A Woman Rebels (Mark Sandrich, 1936). This period drama, set predominantly in Victorian-era London, isn’t considered a vital entry in Katharine Hepburn’s filmography, likely because it was part of the string of bombs that almost sunk her Hollywood career right … Continue reading Then Playing — A Woman Rebels; Caged; Rope
Au Revoir, Les Enfants (Louis Malle, 1987). After more than a decade making English-language films, director Louis Malle returned to his homeland for this affecting drama set in a French boarding school during World War II. The autobiographical film, which … Continue reading Then Playing — Au Revoir, Les Enfants; Shithouse; Araya
During a time when he was beset by controversy — the type of phony controversy manufactured by the right wing with the relentlessness that the Hershey company brings to the production of chocolate treats, but controversy nonetheless — James Gunn … Continue reading Now Playing — The Suicide Squad
THE BARN ON DREW RULEVILLE ROAD by Wright Thompson This powerhouse piece, published by The Atlantic, considers the enduring shadow on the nation’s soul of condoned bigotry and connected cruelty as exemplified by the torture and murder of fourteen-year-old Emmett … Continue reading Outside Reading — Bulletproof Memorial Sign edition
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Sometimes to find the most interesting movie posters, it’s useful to look well beyond the boundaries of … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — The Terminator movie poster
100 Bewildering Hours at Cannes by Rachel Handler Festival de Cannes should always be covered with the tone of lightly aggrieved amusement that Rachel Handler brings to this piece. Or at least the calculated glamor of the French film showcase … Continue reading Outside Reading — Golden Palm edition
A couple films back, I read someone’s observations on the movie multiplex dominance of Marvel Entertainment. They listed off a few of the business and creative decisions that could be plausibly considered key contributors to the success of the studio … Continue reading Now Playing — Black Widow
In his new feature, No Sudden Move, Steven Soderbergh follows the most fundamental rules of modern film noir. The film takes place in a mid-century era of the American past, at roughly the same time when classic Hollywood film noirs … Continue reading Now Playing — No Sudden Move
Plan B (Natalie Morales, 2021). To invoke the movie algebra that feels inescapable in this instance, the second feature directed by Natalie Morales is Never Rarely Sometimes Always put into a polynomial equation with Booksmart to solve for the x … Continue reading Then Playing — Plan B; This Is the Sea; Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
In The Tomorrow War, Chris Pratt plays Dan Forester, a former military man who has settled into a cozy domestic life, teaching high school biology and hosting bustling holiday gatherings where he and his immediately family ignore all their guests … Continue reading Now Playing — The Tomorrow War
Coffee for Two 