How Louis Feuillade’s ‘Judex’ and Georges Franju’s Remake Created the Cinematic Language of the Caped Crusader
An Essay by Dylan Moses Griffin
Guns and Dreams in John Cassavetes’ Noirs
An Essay by Phuong Le
Review: Mia Hansen-Løve’s ‘Eden’
“It’s an era epic that’s both euphoric and melancholy, riveting despite running on the ever fleeting. It’s the new best film from one of the world’s greatest new directors.”
Review: Rick Famuyiwa’s ‘Dope’
“Despite the well-worn territory and jumbled narrative, Dope is proof positive that Hollywood needs diversity and needs it NOW.”
Review: David Gordon Green’s ‘Manglehorn’
“Seldom more than a vehicle for Pacino to exercise his considerable (and still active) talents, Manglehorn is a string of engaging and breathtaking images that, when strung together, become a subdued meandering plot devoid of any real meaning.”
Review: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky’s ‘The Tribe’
“The film is nothing if not an audacious directorial debut; a grand, horrifying cinematic mission statement that might particularly appeal to the likes of Michael Haneke and, especially, Gaspar Noé.”
This House Is Not a Home: On John Cassavetes’ Troubled Families
An Essay by Phuong Le
Summer of Darkness: Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ (1931)
“It’s going to be a #NoirSummer, and hopefully some of the world’s filmmakers are paying attention to the simple yet effective methods of their predecessors.”
We Failed This Film: Andrew Dominik’s ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’
We Failed This Film is a series about various films that simply didn’t get the love that they deserved upon initial release.
Review: Sylvia Borges’ ‘Rendezvous’
“Through a series of seemingly sensual vignettes, the director hides the passion that her protagonist so desperately wants, and its this absence of feeling that unveils a misguided and disillusioned woman.”
The Theater of Fear: John Cassavetes’ ‘Opening Night’
“Throughout ‘Opening Night,’ reality and make-believe are interwoven into a mass of chaos.”
Review: Stéphane Lafleur’s ‘Tu dors Nicole’
“Change doesn’t always have to be monumental, and small films like Tu dors Nicole can still be great without high stakes.”
Review: Anne Fontaine’s ‘Gemma Bovery’
“The shell of Gemma Bovery makes it seem like there might be something weighty within, but it’s too empty an affair.”
Love in the Time of Cabiria
An Essay by Kyle Turner
Review: Adam Carolla and Nate Adams’ ‘Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman’
“A plethora of heart-pounding footage (race and off-track) is at the heart and soul of Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman.”
Review: Gil Kenan’s ‘Poltergeist’
“This Poltergeist is an efficient, amiably entertaining riff on an established thrill ride, but the film does little to spook long-term.”
Review: Collin Schiffli’s ‘Animals’
“Crossing the boundaries of reality, Animals tackles drug abuse from an insider’s perspective by inviting the audience to share in an experience so uniquely alienating, it is impossible to fully comprehend.”
Review: Thomas Cailley’s ‘Love at First Fight’
“A multiple award winner at the Director’s Fortnight sidebar of Cannes last year, Les combattants, the charming feature debut of director Thomas Cailley, finally arrives in North America under the name Love at First Fight, an unfortunate pun that does a disservice to a romantic comedy that’s much more interesting than its new title may suggest.”
Review: Bradley King’s ‘Time Lapse’
“Apprehensively approaching its subject from a fresh, interesting angle, Time Lapse never quite fulfills the lofty goals it has for itself.”
Review: John Maclean’s ‘Slow West’
A fresh, vibrant Western revival, Slow “West uses the tropes of the genre to its advantage, delivering a unique tale about searching for love in all the wrong places.”