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.
film review
Nordic Comedy of Manners ‘The Hypnosis’ Is Full of Surprises
Is Nordic comedy of ‘bad’ manners The Hypnosis a story of a woman’s liberation and coming-of-age? Or is it a dream about entitled and privileged rebellion?
‘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.
French Wartime Noir ‘Strangers in the House’ Haunts
Whether as a star vehicle, a Simenon mystery, a wartime allegory, or merely a studio product, Strangers in the House is a rewarding French film that’s gone largely unnoticed.
John le Carré Gives No Truth, Only Betrayal in ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’
Errol Morris’ The Pigeon Tunnel follows a wily, cynical, yet chipper John le Carré down a rabbit hole of Cold War moral ambiguity.
Tom DeLonge’s ‘Monsters of California’ Is So Blink-182
Tom DeLonge’s sci-fi film Monsters of California is the cinematic manifestation of a Blink-182 song crossed with a paint-by-numbers tour of paranormal activity.
Pablo Larraín’s ‘El Conde’ Dilutes the Real Horror of Pinochet
Pablo Larraín’s fascist vampire analogy El Conde somehow trivializes the Pinochet monstrosity at its core.
FrightFest 2023: ‘Cobweb’ Tells a Story Trapped Within Itself
If we listen closely enough to the knocking on the wall, we can hear the anguished whispers of a stronger story caught in the web of Cobweb’s weaker one.
‘Between Two Worlds’ Traverses Class Issues with Privileged Ease
Between Two Worlds critiques third-party storytelling as working-class exploitation.
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.
‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ Doesn’t Dig Very Deep
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny should have taken a thoughtful approach to Harrison Ford’s aged hero, as James Mangold did in the superior Logan.
Enigmatic and Emotional ‘Three Colors’ Is a Hypnotic Triptych of Polish Cinema
Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors – Blue, White, and Red – are grand reminders of the little motions that gather slowly but surely, to deliver the quick, sudden turns that give even the most indolent life meaning.