Introduction: the way we live now -- Trends. Conglomerate aesthetics; Pirates on the ipod: the soul of a new screen; Spectacle: the passion of the Christ, Avatar, Endless summer- digital all the time -- Independent glories. Sideways, Capote, Capturing the Friedmans, The squid and the whale, The diving bell and the butterfly, There will be blood, The hurt locker, Winter's bone -- Stars. Joan Crawford; Fallen idols: movie stars today -- Genres. High school movies; Chick flicks; Romantic comedy gets knocked up -- Directors. Otto Preminger; Victor Fleming; Pedro AlmodoĢvar; Clint Eastwood; The Coen Brothers; Quentin Tarantino: Pulp fiction, Kill Bill: vol. 1, Inglourious basterds; David Fincher/The social network -- Two critics. James Agee; Pauline Kael -- An opening to the future? Mumblecore; Terrence Malick's insufferable masterpiece -- Rise of the planet of the apes.
Summary:
Criticizing "conglomerate aesthetics," as embodied in the frenzied, weightless action spectacles that dominate the world's attention, and "platform agnosticism," the notion that movies can be watched on smaller and smaller screens: laptops, tablets, even phone, New Yorker movie critic David Denby reaffirms that movies are our national theater. He celebrates big movies, romantic comedy, high school movies, chick flicks, the changing nature of stardom, and the triumphs and failures of auteurs Quentin Tarantino, the Coen brothers, Pedro Almodovar, and David Fincher.
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