Weird Worlds: The Short Films of Ari Aster
“Aster’s short films are at present the best representation of his eclectic taste and elastic interests.”
Crime Scene #3: ‘Bob le Flambeur’ and the Death of Paris
“Melville’s Paris is a poetically insomniac version, one that I’m not sure ever really existed. The City of Light has been written about and filmed so much that one has long since forgotten what is real and what is urban legend.”
On György Fehér’s ‘Twilight’ and the Eternity of Nature
“‘Twilight’ is a remarkable film with its loaded minimalism and spectacular formalism.”
Follow That Dream: Generation X and Addiction Cinema
“In a climate of secular uncertainty, the addict’s commitment to something larger took on an almost religious significance; the user was transformed into an intrepid traveler.”
Crime Scene #2: ‘Collateral,’ Cars and Computers
“In Mann’s world, the car and the computer seem to join forces to anonymize and obliterate the cost of human life outside of that space, enveloped in the fragmented, disintegrated aesthetic of early digital cinematography itself.”
Making ‘The Killing’: An Auteur and His Writer
“Kubrick was in many ways the embodiment of a new Hollywood — brilliant, creative and perhaps a bit ruthless, words that could also be used to describe his first great film, ‘The Killing.'”
The Art of Hardly Trying: Dean Martin’s 60s Swing
“As the 70s dawned, survival for Dean Martin became a matter of staying on the horse and waiting for the culture to loop back in his favor, to mature into the venerated relic who had come direct from the bar.”
‘Creed III’: Michael B. Jordan Comes Out Swinging in Directorial Debut
“Michael B. Jordan makes his directorial debut with a sturdy piece of franchise storytelling.”
Crime Scene: ‘Pickup on South Street’ and New York Networks
“‘Pickup on South Street’ is perhaps the quintessential New York noir.”
Anna Hints Receives Sundance Directing Award for ‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’
“Like so many of the best movies, ‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’ captures the universal in the specific.”
Video Sleuths Press Rewind in ‘Kim’s Video’
“‘Kim’s Video’ reminds viewers that there was something very special about browsing the shelves of shops both large and small.”
‘Millenium Mambo’ and the Four Elements of Mise-en-Scène
“Hou’s mise-en-scène in ‘Millenium Mambo’ is the mark of a true auteur.”
‘Corsage’: Marie Kreutzer and Vicky Krieps Revise History
“It becomes evident that the director’s preoccupation with Elisabeth ‘coming apart’ at the age of 40 is the key component of ‘Corsage’ that transcends time to become a commentary on any era.”
Robert Frank and Free Intuition
“‘Leaving Home, Coming Home’ is a sharp snapshot of a photography titan. All the ingredients! Chaos and clarity, freedom and free intuition.”
‘The Eternal Daughter’: Another Fantastic Joanna Hogg/Tilda Swinton Collaboration
“‘The Eternal Daughter’ can be viewed independently from the pair of stories starring Swinton’s own daughter Honor Swinton Byrne, but the in-world connections provide an extra layer of enjoyment.”
‘Aftersun’: Charlotte Wells’ Debut Feature Is Among the Best of 2022
“Shimmering like a mirage that retreats and dematerializes the closer one gets, ‘Aftersun’ may just be the best movie of 2022.”