A fuller accounting of the creative contributions of women to the film industry in its early decades is still fighting for a place in mainstream awareness. The documentary Be Natural is a valuable battering ram in that fight.
Film Review: At BUFF-o-WEEN — The “Blood & Flesh” of Al Adamson, King of the Shoestring Budget
“They were pieces of shit when we shot ‘em, but later on they became relics.”
Film Review: “The Complete Howard Hawks” — Making American Mythology
Director Howard Hawks’ signature statement was the depiction of the American (or mostly American) male group with a task to accomplish.
Film Review: “Her Smell” — Fiddling with Our Viscera
Her Smell is funny-terrifying, alluring-repulsive, moving-disturbing, era-capturing and timeless.
Film Review: “Damaged Lives” — Improbably Poetic
Even an imperfect work-for-hire like Damaged Lives can show the touch of an artist.
Film Review: At Harvard Film Archive –“The Complete Luchino Visconti”
Luchino Visconti made theatrically tinged movies driven by music, indebted to painting, sculpture, architecture, and literature—he accomplished, dare I say, a fusion of the arts.
Film Review: “Spettacolo” — A Tuscan Town “That Plays Itself”
The landscape and architecture are beautifully photographed, but more important are the array of faces and the music of the voices.
Film Review: “Tehran Taboo” — Mesmerizing Animation
Tehran Taboo –- which never would have been allowed to be filmed in its title city—is technically accomplished in its often gorgeous visuals and its textured sound design.
Film Review: “Safe in Hell” — A Fallen Woman Picture and a Sleazy Buddy Movie
Dorothy Mackaill is riveting as Gilda, a wronged working woman turned prostitute in the no-options depths of Depression-era New Orleans.
Film Review: “Finding Kukan” at the BAAFF — A Compelling Detective Story
Finding Kukan is a compelling detective story covering the fields of World War II history and film preservation.