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Allison Anders’ Grace of My Heart
By J.D. Lafrance Grace of My Heart (1996) is Allison Anders’ unabashed love letter to three decades of popular music, from the doo-wop era of the late 1950’s, to the rise of girl groups in the 1960’s...
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Judy, Downton Abbey, 2019 Horror Fest and Books of Wonder panel discussion on...
Screen capture from 1997’s horror film “Wishmaster” reviewed this week by Jamie Uhler as part of continuing Horror Fest 2019. by Sam Juliano The Halloween season has officially launched as we are...
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John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness
I’ve always considered In the Mouth of Madness (1994) to be John Carpenter’s truly last great film. It came out at a time when horror films were becoming more self-flexive in nature with Wes Craven’s...
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Caldecott Medal Contender: Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin Taught the World...
by Sam Juliano He is in my carefully considered opinion the greatest versatile genius the cinema has ever produced, and on a list of my favorites may well rank as my top choice, (depending on what day...
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Big Night at 57th Annual New York Film Festival; Glen Rock and Chappaqua book...
by Sam Juliano My 89 year-old Dad remains in Holy Name Hospital with a “weak” heart that nearly resulted in him being placed in hospice care. But our family ultimately rejected that proposition in...
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Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects
By J.D. Lafrance With the exception of Eli Roth, no other filmmaker has divided horror movie fans more in recent years than hard rocker turned writer-director Rob Zombie. People either love or hate...
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QUENTIN TARANTINO’S ‘ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD’“Lightning in a bottle…”
© 2019 by James Clark The films of Quentin Tarantino are arguably the gold standard of amusement while indirectly excoriating the history of reverence. His recent shot, Once upon a Time… in...
View ArticleThe Heartbreaking Loss of my Dad, Samuel S. Juliano Jr. on Monday Morning...
by Sam Juliano Our 89 year-old Dad was laid to rest Friday morning amidst pomp and pageantry, taps, nearly 2000 visitors to Macagna’s Funeral Home, a staggering number of floral arrangements, a...
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Philip Ridley’s The Passion of Darkly Noon
By J.D. Lafrance The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995) is a strange film. One that features Brendan Fraser covered in red paint and barbed wire, Viggo Mortensen as a mute carpenter, and the unforgettable...
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Horror Fest by Jamie Uhler: Spookies (1986); Horrors of the Black Museum...
Circus of Horrors (1960) by Jamie Uher Spookies (B. Faulkner/T. Doran/E. Joseph… 1986)I sometimes can’t believe how the trashy Horror of my adolescence has grow into a cottage industry as I approach...
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Parasite and 2019 Horror Fest on Monday Morning Diary (October 21)
Screen capture from Bong-Ho’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Parasite” by Sam Juliano I want to thank all those who have sent on heartfelt condolences on the loss of my Dad, they are appreciated more than...
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David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch
by J.D. Lafrance Widely regarded as unfilmable because it defied normal narrative logic and for containing some of the most perverse, often disturbing passages of sex and violence ever committed to...
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The Lighthouse, Jojo Rabbit and 2019 Horror Fest on Monday Morning Diary...
by Sam Juliano Halloween is just days away and Election Day is shortly thereafter in the lead up to the New Jersey Teacher’s Convention, Veteran’s Day and Turkey Day. As always Jim Clark and J.D....
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Them!
By J.D. Lafrance The creation of and subsequent use of atomic bombs in World War II had a profound effect on the world – one that is still being felt to this day. It had an immediate impact in the...
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Caldecott Medal Contender: Hi, I’m Norman
by Sam Juliano Russian Ark, a 2002 historical drama film directed by Alexander Sokurov presents at the outset an unnamed narrator who drifts through the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. He explains...
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CLAIRE DENIS’ HIGH LIFE “It’s called a taboo…”
© 2019 by James Clark Although this film, from 2018, proceeds with an English lexicon, it is most important to comprehend the French title. Une Vie en Hauteur, translates as, “a haughty,...
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Harriet and pre-election political brunch on Monday Morning Diary (November 4)
With New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Sunday morning in Fairview. by Sam Juliano Lucille will be undergoing “radio surgery” this coming Thursday (November 7) at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in...
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Miller’s Crossing
By J.D. Lafrance Despite opening the New York Film Festival in 1990, Miller’s Crossing was buried by a tidal wave of other gangster films that year, including GoodFellas, King of New York, Dick Tracy...
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The Irishman, Midway, Election Day, 75th Fairview Library celebration and...
by Sam Juliano Veteran’s Day (November 11) means a day off from our school positions and a welcome panacea from all the stress experienced the past few days. Lucille’s “gamma-knife” laser procedure...
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Caldecott Medal Contender: Saturday
by Sam Juliano Come Saturday morning I’m goin’ away with my friend Well Saturday-spend ’til the end of the day-ay Just I and my friend We’ll travel for miles in our Saturday smiles And then we’ll move...
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