Venice Film Festival 2026 Carefully Welcomes the Political in Filmmaking
Venice Film Festival 2026 embraced film’s political nature—though not without flinching—as we examine works by Paul Schrader, Shin’ya Tsukamoto, and an Oasis documentary.
Film Feature
Danny Boyle’s ‘Ink’ Gets Despicability Fabulously
Danny Boyle’s Ink shows how both sides of the sordid media war between Rupert Murdoch and Larry Lamb are despicable.
Dolly Parton’s Greatest Movie Role
Dolly Parton’s small but revealing filmography shows that her carefully constructed persona was never an obstacle to acting, but its richest material.
‘The Odyssey’ Tries to Convince Us That Our Leaders Give a Damn
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey tries to convince viewers that those in political and military power regret the suffering they cause, but we know better.
Suburban Conformity and Youthful Autonomy in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
In his quirky comedy, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Tim Burton redefines what being an adult actually is, or can mean.
Sex, Violence, and Politics Soak Nagisa Ōshima’s ‘Cruel Story of Youth’
Nagisa Ōshima’s Cruel Story of Youth prefers to understand its protagonists rather than evaluate them, reserving its verdicts for the social structures that define them.
Dante’s Peak Is the Disaster Movie the Inland Northwest Will Never Forget
The rest of America may have moved on from this 1997 disaster movie, but Dante’s Peak still percolates in the collective Northwestern consciousness, like slow-moving magma that never fully cools.
Horror and History Collide in Czech Director Jan S. Kolár’s Silent Films
Two long-forgotten Czech silent films by pioneer Jan S. Kolár are not only artifacts of a fragile history but lessons in how historical legacy will try to kill you.
Claude Sautet Forged an Admirable Path in Character-Study Drama
Many of Claude Sautet’s films were pointed comments on how even the most assured families can be the victims of upheaval when cultural codes are challenged.
Edward Burns and the Vanishing Indie Ethos
With the release of his 16th feature film, Finnegan’s Foursome, it’s clear that writer/director Edward Burns is only making movies for one person: himself.
Every Christopher Nolan Film Ranked from ‘Batman’ to ‘The Odyssey’
Christopher Nolan, today’s most ambitious director, lets us have our cake and eat it too by mixing avant-garde daring and maximalist spectacle.
‘Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains’ Remains Punk Cinema’s Most Recognizable Signpost
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains built the scaffold on which more successful films about women in punk rock would scale grander heights.