This House Is Not a Home: On John Cassavetes’ Troubled Families
An Essay by Phuong Le
Game of Thrones Recap: ‘Mother’s Mercy’
“Game of Thrones may disappear from the conversation for brief lulls, but it always returns with full force — it is doing something right.”
Summer of Darkness: Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ (1931)
“It’s going to be a #NoirSummer, and hopefully some of the world’s filmmakers are paying attention to the simple yet effective methods of their predecessors.”
Recap: Hannibal ‘Primavera’
“After the intense aesthetic focus of last week’s “Antipasto,” Hannibal’s shift in character focal point for this week’s “Primavera” brings with it a different thematic center: religion.”
We Failed This Film: Andrew Dominik’s ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’
We Failed This Film is a series about various films that simply didn’t get the love that they deserved upon initial release.
Review: Sylvia Borges’ ‘Rendezvous’
“Through a series of seemingly sensual vignettes, the director hides the passion that her protagonist so desperately wants, and its this absence of feeling that unveils a misguided and disillusioned woman.”
Recap: Game of Thrones ‘The Dance of Dragons’
“Now in its fifth season, Game of Thrones has long settled in the category of dread built on anticipation.”
The Theater of Fear: John Cassavetes’ ‘Opening Night’
“Throughout ‘Opening Night,’ reality and make-believe are interwoven into a mass of chaos.”
‘Sense8’ Review: The Human Stories of Netflix’s Sci-Fi Drama Make for a Strong Start
“The latest Netflix original series, Sense8, throws a lot at the viewer in its premiere episode with an overarching science fiction arc and eight powerful human stories, but somehow the Wachowskis pull it off.”
Recap: Hannibal ‘Antipasto’
“Without a definite timeline to hold onto, we’re left to focus on the visual minutiae, and, as always, this might be the most fascinating aspect of Hannibal.”
Review: Stéphane Lafleur’s ‘Tu dors Nicole’
“Change doesn’t always have to be monumental, and small films like Tu dors Nicole can still be great without high stakes.”
Review: Anne Fontaine’s ‘Gemma Bovery’
“The shell of Gemma Bovery makes it seem like there might be something weighty within, but it’s too empty an affair.”
Recap: Louie ‘The Road Part 2’
Max Bledstein on the ‘Louie’ Season 5 Finale
Love in the Time of Cabiria
An Essay by Kyle Turner
Review: Adam Carolla and Nate Adams’ ‘Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman’
“A plethora of heart-pounding footage (race and off-track) is at the heart and soul of Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman.”
Recap: Game of Thrones ‘The Gift’
“The threat of rape hangs over all the women of Game of Thrones, and it is beginning to weigh on the audience.”
Review: Gil Kenan’s ‘Poltergeist’
“This Poltergeist is an efficient, amiably entertaining riff on an established thrill ride, but the film does little to spook long-term.”
Recap: Louie ‘The Road Part 1’
“One assumes that C.K. won’t spend the entire season finale depicting the further redemption of his protagonist, so it’s certainly conceivable that “The Road: Part Two” will bring new dimensions to the arc. As of now, though, it doesn’t appear to offer much.”
‘Lacombe, Lucien’ and the Early Novels of Patrick Modiano: ‘Les Boulevards de ceinture (Ring Roads)’
“In every novel (and in the movie), there’s a moment in which the deep feeling of love wakes up the protagonist from the slumber of servile conditioning. They have turned into little monsters, but in the end they will find their freedom, even if it kills them or makes them insane.”
Review: Collin Schiffli’s ‘Animals’
“Crossing the boundaries of reality, Animals tackles drug abuse from an insider’s perspective by inviting the audience to share in an experience so uniquely alienating, it is impossible to fully comprehend.”