Know the Cast: ‘Chinatown’
‘Chinatown’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every actor and character in Roman Polanski’s 1974 movie.
Know the Cast: ‘Taxi Driver’
‘Taxi Driver’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every actor and character in Martin Scorsese’s 1976 movie.
A Beautiful Tragedy: Reimagining the Blacklist
“Even the most cynical satire is half in love with the object of its barbs; there is a part of every constrained creative that loves their shackles and will make great play of rattling them.”
The Restoration of Marva Nabili’s ‘The Sealed Soil’ Unearths a Gem of Women-Centric Cinema in Iran
“Nabili’s ‘The Sealed Soil’ can be seen as a precursor of the minimalist styles that came to define so much of modern Iranian cinema.”
On Dark and Lonely Waters: PIFs and Rural Landscapes as Sites of Danger
“Public Information Films, once tools for instruction, became haunted reflections of a nation’s growing uncertainty and discontent…”
Know the Cast: ‘The Conversation’
‘The Conversation’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every actor and character in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 movie.
I Am of Mud and Flame: Landscapes as Conjurors in British Folk Horror
“Whether it’s Holkham Wood or the stone circle at Avebury, British folk horror frequently uses the eeriness of empty, liminal spaces to evoke a sense of psychological unease.”
The Perennial Schmuck: Elaine May’s Disappointing Men
“May was banished at a time when male auteurs were granted an unprecedented amount of latitude. She was treated as a liability rather than a maverick, and it’s difficult not to read that assessment as gendered.”
Soundtracks of Cinema: ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’
‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ Soundtrack: A Vague Visages guide for every song in Tobe Hooper’s 1974 movie.
Know the Cast: ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’
‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every actor and character in Tobe Hooper’s 1974 movie.
Feeling Like a Winner: Elliott Gould’s Hollywood Hot Streak
“Gould’s persona upended traditional notions of cinematic masculinity in its appeal to a generational fatigue and ambivalence; his sexual magnetism eschewed the amatory codes of the traditional leading man.”
Know the Cast: ‘Alien’
‘Alien’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every actor and character in Ridley Scott’s 1979 movie.
Book Review: Ian Nathan’s ‘The Legend of Mad Max: The Complete Story from Mad Max to Furiosa’
“Overall, ‘The Legend of Mad Max’ offers an in-depth discussion of the franchise’s memorable elements and provides a new perspective that will enrich re-watchings.”
Know the Cast: ‘Mad Max’
‘Mad Max’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every actor and character in George Miller’s 1979 movie.
Crime Scene #14: ‘Five Deadly Venoms’ and Kung Fu Criminality
“The spatial detail in ‘Five Deadly Venoms,’ aided by Chang’s sharp sense of timing, helped the film become a surprisingly labyrinthine vision of camaraderie in the face of corruption and power.”
‘Mean Streets’ Establishes Martin Scorsese as a Soundtrack Virtuoso
“With its uneven pace and fragmented narrative, ‘Mean Streets’ would not have nearly the same impact without its soundtrack.”
Constructing a Madman: Lee Harvey Oswald’s Screen Life
“In our attempt to fill in the gaps of the Oswald character, we recast him again and again, hoping that the latest iteration will reveal a previously hidden angle.”
Soundtracks of Cinema: ‘Grease’
‘Grease’ Soundtrack: A Vague Visages guide for every song in Randal Kleiser’s 1978 movie.
Know the Cast & Characters: ‘Grease’
‘Grease’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every actor and character in Randal Kleiser’s 1978 movie.
Shifting Landscapes: Jerzy Skolimowski’s ‘Deep End’ and ‘The Shout’
“Skolimowski imbues his films with his signature iconographic sense of obscurity and mystique; both ‘Deep End’ and ‘The Shout’ grapple with the tensions brought about by characters suddenly entering (and quickly coming to terms with) new environments.”