‘Playing With Fire’ Will Burn the Uninitiated
Alain Robbe-Grillet’s Playing With Fire marks a curious effort when considered in the scope of cancel culture today, yet it compels nonetheless
Imran Khan
A Bittersweet Tale of Childhood Innocence, ‘Misunderstood’ Charms
Initially dismissed as a film for children, Misunderstood reveals some mature ideas about childhood and family and would sit better with adult audiences.
‘Nothing But a Man’ Is an Unflinching Drama of Marriage and Racism
Nothing But a Man is about battling discrimination on an uneven playing field but also about tenaciously preserving friendships and families.
‘The Art of Darkness’ Unburies Goth Music’s Beginnings
John Robb’s The Art of Darkness unburies an estimable wealth of knowledge of goth music and can sit comfortably beside the works of Greil Marcus and Jon Savage.
‘La Cérémonie’ Explores Social Class Struggles with Chilling Exactitude
Filmed under a cool glass of calm and enwrapped in an airy atmosphere, La Cérémonie makes judicious use of its setting to starkly contrast its warring classes.
The 20 Best DVDs of 2023
In our Best DVDs of 2023 list, along with some classic television, we have selected known treasures and unconventional films to satisfy the discerning cinephile.
With ‘The Fatalist’, Buffalo Nichols Returns Like a Vengeful Ghost
Building on his 2021 debut, with newly released The Fatalist, Buffalo Nichols looks to be a 21st century Delta king cut from the tattered soul-cloth of Robert Johnson.
‘Chameleon Street’ Pushes the Limits of Independent Cinema
Chameleon Street has a finger on the throbbing pulse of shifting cultures that see youth through punk, new wave, and hip-hop.
Yuppies, Punks and Sociopaths Congregate in Scorsese’s ‘After Hours’
In After Hours, Scorsese’s camera wanders through a tableau of living and breathing graffiti incarnated as ’80s New York City’s most dangerous bottom-feeders.
Dirk Bogarde Disturbs and Fascinates in ‘The Servant’
Once possessing a genially handsome face, Dirk Bogarde cut a daring figure in The Servant‘s darker material, which readily accommodated his increasingly aged and weathered looks.
Parker Posey’s Character in ‘Party Girl’ Is Almost Mythic
Parker Posey’s performance in Party Girl – a parodic gesture that sweeps the frames in wide, showy arcs – is pure, sparkling kitsch delivered in champagne coupes.
Ekiti Sound Premieres the Sensuously-Charged “aLAcarte pt. 2”
“aLAcarte pt. 2” offers another sweet slice of Ekiti Sound’s culturally-spiced pie. It’s a sensuously shuddering, percussive jam that is as minimal as deep.