The Bewitching Terror of Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘The Neon Demon’
“Refn provides a movie with universal appeal, displaying how pathetic and desperate human beings can be in their moments of weakness, insecurity and greed.”
The Exaggerated Joy of Jรปzรด Itami’s ‘Tampopo’
“If ‘Tampopo’ initially seems familiar, itโs only because Itami masks the exterior as a Western.”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘The Woman in the Window’ (Fritz Lang, 1944)
โThe film has an unusually conservative vibe for a noir, maintaining that the status quo may be boring but criminality has nothing to offer — not even carnal thrills.โ
Why Criticism: รric Rohmer’s ‘Louis Lumiรจre’ (1968) or Dinner Among Friends
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
Neaux Reel Idea: The Southern Sage
Neaux Reel Idea is a Vague Visages column by Bill Arceneaux, in which he explores the cinema of his native New Orleans.
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Someone’s Watching Me!’ (John Carpenter, 1978)
โCarpenter doesnโt frame the film as being about an outlier male abuser, but a culture that has little respect for a womanโs personal space.โ
Why Criticism: Horror’s Fight for Respect
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
‘Different from the Others’: The Oldest Gay Movie in Restored 35mm
“History, in the form of motion picture entertainment, continues to surprise.”
Krzysztof Kieลlowskiโs โDekalogโ: Putting Faith in the Everyday
“Identity, like meaning in ‘Dekalog,’ is delivered piecemeal. Do immediate deeds define a person, or are these characters more than what they do in any given episode?”
The Importance of Babak Anvari’s ‘Under the Shadow’
“Anvari proves himself capable of creating a film with style, substance and importance.”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Christine’ (John Carpenter, 1983)
โIn many ways, โChristineโ reflects a skepticism of the โI take what I want, when I want itโ system that emergesย when consumerism becomes the dominant ideological force ofย society.โ
Why Criticism: Defining New Cinema at FNC 2016
“In search of new worlds and experiences, this yearโs FNC has been a journey from the physical world to the metaphysical.”
Two Drink Minimum: Christopher Guest’s ‘Mascots’
“Jamming its artistic support into the final few moments, ‘Mascots’ just checks off boxes.”
Neaux Reel Idea: Randy Mack’s ‘Laundry Day’
Neaux Reel Idea is a Vague Visages column by Bill Arceneaux, in which he explores the cinema of his native New Orleans.
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Prince of Darkness’ (John Carpenter, 1987)
“At the heart of ‘Prince of Darkness,’ the failures of religion and science reflect the limits of the human mind to grasp the immensity of the universe and our menial position within it.”
Why Criticism: The Tale of the Festival Film
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘In the Mouth of Madness’ (John Carpenter, 1994)
“In John Carpenter’s ‘In the Mouth of Madness,’ the delicate reality in which we live exists only as far we as believe it.”
Why Criticism: Writing About What You Don’t Know
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Auto Focus’ (Paul Schrader, 2002)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Fantastic Fest 2016: Cannibalism and Competition – On ‘Toni Erdmann’ and ‘Raw’
“At Fantastic Fest, that hard truth can be funny or frightening depending on which auditorium you enter.”