Guest post by Galina Olmsted. A story of sex, power, and deception set in the 1780s, Dangerous Liaisons is fixed in our collective memories as an escapist period film, brought to life through its lush production design and costuming. Adapted from the 1782 epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos, the plot follows the salacious schemes… Read more »
Bite-Sized Blogs
How I stopped worrying about film critics and learned to love genre
Saw (James Wan, 2004) grossed over $100 million at the box office, though it cost just slightly over $1 million to make. As of this writing in October 2021, on Rotten Tomatoes it has an 84% favorable rating from audiences, but only 51% Tomatometer rating from critics (decidedly not fresh). Desson Thomson of The Washington… Read more »
What We Do in the Shadows and the Art of Cinematic Comedy
There are a lot of things I love about What We Do in the Shadows. I adore the great comedic performances, its hilarious subversion of the vampire subgenre, and its subtle worldbuilding. But more than anything, what I really admire about What We Do in the Shadows is how co-directors Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi… Read more »
Three Reasons to See The Mummy (1999)
For many years, I was terrified of The Mummy. After seeing bits and pieces of it at my aunt and uncle’s house as a little girl, I was… well, traumatized. So much so that I couldn’t even bear to watch the film in its entirety until last year at the age of 26. Not only… Read more »
Indiana University Cinema: The New Model: A Maddening But Remarkable Journey
When I first discovered IU Cinema eight years ago, I was ecstatic that such a place existed. When I was hired to work here four years later, I couldn’t believe my luck (I still can’t!). When I was told two years ago that we would be releasing a book about the Cinema, I was… Read more »
The Importance of Perspective in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) and Cruella (2021)
If I had to describe Cruella (2021) in one word, it would be unexpected. Everything about it — from its sympathetic portrayal of one of Disney’s most iconic villains to its 1970s London setting — feels like a curveball. But what most surprised me about this film wasn’t its third act plot twist or its… Read more »