On Robert Altman’s Subversive Anti-western, ‘McCabe & Mrs. Miller’
McCabe & Mrs. Miller toys with and subverts western tropes and traditions while flat out refusing to fall into others.
Brent McKnight
Brent McKnight lives in Seattle and has an MFA from the University of New Orleans. He likes dogs, beards, and Steven Seagal, and rants about movies at thelastthingisee.com, Cinema Blend, The Playlist, and more. Recently he fulfilled a lifelong goal, appearing as an extra in a zombie movie.
‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ Is Subdued But Undeniably Affecting
The Coens' Inside Llewyn Davis isn’t overwhelming at first glance, but it has a perfect, natural rhythm and flow that you don’t even notice how it sticks in your head.
The Modernization of Japan, a Corrupt Military, and Lady Snowblood
More than just bloody revenge movies, a number of thematic strands and political critiques run beneath the pulp surface of these two Lady Snowblood films.
Cronenberg’s ‘The Brood’ Taps Into Some Fundamental, Primal Terror
Dismissed by legendary film critic Roger Ebert as exploitation and sleaze, David Cronenberg’s The Brood is more complex and disturbing than any throwaway genre feature.
‘The People Under the Stairs’ Is Craven’s Most Original, Deranged, and Off the Wall Film
The People Under the Stairs falls into a category all its own, moving deftly from horror to comedy to social allegory, all wrapped in a wonderfully lunatic package.
Absent of Extras and High on Cheese, ‘Thrashin” Still Offers Nostalgic Pleasure
Before ubiquitous YouTube clips and easily accessible skate videos, Thrashin' was the film for our fix of handplants, bonelesses, crazy high judo airs, and the like.
The Kids Are Not Alright in ‘The Decline of Western Civilization Collection’
Whether you have a nostalgic connection to punk rock or just want to glimpse into a couple of under-examined subcultures, Penelope Spheeris' The Decline of Western Civilization is well worth adding to your collection.
In ‘The Boxtrolls’, the Adult Authorities Are Corrupt
In the good-but-not-great Boxtrolls, it falls to the young characters to take care of business and save the day themselves.
‘Lord of Illusions’ Is Clive Barker’s Horror Style Filtered Through a Noir Lens
Lord of Illusions is at its best when it balances noir mystery with supernatural elements without veering too far to one side or another.
‘Leviathan’ Is a Schlocky Horror Take on Hitchcock
Leviathan plays like a cheap, schlocky, caffeine-hyped attempt at sci-fi Hitchcock, with a healthy dose of John Carpenter horror thrown in for good measure.
‘Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut’ Fully Realizes the Director’s Vision
This is the release Nightbreed fans have been waiting for.
‘Scanners’ Still Has the Power to Blow Your Mind
Three decades since its release, David Cronenberg’s Scanners is still a head-popping good time.