Realism and Subjectivity in Luis Buñuel’s ‘Los Olvidados’
“The realism of Los Olvidados is balanced by striking moments of subjectivity, and they’re crucial to the film’s particular representation of urban poverty.”
The Subversive Power of ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’
“Thirty years after its release, the gender play, sexual politics and physical comedy shine as brightly as the 100-watt headlight on its star’s beloved bike.”
‘The Young One’ Sees Luis Buñuel Tackle the American South
“With The Young One, Buñuel rejects the surrealism that would define his early films and almost all the European work that followed, presenting a rather straightforward narrative with superficial similarities to a Tennessee Williams screenplay.”
The Insular Visions of ‘Krisha’
“It’s too late to force her way back to a seat at the table. She should have never tried to get closer.”
The Feminine Grotesque #5: Lilith’s Heir – On ‘The Strange Love of Martha Ivers’
A Series by Angelica Jade Bastién
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Alucarda’ (Juan López Moctezuma, 1978)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Review: Zoe Cassavetes’ ‘Day Out of Days’
“An unquestionably personal work, Day Out of Days exposes the inequity of Hollywood’s interior while highlighting just how important female voices are in telling the story of human existence.”
Donald Trump, ‘London Has Fallen’ and the So-Bad-It’s-Good Candidacy
“A once-pure appreciation of misplaced passion, the hallmark of so-bad-it’s-good entertainment has been capitalistically leveraged.”
Jacques Tardi Adaptation ‘April and the Extraordinary World’ Offers a Thrilling Alternate History
“The extraordinary world of April and the Extraordinary World is no simple one, and it’s welcome that its worldview veers away from the simplistic.”
Review: Gavin Hood’s ‘Eye in the Sky’
“Eventually, Hood can’t avoid the chance to step up to the pulpit and offer a stance. But even as the film orchestrates its grandly emotional and proudly manipulative climax, it means nothing and everything.”
Review: Dan Trachtenberg’s ’10 Cloverfield Lane’
“True to form, the narrative beats of 10 Cloverfield Lane do unspool more than progress, but the difference is that they’re always based in character.”
DMG’s Jeff Nichols RetroSpecial: ‘Mud’ (2012)
A Jeff Nichols Retrospective by Dylan Moses Griffin
The Feminine Grotesque #4: Madness, Thy Name Is Eve
A Series by Angelica Jade Bastién
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘La Religieuse’ (Jacques Rivette, 1966)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Review: Kent Jones’ ‘Hitchcock/Truffaut’
“Although it contains very little new material, Hitchcock/Truffaut will undoubtedly find a home within the film education community and could become an important tool in introducing Hitchcock’s immense body of work to hoards of “uninitiated” cinema devotees.”
‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’: Empty Empowerment
“It’s not a bad movie, but no matter how long it spends in the war zone, it still feels like a tourist.”
Review: Grímur Hákonarson’s ‘Rams’
“A great director can make us a care for characters wildly outside our realm of understanding, and Grímur Hákonarson may have proven himself such a director with his latest film, Rams.”
With ‘The Mermaid’, Stephen Chow Fully Utilizes the Camera as Comedic Tool
“Stephen Chow’s invigorating, irreverent, slapstick, but occasionally serious, comedy The Mermaid is an odd beast to pin down.”
DMG’s Jeff Nichols RetroSpecial: ‘Take Shelter’ (2011)
A Jeff Nichols Retrospective by Dylan Moses Griffin
The Feminine Grotesque #3: Something Wicked – On Robert Eggers’ ‘The Witch’
A Series by Angelica Jade Bastién