Features
Thumbnails 7/6/15
Ta-Nehisi Coates writes letter to his son; Robert Frank: the man who saw America; Pizzolatto vs. Fukunaga; Scorsese on “The Third Man”; Dietrich Brüggemann on “Heil.”
Short Films in Focus: Ramin Bahrani’s “Lift You Up”
Ramin Bahrani’s first documentary short, including an interview with the director.
Thumbnails 7/3/15
America takes on Trump; “St. Elmo’s Fire” turns 30; Music in Sofia Coppola’s films; Chat with “Vampire Diaries” DP Darren Ganet; R.I.P. Brian Clark.
Thumbnails 7/2/15
Rape scenes are lazy writing; Penelope Spheeris on “The Decline of Western Civilization”; The new online racism; Affleck and Garner at the box office; Tenth anniversary of “Brokeback Mountain.”
James Horner’s Underrated Scores
An essay on the underrated scores of late composer James Horner.
Thumbnails 6/30/15
“Inside Out” and the stranglehold of Minnesota Nice; 20th anniversary of “Kids”; Small-screen auteurism of Keith Gordon; Danny Elfman on Tim Burton; John Lasseter on the evolution of storytelling.
Magic Lantern Show: The Sensual Pleasures of “The Third Man”
On the look and sound of “The Third Man.”
Genius Walks: “Orson Welles’s Last Movie: The Making of ‘The Other Side of the Wind’” by Josh Karp
A review of Josh Karp’s “Orson Welles’s Last Movie: The Making of ‘The
Other Side of the Wind’”.
Thumbnails 6/26/15
Joanna Arnow on “Bad at Dancing”; Stephen Cone on Al Pacino; Secrets housed in the Garden of Allah; The legacy of Newton Minow; Our deep need for monsters that lurk in the dark.
Thumbnails 6/25/15
Secret sounds in movies and TV; The setting of “True Detective”; Marc Maron’s chat with Obama; “The Fisher King”: In the Kingdom of the Imperfect; The Knickerbocker Hotel’s haunted history.
Painting with sound: the music of James Horner, 1953-2015
A discussion of the works of the great film composer James Horner.
The Complexity of Childhood: The Brilliance of Pete Docter’s Films
Over the course of three films, Pete Docter has done what so many other family films do not: taken children seriously.
Movie Personality Islands: The Formative Films of My Life
A critic looks back on the films that formed the way she reads cinema and life.
Thumbnails 6/18/15
25 indie directors to know; RIP Kirk Kerkorian; Designs of “Dick Tracy”; Tim Burton pays tribute to Christopher Lee; Preview of BAMcinemaFest.
Unsinkable Passion: How to Watch “Life Itself” on Roger’s Birthday
Want to watch Life Itself on Roger’s birthday? Here’s how.
Burying the Dinosaurs: Why Blockbuster Directors Need to Change
Being young, white male directors with one indie hit gets you a blockbuster like Jurassic World. Why doesn’t the same hold true for female directors and directors of color?
Thumbnails 6/15/15
The case against innocent bystanders; John McTiernan’s “Basic”; Cause of addiction has been discovered; Remembering Dusty Rhodes; J.J. Abrams on Dick Smith.
Entertaining the -Isms
The importance of engaging in all aspects of film analysis, even the -isms, and even in summer blockbusters.
