Michael Mann
Over the course of the eight feature films he has directed since 1979, Michael Mann has shown himself, time and again, to be a rigorous, honest dramatist, a maker of solid worlds. So much so that in America, at least, he tends to be underrated. The most respectful of his critics often define him (a bit too simply) as a “realist.” Certainly, whether the subject is thievery (The Jericho Mile, Thief, Heat), killers (Manhunter, Collateral), frontier life (The Last of the Mohicans), the nuanced struggle between the news media and corporate money (The Insider), or that of a celebrated athlete looking to find his life’s meaning in a world of bigotry (Ali), Mann seeks authenticity above all. Whatever suspense, entertainment value, and emotional or philosophical insight his work may yield rises from a truthfully imagined, painstakingly observed set of human beings and their warring intentions. This book explores Mann’s multifaceted oeuvre, including his most recent film, Miami Vice.
0 comments Monday 02 Oct 2006 9:57 pm | Paul | Books
With some of the most powerful and beautifully shot films ever committed to screen, this superlative collection includes 5 of the most important films in the history of cinema.
Much praised and much missed after its premature cancellation, Firefly was the first SF TV series to be conceived by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy and cocreator of Angel. Set five centuries in the future, it is a show where the mysterious personal pasts of the crew of the tramp spaceship Serenity continually surface. In fact, it’s a Western in space where the losers in a Civil War are heading out to a barren frontier. Mal Reynolds is a man embittered by the war, yet whose love of his comrades perpetually dents his cynicism - even in the 14 episodes that exist we see him warm to the bubbly young mechanic Kaylee, the preacher Book, the idealistic doctor Simon, even to the often demented River, Simon’s sister, the psychic result of malign experiments.
The idea behind The 50 Best Movies for the Movie Fan was for the author to express his subjective opinions on the best English language films in cinema history, ranked from number 50 down to number 1…but it became much more than that. Stan Russo has chosen to critique, analyze or just plain talk about close to 500 movies in total, including a number of foreign films that have impacted hardcore cinema fans and the top movie lists from two other well-known sources. Russo hopes to spark debate with his choices. While every movie fan will no doubt challenge aspects of this list, the goal of this volume is to be exposed to great films that may have been overlooked.
It’s time to look towards the future, specifically 2007.
I was in Cardiff recently, so of course I went along and visited the 
From Tod Browning’s 
Now seems as good a time as any to mention that I am going to be a father in the new year. And, in the interest of starting as I mean to go on, I’ve just ordered a Cars room make-over kit for the soon-to-be child’s bedroom.
