Like Peas in a Sci-Fi Pod: The 1978 Remake of ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’
Philip Kaufman’s 1978 remake of sci-fi pod people film Invasion of the Body Snatchers achieves a level of unease above and beyond the novel and the 1956 film.
Film
Kosovan Director Blerta Basholli Battles Patriarchy with Her Debut Biography/Drama ‘Hive’
Kosovan Director Blerta Basholli talks about her debut drama ‘Hive’, based on a true story about women tackling patriarchy by starting a small business.
‘Petite Maman’ Director Céline Sciamma on Liberating Childhood
Director Céline Sciamma talks with PopMatters about exploring inequality in the adult/child relationship with her gentle and beguiling fantasy, Petite Maman.
Mike Mills on His Drama for the Tender-Hearted ‘C’mon C’mon’
The pandemic shutdown provided the quiet space director Mike Mills needed to bring his tender drama, C’mon Cmon to life.
Raindance 2021: Body Image Horror ‘Shapeless’ Explores the Anorexic Mind
Award-winning director Amanda Aldana’s Shapeless is a sensitive study of anorexia and the power of the mind over the body.
Two 1950s Argentine Noirs Raise Goose Bumps and Fevered Style
Film noirs ‘The Beast Must Die’ and ‘The Bitter Stems’ exemplify why forgotten films must be restored and rediscoveries trumpeted to the amazement of new generations.
Ousmane Sembène’s Vibrant Political Satire ‘Mandabi’ Pokes at Imperial Conquest
Ousmane Sembène’s Mandabi (1968) unravels Senegal’s post-colonial entanglements and centers African people, places, and experiences at every frustrating step.
The Sexual Politics in Sexy Rudolph Valentino’s Silent Film, ‘The Sheik’
Eyebrows tilting and nostrils flaring and emanating pheromones of intoxicating effluvia, Foreigners like Valentino’s Sheik had un-American sex all over Hollywood.
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25 Years Ago Madonna Sought Respectability and Validation with Film Biography ‘Evita’
In a career defined by musical makeovers, Evita represented Madonna’s most extreme and conservative musical guise in the Andrew Lloyd Webber kitschfest.
Director Eva Husson on Rising Above the Power Dynamic in ‘Mothering Sunday’
Director Eva Husson talks with PopMatters about presenting a maid turned novelist who rises above ordinary social constrictions in Mothering Sunday.
The Imagination of Disaster 2.0: Revisiting Susan Sontag in the Age of the Pandemic Horror Narrative
Considering Susan Sontag’s “The Imagination of Disaster” and modern apocalyptic narratives, are sci-fi and horror still “inadequate responses” to our world?