“To the last, I grapple with thee; From Hell’s heart, I stab at thee; For hate’s sake, I spit my last breath at thee.” – Herman Melville “What interests me the most is human behavior.” – Neil Simon Director Robert Eggers has named many influences on his new nautical horror film The Lighthouse. They include filmmakers… Read more »
Agnès Varda’s legendary career was defined by many qualities, but two especially striking ones were playfulness and empathy. Her playful experiments with film form, including a blurring of the line between nonfiction and fiction, mark her as an innovator. At the same time, her empathy for whoever she is filming gives her films an emotional… Read more »
Warning: spoilers throughout! People all over the world recognize Rashōmon as an important film for many reasons. They acknowledge that it introduced legendary director Akira Kurosawa and his work to the West, that it was the first Japanese film to win the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and, most famously, that it popularized… Read more »
There are many pleasures to be found in silent comedy. There’s the energy of the Keystone Kops, the mix of slapstick and emotion of Charlie Chaplin, and the stone-faced absurdity of Buster Keaton. But one of the most underrated pleasures in silent comedy can be found in the films of an underappreciated actor: the escalation… Read more »
The last few years have seen more attention being paid to female directors. Whether it’s multiple theaters having retrospectives honoring Dorothy Arzner, the latest triumph from Ava DuVernay, or exciting debuts from artists such as Nia DaCosta and Mati Diop, women in the film industry are slowly but surely getting some of the recognition… Read more »
There are many things that make the animated films of legendary writer/director Hayao Miyazaki beloved. They include his penchant for narratives that focus more on relationships than conflict, complex three-dimensional female characters, and beautiful imagery. But if I had to pick one thing that made his films truly unique, it would have to be the… Read more »