Movie Review: Drag Me To Hell

2009. Starring Alison Lohman and Justin Long. Directed by Sam Raimi. There used to be something of a moral code to horror movies. People were victimized or terrorized for a reason, earning the torment through a flaw in character. Maybe they cheated or lied and, in doing so, forfeited the audience’s sympathy. Maybe like Dr. Frankenstein, they really asked for it. That violation of morality made them a deserving victim — hell, even Janet Leigh’s character stole a stack of money before checking into the Bates Motel. Somewhere along the line — maybe it was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or …

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Movie Review: F For Fake

1973. Directed by Orson Welles. Orson Welles opens and closes his final film with magic tricks, in part to show us that we can be fooled for our own enjoyment, that we welcome illusions if we willingly participate in them, but also to associate those harmless tricks with the perils of trust. After all — he reminds us at the end — at the start of the film he promised he would absolutely tell the truth for the next hour, then notes that the hour was up long before the end of the film. The question at the heart of …

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Movie Review: Sin Nombre

2009. Starring Edgar Flores and Paulina Gaitan. Directed by Cary Fukunaga. The right-wing outrage over illegal immigration — like its outrage over nearly every issue — purposefully avoids consideration of the human lives at the heart of the debate. There is even a trend to refer to illegal immigrants as “illegals,” so as to remove any reference to the humanity of the desperate people involved. Ignoring the vulnerable souls behind a painful and difficult decision must help when you want to demonize and demagogue. What Sin Nombre forces you to do, from its beginning, is to consider the circumstances of …

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