Michael Gildea (mjgildea)

Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest R

Music documentaries generally make cringe because they always seem to diminish any regard for the band in question. Beats, Rhymes and Life had the opposite effect on me. It was informative and comprehensive, not to mention very well made and has had the songs of A Tribe Called Quest stuck in my head for days afterward. A lot of the interviews are great but there are a few dipshits around. Interviewing Pharrell Williams before Prince Paul? Seriously...?!?!

The Night of the Hunter PG

I don't know how to convey the incredible magnificence of Night of the Hunter without coming across like a complete and total lunatic. First, it is a shame of biblical proportions that this was the only movie that Charles Laughton ever made. The man accomplished more in one movie than many directors ever pull off in their entire careers. The look of this movie is like a hellish fairy tale being told in a film noir setting. One of the most amazing-looking movies ever! Then you've got the performance of Robert Mitchum's career. (I would've like to have seen more of a fight out of him at the end but for the story's sake I'm kind of glad there wasn't...) I'm ashamed of myself for not liking this movie when I first saw it and am eternally thankful that Criterion re released it.

On the Waterfront Unrated

If this isn't a perfect movie, I don't know what is. On the Waterfront spares any glossiness that other classic Hollywood movies were pitching and just drenches the audience in humanity. This movie's characters' likability is merely incidental and despite what you may think of Elia Kazan, he knocked this one out of the park. The cast is amazing and everything just came together with this one. Absolutely essential...