In 1959, John Cassavetes directed a film that would become known as a landmark in American independent cinema. That film was Shadows. Shadows tells a tale of three siblings – Ben, Leila, and Hugh – who are trying desperately to scrape out a living in New York City. Ben and Hugh are jazz musicians. Ben, […]
Suspiria is a big, bloody rainbow of a horror film. It doesn’t make much sense at all, but it is loads of fun. The film, which was released in 1977, concerns a young ballet dancer, Suzy Banyon (played by Jessica Harper), who travels to a prestigious school of dance in Germany. Things begin to go […]
Roman Polanski’s Repulsion was released in 1965 on a budget of $300,000, and managed to break a few taboos in the process. Aside from being Polanski’s first film in the English language, Repulsion also pushed the boundaries of sexuality in cinema. It was also one of the first films since Hitchcock’s Psycho to tackle the […]
Shout Factory has finally released Michael Mann’s Manhunter in a pristine collector’s edition Blu-ray set. Several years before Anthony Hopkin’s would appear in his iconic role as Hannibal Lector in Jonathan Demme’s masterpiece, The Silence of the Lambs, Michael Mann would adapt Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon, casting Brian Cox as everyone’s favorite cannibal. William Peterson […]
Donnie Darko is one of my all-time favorite films. I saw it for the first time in 2001 on VHS (the only copy available in Easley, South Carolina) after I had followed the film on the internet months before the street date. Since then, I’ve seen the film over fifty times. I keep coming back […]
On the Theatrical Cut Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac is a film of extraordinary power. This is quite possibly the director’s best film since Dogville, and like that film, this is an experience that requires patience and an open mind. With that being said, Nymphomaniac is not the sex-fest that the clever marketing campaign would have […]
If Tommy Wiseau were to attempt to make a horror film, the results might look a lot like Lucas Pavetto’s The Perfect Husband. A beautiful married couple, Nicola (Bret Roberts) and Viola (Gabriella Wright), decide to vacation at a family cabin while trying to heal from the emotional trauma of a recent stillborn pregnancy. Viola isn’t too keen […]
Francois Ozon’s latest film, Young and Beautiful (or Jeune & Jolie), tells the tale of a teenager named Isabelle – a headstrong young lady with a strong curiosity for all things sexual. One night, she loses her virginity to her German boyfriend. From there on, she decides that she cannot get enough. She becomes a […]
Henry Jaglom’s films are true originals. They are deeply personal, almost like home movies. His style is reminiscent of Robert Altman and perhaps Woody Allen, and much like John Cassavetes, his films are largely improvised. His films have a unique look and feel. Even his most recent films seem as though they come from a […]
Upon its release at the Cannes Film Festival, Richard Kelly’s sophomore feature Southland Tales met with some pretty harsh reviews. It was one of the worst receptions to accompany any film in recent memory. A year and a half later, Samuel Goldwyn Pictures released a tighter cut, and still, the film was ripped to shreds […]
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