Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford Play ’60s Spy Hipsters, Baby
Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford camp up their too cool for school ’60s spy hipsters personas for Richard Donner and Jerry Lewis comedies Salt and Pepper and One More Time.
Film Review
Punk Rock Documentary ‘Nightclubbing’ Gives Max’s Kansas City Its Due
Danny Garcia’s chaotic, discursive documentary Nightclubbing, argues that Max’s Kansas City, not CBGB’s, was the true font of American punk rock.
Fantasia International Film Festival 2022: Preview
In our preview of Fantasia International Film Festival 2022, we highlight several films that stimulate viewers’ emotional, cultural, and social intellect.
‘The Forgiven’ Looks Starkly at Cynicism and World-Weary Outrage
What happens in the stories within The Forgiven is predictable and yet compelling, due largely to the stark dialogue and McDonagh’s anti-romantic viewpoint.
‘Memoria’ Plumbs Ageless Mysteries
Memoria is a psychedelically inspired allegory, an impressionistic inquiry into human existence, including ignorance and insight, suffering and enlightenment.
Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ Would Be Better as a Comic-Book Movie
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic about Presley and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, is a flashy tale of heroes, villains, and victims – much like a comic book movie.
The “Who” in ‘Who Killed Vincent Chin?’ Is a Suggestive Misdirect
The piercing documentary ‘Who Killed Vincent Chin?’, airing on PBS on 20 June, shows how economic anxiety and racial demagoguery make a toxic brew.
Tribeca Film Festival: ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ Goes All in on the Manic Pixie Dream Boy
Cooper Raiff’s romantic comedy about a likeable slacker falling for an older woman, Cha Cha Real Smooth, has a bullying need to be liked.
Tied and Noosed ‘Dancing Pirate’ Waltzes into Technicolor
Restored 1936 Technicolor film Dancing Pirate crosses the early talkies’ vogue for absurd musicals with its other vogue for Hollywood Mexicana.
Alain Resnais’ Short Films on Art, Plastic, and Institutional Hypnotism
Icarus Films’ recent Blu-ray of Alain Resnais ‘short films ranges from footage of artworks with poetic narration to sensual color conveyed with a wink.
Asian Mothers Hold Multitudes in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert on the many possibilities within Asian mothers as seen in their sci-fi comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Mariama Diallo’s Horror Film ‘Master’ Blends Race-Conscious Academic Satire and Ghost Story
The subtle microaggressions in Mariama Diallo’s Master say far more about the sorry-not-sorry state of racial consciousness in America than the witch does.
