The best movie culture writing from around the internet-o-sphere.
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“The Death of Adulthood and the Rise of Pleasure, or Why Seth Rogen is More Serious Than Woody Allen” – Adam Sternbergh’s response to A.O. Scott’s thought-catalyst on maturity, pointing out the age-old element of these discussions and the kernel at their core.
“Cultural essays about the death of adulthood are often Trojan horses for a different complaint: the death of seriousness. These essays read as modern analogues to the mid-20th-century jeremiads about middlebrow, which were, similarly, taking people to task for not being sophisticated (i.e., adult) enough in their cultural tastes.”
“The Darkness of Kristen Wiig” – Noah Gittell at Esquire finds seriousness in the funny woman’s latest films (and in her earlier funnier ones).
“How Julia Roberts became an icon by playing the Girl Next Door” – Matt Singer at The Dissolve tracks the movie star’s career in an effort (partially) to figure out if she’s a talented actor or merely an impressive presence.
“A Holy Grail of Indiana Jones Artifacts” – Cinephilia and Beyond (looking good!) features a transcription of the story conference meeting between George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Lawrence Kasdan. Clear your schedule.
“Toronto Film Festival Diary: Adam Sandler’s Crime Against Cinema and a Great Documentary’s Crime Against Humanity” – Wesley Morris at Grantland continues his Canadian adventure by questioning why no one stopped Sandler’s latest from being made.
“The Cobbler is too earnest to be a fiasco. It’s not smart enough to say something important. And it’s too confusing and confused to entertain. This is the thing about the shaking of the head and waving of hands that people have been doing when The Cobbler comes up: It doesn’t feel good to dislike it. A movie like this, in which not a single scene comes together, in which almost nothing makes you laugh or cry or think, reminds you that it’s truly a miracle when movies work at all.”
As a bonus, you should go answer Fantastic Fest’s Fantastic Feud Survey so they have an accurate understanding of what the best portrayal of Satan and most overrated superhero movie are. They need your help! For science. Probably.