“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.”
“With the Acid Western, the genre had once again proven itself capable of assimilating new grievances and anxieties.”
“With his concern for the outsider, and his reorienting of the West’s perception in the American mind, Peckinpah helped to birth the Acid Western.”
“Whenever they exist, wherever they roam, with this continuation of personality and principle, it is often as if Peckinpah’s characters were simply picked up from the past and dropped into another time, a time where the Western — and western — spirit remains.”
“Sexism and toxic masculinity are not unusual in this genre, but DaCosta’s emphasis on sisterhood and the presentation of a female point of view turn ‘Little Woods’ into a fresh, must-see cinematic experience.”
“Jodorowsky’s film is a potpourri of consecrated iconography and symbolism, providing ‘El Topo’ a breadth of sacred resonance and no doubt augmenting its potential for provocation and interpretation.”
“Uchoa and Dumans’ distanced, matter-of-fact portrayal of their vagabond renders ‘Araby’ an elusive and open film. It’s particulars aren’t always announced, because — as with Bresson — the text ask viewers to meet it where it stands.”
“‘The Searchers’ has moments of low-brow comedy and moments of penetrating tension, its interconnected themes involve love and guilt, and its visual and spiritual essence falls somewhere in the realm of poetic melancholy.”
“For all its attempts at dissecting human cruelty, there’s no human core to this story, which makes its 135-minute runtime feel twice as long.”
“‘Greed’ is like the gold within the soil, a gem that must be mined from its sullied context.”
“Out of a fractured, tentative world, Kazik Radwanski created a strong and whole short film.”
“There’s no blaze of glory, but rather a collective maturation. Patience is their virtue.”
“‘The Beguiled’ plays out exactly as one might expect and never really stretches beyond its contained premise.”
“The grey hue of ‘Hell or High Water’ becomes more distinguishable when juxtaposed to films with plots that are more clearly black or white.”
“If ‘Tampopo’ initially seems familiar, it’s only because Itami masks the exterior as a Western.”
