The Road to Ruin is a practically unknown film begging for discovery, and to be championed as a startling example of pre-Code cinema. And as a keystone for creating a directorial reputation for “Mrs. Wallace Reid.”
Film Commentary: Provincetown Film Festival — A Very Good Year
John Waters and I were in sync with our favorite in this year’s festival.
Book Review: “Shooting Midnight Cowboy” — A Very Good Read
What motivated me to read this book? Not for a special love of Midnight Cowboy, a movie which I like but isn’t ultimately important to me. It was to learn about James Leo Herlihy, who has interested me since I was an adolescent.
Film Review: “A Reckoning in Boston” — Muckraking and Heartbreaking
A Reckoning in Boston demonstrates that fifty years after the bussing-era failures to improve the lives of Black people, there is, in James Rutenbeck’s telling words, “No justice, no truth, no reconciliation.”
Arts Remembrance: “Why Not Say What Happened” — Morris Dickstein’s Memoir About Living a Life of the Mind
RIP Morris Dickstein, among the last of the generation of the New York School of Jewish intellectuals, scholar/critics of massive knowledge and intellect who came from humble backgrounds.
Film Review: “The Inheritance” — Brilliant and Necessary
In its celebration of current-day Black culture, and of the vitality of Black youth, The Inheritance is an optimistic work.
Book Review: “This Is Not My Memoir” — André Gregory’s Rich, Plentiful, and Complicated Life
I have only one criticism of André Gregory’s fabulously entertaining book: I wish it was twice as long, or even three times its 208 pages.
Book Review: “Second Time Around: From Art House to DVD”
The book’s conceit is that D.A. Miller watches films he’s seen earlier in life with enhanced perception because of the possibilities offered him through the DVD lens.
Film Commentary: What If a Man Insinuates That a Woman Is NOT Attractive? And in Print?
Variety is wrong and cowardly to give in to Cary Mulligan’s misguided, damaging accusations.
Film Review: Movies to Watch While Sheltering in Place, Impeachment Trial Edition — Stir-Crazy 15
As we wait for our vaccine shots, here’s some superior films that will make standing by more pleasurable.