One Tough Nun: Spiritual Awakening in Isabel Sandoval’s ‘Aparisyon’
“It’s a fascinating experience to see ‘Aparisyon’ via Locarno’s ‘Open Doors’ strand, where it is presented as a key work in understanding contemporary Filipino cinema.”
Review: Alison Ellwood’s ‘The Go-Go’s’
“‘The Go-Go’s’ boasts a treasure chest full of archival content in all shapes and sizes, and the imagery almost always complements the anecdotes told by the subjects with delightful detail.”
Review: Scott Crawford’s ‘CREEM: America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine’
“There was nothing else like ‘CREEM’ back then, and there’s still nothing like it now. That’s not only a testament to the importance of the magazine, it’s also a sad commentary on what’s lacking in modern music criticism.”
World Cinema Project: Permanent Impermanence — ‘Pixote’ and ‘Memories of Underdevelopment’
“‘Memories of Underdevelopment’ shares with ‘Pixote’ a cautious destabilization, a sense of how long can this last, of tipping points, radical reform and the capricious aftermath.”
The Great Unknown: Reading ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ Alongside Homer’s ‘Odyssey’
“If Ferris Bueller and his day off resemble something else universal, it is liberation. In the context of the journey, this is best understood as the ability to be in transit.”
Interview: Kôji Fukada on the Mysteries of ‘A Girl Missing’
Marshall Shaffer Interviews ‘A Girl Missing’ Director Kôji Fukada
The Past Dreamed the Future Present: Derek Jarman’s ‘Jubilee’
“Jarman’s mix of time, history, memory, fantasy and dreams in ‘Jubilee’ is ultimately a hopeful warning for the future.”
Dreams and Horrors in Bohemia: ‘Marketa Lazarová’ and ‘Valerie and Her Week of Wonders’
“As much as I love a good story, the best movies always transport me, in an intangible sense, through the base elements.”
‘Black Peter’ and the Wayward Path to Manhood
“As a character study, Miloš Forman’s feature directorial debut presents a realistic vision of a boy’s attempt to come of age; a path full of setbacks without a tidy resolution.”
Different Places: Jeffrey McHale’s ‘You Don’t Nomi’ Dances with the Legacy of ‘Showgirls’
“I was taken with You Don’t Nomi’s comfortable attitude toward the complexity and ambiguity of a text that can support and sustain such wildly opposite readings.”
Review: Lynne Ramsay’s ‘Brigitte’
“‘Brigitte’ is a slight and sweet addition to Ramsay’s catalogue, and it gently leaves its impressions.”
Review: Claire Oakley’s ‘Make Up’
“When ‘Make Up’ reaches the light at the end of its twisted tunnel, its culmination is gratifying and sumptuously-realised.”
An Interview with ‘Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets’ Filmmaker Turner Ross
Dominic Erickson Interviews ‘Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets’ Filmmaker Turner Ross
An Interview with ‘Eeb Allay Ooo!’ Director Prateek Vats
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Eeb Allay Ooo!’ Director Prateek Vats
Review: Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ (Black and White Edition)
“The black and white edition of ‘Parasite’ is a gift, and the real beacon shining brightly in the dark.”
Review: Dave Franco’s ‘The Rental’
“The ideas present are intriguing, however The Rental’s ultimate staying power is questionable.”
Review: Joko Anwar’s ‘Impetigore’
“Indonesian horror has been gradually finding its feet over the past few years, and ‘Impetigore’ shows that we’ve barely even scratched the surface.”
An Interview with ‘Nasir’ Writer-Director Arun Karthick
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Nasir’ Writer-Director Arun Karthick
Exploring Gender in Masaaki Yuasa’s ‘The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl’
“‘The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl’ feels like an inadvertent political statement, a continuation of the status quo in the romantic comedy genre. Still, there is something there.”
Lodge Kerrigan’s ‘Clean, Shaven’ and the Cinematic Virtue of Empathy
“‘Clean, Shaven’ depicts a culture in which there is little empathy for the mentally ill, perhaps because it is a culture influenced by fictional portrayals in which people like Peter are predominately unfeeling mad killers.”