The Case for Bo Burnham as 2020’s Best Supporting Actor
In praise of the work of Bo Burnham in Promising Young Woman.
Features
Women Writers Week 2021: Table of Contents
A table of contents featuring all the content from Women Writers Week 2021.
When Catharsis Doesn’t Cut It
A feature on the emergence of a new canon of films about vengeance after rape, including the upcoming Rose Plays Julie and Violation.
The Energy Can’t Last: On the Grimy American Fringes of Jeremy Saulnier
A feature on the work of Jeremy Saulnier.
Two by Louis Valray: La Belle de Nuit and Escale
A feature on two French films recently made available through MOMA.
On the Graceful Work of Composer Emile Mosseri
A look at the work of composer Emile Mosseri, the man behind the scores for The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Homecoming, Kajillionaire, and Minari.
Book Excerpt: This is How You Make a Movie by Tim Grierson
An excerpt from Tim Grierson’s upcoming book about moviemaking.
A New Mexican Canon: The Filmmakers Rebalancing the Narrative of Their Country
A feature on three recent Mexican films that feel like the start of a new form of representation for that country.
Mike Nichols: A Life is a Must-Read Memoir
A review of Mike Nichols: A Life and links to Roger Ebert’s writing on the director.
The Parallax View and the Golden Age of Paranoia
A look at the staying power of Alan J. Pakula’s The Parallax View and the age of conspiracies.
Three-Hour Brunch Friend: Greta Gerwig’s Breakups
Greta Gerwig is as much a great chronicler of the friend romance as she is of the friend breakup.
Getting to the Heart of America in David Lynch’s The Straight Story
Lynch’s 1999 film reminds us that everyone’s beliefs come from somewhere, and it’s worth trying to find out what that somewhere is.
Bright Wall/Dark Room February 2021: Who Could Ask for Anything More?: Watching Gene Kelly From a Child’s-Eye View by Ethan Warren
An essay about Gene Kelly, as excerpted from the latest edition of Bright Wall/Dark Room.
Farewell to the Video Store
An ode to the end of an era, the closing of Family Video stores across the country.
Short Films in Focus: Yearbook and Hudson Geese
An interview with Bernardo Britto about his two short films, Yearbook and Hudson Geese.
Outlines: A Queer Reading of Some Silhouettes
A look at the iconic imagery of Rob Marshall’s Chicago, Josef von Sternberg’s Morocco, and Bob Fosse’s Cabaret.
On the Disempowerment of Promising Young Woman
Emerald Fennell’s revenge film hits two major stumbling blocks in its desire to interrogate justice and create an empowering narrative.
