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 […]
Forgiveness of the Frontier: An Interview with Viggo Mortensen on Directing The Dead Don’t Hurt
By Yun-hua Chen. I think that, in some sense, forgiveness is more important than revenge. There’s a desire for revenge…. That’s sort of instant gratification for certain kinds of movie fans, but it’s not very interesting or realistic.” The Dead Don’t Hurt, a unique Western imbued with Viggo Mortensen’s distinct […]
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 […]
Everyone’s Cinema Scholar: Remembering David Bordwell (1947-2024)
Film International editors, contributors, and correspondents offer personal tributes and commentary on the late scholar of cinema. I regret never having the pleasure of meeting David Bordwell. My only interaction with him was a lively email exchange little over 10 years ago. I was planning an article on the early […]
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 […]
A Captivating World of Indigenous Culture: Filmmaker Ivan Sen on Limbo
By Jenny Paola Ortega Castillo. There’s a lot of secrets to all the land in Australia, especially since colonization…. And sometimes the land gives those secrets up if you listen to it. And so this incredible landscape was the inspiration for the characters who are very similar to this damaged […]
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 […]