To wrap up her gothic novels, Ann Radcliffe explained away her supernatural trappings at the conclusion. Imagine a story that explains away its action in every scene. Hitchcock was heavy-handed when diagnosing Norman Bates and unmasking his own mystery; Nolan extends what the master of suspense couldn’t pull off in one scene. Sisyphean from the drawing ... read more »

Talk about wish fulfillment for kids – the Airbender mythos has it nailed. As a child dreams of gaining superpowers, he may wish for them all: i.e, the numerous abilities of Superman. If his wishes grow darker, he may desire fangs and a cape, and the ability to fly by night in darkness – or perhaps ... read more »

I wonder about those who can watch Jarmusch any time. They must really love life’s randomness, how we must create order in what can be a pretty disordered universe. They must be the kind of people who wander about on a free day, avoiding routines or places they’ve been to already. Such a dislike for ... read more »

Call this a western exploitation film. Jonah Hex, based on a comic book series of the same name, has much more action than thought or sense. It borrows from the western with little understanding of the genre, which is, perhaps, a moot point. To much of the target audience, the genre is a haze of ... read more »

In his nonfiction text On Writing, Stephen King describes the artist’s work as telepathy. Hardly the new-age type, King is referring to how thoughts can transmit though a quiet practice of mass communication. His technology, of course, is the printed word, though he’s never been averse to finding new narrative forms, like the movies. Like ... read more »

There’s a strange defamiliarization going on in Catherine Breillat’s films. It could result from her frequent use of a stable camera, or what must be a controlled directing style. Through the approach she has a distinct way of monitoring the female body – it’s face, physicality, evidence of desires, signs of libido: the results are ... read more »

If any movement made cinema history into a reactionary narrative, it would be the French New Wave. A batch of cinephiles, most working as critics for Cahiers du Cinema (established 1951), wanted to revive their national cinema through formalism – attention to the techniques that make sights and sounds into cinema. Thus, they turned their ... read more »

From the outset, it seems to be a bold-faced cash-in culled from little investment. In Babies, a French-produced doc which got a surprisingly wide release this past weekend, we have long takes of the cutest things possible: four babies from all around the globe. Having just begun life, they now begin their interactions with the ... read more »

“Functionless art is simply tolerated vandalism.” – Peter Steele (1962-2010) From here comes a rich smell drawn from a load of bullshit.  And in no way am I demeaning the practice of street art by saying that.  I’m referring to the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop itself.  This story about street art, some of its top practitioners, and a man who ... read more »

When asked about the John Hughes films in a recent NY Times interview, John Cusack played the highbrow card. Besides Sixteen Candles, in which he had a minor role, Cusack said that he “never saw the other [Hughes films]. I didn’t understand them. I kept hearing a really hip 40-year-old person talking in teenagers’ mouths.” ... read more »