The World Is Working: Michael Glawogger’s Trilogy on Poverty and Labor
“The real horrors of Glawogger’s films are the moments when people, having been given an opportunity to open up, are crushed by their own words.”
Mark Seneviratne
On ‘The Guard’ and the Built-In Charisma of Brendan Gleeson
“There is no analytical framework to guide audiences towards a hollow understanding of raw talent. Gleeson’s charisma is built-in, like all legendary performers, and this is most evident when his characters behave despicably.”
Memory and Style: The Threads of a Collective Experience in Marcel Ophuls’ ‘The Sorrow and the Pity’
“‘The Sorrow and the Pity’ is surgical and functional, yet unquestionably a reflection of the imagination of an artist.”
‘The House Is Black’ and The Radical Spirit of Forugh Farrokhzad
“Much like Farrokhzad’s poems, ‘The House Is Black’ pushes the viewer and its subjects to strive for some kind of freedom, whether emotional, spiritual or political.”
Why There Is Value and Not Excess in the Extreme Misery of Ulrich Seidl’s ‘Dog Days’
“Seidl has produced many scenes of lengthy sexual humiliation or nasty perversion, but they are stories of the world that are drawn from the horrible truth of human behaviour.”
How Questions of Exploitation Stain the Triumph of ‘Grey Gardens’
“The utter sadness of Little and Big Edie’s story is why ‘Grey Gardens’ is so moving — direct cinema allowed this story to be explored with a level of intimacy previously unavailable.”
Nuns and ‘Dark Habits’: Spoiling God’s Servants
“By spoiling God’s servants with sex, drugs and doubt, films like Almodóvar’s ‘Dark Habits’ show that earnestly criticising the Catholic Church’s crimes is not the only way to weaken centuries of unchecked supremacy.”
From Underground Jazz Clubs to Breaching Hollywood: Krzysztof Komeda and the Polish Sound
“Krzysztof Komeda made sure that the films he scored would be unlikely to exist, with any real significance, without his response to the images he was provided.”
Album Review: The Bug Feat. Dis Fig ‘In Blue’
“Featuring impeccable production and sincere emotions, ‘In Blue’ is a rude reminder of Martin’s dedication to his sound, which is increasingly reflective and always genuine.”
Album Review: Actress ‘Karma & Desire’
“The main shock of ‘Karma & Desire’ is the acoustic pianos, bathed in reverb, and how they fit so easily with Actress’ tripping-in-slow-motion rhythms…”
Formative: Zomby ‘One Foot Ahead of the Other’ (2009)
“Zomby’s tracks were more exciting when plugged straight into my head. His music enlightened me to how euphoric and pleasurable 8-bit sounds can be, especially when they are used not for kicks, but to project melancholy and strangeness.”
The Banality of Xenophobia in R.W. Fassbinder’s ‘Katzelmacher’
“The virility of the unwanted foreigner is a typical focal point for the average xenophobe.”