Avenging the Destruction of True Love: François Truffaut’s ‘The Bride Wore Black’
“In ‘The Bride Wore Black,’ cruel fate rips true love away from the innocent, suggesting that Truffaut believed pure happiness is only found in fairy tales.”
Collecting Movies with Film Archivist Alicia Coombs
Greg Carlson Interviews Film Archivist Alicia Coombs
Local Heroes: Farewell, Safari
“Like any cinema, the Safari brought people together to dream in the dark.”
Review: Lawrence Michael Levine’s ‘Black Bear’
“It’s the sardonic, versatile Plaza performance that saves Levine’s ‘Black Bear.'”
The Crashing of the Wave: ‘Six in Paris’
“Despite being an uneven grouping hardly representative of the best these filmmakers had to offer, ‘Six in Paris’ is an interesting capsule of moments in time and space.”
Review: Emerald Fennell’s ‘Promising Young Woman’
“Fennell’s uproariously funny film showcases a powerhouse Carey Mulligan in what could very well be her career-best performance.”
Review: Thomas Vinterberg’s ‘Another Round’
“‘Another Round’ is a high-concept character piece that dips its toes into national themes, but never long enough to put off the international market it’s clearly geared towards.”
Review: Deepa Mehta’s ‘Funny Boy’
“‘Funny Boy’ may seem groundbreaking on paper, but there’s nothing particularly original about this overly familiar and largely reductive adaptation of an acclaimed novel.”
Celebrating Small Moments in ‘Chungking Express’
“The small character gestures in ‘Chungking Express’ give the film its soul, but the spark comes from the act of being seen at all.”
Review: Mickey Reece’s ‘Climate of the Hunter’
“‘Climate of the Hunter’ is fatally enthralled by its own bizarre, overwrought stylistic tics, from the exaggerated performances aiming squarely for the cheap seats to the Wes Anderson-style PSAs…”
Review: Robert Machoian’s ‘The Killing of Two Lovers’
“How wonderful it is to watch a film in 2020 that displays style and true enthusiasm for the art of movie-making.”
Review: Patrick Picard’s ‘The Bloodhound’
“There’s a timelessness to ‘The Bloodhound’ that puts it on a par with recent and similarly quietly-horrific offerings like ‘It Follows’ and ‘Piercing’…”
Review: Christopher Landon’s ‘Freaky’
“‘Freaky’ is uneven, but it has moments of magic.”
From Underground Jazz Clubs to Breaching Hollywood: Krzysztof Komeda and the Polish Sound
“Krzysztof Komeda made sure that the films he scored would be unlikely to exist, with any real significance, without his response to the images he was provided.”
Review: Justin G. Dyck’s ‘Anything for Jackson’
“‘Anything for Jackson’ is a perfect example of wasted potential, as the film contains some solid elements that Dyck fails to build upon.”
Review: Massoud Bakhshi’s ‘Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness’
“‘Yalda’ shows itself to be a deft treatise on how the contradictions of our modern world complicate something even as simple as saying sorry.”
David Fincher Pays Tribute to His Father and Old Hollywood in ‘Mank’
“‘Mank’ probably spends more time than necessary defining the protagonist’s own crisis of conscience within a corrupt and decaying dream factory.”
Review: Adam Egypt Mortimer’s ‘Archenemy’
“‘Archenemy’ could easily ditch all the higher concept stuff and simply exist as a dark buddy comedy. As it stands, this is an interesting misfire for Mortimer…”
Review: David Fincher’s ‘Mank’
“‘Mank’ is just the latest installment in Netflix’s self-concious branding strategy.”
Review: Clea DuVall’s ‘Happiest Season’
“‘Happiest Season’ may not be the cozy, easy and festive rom-com that many were expecting, but for those looking for something more challenging, it’s a vital, moving and essential watch any time of year.”