Our End-of-Venice Poll: Anderson’s latest film drew critical acclaim not only for the film overall, but its three central performances.
‘Cloud Atlas’ Toronto Reviews Clouded by Critical Doubts: The latest ensemble cacophony has its supporters in Toronto, but those seem to be outshone by lavish pans.
A Scene From ‘Boogie Nights’ Explains Why You Should See ‘The Master’ in 70mm: The Jack Horner/Floyd Gondolli exchange not only explains why film’s good for pornographers, but it may shed light on Anderson’s personal convictions in the film/digital debate.
‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,’ is One For the Time Capsule: With its penchant for violence, sequels, men and lack of consequences, “SHAGS” has it all (to make it a perfect placeholder for modern studio moviemaking).
The Theme That Connects All of Paul Thomas Anderson Movies: Whether it features an explicit commercial or merely carries themes of persuasive performances, salesmanship seems to flow through the director’s filmography.
Criticwire at the Toronto International Film Festival: At the Halfway Point What’s a Hit and What’s a Miss? After a few days of press screenings and initial feedback, we took a look at what was succeeding and what seemed not as likely to take off.
Criticwire Picks: After the Obvious, It’s ‘Liberal Arts’: There’s that one movie coming out this week, but aside from that, Josh Radnor’s latest has also seen its share of good reviews.
From the Wire: A Lost Video Store, Found: Karina Longworth’s recent piece on the fate of Kim’s Video’s long-lost inventory is fascinating, and former employee Matt has some personal anecdotes to add to those recollections.
Punch-Drunk Taxi Driver: The films don’t line up perfectly, but there’s a bit of Travis Bickle’s internal struggle in Barry Egan.
‘Silver Linings Playbook’ Draws Up Impressive Reviews at Toronto: David O. Russell’s latest film is drawing the kind of attention that suggests its success goes beyond the potential limitations of its trailer.
Film Society of Lincoln Center Installs Two Critics as Directors of Programming: Both the festival and the general, year-round management of the Film Society will now be handled by two men (Robert Koehler and Kent Jones) with extensive backgrounds in criticism.
Marc Maron Briefly Reviews ‘This is 40’ on WTF: The podcast maven had a chance to catch a private screening of Judd Apatow’s latest film. His remarks aren’t extensive, but they’re a first indication of what we might be able to expect.
VODetails: ‘Arbitrage’: Are some of Richard Gere’s strongest notices in years enough to merit spending your hard-earned VODollars?
Are We Finally Ready to Admit That ‘I’m Still Here’ Is Awesome? With Joaquin Phoenix returning to “real acting” again, maybe it’s time to reconsider the creative merits of the project that kept him away from the screen for so long.
Chart the Evolution of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Career In a Decade of ‘Charlie Rose’ Interviews: Besides catching a glimpse of the filmmaking pre- and post-giant spectacle phase, Anderson’s talks with the public television host present an intriguing through line.
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