Monday, August 22 2011
The 100 Essential Directors Part 7: Kenji Mizoguchi to Satyajit Ray
Pushing boundaries seems to be the thread that ties the directors of our seventh day together. From Japanese innovators to Italian iconclasts and Polish provocateurs, the directors that fall between Kenji Mizoguchi and the man who was perhaps India's greatest visual storyteller, Satyajit Ray, all push the form in incredible, surprising ways.
Tuesday, July 26 2011
Overlooked Polish Masterpieces: Two Essential Films by Jerzy Kawalerowciz
Kawalerowicz's work would set the intellectual tone for post-war acts of filmic subversion and transcendance within Poland's burgeoning industry, essential characteristics that Polish cinema would come to be best known for.
Wednesday, March 30 2011
Adam Pieronczyk: Komeda – The Innocent Sorcerer
It's an inspired move -- this tribute to an elder statesman of Polish jazz while managing to keep a unique style intact.
Wednesday, November 18 2009
Chinatown (Centennial Collection)
Despite bringing film noir into the daylight and into color, this is among the darkest of Southern California tales.
Friday, August 14 2009
Repulsion
This is the culmination of two artists upping their personal antes to produce greatness, two burgeoning legends of cinema testing their seemingly-limitless powers.
Monday, October 13 2008
Cinema Qua Non - Indispensable DVDs: Part 1
Day One - A trip back to the classic days of studio system Hollywood, complete with great musicals, amazing adventure yarns, and a couple of post-modern freak outs, just to keep things controversial and lively.
Friday, July 11 2008
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
None of the interviewees in Marina Zenovich's fascinating documentary manages to make sense of the famous filmmaker's behavior or apparent thinking. But they all have compelling impressions.
Monday, June 9 2008
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
In Wanted and Desired, Roman Polanski's liability is framed by that of the police, the judge, and the press especially, the hysteria that twisted the case at every turn.
Tuesday, May 13 2008
The Demise of Horror Culture?
While the horror classics of 1968 may have indeed revitalized the genre, few today are aware of these movies' impact on the canon...if they acknowledge them at all.
Friday, February 22 2008
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, Jake
Chinatown remains a stalwart of '70s cinema. The uninspired follow-up 16 years later reminds one that, sometimes, a masterpiece needs to simply be left alone.
