In ‘Stillwater’ a Red-State American Galumphs Through Marseille
Tom McCarthy’s Stillwater is straightforward but not didactic about the unthinking privilege of its blue-collar protagonist and the damage he causes.
Film
Director Jamila Wignot on the Importance of Cultural Memory and Her Documentary ‘Ailey’
Director Jamila Wignot adds to the cultural archive with Ailey, her documentary about innovative dance choreographer Alvin Ailey, a man ahead of his time.
Jacques Deray’s Drama ‘La Piscine’ Is Hypnotic and Quietly Ruthless
Sultry, hypnotic, and quietly ruthless, Jacques Deray’s La Piscine is a slow-burner rife with impossible beauty and turbulent emotion.
‘Sweat’ Director von Horn Isn’t into Critiquing Social Media
Director Magnus von Horn didn’t make Sweat to be a critique about social media despite what everyone thinks.
Director Marc Isaacs on Craft and His Documentary The Filmmaker’s House
Director Marc Isaacs talks with PopMatters about his documentary, The Filmmaker’s House, and the creative ‘grey area’ in filmmaking.
Crime Thriller ‘Deep Cover’ Showcases Laurence Fishburne’s Leonine Intensity
Bill Duke’s 1992 feature, Deep Cover, is a stylish drama set in the poisoned heart of the crack epidemic.
Blood and Money – Four Filmmakers on Making B-Movies in These Times
Why do B-movies endure in the modern age? Filmmakers Richard MacQueen, Shawn Burkett, M. J. Dixon, B. J McDonnell weigh in.
The Way They Kiss in ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’
Julie Andrews’ 1960s musical Thoroughly Modern Millie does its anti-authoritarian, anarchic-chaotic thing in a different key.
Kobayashi’s ‘The Human Condition’ Remains Bleak Unrelenting and Unforgettable
Masaki Kobayashi’s nine-hour epic, The Human Condition, is a Sisyphean journey through WWII-era Japan.
Seaton’s What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? Thumbs Its Tucan-Size Nose at the Establishment
An airborne virus infects the cogs in the capitalist machine in George Seaton’s What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? and makes people subversively happy.
Antonia Kilian on Her Documentary About Syrian Women Fighters ‘The Other Side of the River’
Director Antonia Kilian talks with PopMatters about unveiling the complexities of life in Northern Syria, especially for women, in The Other Side of the River.