Film Scratches focuses on the world of experimental and avant-garde film, especially as practiced by individual artists. It features a mixture of reviews, interviews, and essays. A Review by David Finkelstein. An American Dream, a new 34-minute found footage film by Wheeler Winston Dixon, consists of public domain footage clips, almost all of […]
Fear and Trust: Dana Ivgy on Performing Next to Her
April 4, 2016
By Paul Risker. While fear and trust can be perceived as two opposing forces within the human experience, for actor Dana Ivgy these two forces converged in her portrayal of an autistic sibling in the touching Israeli drama Next To Her (2014). “It was obviously a very big challenge and lesson for […]
This Still Can’t Be Happening! – Callan Potter on Bruno and Boots: Go Jump in the Pool!
April 3, 2016
By Tom Ue. In 1976, Gordon Korman’s seventh grade track-and-field coach-turned English teacher had given the class time to write: he completed what became This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall (1978, updated in 2003), the first installment in his Macdonald Hall (Bruno and Boots) series (1978-1995). The novel appeared two […]
Saul Bass: Anatomy of Film Design by Jan-Christopher Horak
A Book Review by Tony Williams. The work of Saul Bass is familiar to those impressed by credit openings of The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Cowboy (1958), Bonjour Tristesse (1958) Vertigo (1958), Psycho, (1960) Walk on the Wild Side (1962), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), Bunny Lake is Missing […]
An Interview With Gayle Kirschenbaum: Look At Us Now, Mother!
By Anna Weinstein. Gayle Kirschenbaum ’s 2004 documentary A Dog’s Life: A Dogamentary, which premiered on HBO, explores the bond between dogs and humans, told through her relationship with her Shih Tzu, Chelsea. Her documentary short, My Nose (2007), was a festival favorite and became the inspiration for her most recent […]
Crimson Glory: The Hidden Depths of Dario Argento’s Deep Red
March 29, 2016
By Cleaver Patterson. Anyone taking it upon themselves to comment on a film by the master of the giallo thriller Dario Argento is, to some extent, staking their reputation as a critic and writer. No-one will ever get it one hundred per cent right. Aficionados of his work — of […]
A Patriarch’s Infamy: The Clan
March 28, 2016
By Elias Savada. An ugly, dirty war begets the airing of some nasty laundry. That’s the simple historical concept – and quite an emotional memory for the too many South Americans who suffered through the bad times – driving millions of fascinated fans to Pablo Trapero’s new feature The Clan (El […]
Diverse Stories, Diverse Faces: Songs My Brothers Taught Me
March 27, 2016
By John Duncan Talbird. First-time feature writer-director Chloé Zhao’s Songs My Brothers Taught Me opens and closes with the narration of teenage Lakota Indian Johnny Winter (John Reddy). The first image is of him barebacked on a horse, voiceover emotionlessly informing us about the wisdom he’s gained breaking horses: “Anything that […]
Zootopia: A Modern Interpretation of a Fairy Tale
March 24, 2016
By Cleaver Patterson. Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a young bunny with big ideas. Living in the rural town of Bunnyburrow her parents expect her to follow in the family tradition, growing and selling various fruit and vegetables. But Judy yearns to go to the fabled city of Zootopia, where […]
Fearless Realism: Krisha
March 24, 2016
By Elias Savada. Other than a kitchen catastrophe, there’s not a sloppy moment in Trey Edward Shults’ micro-budgeted, crowdsourced Krisha, an incredibly well-constructed debut feature that plays like a home movie gone awry. Considering that the director-writer-editor, just 25 years old, shot it over a mere 9-day period in his parents’ […]