Mr. Soul! (Melissa Haizlip, 2018). Like Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s more recent Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), this documentary aims to correct the aggressive erasure of triumphant Black culture. Created by Ellis Haizlip, Soul! was … Continue reading Then Playing — Mr. Soul; East Side, West Side; Where’s Poppa?
Frank Oz on life as Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy and Yoda: ‘I’d love to do the Muppets again but Disney doesn’t want me by Hadley Freeman It’s a shame that The Guardian editors chose to headline this articles with its … Continue reading Outside Reading — Return to Oz edition
I feel genuine sympathy for screenwriters tasked with — or even who task themselves with — providing expositional dialogue in a film with a densely complicated science-fiction premise. While there are some ready-made tactics, such as building the narrative around … Continue reading The Unwatchables — Reminiscence
Lucy in the Sky (Noah Hawley, 2019). I think Noah Hawley has presided over some dandy television in recent years, and it makes sense that he’d bring his squirrely urges for narrative and format tinkering to his feature directorial debut. … Continue reading Then Playing — Lucy in the Sky; Married Before Breakfast; Bill & Ted Face the Music
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
Coffee for Two 