The Princess’ New Clothes: Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’
“The central relationship between Belle and the Beast has the unfortunate stench of Stockholm syndrome all over it.”
Why Criticism: Queer Film Classics and ‘Forbidden Love’
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
Two Drink Minimum: Emmys 2016 – Progress Comes Quicker with Comedy
“The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards have helped shake up the industry with its most explicitly progressive and comedic self-congratulating.”
TIFF 2016: Interview with Director María José Cuevas and Olga Breeskin (‘Beauties of the Night’)
Justine A. Smith interviews the director and star of ‘Beauties of the Night.’
At the Cinémathèque: Is ‘Kamouraska’ Better Than ‘Mon oncle Antoine’?
A Justine A. Smith Series on Montreal’s Cinémathèque Québécoise
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Cat People’ (Paul Schrader, 1982)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Why Criticism: Joan Didion, John Wayne and Personal Brands
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
Two Drink Minimum: ‘Galaxy Quest’, ‘Star Trek’ and the Real World
“‘Galaxy Quest’ remains great as a testament to sci-fi filmmaking, television and reverence to ‘Star Trek’ as a fandom phenomenon which can only be understood and engaged with via postmodern means.”
Review: Joshua Marston’s ‘Complete Unknown’
“‘Complete Unknown’ seems to have its finger on the pulse of something characteristic of our FOMO culture.”
At the Cinémathèque: Jean-Luc Godard Finds Pleasure In Estrangement with ‘Passion’
“Centered on a made-for-television film, ‘Passion’ blends the far reaches of Western art with the birth of new mediums.”
SANFIC 12 Review: Paul Schrader’s ‘Dog Eat Dog’
“I think that Schrader is just reaching out, trying to stretch his directorial arms, trying to show everything that he’s got.”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘American Gigolo’ (Paul Schrader, 1980)
“‘American Gigolo’ doesn’t necessarily work as a neo-noir, but it still has enough romance and intrigue to be well worth watching.”
SANFIC 12 Review: Alejandro Jodorowsky’s ‘Poesía sin fin’
“Maybe it’s his own nostalgia or the naturalistic approach, but I haven’t felt someone film my city with that much love in a long time.”
Why Criticism: Mark Cousins’ 50 Week Film Course
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
Two Drink Minimum: ‘David Cross: Making America Great Again!’ (Netflix)
“Similar to the audience polarization of other onenote comics (like Ricky Gervais), Cross’ locked, angry views overwhelm his substantial wit.”
At the Cinémathèque: ‘In the Realm of the Senses’ (Nagisa Ôshima, 1976)
“In the forbidden, Oshima reveals the fear of our own meaninglessness and our inability to face death as a certainty.”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Hardcore’ (Paul Schrader, 1979)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
The Style, Sins and Sympathies of Robert Bresson’s ‘Au hasard Balthazar’
“Much of Au hasard Balthazar’s transcendental value derives from its explicit openness to theological interpretation, particularly given Bresson’s oft-commented upon Catholicism and some of the film’s more overt symbolism.”
More Serious Than Love: Éric Rohmer’s ‘A Summer’s Tale’
“The film identifies the dark heart of summer, the humid stagnation and sense of dread that is the season’s essence.”
Review: Werner Herzog’s ‘Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World’
“It is Herzog’s simultaneous exhibition of curiosity, awe, and irreverence in the face of the digitally connected world that makes ‘Lo and Behold’ a unique treatment of its subject that is not to be missed.”