By Brandon Konecny. In 2014, Moldova experienced what many observers called the “theft of the century.” One billion dollars disappeared from the country’s banking system. That’s nearly an eighth of its gross domestic product. Because some worried that the country’s already fragile economy would collapse, the government intervened. The banks […]
Art and Healing – The 5 Browns: Digging Through the Darkness
January 22, 2019
By Elizabeth Toohey. R. Kelly; the backlash against Gillette; the abduction of 13-year-old Jayme Closs, held captive for three months; Larry Nassar’s abuse of upwards of 300 gymnasts entrusted to his care; the president of Michigan State’s claim that Nassar’s victims were enjoying the attention. And that’s just this week. Never […]
Journeywoman – Claire Trevor: The Life and Films of the Queen of Noir by Derek Sculthorpe
Tony Williams
January 19, 2019
A Book Review by Tony Williams. Yorkshire resident Derek Sculthorpe is an archivist who has also written plays, short stories, and articles as well as other books on Hollywood stars, such as Brian Donlevy and Van Heflin. This well-researched book reveals how important the contributions of independent critics are as […]
Beyond a Horror Anthology: Spirits of the Dead by Tim Lucas
Tony Williams
January 19, 2019
A Book Review by Tony Williams. Initiated last year with the appearance of monograph studies of Theatre of Blood and Martin, this enterprising series now includes this study of a trilogy of European Edgar Allan Poe adaptations by Roger Vadim, Louis Malle, and Federico Fellini, written by that well-known Video […]
The Other Tounge(s) of Iran: Hendi and Hormoz (Iranian Film Festival of New York)
January 16, 2019
By Arash Azizi. Hendi and Hormoz, which screened at the first-ever Iranian Film Festival of New York on January 11, has many alarming elements: A child marriage, an early-teen pregnancy, poverty-stricken locals who don’t benefit from their island’s mineral wealth and a cast of non-actors mostly speaking in a local […]
Choosing Sides: The Standoff at Sparrow Creek
Jeremy Carr
January 15, 2019
By Jeremy Carr. The men of The Standoff at Sparrow Creek exist in a world of violence. It can be a basic violence, natural even, as when Gannon (James Badge Dale) hunts a deer at the start of the film, dresses his kill, then has the game as his evening […]
When a Documentary Isn’t: Inside Slovenian Non-Fiction Films
Noah Charney
January 10, 2019
By Noah Charney. Slovenian documentary films are at their best when they do not appear to be documentaries. When we imagine documentaries, we tend to think of the History or Travel Channel variety. That’s the type that I occasionally appear in and have also helped to write and produce, so […]
Hail Mary! – Fanchon The Cricket (1915) and Little Annie Rooney (1925) from Flicker Alley
Tony Williams
January 8, 2019
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By Tony Williams. These DVD restorations represent another important collaborative venture on the part of The Mary Pickford Foundation and Flicker Alley, a company specializing in promoting often forgotten achievements of the past. The occasion offers cause to rejoice for previous cultural heritage in contrast to the ignominious productions of the present. While […]
A Quiet State: Maine
By Janine Gericke. Matthew Brown’s Maine is a quiet, observational film, in every sense. Not a word is uttered for nearly the first 10 minutes of the film and there is minimal dialogue from that point on. We mostly hear sounds of the wind, insects chirping, the ocean or a […]
Maryland, Oy Maryland: Sickies Making Films
December 17, 2018
By Elias Savada. Baltimore filmmaker Joe Tropea tackles a not very pressing subject with his new film. It’s an admirable history lesson and enjoyable examination of Maryland’s long-deceased era of film censorship, a period that extended from 1916 to 1981. Most people don’t remember the state’s control over all film […]