REVIEW: Prêt-à-Porter [Ready to Wear] [1994]

“Taking advantage of others’ insecurities” I didn’t love The Player as much as I thought I would. Sometimes Robert Altman utilizes too many characters within a story that cannot sustain them as perfectly as we’d hope. It often works best in one-locale work like A Wedding and Gosford Park where the satirized theme is cohesive and everyone interacts with everyone else. The reason his Hollywood roast did succeed enough for me to enjoy, however, is that it had a lead. We followed Griffin Mill around the studio lot as the…

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REVIEW: 8 1/2 [1963]

“Because he doesn’t know how to love” With the soon to be released Nine on its way, I had to finally dust off my Criterion DVD of Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 for a viewing (that musical is based on it). Besides all the praise lauded, I really had no idea what to expect. It only took about ten minutes or so to discover that we wouldn’t have Charlie Kaufman if it were not for this film, Fellini’s interpretation of his inner thoughts both creatively and personally road-blocked. Synecdoche, New York…

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