This week we tragically lost one of our own: Cara McCollum, ’15, former editor and writer for the Princeton Buffer. In addition to writing sharp and hilarious reviews, Cara served as our social media guru who, even after graduating last June and becoming a SNJ Today news anchor, continued to share with us her on again/off again romance with film and television. Cara’s final Instagram wished us all a Happy Valentine’s Day. In return, we would like to celebrate our sharp-witted, talented, and generous colleague and friend by inviting everyone to revisit her memorable work for the blog. Click here to learn more about Cara’s rejection of Prince Farming, her seven-year relationship with True Blood, her conviction that even Stephen Hawking deserves a great love story, and her instant infatuation with “everyone’s favorite bongo-banging babe” Matthew McConaughey.
Monthly Archives: February 2016
Hail, Coen!
Hail, Joel Coen! Hail, Ethan Coen! Hail, the Coen brothers! Hail the Coen brothers not because their newest film, Hail, Caesar!, is a masterful work of art that captures the most illusive depths of the human experience. Hail the Coen brothers because they, unlike so many other directors, especially those who receive wide critical and cult acclaim, have the rare ability to change. Hail, Caesar! is not the brothers’ best work, though it is playful, funny, and wonderfully simple; what it offers is something far different from the cynicism of Inside Llewyn Davis or even the comical intensity of The Big Lebowski. This is what makes the Coen brothers great: their generosity. They constantly give us something fresh and new.
In Kung Fu Threequel, the Panda Has Become The Master
The Godfather Part III, X-Men: The Last Stand, Spider-Man 3 — cinematic history is rife with gratuitous third installments that make viewers wish the filmmakers had simply stopped after the first two outings. Not surprisingly, when I walked into the theater to see Kung Fu Panda 3, it was not with the highest of expectations. I must confess, however, that by the end of the movie I was pleasantly surprised. While it may not quite live up to its illustrious predecessors, it’s certainly entertaining enough to merit a trip to the theater, and perhaps—dare I say it—even additional sequels.
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Of Aliens and Ethics, the Quandaries of Childhood’s End
Can an externally enforced definition of morality really lead to a lasting utopia? And is that truly the end goal? These are the questions that the new SyFy miniseries endeavors to explore in a thoughtfully updated adaptation of Arthur Clarke’s 1950s novel Childhood’s End. Although Clarke’s novel has been the target of film adaptation before (Stanley Kubrick was interested, but eventually settled with collaborating with Clarke on 2001: A Space Odyssey), this is the first time that we see it realized on the screen. The three-part novel now exists as three two-hour episodes – six hours of television that you won’t want to miss.
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Anomalisa
Generally, I title my reviews with what I think of as clever word play on the movie’s title: “The Distasteful Eight” or “Nothing Grows From The Martian Surface.” But in the case of Charlie Kaufman’s newest film, the delightful, stop-motion, animated Anomalisa, I can think of nothing more clever than the film’s own title, nor more succinct or revelatory. But I’ll try not to give much more away here; the reason will become apparent quickly.