Vague Visages Writers’ Room: Formative Films
In the Vague Visages Writers’ Room on Slack, freelancers were asked to comment about films that influenced their formative years.
Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s ‘The Red Shoes’
“‘The Red Shoes’ dynamically crosses from reality to fantasy, befitting a film that is itself a grand fiction, simultaneously reflecting and critiquing a true reality. That’s the power of cinema — that’s the power of ‘The Red Shoes.’”
Every Fruit Has Its Secret: Ken Russell’s ‘Women in Love’
“‘Women in Love’ maintains, despite the passage of nearly 50 years, a thoroughly modern aura.”
Small Tokens of Faith in John Ford’s ‘The Fugitive’ and Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’
“In between Ford’s wide shots and Scorsese’s close-ups, there is an effort by each filmmaker to make faith real.”
Review: Paco Plaza’s ‘Verónica’
“The shrieking masses are right on the money for once. Plaza’s tale of teen possession is powerfully scary.”
Vague Visages Writers’ Room: Weekend Vibes 3.23.18
Weekend Vibes is a Friday column about streaming recommendations, new release hype and entertainment events.
Vague Visages Short Stories: A Delightful Partner by D.M. Palmer
Vague Visages Short Stories #8: A Delightful Partner by D.M. Palmer (Sheffield, UK)
Random Dating: ‘Where the Boys Are’ and the Evolution of Sex in Teenage Cinema
“Merritt establishes herself as more than simply the main character in a bubbly teen film. She presents a progressive face and viewpoint at a time when society was still struggling to evolve.”
Killing the Samurai: ‘Kuroneko’ and the Myths of Imperialism
“Kuroneko’s otherworldly visuals evoke a reality shaped by great and sinister powers, and a world where fate will always scupper the impudent plans of hubristic men.”
‘A Wrinkle in Time’ Missed the Stars but Aimed High
“‘A Wrinkle in Time’ is for kids, and I mean ‘made for kids’ in the supportive definition rather than the usual lazy and disparaging connotation that’s carelessly applied to more lukewarm family films.”
The Comfort of Shared Pain: Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Scenes from a Marriage’
“Bergman doesn’t need tricks because the simplicity of what he’s presenting will cut you to the core if you open yourself up and let it in.”
On Coming Out and the Importance of Representation in ‘Love, Simon’
“Representation matters, and this film matters, even though it’s far from perfect. In times like these, ‘Love, Simon’ should be celebrated.”
Review: Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Death of Stalin’
“In the end, the humor fades away in favor of political machinations, but the film’s killer gags are still numerable.”
Music for a Brutal, Contemporary Planet: A Selective Alice Cooper Retrospective
Mike Thorn on Alice Cooper’s ‘From the Inside, ‘Special Forces’ and ‘Brutal Planet’
Film Theory Vérité: Introduction – On Lewis Hyde’s ‘The Gift’
“Even when it sparks anger, fear, silence or screams, the response is a gift, and what we do with that gift is integral to the future of criticism and filmmaking in general.”
DVD/Blu-ray Review: Two Films by Lois Weber
“Milestone’s two exciting releases are a part of a larger, necessary effort to bring visibility to Weber’s cinematic labor and influence, which can no longer be ignored.”
True/False 2018 Review: Khalik Allah’s ‘Black Mother’
“Even if you do not believe in the soul, the film makes it impossible to deny the soul of a country, that which births us, grooms us, and to which we add as we live and die inside it.”
Five Films to See at Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2018
Marshall Shaffer’s Selections for Rendez-Vous with French Cinema (March 8-18, 2018)
True/False 2018 Review: Cristina Hanes’ ‘António and Catarina’
“In ‘António and Catarina,’ the potential of youth contrasts the accumulated regrets of age.”
True/False 2018 Review: Beata Bubenec’s ‘Flight of a Bullet’
“Formally electrifying and ethically discomfiting at the same time, ‘Flight of a Bullet’ is a movie one could just as easily gawk at in wonder or endlessly debate over.”