Author Archives: Peter Schilling

Defenders of Freedom, Real and Imagined

Posted on November 19, 2012

Lincoln and Skyfall. Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg. There is a moment, a very small moment in Steven Spielberg’s very large film Lincoln that I found to be the most telling portrait of the somewhat mysterious 16th president. Lincoln is loafing–and that’s … Continue reading →

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Your No Nonsense Night at the Movies

Posted on October 11, 2012

Howard Hawks, perhaps the most reliable director of filmed entertainment in American history, once said his goal was to make every movie have “three great scenes and no bad ones.” I swear that most of the crap from this summer … Continue reading →

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The Story of Lost Men

Posted on September 21, 2012

There are favorite movies and then there are movies, good and bad, that leave such an indelible impression that they’re affixed, permanently, in a sense of time and place. I remember, clearly, the days and the theaters when I witnessed, … Continue reading →

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And So We Came to the End…

Posted on June 22, 2012

Once upon a time, 1995 to be precise, Pixar studios burst onto the scene with the surprising Toy Story. In the 17 years that followed, the studio created some of the most incredible animated films ever made. I will take … Continue reading →

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Five Film Favorites: Those Uncomfortable Nudes

Posted on June 7, 2012

I’ve often said, in a mostly joking manner, that there’s never been a film made that wasn’t improved by nudity. Setting aside my lame attempts at humor, nudity adds, at the very least, an intense realism to movies. Now, I’m … Continue reading →

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Five Film Favorites: The Sound of (Relative) Silence

Posted on March 22, 2012

Apropos of Jean Dujardin’s Oscar triumph last month, I’ve been pondering some of the great nearly silent performances in cinema. David Thomson once wrote (in an essay I can’t find for the life of me) about the limitations of silent … Continue reading →

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Five Film Favorites: Suffer the Children

Posted on March 8, 2012

How many great movies are there featuring children? Fewer than you’d think. I wonder, sometimes, if it’s because there’s a dearth of great child actors. After all, when I think of children in movies, the mind conjures up Disney Channel … Continue reading →

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I Wish I Had Five Film Favorites for Meryl…

Posted on February 9, 2012

As a sometimes film programmer for the Trylon microcinema, a great little theater in Minneapolis, I’m always thinking in terms of building series around themes, titles, and, of course, actors and actresses. The latter are my favorite: in the past, … Continue reading →

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Five Film Favorites: Christmas Movies of the Damned

Posted on December 8, 2011

The Christmas season is a boom time financially for Hollywood, and it’s also when moviegoers get that soggy glow in their eyes as they remember their holiday favorites. It’s A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday Inn, The Shop … Continue reading →

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Five Film Favorites: Forgotten Modern Noirs

Posted on November 22, 2011

What exactly is noir, anyway? Its name suggests that the movie must be in black and white, and yet, who can deny that Polanski’s Chinatown is a noir masterpiece? Others think that noir is specific to a time, namely the … Continue reading →

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