#Noirvember: Joseph H. Lewis’ ‘Gun Crazy’ and the Erotic Allure of Firearms
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
A Tragic Turn: Fargo ‘Did You Do This? No, You Did It!’ (Recap)
“Throughout Season Two, Fargo has maintained an impeccable balance between comedy and tragedy.”
Two Blistering Performances Help ‘James White’ Achieve Greatness
“In a way, James White is like a dark riff on the man-child formula, but it also works as a devastating exploration of death and decay.”
The Black Lodge: The Leftovers ‘International Assassin’ (Recap)
“The otherworldly has always existed on the peripheries in The Leftovers, but in “International Assassin,” the physical world and the surreal world truly collide.”
Review: Francis Lawrence’s ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’
“A triumphant end for a series often mocked by critics for its narrative simplicity and “Young Adult” classification, Mockingjay – Part 2 is the finale that fans deserve. “
His Blazing Automatics: Jeff Nichols’ ‘Midnight Special’ and the Middle-Class Studio Film
“If Midnight Special does well in March, the film will undoubtedly encourage an environment in which middle-class studio releases aren’t such a rarity, because the film world needs more working class heroes like Jeff Nichols.”
#Noirvember: Howard Hawks’ ‘The Big Sleep’ (1946) Neuters Marlowe’s Hatred
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Review: Rick Alverson’s ‘Entertainment’
“Not merely a story about the loneliness of a career on the road, Entertainment is the struggle of a man singularly steadfast in his pursuit of his chosen art.”
RIDM 2015: ‘Red Hollywood’ (1996) – Another Masterwork From Thom Andersen
“Currently being honoured with a retrospective at the RIDM, Andersen’s cool and measured voice emerges as a through-line in his career.”
RIDM 2015: ‘My Love, Don’t Cross That River’ (Jin Mo-young, 2015)
“My Love, Don’t Cross That River, a documentary about a Korean couple who have been together for 75 years, achieves cinema’s full potential as a medium of poetry.”
Tension Mounts: Fargo ‘Rhinoceros’ (Recap)
“One of the most impressive aspects of Fargo this season has been the show’s ability to digress without ever losing focus.”
With ‘Carol,’ Todd Haynes Conveys Love Like Few Other Filmmakers
“As premature as it might be to say in a review for an initial theatrical run, Carol more than earns the right of comparison to Brief Encounter in terms of quality. Frankly, it’s one of the new great romantic films.”
RIDM 2015: Frederick Wiseman’s ‘In Jackson Heights’ and the Virtues of Eisenstein
RIDM 2015: “As diversity takes centre stage, In Jackson Heights demonstrates the importance of local governments and organizations in building a healthy community.”
Death Is the Road to Awe: The Leftovers ‘A Most Powerful Adversary’ (Recap)
“On Lost, cliffhanger endings were simply a part of the storytelling structure. For The Leftovers, “A Most Powerful Adversary” is perhaps the episode that bares the most striking resemblance to Lost given the dooming conclusion.”
Tragic Simplicity: Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Wrong Man’
“The Wrong Man is, perhaps, Hitchcock’s most authentic film.”
We Failed This Film: Sean Byrne’s ‘The Loved Ones’
A Column by Dylan Moses Griffin
#Noirvember: ‘The Dark Mirror’ and the Paranoid Double (Robert Siodmak, 1946)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Review: John Crowley’s ‘Brooklyn’
“A turn to the past in order to rationalize the present, Brooklyn is a standout example of the forceful, empathetic tempest that cinema is capable of delivering to an audience.”
Review: Davis Guggenheim’s ‘He Named Me Malala’
“Despite Guggenheim’s asymmetrical approach, Malala’s unquestionable bravery and youthful idealism shine through.”
Murder and Reagan: Fargo ‘The Gift of the Magi’ (Recap)
“The voice of a fictional Ronald Reagan (played with a perfect mix of jocularity and sincerity by Bruce Campbell) looms over ‘The Gift of the Magi,’ setting a tone in the first act that never wanes throughout the episode.”