The Western Enters the 70s – Part 2: Kicking Down the Doors
“With the Acid Western, the genre had once again proven itself capable of assimilating new grievances and anxieties.”
Review: Nahnatchka Khan’s ‘Always Be My Maybe’
“The rom-com isn’t dead. It was simply evolving into something more interesting, more modern and more accepting.”
Once Upon a Time in Tarantinoland: ‘Death Proof’ Is a Fun Grindhouse Detour But a Lesser Tarantino Film
“‘Death Proof’ is too singularly grindhouse, but it works as a fun, trashy flick, and a cool female empowerment story.”
Jahnu Barua’s ‘Bhoga Khirikee’ Peeks Into An Insurgent Assam
“There is seething, justified anger that underscores the plot of ‘Bhoga Khirikee’; an anger that could be used to create extremely radical female characters who pull the plot forward instead of becoming cardboard stand-ins for the filmmaker’s radical politics.”
The Western Enters the 70s – Part 1: Sam Peckinpah’s Lonely Cowboy
“With his concern for the outsider, and his reorienting of the West’s perception in the American mind, Peckinpah helped to birth the Acid Western.”
Olivia Wilde Makes Confident Directorial Debut with ‘Booksmart’
“You don’t have to be a queer teenage activist to relate to Amy, but imagine what ‘Booksmart’ might mean to those who have not seen themselves regularly represented on the mainstream screen.”
Photo Essay by Andy Witchger: Jim James at Minneapolis’ First Avenue
“Jim James’s third solo album, ‘Uniform Distortion,’ is a return to his musical roots. After two releases of pulsating psychedelia channeling the darker realities of modern existence, James recaptures the restless exuberance of early My Morning Jacket. That’s not to say James has turned a blind eye to the world around him.”
Fight Like a Man: ‘Rocky III’
“There are things about ‘Rocky III’ that definitely raise eyebrows — its racial dynamics and maybe even its class politics — but ultimately it shows a fighter overcoming his opponent by reaching out to those around him and confronting the problems within.”
The Seductive, Puzzling Films of Nelly Kaplan
“With their uncomfortable blend of sexual politics, dark comedy, quirky star power and social and moral critique, it’s no wonder moviegoers didn’t know what to make of Kaplan’s satirical stories when they were first released.”
The Path to Nirvana: The International Pop Underground on Film
“What is perhaps most remarkable about the rise of Nirvana — and the industry’s hastily assembled appellation “alternative rock” — is the belief by many at the time that it had come from nowhere…”
Once Upon a Time in Tarantinoland: ‘Reservoir Dogs’ Is an Inventive, Whip-Smart Calling Card
Welcome to John Brhel’s “Once Upon a Time In Tarantinoland” — a look back at all eight of Quentin Tarantino’s feature films. First up: ‘Reservoir Dogs.’
A Lonely Breed: Sam Peckinpah’s Modern West(ern)
“Whenever they exist, wherever they roam, with this continuation of personality and principle, it is often as if Peckinpah’s characters were simply picked up from the past and dropped into another time, a time where the Western — and western — spirit remains.”
Rogue Cops, Rogue Cars: The Films of Philip D’Antoni
“Just like his protagonists, D’Antoni refused to play by the rules, and he got results.”
DAU: A Vade Mecum
“As much as DAU requires certain knowledge of XX-century history and arts, its key element is the subjective, the emotional, even the intrusion. And this can be the game changer the future needs.”
Album Review: Ioanna Gika ‘Thalassa’
“Ioanna Gika has evolved from a promising artist to a fully-fledged talent to be reckoned with. Her uncommon, authentic voice has been sorely missed; it’s good to have her back.”
Fight Like a Man: ‘Rocky II’
“Films like ‘Rocky II’ age well because the moments that now seem anachronistic serve to shed light on problems we still have today, delivered by the kind of characters viewers can sympathise with, even if one doesn’t agree with all their opinions.”
The Mozart of Madras: Why A.R. Rahman’s Music Took So Long to Reach the West
“His songs and compositions are featured in commercials, sampled in TV shows, used at sporting events and play as ringtones on people’s cellphones. There isn’t a place in India where Rahman’s music hasn’t reached.”
Canned Memories: The Presentation of Time in ‘Chungking Express’
“By dissecting and re-representing time through the cinematic apparatus, ‘Chungking Express’ demonstrates that modern life is not unequivocally devoid of romanticism.”
The Loneliness of the Contract Killer: Music in ‘Murder by Contract’
“It’s telling that all of the human interactions in ‘Murder by Contract’ involve either money or business. The illusions of the profit motive and market forces have alienated Claude from his own emotions and left him broken and alone.”
‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’: Subversion, Psychoanalysis and the Lasting Appeal of Demanding Art
“In ‘Evangelion,’ youth is depicted not as an event to look back on with nostalgia, but as an arduous task to be overcome. Shinji’s story is one that demands he confront rather than escape…”