Follow That Dream: Generation X and Addiction Cinema
“In a climate of secular uncertainty, the addictโs commitment to something larger took on an almost religious significance; the user was transformed into an intrepid traveler.”
Tearing ‘Hellraiser’ Apart to Its Artistic Core
“Hellraiserโs creators channel the works of Francis Bacon, Walter Sickert, Allen Jones and Zdzisลaw Beksiลski. These impressionist and surrealist craftsmen, like Barker and Randel, expose the horrors of their lifetime to the populace at large.”
Know the Cast & Characters: ‘The Lair of the White Worm’
‘The Lair of the White Worm’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every actor and character in Ken Russell’s 1988 movie.
In a State of Exile: ‘The Last of England’ in 1987
“If ‘The Angelic Conversation’ portrays a time where loving affection could be found amongst the rubble of industrialization, then ‘The Last of England’ shows how affection, love and hope are lost qualities of a paradisal past.”
Death Is Not the End: Self-Destruction in the Films of David Cronenberg
“Perhaps David Cronenberg is owed another kind of reputation: that of a humanist filmmaker who observes and questions, who understands our pain and sorrow as well as our ambitions both intellectual and libidinous.”
Gloves-On Storytelling in ’64 Day Hero’
“Despite its storytelling flaws and omissions, ’64 Day Hero’ is a must-watch for the boxingย documentary completist.”
Having It All: The Career Woman Takes Over
D.M. Palmer on the career women of ‘9 to 5’ (1980), ‘Baby Boom’ (1987), ‘Big Business’ (1988), ‘Working Girl’ (1988) and ‘Disclosure’ (1994).
Must Write a Happy Ending: The Posthumous Dennis Potter
“Dennis Potter left us with one of the most ambitious and meaningful pieces of British television, bridging commercial and public broadcasting to address the state of the nation and the fate of the artist with his customary irreverence and accessibility.”
Guilty or Not Guilty: On Mrinal Senโs ‘Kharij’
“‘Kharij’ is a scathing expose of societal problems that — truth be told — aren’t exclusive to Indian society.”
No Future for You: The Cinematic Image of 70s Britain
“The 70s were a tumultuous and often bleak decade for the British film industry, and this pessimism bled into its output.”
OVID Shines a Light on Chilean Documentarian Ignacio Agรผero
Ignacio Agรผero Essay: Vague Visages’ Q.V. Hough on OVID’s streaming celebration of the Chilean documentarian.
WOMAN: At the Heart of James Cameronโs Filmmaking
“If youโre looking for feminism, donโt look at James Cameron — look at his films.”
A Quest for Happiness: On Neil Jordan’s ‘Mona Lisa’
“‘Mona Lisa’ was ahead of its time, a precursor of urban fairy tales in late 90s British cinema.”
Trapped in the Bed Frame: On Marco Bellocchio’s ‘Devil in the Flesh’
“Bellocchio’s 1986 film ‘Devil in the Flesh’ is perfectly representative of the great Italian directorโs outlook.”
Mannhunting: Exploring Masculinity in the Films of Michael Mann โ Part Two
Mannhunting #2 by Bill Bria: “In Mannโs duality of man, cop and robber are, in Stevensonโs words, ‘radically both’ one and the same.”
Mannhunting: Exploring Masculinity in the Films of Michael Mann – Part One
Mannhunting #1 by Bill Bria: “The protagonists and antagonists in Mann’s films tend to be mirror images of each other, all of them caught within masculinityโs shackles.”
A Wild Ride in the Bullpen: How a Young Pedro Almodรณvar Upended Genre and Gender
“For all the praise showered on Almodรณvar’s later work, it lacks the wildness, freshness and exuberance of his 80s filmography, which often feels unfairly overlooked as a result.”
Nuns and โDark Habitsโ: Spoiling Godโs Servants
“By spoiling Godโs servants with sex, drugs and doubt, films like Almodรณvarโs ‘Dark Habits’ show that earnestly criticising the Catholic Churchโs crimes is not the only way to weaken centuries of unchecked supremacy.”
Antonio and Almodรณvar
Fedor Tot on Pedro Almodรณvar’s Collaborations with Antonio Banderas
Pandemic-Era Prophecies of Godfrey Reggio’s ‘Koyaanisqatsi’
“Nearly 40 years after its release, ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ continues to send signals.”