Know the Cast: ‘Blackhat’
‘Blackhat Cast’: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Michael Mann’s 2015 movie.
Mannhunting: Exploring Masculinity in the Films of Michael Mann – Part Four
“Masculinity in Mann’s world is its own prison, a conundrum of duality, a question of what someone will stand for and the masks they may wear while striving for an identity.”
Mannhunting: Exploring Masculinity in the Films of Michael Mann – Part Three
Mannhunting #3 by Bill Bria (‘Ali,’ ‘The Insider’ and ‘Collateral’)
Mannhunting: Exploring Masculinity in the Films of Michael Mann – Part Two
Mannhunting #2 by Bill Bria: “In Mann’s duality of man, cop and robber are, in Stevenson’s words, ‘radically both’ one and the same.”
Mannhunting: Exploring Masculinity in the Films of Michael Mann – Part One
Mannhunting #1 by Bill Bria: “The protagonists and antagonists in Mann’s films tend to be mirror images of each other, all of them caught within masculinity’s shackles.”
Movement and Melancholy in Michael Mann’s ‘Miami Vice’
“In the cinema of Michael Mann, romance comes fast or not at all, often smothered by the anonymous network of mankind itself or maybe just your job.”
Seeing Double: Richard Quine’s ‘Pushover’
“As a largely disregarded noir B-side, ‘Pushover’ deliberately recalls its more famous predecessor, playing upon audience expectations of MacMurray’s screen persona to create an experience of déjà vu.”
Blowback: Peter Berg’s ‘Mile 22’
“Blowback occurs when policymakers fail to take into account the far-reaching ramifications of their actions.”
Baby and The Driver: Motion, Music and Meaning
“‘Baby Driver’ and ‘Drive’ are not road maps to modernity, they don’t offer any route through it that guarantees a safe arrival. The only advice they might offer is to tear up the map itself. To simply drive.”
Lost Amidst the Architecture: Aaron Katz’s ‘Gemini’
“In straining to emulate something in the order of a traditional thriller, Katz and his team of long-time collaborators find themselves sliding perilously towards the formulaic.”
Vague Visages Writers’ Room: Weekend Vibes 2.23.18
Weekend Vibes is a Friday column about streaming recommendations, new release hype and entertainment events.
Vague Visages Writers’ Room: Favorite Neo-Noir Films
In the Vague Visages Writers’ Room on Facebook, freelancers were asked to comment about their favorite neo-noir films in celebration of #Noirvember.
‘American Made’: Cruising into Character
“One doesn’t expect an immediate return to iconic roles like Vincent Lauria or T.J. Mackey, but hopefully Barry Seal is just the start.”
The Woman and the Puppet: On Abel Ferrara’s ‘New Rose Hotel’
“Her power lies in her opaqueness.”
Sheer Heart Attack: Edgar Wright’s ‘Baby Driver’
“With ‘Baby Driver,’ Wright delivers a delightful, mid-summer cinematic treat.”
Is Michael Mann’s Horror ‘The Keep’ a Hidden Gem? Well…
“Really, the main worth of The Keep is as a curiosity; to see a significantly different career path that Mann could have taken had this film had any sort of positive impact on pop culture.”
Review: John Hillcoat’s ‘Triple 9’
“Triple 9 probably won’t go down as one of the great heist films on par with Die Hard or The Italian Job, but it might.”
London Film Festival 2015 Review: Johnnie To’s ‘Office’
“Office makes you wonder if more thriller-leaning filmmakers should make a foray into the musical genre. Michael Mann’s Gypsy, anyone?”
Personalizing Murder: Hannibal ‘…And the Beast from the Sea’ (Recap)
“Instead of merely asking viewers to care about a victim with whom we have no ties, Fuller tugs on our heartstrings by having his antagonist target the family of the protagonist we’ve gotten to know for nearly three full seasons.”
Inside the Minds of Murderers: Hannibal ‘The Great Red Dragon’ (Recap)
“The sound of Hannibal has always been one of its strongest elements, thanks in large part to Brian Reitzell’s terrifying score, and the auditory depiction of Dolarhyde’s plight is no exception.”