By Elias Savada. The never-ending humor, miracle casting, excellent action sequences, bright script, and spot-on direction offer its audience a wonderful undertaking at the multi-plex.” The continuing rebirth of Warner Bros.’ DC Universe, and the “true beginning of the DCU” announced by James Gunn, the DC Studios co-CEO and mastermind […]
Promising Side Programs: Selections from Cannes 2023
By Ali Moosavi. Selections from Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight, Critics’ Week, and ACID.” Often ignored are the side programs of Cannes, including Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight, Critics’ Week, ACID (Association for the International Distribution of Independent Cinemas) and others. (In addition to these, hundreds of films are shown […]
A Short, Sweet Dream: Theodore Schaefer’s Giving Birth to a Butterfly (2021)
By Thomas M. Puhr. Pleasantly rough around the edges and anchored by two strong female performances, the co-writer and director’s feature debut offers a bit more than homage but never quite escapes its influences.” David Lynch has become a convenient (and sometimes lazy) point of comparison for any film with […]
“When the Music’s Over” – Jim Morrison: The Genius of an Unsung Filmmaker
A Book Review by Jonathan Monovich. Author Fabrizio Federico argues that Morrison’s ultimate goal was to encourage self-discovery and help listeners think freely in an era defined by chaos.” Though best best known as the singer of The Doors, Jim Morrison’s tumultuous life could have ended up quite differently had […]
Mastering the Multiverse –Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
By Matthew Sorrento. It’s invigorating to see a broad entertainment reach the heights of cinema’s visual potential.” While preparing the classic horror comedy Re-Animator, producer Brian Yunza had his director Stuart Gordon and other team members sit for a marathon VHS film festival of recent horror. The purpose: to top […]
Lawrence Tierney: Face of a Cop Hater (Preview)
By Burt Kearns. Tierney is another picture altogether…. He is a man who has had his head handed to him.” Lawrence Tierney was twenty-six years old in April 1945, when he became an “overnight sensation” in the title role of the gangster film Dillinger. In the years to follow, his erratic […]
Our Only Physical Carrier: Claire Simon’s Our Body (Notre Corps)
By Yun-hua Chen. A natural continuation of Simon’s perpetual quest to intimately connect with humans in various conditions and manifestations.” From life’s inception to its inevitable conclusion, from the intricate tissues within us to the complexities of our identities, Claire Simon’s Our Body looks into the gynecological experience with remarkable […]
A Picture of Then and Now: Risto Jarva’s Time of Roses (1969)
By Jeremy Carr. A seemingly intact image is a big lie”— This assertively obstruse line comes at the beginning of Time of Roses (Ruusujen Aika), which is itself, particularly at the beginning, a rather obstruse film. But as the picture progresses, the ostensibly elliptical declaration becomes central to what emerges […]
Interdependent Elements: An Interview with Iranian Film Editor Haideh Safiyari
By Ali Moosavi. In the first place, you must be very patient…. You should know that it is a very difficult and time-consuming job and can affect your health. Meanwhile, you should be sensitive to the social issues in your environment and learn from other forms of art, too.” When […]
Scared Stiff: Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid (2023)
By James Slaymaker. The prospect of Aster breaking away from the restrictions of a three-act generic formula may initially sound promising, offering Aster the opportunity to liberate his style and delve into more unbridled filmmaking territory; unfortunately, however, Beau is Afraid feels just as airless and over-calculated as the efforts that preceded […]