Louise Brooks and Francis Lederer in Pandora’s Box Ever wonder how a deteriorating film can be given a second life? Ahead of our Silent Movie Day screening of the new 2K restoration of the 1929 masterpiece Pandora’s Box, learn more about this incredible film, its far-reaching cultural and cinematic impact, and the painstaking lengths it… Read more »
A Christmas Carol is an inherently moralistic tale, cautioning us to nurture social bonds and give generously of our time and money to help others. Richard Donner’s 1988 adaptation of this Dickens Christmas classic is no different. Scrooged embraces the “true meaning of Christmas” (as the Grinch might say) and guides its Scrooge protagonist, television… Read more »
When film reviewers wrote about The Descent (Neil Marshall, 2005) during its U.S. theatrical release in August 2006, many displayed an interesting contradiction. They often praised the film for departing from hypersexualized depictions of its women protagonists, but then used sexualized language in their reviews to describe the actors. In some instances, reviewers interpreted the… Read more »
In 1996’s Scream (Wes Craven), we learned the rules of the slasher genre. Depraved male killers stalk teenagers who get out of line. Only the virginal woman — the Final Girl — survives. All other sins will be punished, especially and particularly women who show their breasts and have sex. The term “Final Girl” originates… Read more »
One of the more memorable moments in F for Fake (Orson Welles, 1973) has seemingly little to do with the main plot about Elmyr de Hory and art forgeries. Toward the beginning of the film, Oja Kodar walks along the street in a mini-dress, and a slew of men ogle her as she passes. “Girl… Read more »
Much has been made of the fleshiness of Claire Denis’ 2001 horror film, Trouble Every Day. With its cannibalistic and erotic themes, the film almost demands a tactile analysis. But in my most recent viewing of Trouble Every Day, I was struck by its uncanny sound design. The sound does not call attention to itself… Read more »