The World Is Working: Michael Glawogger’s Trilogy on Poverty and Labor
“The real horrors of Glawogger’s films are the moments when people, having been given an opportunity to open up, are crushed by their own words.”
Embracing the New Normal: ‘The Addams Family’ Is Timeless at 30
“‘The Addams Family’ is a beacon of hope for weird kids everywhere, since Wednesday and Pugsley are never forced to change who they are to fit in, nor do they care what anyone thinks.”
Know the Cast: ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’
I Know What You Did Last Summer Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in the 1997 movie (now on Amazon Prime).
Know the Cast: ‘Candyman’
Candyman Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in the 1992 horror movie starring Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd.
Know the Cast: ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’
Mrs. Doubtfire Cast and Characters: A Vague Visages Guide for Chris Columbus’ 1993 Film Starring Robin Williams
VVoices: Best M. Night Shyamalan Film
VVoices #7: Vague Visages Contributors on the Best M. Night Shyamalan Film
Soundtracks of Cinema: ‘Romeo + Juliet’
Soundtracks of Cinema: A Vague Visages Guide for Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Romeo + Juliet’
Trash, Trauma and Revenge in Matthew Bright’s ‘Freeway’
“In ‘Freeway,’ Vanessa isn’t a girl who has won a battle, but one who has lost a war.”
Monte Hellman: A Master of the Language of Cinema
Author Joseph B. Atkins on Filmmaker Monte Hellman’s Life and Career
The Code Complex: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jim Carroll and ‘The Basketball Diaries’
“DiCaprio’s early 90s accomplishments have been widely dismissed or ignored ever since Titanic’s Jack Dawson become a beloved movie figure amongst parents and their nostalgia-loving kids.”
Celebrating Small Moments in ‘Chungking Express’
“The small character gestures in ‘Chungking Express’ give the film its soul, but the spark comes from the act of being seen at all.”
‘Bandit Queen’: The Callous World of Caste, Identity and Blood
“Despite being mired in controversy, ‘Bandit Queen’ is one of the finest films made in India that pushes the envelope of cinematic excellence.”
The Tension of Space and Time: Béla Tarr’s ‘Sátántangó’
“‘Sátántangó’ becomes an almost transcendental experience, illustrating fissures in a civilization constructed by an inimitable, sublime design.”
In Praise of 90s Gwyneth Paltrow
“It’s easy to feel a sense of loss for the great actress and movie star that Paltrow could have become, had she not lost interest in the profession and shifted her attention to her questionable business empire.”
How ‘Showgirls’ Takes Busby Berkeley to the City of Sin
“Where Berkeley uses excess as a contrast to the real world, Verhoeven uses it as a magnifying glass.”
Memories of Place in Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Virgin Suicides’
“Although the events in ‘The Virgin Suicides’ may not be presented through an innately nostalgic lens, they become a binding source of nostalgia by viewing the film 20 years after its initial wide release.”
Take This Leap: Revisiting the Optimism of ‘Joe Versus the Volcano’
“‘Joe Versus the Volcano’ is as thoughtful and sensitive as it is goofy. It brims with the sort of amazement that can reawaken forgotten feelings, and resuscitate a heart clogged by ennui.”
Lodge Kerrigan’s ‘Clean, Shaven’ and the Cinematic Virtue of Empathy
“‘Clean, Shaven’ depicts a culture in which there is little empathy for the mentally ill, perhaps because it is a culture influenced by fictional portrayals in which people like Peter are predominately unfeeling mad killers.”
Escape to Paradise: The Unusual Sweetness of ‘Carlito’s Way’
“What both Pacino and De Palma vividly convey throughout the film is that there’s absolutely nothing dubious or spurious about Carlito’s conviction in his ability to evolve.”
Emir Kusturica’s ‘Underground’: 25 Years Later
“‘Underground’ remains a controversial and wildly ambitious film, one that refuses to be pinned down. It’s a never-ending hall of mirrors that reveals more about the audience than the narrative itself.”
