By Thomas M. Puhr. This is the kind of movie that begs to be experienced in a packed theater, preferably with the smell of marijuana wafting down the aisles. It may very well be this century’s answer to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Although only two years have passed since […]
Take Me Far from Your Leader: Zach Clark’s The Becomers
By Thomas M. Puhr. Far from great satire, but further proof that Clark is willing to take big swings, budget and taste be damned.” While watching Zach Clark’s The Becomers (2023), I was reminded more than once of a web comic that was making the rounds on social media earlier […]
Victims Performing the Victimized: Houman Seyyedi’s World War Three
By Ali Moosavi. With the rather unsure state of the Iranian cinema at the moment, it remains to be seen what the future holds for WWIII and its talented director.” I have been a fan of the young Iranian filmmaker Houman Seyyedi ever since I saw his sophomore directing feature […]
Wo Wo We Wa!: Pranks, Satire, and Bathroom Humor Endure in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
By Elias Savada. Forget the news about the Russians doing their worst to screw up the coming election, because we have Uzbekistan’s secret weapon. And there’s nothing Trump, Putin, or all those conservative, right-wing Yankees can do about it. Borat‘s back in town.” Mockumentarians make way for another gatecrashing excursion […]
Not for Publication (1984): Paul Bartel’s Misspent Misprint
By Rod Lott. Nancy Allen is always engaging to watch but is left to tread water since her screen partner lacks the comic spark the role requires” In part due to her five-year marriage to Brian De Palma, actress Nancy Allen has had to do lots of humiliating and vulnerable […]
Stay Angry: Jon Stewart’s Irresistible
By Elias Savada. Entertainer Jon Stewart has been pissed off at a lot of things, but I suspect nothing riles him more than two words: Citizens United. During his years hosting The Daily Show he would rant and rave (and, out of necessity, joke) with innumerable guests about the influence […]