Author Archive: Daniel Engelke
Daniel currently resides in New York City working as a freelance writer and director. He is a graduate of the Film and Video department of Columbia College, specializing in Italian Neo-realism and French & British New Wave cinema.
Submarine
Playing with Fire I’ve only recently encountered Richard Ayoade. First with the brilliant, but short-lived Garth Marengi’s Dark Place and later spoof office comedy The IT Crowd. As witty as Ayoade is, I always felt his humor was always edging on “too cool for school.” But the trailer of Submarine made me question my opinion. [...]
L’amour Fou
It’s been a while since I’ve sat down and watched a “serious” film. For the past few weeks I took a sabbatical to focus on Eddie Murphy’s less notable efforts (e.g. Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps). When the chance finally arose to watch L’amour Fou, a documentary on the life of fashion icon Yves Saint [...]
Wayne Newton and I talk about Hoodwinked Too, Vegas Vacation, and the Mob Bosses
A few weeks ago, as I was constantly refreshing my email, I came across a subject line that caught my eye: Hoodwinked Too: Hood versus Evil – Wayne Newton interview. While I quickly verified that it was “the” Wayne Newton, I sent off my address for the DVD of Hoodwinked Too. In the film, Wayne [...]
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Weekend at Tierney’s For the past few months I’ve been upset with Otto Preminger. After falling in love with his classics like Man with a Golden Arm and Laura, I further pursued the director’s career only to find myself disappointed. The film that Truffaut raved about, Bonjour Tristesse, was nothing more than unenthusiastic melodrama, while [...]
How to Sell Your Own Damn Movie, Why Piracy is Good, and My New Best Friend. My Hour with Lloyd Kaufman
Discovering Troma Films during my adolescence, I can safely say the infamous and often bizarre works from the company still find a home on my Netflix queue. When I found out I had the opportunity to not only review the new book from Troma founder, Lloyd Kaufman, but interview him, I jumped for joy. Sell [...]
The Guard
When expectations are as expected. When I saw the trailer for John Michael McDonagh’s The Guard, I was puzzled. On one hand, the film could be a reinvention of the buddy-cop film with two great actors, Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson. On the other hand, though, it could be utterly stereotypical and redundant… The Guard [...]
Neurotypical
It seemed like the world was against me seeing Neurotypical. It had been a blistering hot day only to be followed by an equally heated evening. As I was walking to the outdoor screening, rain started to come down in torrents. I headed to the high school where the film was showing in case of [...]
World on a Wire
Drawn to the cinema of Rainer Werner Fassbinder only a few months ago, I’m unsure if I’ve ever been so taken by a director. Full of contradiction, drug-abuse, and a unique conception of melodrama, Fassbinder’s controversial life is immensely intriguing. While I try to watch a wide variety of cinema, it’s been difficult keeping the [...]
Bulworth
Bulworth is a very peculiar film. Being the most remembered movie poster of my childhood, I’ve always had a soft spot for the film. Revisiting the movie twelve years after its initial release in 1998, there are moments in the film where I question the boldness of the racial and political satire. Bulworth tells the [...]
Talking with Julian Schnabel about Miral
A few days ago I had the opportunity to interview one of my favorite contemporary directors, Julian Schnabel, about his latest film, Miral. The visionary director’s new film tells the story of a young Palestinian girl growing up during the Arab-Isreali conflict. Lead by Frieda Pinto, the film’s Arab narrative is another great chapter in [...]
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