Two Southern-Fried Slices of Sordid ’60s Hicksploitation Films
Angry old men, sexy strumpets, moonshiners, corrupt sheriffs, and dumb farmhands populate them thar hills in these two low-budget ’60s hicksploitation films.
film history
‘Time of the Heathen’ Mixes Atomic Angst with Racial Woes
Time of the Heathen is a nightmarish, hyper-edited, avant-garde freak-out as atomic angst and racial woes wend their way toward Shakespearean tragedy.
Philosophies and Ironies in Éric Rohmer’s ‘Tales of the Four Seasons’
In Éric Rohmer’s ‘Tales of the Four Seasons’, everything exists on an elevated Expressionist plane; every detail dovetails into its hermetic philosophies and ironies.
Silent Film Jewels About Mothers, Horses and Gorillas
A female Tarzan and her gorilla, a horse that revenges his murdered master, mothers, and comical aviators make the scene in these silent film jewels.
Backstreet Abortion Onscreen: Stories of Solitary Struggle and Solidarity
Nymphomaniac II, Happening, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire depict backstreet abortion as either a solitary or collaborative experience among women.
Film Noir Trio Showcases Edward G. Robinson on All Sides of the Law
The films in Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XVII are united by one of Hollywood’s greatest actors, the almost casually brilliant and magnetic Edward G. Robinson.
Chantal Akerman’s Evolutions and Revolutions
From kitchen epics to road odysseys, these nine Chantal Akerman films chart the evolutions and revolutions of one of modern cinema’s most important auteurs.
Chewing the Scenery and Chewing on Actors in ‘Man-Eater of Kumaon’
Sabu and a tiger foreshadow Byron Haskin’s special effects and science fiction adventures of humans vs. the elements in Man-Eater of Kumaon.
Inspector Maigret Mysteries Made in Occupied France
There’s no war going on in these subversive Inspector Maigret whodunits from occupied France, but there’s a lot more murder and paranoia than in the era’s newspapers.
‘Foreign Land’ and the Dawn of a New Age in Brazilian Cinema
The bleakness in Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas’ 1995 crime thriller Foreign Land would mark the film as a paragon in the newly emerging Brazilian cinema.
Stanley Kubrick’s Voracious Vision
Kubrick: An Odyssey by scholars Robert P. Kolker and Nathan Abrams is an ambitious, thorough, and important new take on Stanley Kubrick’s life and work.
‘Laurel & Hardy: Year One’ Shows Why 1927 Was a Vintage Year for Comedy
Most of the comedies in Laurel & Hardy: Year One starred others, so this set shows the evolution of the dual film by film, getting better as they go along.