By Matthew Fullerton. Though a commercial failure on its release in March 1982, Burst City has, in recent years, reached cult status, primarily for its elements of Japanese cyberpunk, which make it a “landmark” for this genre of cinema, and for its blending of styles.” Give the punk a camera […]
Duality of an Exile: Anton Walbrook, A Life of Masks and Mirrors
A Book Review by Bibi Berki. Author James Downs asserts that Walbrook (above in Der Kurier des Zaren, 1936) was always drawn to parts that contained some degree of duality and wonders if this might have been related to the fact that the exile lives a ‘destabilised’ kind of life, […]
Life Saving Persian Lessons in Concentration Camps: An Interview with Vadim Perelman
By Ali Moosavi. Many people are unhappy about me humanizing the Nazis and making the viewer even sympathetic (a Nazi)…. I wanted to show that we are all capable of that, not only the Germans. I don’t think that’s ever been shown in any of the Holocaust movies; only in […]
From Prankster to Politician: Jasmine Stodel’s Kid Candidate
By Thomas Puhr. What is surprising is how the lifelong Amarillo resident leveraged his fifteen minutes of fame to start a legitimate campaign, one which Jasmine Stodel chronicles in the documentary Kid Candidate.” Hayden Pedigo – a twenty-something musician residing in Amarillo, Texas – became an online sensation when his […]
Ladies in Rescue: Black Widow
By Elias Savada. The scenery, as in any big Marvel or James Bond movie (many shot at Pinewood Studios, like this was) moves about the globe…. Plenty of races, car chases, collateral damage….” There’s a lot to like in the latest chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plenty of action, […]
Getting Some: An Interview with Hisonni Mustafa
By Johnnie Hobbs III. Actor-turned-filmmaker Hisonni Mustafa’s (formerly Hisonni Johnson) new work as writer-director, Take Out Girl, focuses on a 20-year-old college dropout (Hedy Wong) who attempts to save her family’s business through moving drugs. In the audio interview below, Johnson comments on his film and his path in filmmaking. […]
F9: The Fast Saga – A Mega Dose of Sound and Fury
Vin Diesel faces the newest addition to the franchise, John Cena
The Good Life – Happiness by Design: Modernism and Media in the Eames Era
A Book Review by Thomas Puhr. Film scholars don’t seem to be the primary audience here; as such, they may find the text more confounding than captivating. However, adventurous readers as well as film enthusiasts wishing to understand the medium in a much-wider context will find a veritable treasure trove […]
Nomadland, or Dread and Denial in the American Remains
By Christopher Sharrett. Zhao’s film would seem to follow Bruder’s impulse in documenting a profound and perpetual economic crisis, as contemporary America’s bosses opt for an outsourced and financialized economy…. But the film’s critical concerns tend to leave center stage.” The opening card for Chloe Zhao’s Oscar-winning Nomadland informs us […]
Hybrid, and Vital as Ever: AFI DOCS Turns 19
By Elias Savada. Eight years ago, the documentary film festival then known as Silver Docs was rechristened AFI DOCS, expanding out from the American Film Institute’s tri-plex in Silver Spring, Maryland, into multiple other venues throughout downtown Washington, DC. While the new format was connected by the area-wide Metro subway […]