Review: Geoffrey Orthwein and Andrew Sullivan’s ‘Bokeh’
“It’s ‘The Leftovers’ minus the chainsmokers, angry locals and cryptic dialogue.”
Spectatorship and the Camera: Sophie Hyde’s ’52 Tuesdays’
“With a masterful sense of direction, ’52 Tuesdays’ triumphs by turning the camera around to create a self-reflexive and unique film.”
Review: Brent Bonacorso’s ‘You Get Me’
“‘You Get Me’ is predictable and often frustrating, but the visuals leave a lasting impression.”
My Summer of Kirsten Dunst: Volume 1
“Unlike former child stars Natalie Wood or Margaret O’Brien, Kirsten Dunst’s adolescent career is a state of becoming.”
‘The Bling Ring,’ Recontextualized in Post-Election America
“As the time between 2008, 2013 and 2016 grows comparatively smaller, the film will only loom larger.”
Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Bill Arceneaux on Samuel Fuller’s ‘The Steel Helmet’
“Answers don’t come easy, but they do come if you’re looking for them.”
‘Colossal’ and the Monstrous Pettiness of the Male Ego
“Maybe she can finally make a life that’s actually hers.”
Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Jeremy Carr on Andrei Tarkovsky’s ‘Solaris’
“The film goes beyond strict and narrow generic classification and touches upon something universal, something profound about undying affection and the unreliability of reality.”
Netflix from 5 to 6: Daniel Barber’s ‘The Keeping Room’
“There’s no blaze of glory, but rather a collective maturation. Patience is their virtue.”
There’s Something Inside You: Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘Drive’
“It’s the subliminal drive toward the realization of his ideal self that evokes his potential.”
It’s Real to Me: On Gia Coppola’s Understanding of the Teenage Experience in ‘Palo Alto’
“Instead of skipping to the binary found at the beginning and end of the color swatch, ‘Palo Alto’ flushes every color in the middle, every emotion found in growing up.”
The Limits of Freedom in Makoto Shinkai’s ‘Your Name’
“While lush animation and detailed backdrops make Shinkai’s films visually stunning, without character depth, it’s a beauty which rings hollow.”
Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Jeremy Carr on Pier Paolo Pasolini’s ‘Mamma Roma’
“The compassion Magnani and Pasolini elicit from this affectionate portrait is manifestly sympathetic — she just tries so hard.”
Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Bill Arceneaux on Woody Allen’s ‘Bananas’
“Maybe the best way to counter ridiculousness is with ridiculousness.”
‘Twin Peaks’ and Beyond the Alphabet
“The failure of language permeates ‘Twin Peaks,’
an abundance of verbiage disintegrating under the looming and ageless presence in the woods.”
‘Stardust Memories’: Woody Allen’s Comic Catharsis
“He may be suggesting that emotional and social anxiety is widespread and prevalent, but the key distinction is that not everyone can translate these uncertainties into comedy gold.”
The Joke Is on Us: Rick Alverson’s ‘The Comedy’
“Audiences aren’t meant to hate Swanson, but to understand him and people like him, along with ourselves.”
Cyberflunk 2017: Rupert Sanders’ ‘Ghost in the Shell’
“One of the hallmarks of good cyberpunk is the exploration of humanity in a post-modern world where technology is the dominant force. This philosophical probe falls short in Rupert Sanders’ ‘Ghost in the Shell.'”
Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Jeremy Carr on Jean Vigo’s ‘L’Atalante’
“‘L’Atalante’ is a movie defined by it moments, images and emotive strength, not its ostensible plot.”
Why We Make Films: On Kirsten Johnson’s ‘Cameraperson’
“‘Cameraperson’ is about genuine human connections, about the elements that connect us all, regardless of culture, geography, race or language.”