AaronOOF

Happy 2009 – Resolved to Be a Better Focus Puller

I had a pretty low-key New Year’s. I was invited to a couple parties, but I realized that I simply wasn’t that into going to any of them, which in its own way, made perfect sense in terms of how I felt about much of 2008. I decided to stay home and get to workContinue reading “Happy 2009 – Resolved to Be a Better Focus Puller”

OOF Year-in-Review 2008: Top 10 Films of the Year

Nothing like a non-self-imposed deadline to get those Top 10 lists agoing. Somehow, I never even wound-up publishing my list for 2007, and I figure, it’s a little late now, even for me. And while 2008 is not yet complete and there are a slew of films I still plan to see over the holidaysContinue reading “OOF Year-in-Review 2008: Top 10 Films of the Year”

The Polls Have Closed

I had the opportunity to participate in indieWIRE‘s annual critics’ poll this year, and just submitted my ballot about 20 minutes ago. I assume my choices will be posted over at indieWIRE some time today, and after they are, I’ll post more detailed explanations for my list here. Nobody will be surprised by my ultimateContinue reading “The Polls Have Closed”

How does Jeff Zucker keep failing upwards? NBC and the pending Leno debacle

That’s right, kids. All it takes is a major multi-million dollar corporate executive to make one of the biggest bonehead moves in television history to at least momentarily get me out of this writing funk. Here’s a question for you: let’s say you somehow managed to executive produce the most profitable morning news show inContinue reading “How does Jeff Zucker keep failing upwards? NBC and the pending Leno debacle”

Way Scarier Than Any of the Saw Movies http://youtube.com/v/MWZHTJsR4BcFox News: Palin didn’t know Africa was a continent I mean … really?

SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK: A Reaction, Not Yet a Review via an open letter to Charlie Kaufman

Dear Charlie Kaufman, You don’t know me, and yet, you have created a film that touched the inside of my brain, heart and soul. I have never had as emotional a reaction to any of the thousands of movies I have watched in my lifetime as I had to Synecdoche, New York at a pressContinue reading “SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK: A Reaction, Not Yet a Review via an open letter to Charlie Kaufman”

No, I have not been thinking about it forever, and no, I’m not a fan of Point Break

I now have conclusive proof (anecdotal, sure, but personally true) that drinking is more dangerous than skydiving. You see, Monday night, at a party for the opening of IFP Independent Film Week, while drinking a beer from a bottle, I somehow managed to chip the bottom of my front tooth, which also happens to beContinue reading “No, I have not been thinking about it forever, and no, I’m not a fan of Point Break“

The 5th Annual Birthday Post

That’s right … regardless of how often I write, I can always be counted on to mention that I’ve become a year older. There was the first one in 2004 when this blog was still a newborn (and I included photos of me as the same), and each year since, without fail, I’ve included anotherContinue reading “The 5th Annual Birthday Post”

Off to Toronto (In case anyone was wondering …)

I’m heading off to the Toronto Film Festival today for a week’s worth of sitting in the dark. Well, not completely. I actually don’t plan to duplicate my six-to-seven films per day schedule from last year, not because I can’t handle that many or there aren’t enough films I want to see, but for tooContinue reading “Off to Toronto (In case anyone was wondering …)”

SPEEDY with Alloy: If only it was outside like Chaplin’s Mutuals

Last Friday night, I had the extreme pleasure of going to Celebrate Brooklyn! to see Carl Davis conduct the 16-piece orchestra The Knights as they played his new original scores to three fantastic Charlie Chaplin shorts from his post-Keystone, Mutual Film days: The Immigrant, The Rink and The Adventurer. It was a truly fantastic eveningContinue reading “SPEEDY with Alloy: If only it was outside like Chaplin’s Mutuals”