“What makes someone a great artist before they’ve made any great works of art? That becomes the central question and object of scrutiny at the heart of ‘Le concours,’ making it one of the most compelling examinations of auteur driven cinema.”
“‘Brothers of the Night’ takes an unexpected approach and reveals hidden parts of life amongst Bulgarian male hustlers in Vienna.”
“While Lang never fully embraced socialist principles over the course of his career, he always seemed to have a violent distaste for the men who stood on the shoulders of those who were less fortunate, knowing full well that social class does not correlate a strong moral conscious.”
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
“Refn provides a movie with universal appeal, displaying how pathetic and desperate human beings can be in their moments of weakness, insecurity and greed.”
“If ‘Tampopo’ initially seems familiar, it’s only because Itami masks the exterior as a Western.”
“The film has an unusually conservative vibe for a noir, maintaining that the status quo may be boring but criminality has nothing to offer — not even carnal thrills.”
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
“In ‘Aquarius,’ memories — of places, moments, music and lovers — balance imminent struggles to live well.”
Neaux Reel Idea is a Vague Visages column by Bill Arceneaux, in which he explores the cinema of his native New Orleans.
“Carpenter doesn’t frame the film as being about an outlier male abuser, but a culture that has little respect for a woman’s personal space.”
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
“‘A Quiet Passion’ is at its best when its silence is broken by images, not words.”
“There is no right way to negotiate these expectations, and no way to outrun them: they simply exist as a part of life.”
“Ultimately, Ang Lee delivers a smart war film that offers a great deal of empathy to its social actors while still remaining critical of imperialist impulses in American culture.”
“This portrait of an aging artist engages with and refuses the idea that artistic and social isolation is anything but selfish.”
“History, in the form of motion picture entertainment, continues to surprise.”
“Identity, like meaning in ‘Dekalog,’ is delivered piecemeal. Do immediate deeds define a person, or are these characters more than what they do in any given episode?”
“Anvari proves himself capable of creating a film with style, substance and importance.”
“In many ways, ‘Christine’ reflects a skepticism of the ‘I take what I want, when I want it’ system that emerges when consumerism becomes the dominant ideological force of society.”