Tag Archives: film reviews

what does story mean, anyway?

Posted on 30 March 2018 by Paul Vitols

Storytelling became something of a dirty word in the 20th century, at least among writers of serious fiction. It was seen as the concern of lesser, commercial writers. I’m not sure things are changing even now, but in this serious writer’s … Continue reading →

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The Wizard of Oz: birth of a Girl Adventurer

Posted on 16 November 2014 by Paul Vitols

How many times have you seen The Wizard of Oz? I’m going to guess that I’ve seen it a dozen times. Kimmie, my wife, reckons that she’s seen it at least 20 times. I haven’t the slightest doubt that there are … Continue reading →

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Dodsworth: midlife crisis among the bourgeoisie

Posted on 9 November 2014 by Paul Vitols

Paul’s Crème de la Crème Festival rolls on.  Last night Kimmie and I screened the third entry in my chronological festival of the best films, the 1936 production of Dodsworth, directed by William Wyler and starring Walter Huston and Ruth Chatterton. … Continue reading →

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It Happened One Night: love as fun

Posted on 4 November 2014 by Paul Vitols

Last night we viewed movie #2 in my new Paul’s Crème de la Crème Festival: It Happened One Night, released in 1934 and starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. As of now, 50,424 people have rated it on IMDb to give … Continue reading →

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Counsellor at Law: more than King Kong up that Empire State Building

Posted on 2 November 2014 by Paul Vitols

Last night I launched Paul’s Crème de la Crème Festival—a series of the best movies discovered in my 6-year-long chronological History of Cinema Festival. These were the movies that I rated either 9 or 10 out of 10 on IMDb. … Continue reading →

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what makes a movie good?

Posted on 31 October 2014 by Paul Vitols

Before I start talking about individual films, I wanted to say more about my recently concluded History of Cinema Festival. In my last post I raised the question, What do I think makes a movie good? I’m going to try to … Continue reading →

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Paul’s History of Cinema Festival: R.I.P.

Posted on 28 October 2014 by Paul Vitols

I now pronounce Paul’s History of Cinema Festival closed. It has been a wonderful trip, involving the viewing (or partial viewing) of 536 films, and has brought some surprises. It began in November 2008, when my wife Kimmie and I … Continue reading →

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It’s a Wonderful Life—what it means

Posted on 23 March 2012 by Paul Vitols

Remember Christmas? As part of our Christmas viewing Kimmie and I watched the 1946 classic It’s a Wonderful Life, and in a first post and a second post I offered up my earlier search for the controlling idea or theme … Continue reading →

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