‘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.
criterion
Bing Liu’s Skateboarding Documentary, ‘Minding the Gap’, Is a Manifesto of Youth Delivered by the Young
Some people never grow up but in skateboarding documentary, ‘Minding the Gap’, no one ever stops growing.
‘Minding the Gap’ Skateboarding Documentary Mines Surviving Domestic Violence
For those who proclaim that people are solely responsible for their life's choices, Bing Liu's, Minding the Gap shows what costs come with attempting to break cycles of violence, poverty, and addiction.
Time-Transcending Paranoia in ‘The Parallax View’
Fear of unseen powers causing public tragedies was so widespread in 1974 America that filmmakers knew audiences would believe the corporate murder machine of The Parallax View.
Love, ‘Moonstruck’ Tells Us, Is the Triumph of Illogic
Under Norman Jewison's direction and John Patrick Shanley's writing, Moonstruck -- now available from Criterion -- fully embodies the '80s special character of classically-minded, well-made romantic films.
Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ and the Geometry of Suffering
The problem Bong Joon-ho presents in Parasite is geometrical. Is this the only shape of society we can imagine as workable, as livable? Is this livable?
Forest Whitaker Film ‘Ghost Dog’ Is a Sampler’s Paradise
Jarmusch's 1999 classic Ghost Dog, now in a Criterion edition, freely mixes and matches Bushido philosophy, Mafia and samurai flicks, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, and lo-fi hip-hop into a sly and dreamy comedy about role-playing.
Jules Dassin Versus Mark Hellinger and ‘The Naked City’
Producer Mark Hellinger may have committed the biggest crime in the filming of Jules Dassin's classic film-noir, 'The Naked City'.
The Dance of Male Forms in Denis’ ‘Beau travail’
Claire Denis' masterwork of cinematic poetry, Beau travail, is a cinematic ballet that tracks through tone and style the sublimation of violent masculine complexes into the silent convulsions of male angst.
Serene Ambiguities in Abbas Kiarostami’s Taste of Cherry
So much of Abbas Kiarostami's Taste of Cherry feels relevant to the 2020 experience, in which small distances have never felt greater.