Vagabond Noirs and Tramp Westerns: The Films of Hugo Fregonese at Il Cinema Ritrovato
“Hugo Fregonese is a director ripe for rediscovery.”
Know the Cast: ‘1883’
‘1883’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Yellowstone’ prequel series on Paramount+.
Soundtracks of Cinema: ‘The Power of the Dog’
‘The Power of the Dog’ Soundtrack: A Vague Visages guide for every featured song in Jane Campion’s 2021 Netflix movie.
Know the Cast: ‘The Power of the Dog’
‘The Power of the Dog’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Jane Campion’s 2021 Netflix movie.
Review: Jane Campion’s ‘The Power of the Dog’
“It is surely a disservice to reduce Campion’s filmography to a study in gender, despite the longstanding focus of so much scholarship.”
Soundtracks of Cinema: ‘The Harder They Fall’
The Harder They Fall Soundtrack: A Vague Visages guide for every featured song in Jeymes Samuel’s 2021 Netflix movie.
Know the Cast: ‘The Harder They Fall’
The Harder They Fall Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Jeymes Samuel’s 2021 Netflix movie.
Review: Clint Eastwood’s ‘Cry Macho’
“While ‘Cry Macho’ succeeds with the set-up character scenes, it fails with its overall execution.”
Know the Cast: ‘Cry Macho’
‘Cry Macho’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Clint Eastwood’s 2021 movie (now streaming on HBO Max).
Know the Cast: ‘Massacre Time’
‘Massacre Time’ Cast Guide: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Lucio Fulci’s 1966 movie.
Monte Hellman: A Master of the Language of Cinema
Author Joseph B. Atkins on Filmmaker Monte Hellman’s Life and Career
Black Gold: Cinema, Wealth and Blackness
Brian Brems on ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, ‘Da 5 Bloods’ and ‘Trespass’
A Stirring Tale of Friendship: Kelly Reichardt’s ‘First Cow’
“Behold the elegance and oft-cited aesthetic minimalism with which Reichardt unfolds so many thoughts and ideas about race, representation and gender.”
Berlinale 2020 Review: Kelly Reichardt’s ‘First Cow’
“Reichardt’s story has the mythic quality of a fable, but refrains from moralising or casting judgement on the misdeeds and mistakes of its characters.”
Who Was That Masked Man: ‘The Mandalorian’ and Westerns
“A lot can be said about the aesthetics of ‘The Mandalorian’ as they relate to Westerns, but even more so can be said of the thematic elements that comprise the new series.”
The Beautiful Brutality of Sergio Corbucci’s ‘The Great Silence’
“‘The Great Silence’ is miles away from the graceful, operatic majesty of Leone’s more famous entries. Corbucci’s cynical vision is fashioned from a style that is brutal and spontaneous…”
The Western Enters the 70s – Part 4: The Iconoclast’s Dilemma
“Faced with the death of its utopian hopes, the remnants of America’s counterculture split into two tendencies: the pastoral and the criminal. Its despondency was turned inwards and outwards; one side sought to build alternative structures in line with a higher authority, while the other strove to rearrange the wreckage of the existing order.”
Once Upon a Time in Tarantinoland: ‘Django Unchained’ Is Mature and Packed with Postmodern Trademarks
“‘Django Unchained’ is packed with Tarantino’s postmodern trademarks, but it also has the added value of actually addressing some serious issues.”
The Western Enters the 70s – Part 3: Expansion Pains
“The cowboy is an emissary of civilisation, enduring all the hardships the elements can throw at him to create a space in which civilised values can flourish unhindered. The symbolism of the cowboy is so potent that it continues to be invoked for political gain.”
The Western Enters the 70s – Part 2: Kicking Down the Doors
“With the Acid Western, the genre had once again proven itself capable of assimilating new grievances and anxieties.”