By Matthew Sorrento. Just what the pinball tribe needs, and offers a whole lot for feel-good indie fans, too.” This new release, aptly titled Pinball, celebrates the game, its ignored legacy, along with an important page in its history. Those (mostly older) who sing the famous hit from Tommy do […]
Strange Hits: The Birth (and Deaths) of Cocaine Bear
The reviewer confounded, a “poet” responds…. For the few happy stoners who loved Strange Wilderness…. Three of them were back to the multiplex in early ‘08, night after night (while their supply lasted) bringing the only box office before it closed after a week. Late-night conversations, fueled by caffeine, conjured desires for a sequel. Back to […]
Finding Humor in Tragedy: The Films of Iranian Director Reza Jamali
By Ali Moosavi. A new and original voice in the Iranian Cinemas whose films deserve to find a wider audience.” With only two feature films to his credit, Iranian writer-director Reza Jamali has emerged as a new and unique voice in the Iranian cinema. Both his films, Old Men Never […]
Luca Guadagnino’s Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams at Provincetown FF 2022
By Chet Domitz. Following his dream, Ferragamo was home wherever he was and on whatever continent. He created his own world. “ The 2022 Provincetown International Film Festival was the site of the North American premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams. Guadagnino was in attendance to introduce the […]
Sacheen Littlefeather, American Hero
By Gary D. Rhodes. Some on planet earth were ready to hear Littlefeather. Too many in Hollywood were not, alas, thus tarnishing the tinsel in Tinseltown.” Sacheen Littlefeather, the civil rights activist and actor booed by many attendees at the 1973 Academy Awards, has passed away at the age of 75. […]
For Jean-Luc Godard: 1930-2022
By Christopher Sharrett. One of the great innovators of the cinema…the supreme artist and intellectual engaged with his era.” When I first encountered Godard decades ago, I thought he might be better off writing essays rather than making films, since he seemed interested in making philosophical points about the image […]
The American Dream as Wasteland: Breaking Bad by Christopher Sharrett
By Tanja Bresan. Sharrett’s deep dive in his book uncovers what drives the show: a similar original sin manifesting in America’s white males with their driving force: toxic white male privilege.” Christopher Sharrett’s recent entry into Wayne State’s University Press’s TV Milestones series examines Breaking Bad, one of the most […]
Emerging Post-Covid in Wiesbaden and Udine: The Shape of Two European Film Festivals
By Dina Iordanova. My interest, however, is in the festival as a shell – its structure and functionality; the films are a component that is vitally important but also ephemeral. And, in the year 2022, there is a lot to say about how film festivals in Europe emerge post-Covid.” It […]
Myth and History Restored: Aleksandr Ptushko’s Ilya Muromets (The Sword & the Dragon)
By Ken Hall. A visually rich and fast-paced mythic and historical screen epic…the timing of the new restoration by Mosfilm and Craig Rogers is also oddly appropriate given the current warfare in Ukraine, as the courageous defense of Kiev has featured prominently in newscasts. This visually rich and fast-paced mythic […]
Investigation on the Frontier: Murder at Yellowstone City
By Ken Hall. A serviceable, well-made Western with some compelling characters and excitingly staged action scenes.” Directed by Australian Richard Gray and filmed in Montana, Murder at Yellowstone City appears at the outset to be just another Leone-influenced “realistic” Western. As the narrative progresses, however, the film, scripted by Eric […]