The Way of the Future: The Connections Between Martin Scorsese’s ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘The Aviator’
“With ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘The Aviator,’ Martin Scorsese perfects a configuration of the biopic as self-recognized fiction.”
Los Cabos IFF Review: Pablo Larraín’s ‘Jackie’
“Portman’s vivid portrayal is the film’s greatest strength, coasting through woebegone New England accents and the script’s on-the-nose airing of themes in the final act.”
CIFF Review: Terence Davies’ ‘A Quiet Passion’
“‘A Quiet Passion’ is at its best when its silence is broken by images, not words.”
CIFF Review: Andrzej Wajda’s ‘Afterimage’
“This portrait of an aging artist engages with and refuses the idea that artistic and social isolation is anything but selfish.”
NYFF Review: Pablo Larraín’s ‘Neruda’
“Neruda’s shining star is Luis Gnecco, who brings the poet back to life.”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Auto Focus’ (Paul Schrader, 2002)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Patty Hearst’ (Paul Schrader, 1988)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
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.”
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.”
Punk Celebrates Its 40th Birthday with a Night at the Movies
“Relying heavily on the sheer talent of its leading performers, and the loud boisterousness of the music that defined an era, Alex Cox’s ode to punk is pure Anarchy in the UK.”
Studio Ghibli Forever: An Initiation – ‘The Wind Rises’
“Almost as if something out of a Japanese elementary school history class, Miyazaki’s last Studio Ghibli film leaves me with a great sense of numbness rather than the invigorating wonder I have come to expect from the master of anime.”
Cult Vault, Part Three: On Campy, Queer Figureheads In ‘Mommie Dearest’ and ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’
“So, what is it about these two figureheads of cult film that makes them so iconically and definitively camp?”
Fantasia Fest 2016 (Video): Justine Peres Smith Interviews Adam Nimoy, Director of ‘For the Love of Spock’
Fantasia International Film Festival 2016: Justine A. Smith Interviews Adam Nimoy
Just Let it Flow: The Awkward Transitions of ‘Jimi: All Is by My Side’
“A Hendrix biopic can be tackled in a variety of ways, but a director should either commit to gonzo audio/visual techniques or simply let the performances take over.”
An Attractive Fraction: Tim Burton’s ‘Big Eyes’
“‘Big Eyes’ could have become an Oscar contender with more focus on Adams in the final act, rather than a shift towards the public bravado of Waltz’s Walter Keane.”
An Unfortunate Case of Severe Holiday Melodrama: Angelina Jolie’s ‘Unbroken’
“Jolie didn’t make a bad movie, and ‘Unbroken’ might have even won Best Picture 20 years ago, but you can’t throw the star under the bus — especially in a biopic — and let the antagonist destroy one of the most powerful scenes.”
A ‘Boyhood’ Alternative and Potential Oscar Outcast: Jean-Marc Vallée’s ‘Wild’
“Witherspoon delivers a powerhouse performance in ‘Wild.'”