Review: Evan Kidd’s ‘Panda Bear It’
“‘Panda Bear It’ suggests plenty about the human condition without the need to bog itself down with exposition or endless, energy-sapping ruminations.”
The Code Complex: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jim Carroll and ‘The Basketball Diaries’
“DiCaprio’s early 90s accomplishments have been widely dismissed or ignored ever since Titanic’s Jack Dawson become a beloved movie figure amongst parents and their nostalgia-loving kids.”
We’re All Mad Here: Chris Marker’s ‘A Grin Without a Cat’
“For a film about anger — both that of the social movements animated in protest and that belonging to the state which will brook no challenge to its authority — ‘A Grin Without a Cat’ is surprisingly without its own anger.”
Avenging the Destruction of True Love: François Truffaut’s ‘The Bride Wore Black’
“In ‘The Bride Wore Black,’ cruel fate rips true love away from the innocent, suggesting that Truffaut believed pure happiness is only found in fairy tales.”
Collecting Movies with Film Archivist Alicia Coombs
Greg Carlson Interviews Film Archivist Alicia Coombs
Local Heroes: Farewell, Safari
“Like any cinema, the Safari brought people together to dream in the dark.”
An Interview with ‘Kaali Khuhi’ Director Terrie Samundra
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Kaali Khuhi’ Director Terrie Samundra
Review: Emerald Fennell’s ‘Promising Young Woman’
“Fennell’s uproariously funny film showcases a powerhouse Carey Mulligan in what could very well be her career-best performance.”
Album Review: The Avalanches ‘We Will Always Love You’
“Despite confronting our planet’s mortality, ‘We Will Always Love You’ is far from an expression of mourning. Rather, it’s a celebration of the cosmic afterlife afforded to us by music.”
Review: Deepa Mehta’s ‘Funny Boy’
“‘Funny Boy’ may seem groundbreaking on paper, but there’s nothing particularly original about this overly familiar and largely reductive adaptation of an acclaimed novel.”
Celebrating Small Moments in ‘Chungking Express’
“The small character gestures in ‘Chungking Express’ give the film its soul, but the spark comes from the act of being seen at all.”
Review: Mickey Reece’s ‘Climate of the Hunter’
“‘Climate of the Hunter’ is fatally enthralled by its own bizarre, overwrought stylistic tics, from the exaggerated performances aiming squarely for the cheap seats to the Wes Anderson-style PSAs…”
Review: Robert Machoian’s ‘The Killing of Two Lovers’
“How wonderful it is to watch a film in 2020 that displays style and true enthusiasm for the art of movie-making.”
Review: Patrick Picard’s ‘The Bloodhound’
“There’s a timelessness to ‘The Bloodhound’ that puts it on a par with recent and similarly quietly-horrific offerings like ‘It Follows’ and ‘Piercing’…”
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.”
Review: Justin G. Dyck’s ‘Anything for Jackson’
“‘Anything for Jackson’ is a perfect example of wasted potential, as the film contains some solid elements that Dyck fails to build upon.”
Album Review: Taylor Swift ‘Evermore’
“There’s a casualness and a sense of play to ‘Evermore’ that softens its edges and indicates an artist settling into her groove.”
Review: Massoud Bakhshi’s ‘Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness’
“‘Yalda’ shows itself to be a deft treatise on how the contradictions of our modern world complicate something even as simple as saying sorry.”
Book Review: Joseph B. Atkins’ ‘Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood’s Zen Rebel’
“Stanton may not have wanted to talk about his past, but Atkins’ book will appeal to both fans and Hollywood aficionados alike, as there aren’t many performances that the biography doesn’t cover.”
David Fincher Pays Tribute to His Father and Old Hollywood in ‘Mank’
“‘Mank’ probably spends more time than necessary defining the protagonist’s own crisis of conscience within a corrupt and decaying dream factory.”