By Jonathan Monovich. Not as in-your-face as Ritchie’s earliest work… yet there is still plenty to please fans….” Guy Ritchie has become well-known for his distinct style, easily recognized by quick cuts, lively transitions, intersecting plotlines, witty dialogue, and dark humor. This unique style, which audiences have come to love, […]
Man vs. Wild: Hundreds of Beavers
By Jonathan Monovich. An example as to why silent comedy is timeless despite the disbelief of many.” Whereas Lake Michigan Monster (2018) was a whacky take on films like Roger Corman’s Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) and Curtis Harrington’s Night Tide (1961), Mike Cheslik/Ryland Brickson Cole Tews’ follow-up, Hundreds […]
Civil War: A Depressing Wake-Up Call
By Elias Savada. Dystopia never looked so depressing.” It’s not a far cry — from today’s escalating political dissention that is breaking apart friends and family — to the near-future possibility that is Alex Garland’s bleak world view in Civil War. It’s a savage and savaged county (not unlike the […]
Things Fall Apart: Ena Sendijarević’s Sweet Dreams (2023)
By James Slaymaker. Demonstrating an astonishing level of artistic maturity, sensitivity, and command of cinematic form.” In her feature debut, the entertaining-yet-slight road movie Take Me Somewhere Nice (2019), director Ena Sendijarević delved into her familial roots, depicting a young woman’s journey from the Netherlands to visit her estranged father […]
Monkey Man: Dev Patel at the Helm
By Elias Savada. An intense tour-de-force statement from the star turned actor-producer-writer-director….” Following in the oversized footsteps of King Kong, who last week was seen tag teaming with Godzilla in their latest globe-trotting, over-sized cinematic adventure, the bone-crunching revenge tale Monkey Man arrives with an intense tour-de-force statement from the […]
Now is the Time! Med Hondo’s West Indies (1979)
By Thomas M. Puhr. Proof positive that a musical can simultaneously educate and entertain, excite and incite.” France’s imperial history is portrayed through experimental musical theater in Med Hondo’s West Indies (1979). Based on Daniel Boukman’s 1971 book Les Negriers and subtitled The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty, the film is […]
An Inventory of Losses – Watching the World Die: Nuclear Threat Films of the 1980s
A Book Review by Thomas M. Puhr. A quick and engaging study addressing a scholarly blind spot.” Amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union, the 1980s were something of a golden age for films about humanity’s annihilation. Yet despite its ubiquity in the arthouse and grindhouse alike, a […]
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Queer-Themed Monster
By Brad Windhauser. Kore-eda’s Monster portrays Japanese queer youth forced to carve out a safe space away from their society just to experience moments of joy.” Kore-eda’s film Monster (Kore-eda, 2023), recently released digitally, demonstrates how Japanese culture, which does not encourage open exploration of queer identities, sets up their […]
Tangled Up In Blue: Patrick Tam’s My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989)
By Thomas M. Puhr. Violent, sensual, and at times poetic….” Kani Releasing continues to expose Western audiences to unsung masterpieces of Asian cinema, and their latest – a restoration of Patrick Tam’s violent, sensual, and at times poetic My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (Sat sau woo dip mung, 1989) […]
Young at Heart: Julio Torres’ Problemista
By Jonathan Monovich. Writer-director-star Julio Torres cleverly compares the one-month countdown for finding work visa sponsorship to both an hour glass running out of sand and a never-ending maze…. Problemista‘s tone possesses a childlike innocence, which works quite well in contrasting serious subject matter.” Slinkys that refuse to fall down […]