The Long Dark Reach of Cornell Woolrich’s Noir Thrillers
Cornell Woolrich’s premise that happiness is always just beyond reach grabs hold of noir thrillers Dark City, Beware, My Lovely, and No Man of Her Own.
film history
Hobart Bosworth’s Edgy Strong Silent Type Clings to Life
What remains of Hobart Bosworth’s edgy strong silent type characters and his directing achievements cling to life in the few silent-era Hollywood films left to us.
Russian Director Karen Shakhnazarov Keeps It Surreal in These Absurdist Films
Russian director Karen Shakhnazarov’s Soviet-era In the Moscow Slums and Zerograd are surreal, absurdist films rich in Impressionistic color.
Eco-Horror ‘Orca: The Killer Whale’ Takes the Whale’s POV
Michael Anderson’s ’70s-era ecological horror Orca: The Killer Whale takes the whale’s POV and we won’t like what it sees.
Gothic Horror ‘The Mask of Satan’ Gets Deliriously Freaky
Lamberto Bava’s gothic horror The Mask of Satan is a loose framework for ideas to showcase a delirious camera and the freaky makeup effects of Sergio Stivaletti.
Horror Movie ‘The Beast Within’ Channels Mississippi Murder
The specters of Mississippi murder, uncontrollable teens and much, much more American-generated anxiety haunt the freak-out horror movie The Beast Within.
B-Movie ‘Invasion of the Bee Girls’ Pollinates a Sexual Epidemic
Amid the spectre of a sexually transmitted epidemic, b-movie Invasion of the Bee Girls gives viewers an intoxicating buzz.
International Film Buffs Should Pounce on MoMA’s To Save and Project Festival
From silent classics to Thai melodrama, home movies to Brazilian sambas, MoMA’s To Save and Project festival is catnip for international film buffs.
Nazis and Racial and Sexual Subtexts in ‘Revenge of the Zombies’
Revenge of the Zombies stands at the axis of Nazis, race relations and feminism in a mishmash of wartime themes under an immigrant director.
When Sessue Hayakawa Took Hollywood by Smoldering Storm
Sessue Hayakawa was the first Asian male star in Hollywood, became a “foreign” silent film sex symbol, and ran his own company while the “natives” remained uptight.
Masculine Movie Icon Alan Ladd As the Wounded Outlaw Hero
Red Mountain and Botany Bay showcase masculine movie icon Alan Ladd in his glory, playing wounded heroes on the wrong side of the law.
Johnny Cash in Psycho-Heist Thriller ‘Door-to-Door Maniac’
What a difference a script makes. Johnny Cash and Cay Forrester goose up the histrionics of Door-to-Door Maniac.