Category: Paul Schrader
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The Gambler Within, The Gardener Without
After emerging out of his obscure corner of the sandbox with his most recent searing, anguished portrait of the existential ‘man in a room,’ writer/director Paul Schrader retreated even further into the mind of this character whose seemingly endless roots stretch all the way back to the screenplay for Taxi Driver. Apparently, this formula, which…
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First Reformed (2017)
Many filmmakers might have a movie like First Reformed stored away either in their mind or on paper. The trick, however, is to bring such a story to life and discover if that is even a worthy cause. Often this can come at a great cost for the filmmaker, who typically puts everything on the…
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Dog Eat Dog (2016)
In interviews promoting the movie, Paul Schrader stated that making Dog Eat Dog was a chance at redemption for him and Nicolas Cage, given that their experience with their previous collaboration resulted in a movie that neither of them endorsed. As a result, there is a manic energy and sense of throwing caution to the…
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The Canyons (2013)
The Canyons is the type of movie where it is difficult to understand how much of its tone and attitude is intentional and how much is consequential. Given its setting, the types of characters and the end results of their interactions, a case could be made in either direction. However, as a form of entertainment,…
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Adam Resurrected (2008)
Most directors have at least one movie in their filmography that can only inspire head-scratching and bewilderment at the heavens. Why, given how unusual and off-beat such a movie is, was it directed by this particular filmmaker? The simplest answer must be because an opportunity arose and he took it. Paul Schrader is nothing if…
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The Walker (2007)
After dealing with a difficult situation regarding his cut of an Exorcist prequel, Paul Schrader got the independent financial support for another entry in his career-long project of studying the persona of a man who no doubt shares many attributes with his creator. Colloquially known as the “man in a room” or “night worker”series, Schrader…
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Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
Imagine being hired to complete a project to the specifications of those who hired you, only to be fired for doing so because the bosses believed your interpretation would not be profitable. This is exactly the case Paul Schrader found himself in when making Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, which is of course exactly what…
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Auto Focus (2002)
Who, exactly, was Bob Crane? Aside from the obvious answer regarding his career and brief peak of fame as Colonel Hogan of Hogan’s Heroes, there seems to be little else distinctive that can be said of him as an actor, a husband and father, and a man. Certainly when he was popular, there appeared to…
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Forever Mine (1999)
How can a respectable filmmaker go from producing a formidable story about a man suffering from the plagues of his family to a sappy tale of love lost over years between two people who aren’t capable of saying anything of merit to one another? This is the question to ask when watching Paul Schrader’s powerful,…
Sentiments of the Silver Screen 