The American Astronaut
August 20, 2005
The American Astronaut (2001) is the missing link between Guy Maddin and the early films of David Lynch. Cory McAbee’s movie is shot in glorious black and white film stock with unabashedly lo-tech special effects that reside at the opposite end of the...
M
July 22, 2005
Based on a series of gruesome murder cases that occurred in Berlin, Germany, M (1931) is one of the earliest serial killer movies. A city is terrorized by a man (Lorre) who kills children. The latest victim is a little girl named Elsie (Landgut). Director...
Metropolis
July 6, 2005
It’s not that often that the words ‘masterpiece’ or ‘work of art’ are used in reference to film, but you’d be hard pressed to find any writings on Fritz Lang’s Metropolis that does not. Eureka are releasing a...
Millennium Mambo
June 24, 2005
Millennium Mambo (2001) is a stylish look at the life of a young woman named Vicky (Qi). The captivating establishing shot is of her walking through a covered walkway with fluorescent lights captured in slow motion like in a dream. She looks back at the...
Wild at Heart: Special Edition
June 20, 2005
By 1990, David Lynch was at the peak of his popularity and enjoying the most productive period of his career. His television show, Twin Peaks, had captivated American audiences and he was directing a number of commercials and performance art pieces (Industrial...
I Vitelloni
December 11, 2004
I Vitelloni (1953) is the story of five friends growing up in a small, seaside town in Italy. Director Federico Fellini introduces them via a voiceover narration and a fluid tracking shot that Martin Scorsese would later employ for similar effect in both...
Mamma Roma
December 1, 2004
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s short career was marked with controversy and notoriety. He made films that satirized and critiqued the political and religious conventions of Italy. Mamma Roma (1962) was Pasolini’s second film and his take on the Italian neorealist...
The Dreamers
September 10, 2004
The Dreamers (2003) is Bernardo Bertolucci’s unapologetic love letter to being young and to the cinema. The movie yearns for a simpler time when it was exciting to be young and full of energy and idealism during a turbulent period in history. The characters...
Smiles of a Summer Night
May 25, 2004
Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman is primarily known for making arty, philosophical movies like The Seventh Seal (1958) or character-driven melodramas like Scenes from a Marriage (1973). This makes Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) something of a curious...
Port of Shadows (Le Quai des Brumes)
May 20, 2004
“Oh, society is what it is, a bit sinister, a bit seamy, but I’ve heard there are beautiful things in it too.” This line is spoken by an artist early on in Port of Shadows (1938) and perfectly describes the world of this movie. Based on Pierre Mac...
