BlogHide Resteemstravisfilmmaker (65)in books • 5 days agoMy Favorite Books of 2024I only barely met my goal this year to read one book a month, at least twelve. It wasn’t an ambitious goal and I just finished the 13th book I picked up during 2024. Perhaps this coming year, I’ll…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 8 days agoMovie Review: CARRY-ON (Spoiler Alert!)Spoiler Alert if you haven't seen CARRY-ON yet. CARRY-ON (2024) Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars There's a lot to like about the new Christmas-set thriller CARRY-ON: leading man Taron Egerton who…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 16 days agoTHE PROMISED LAND: The Only Great Film of 2024THE PROMISED LAND (2024) Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars THE PROMISED LAND is the only great movie I've seen so far this year. It reminds me of 80s French cinema such as JEAN DE FLORETTE and RETURN…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 16 days agoWOMAN OF THE HOUR: One of the Best Films of the YearWOMAN OF THE HOUR (2024) Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars A surprising choice for her directorial debut, Anna Kendrick avoids playing into comedy for this grim, often disturbing serial killer story.…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 22 days agoWestern Movie Review: Butcher's Crossing (2022)BUTCHER'S CROSSING (2022) Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars It puzzled me when BUTCHER'S CROSSING premiered at festivals to high praise from critics and then nearly disappeared, getting barely any…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 2 months agoWestern Movie Review: The Dead Don't Hurt (2024)THE DEAD DON’T HURT (2024) Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars Viggo Mortensen’s new Western is his second after the incredible APPALOOSA, or his third if you count HIDALGO or is fourth/fifth if you…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 2 months agoWestern Movie Review: Ride in the Whirlwind (1966)RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND (1966) Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars Of Monte Hellman’s three Westerns, I feel RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND is his best effort in the genre. My second viewing the other night…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 2 months agoMOVIE REVIEWS: Rebel Ridge, Coup de Chance, Knox Goes Away, and Love Lies BleedingThis week focuses on four new crime films, released during 2024. REBEL RIDGE (2024) Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars I’m an outlier here but I did not find REBEL RIDGE to be one of Jeremy…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 2 months agoON PRODUCING: You Have to be Willing to Piss Off the DirectorIf you don’t get on a director’s nerves now and then, you’re not producing the movie right. I say this as someone who has worn both hats and often worn them at the same time. And last year as one of…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 2 months agoMovie Reviews: Three Films Directed by Rob ZombieThis week focuses on three films directed by Rob Zombie. THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (2005) Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars What amazes me about Rob Zombie’s second film in the trilogy is that it…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 3 months agoIS THERE ANYTHING NEW TO SAY ABOUT JOHN FORD?The other day I finished listening to TCM’s recent podcast series about “decoding John Ford”. As a major fan of the director’s work since I was a teenager, any documentary, book, or podcast about…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 3 months agoWestern Movie Review: Wagon Master (1950)WAGON MASTER (1950) Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars WAGON MASTER is a solid Western adventure. However, I can see no reason why this was one of Ford’s three favorite films of his own work, along…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 3 months agoSWINGS AND MISSES: My Baseball Movie BombIt was my fourth feature. It was also the first time I had an actual investor on one of my movies instead of getting donations from family and friends (which we still did for half the budget through…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 3 months agoSWINGS AND MISSES: My Baseball Movie BombIt was my fourth feature. It was also the first time I had an actual investor on one of my movies instead of getting donations from family and friends (which we still did for half the budget through…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 3 months agoCIVIL WAR: What is the Point of War Photography and This Movie?SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t seen the movie yet At one point in this year’s hit movie CIVIL WAR, Kirsten Dunst confesses that her original ambitions to deter war by portraying the horrors of…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 3 months agoMovie Reviews: 8 Mile and Weird: The Al Yankovic StoryThis week focuses on two very different musical “biopics”. 8 MILE (2002) Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars I never saw this quasi-biopic back in the day but with Curtis Hanson’s name on it, I…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 3 months agoVIRTUAL DRIVING: A Terrible Trend in Today’s MoviesLast year, a new Pierce Brosnan movie titled FAST CHARLIE was touted as one of his best in a long while. I watched it, underwhelmed by all aspects of the movie, but what bothered me most were the…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 3 months agoWestern Movie Review: PURSUED (1947)PURSUED (1947) Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars I don’t subscribe to the school of thought that Raoul Walsh was as good or better than John Ford and Howard Hawks. He made some memorable crime films…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 3 months agoJeremy Saulnier and the Slow Decline of Filmmakers I LoveIt has not been an easy ten years for me as a cinephile. Forget the flood of reboots and remakes that have replaced most original content in movie theaters, the death of the mid-range dramatic film…travisfilmmaker (65)in movies • 4 months agoMovie Reviews: Three Documentaries by the Late, Great Bertrand TavernierThis week focuses on three documentaries by one of my favorite French filmmakers, the late great Bertrand Tavernier. MISSISSIPPI BLUES (1984) Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars What surprised me most…
