Buster Keaton: A Retrospective in Film Stills

October 4th marks the birthday of a cinematic icon- Buster Keaton, the Great Stone Face. To honor the man, I’ve put together a series of photos that represent a tremendous career in cinema. These film stills all say so much about several aspects of his career. The expression is that a picture is worth a thousand words. If that’s the case, then this collection of stills says nearly as much about Keaton as Keaton himself ever uttered on film.

Long, Strong, and Down to Get the Classics On: The Insanely Long Movie Checklist

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Despite the fact that Sir Mix-A-Lot’s knighthood is clearly invalid, I’ve still opted to quote him because his long/strong/down to get the friction on line from the timeless “Baby Got Back” perfectly pertains to several fantastic bits of cinema. These are films that show up on “Greatest” lists all the time. They’re influential, and some of the best movies ever made. They’re also, unfortunately, endurance tests that require 4 hours or more of viewing. In at least a few cases, it’s best to think of them as a mini-series, viewed an hour or two at a time. Here’s my checklist of insanely long movies that I have seen or that I intend to see.

Why is Buster the best? Damfino.

Keaton posing for "The Cameraman"

The last year has been a major revelation for me with regards to the work of Buster Keaton. A good friend of mine encouraged me to watch Keaton’s The General about a year ago.