Animated Sci-Fi ‘The Time Masters’ Challenges Conformity
René Laloux’s conformity-challenging animated sci-fi The Time Masters resonates with Hayao Miyazaki films and Jack Vance novels.
film restoration
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.
‘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.
1930s Cinema Gets Wild and Funny with ‘French Revelations’
1930s cinema gets wild and funny with French Revelations: Fanfare d’amour and Mauvaise Graine, talkies with impolite elements from Pottier, Wilder, and Esway.
The Troubled History of Silent Film ‘Pandora’s Box’
Its lesbian love interest was once modified and a saccharine ending tacked on, but a new controversy arises with G.W. Pabst’s silent film classic Pandora’s Box.
‘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.
‘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.
‘Early Shorts of the French New Wave’ Breaks Through Stolid Filmmaking
These 18 short films in Early Shorts of the French New Wave showcase a consistency of personal expression, handheld style, and filming in the street.
The Returned Gaze of the Past: Patricio Guzmán’s ‘The First Year’
Films like The First Year play a crucial role in how nations negotiate and re-negotiate their self-image, and its reemergence is yet another step forward for post-Pinochet Chile.
3D ‘Robot Monster’ Boasts Sex, Destruction and Space Apes
Robot Monster‘s reputation as a best/worst movie might be challenged in this 3-D format showcasing a boy’s libidinous dreams.
The Awe-Inspiring ‘Film: The Living Record of Our Memory’
Film: The Living Record of Our Memory provides an awe-inspiring, expedited survey of film preservation and the urgency of capturing humankind’s visual memories lest we let these precious histories disintegrate.
Suffering in Silents: Two 1922 Melodramas from Frank Borzage
Frank Borzage, king of silent film melodrama, shows how it’s done with Back Pay‘s tale of redemption and the James Oliver Curwood-inspired The Valley of Silent Men.