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EssayFilm + TV
Folie à Woo: The Tumult and Power of Male Friendship in the Films of John Woo

With his American remake of his own 1989 action classic The Killer hitting streaming this weekend, we look back on the only theme more prominent than excessive bloodshed in the director’s dense filmography.

August 23, 2024
EssayFilm + TV
The Sordid Secrets of “Presumed Innocent”

The latest decades-old film to find new life as a prestige miniseries, Alan Pakula’s 1990 courtroom drama was a respectable story of murder and marriage unfairly dismissed by critics.

June 14, 2024
Film + TV
“Peeping Tom”: The Masterpiece That Killed Michael Powell’s Career

Newly restored by Criterion, the 1960 psychological thriller has taken on a life of its own after serving the role of Psycho’s black-sheep sibling upon its initial release.

May 29, 2024
Film + TV
Life After Cancellation: “Crime Story”

Michael Mann’s late-’80s spiritual sequel to Miami Vice laid the groundwork for modern TV’s series-long story arcs—and was taken off the air for it after two seasons.

May 22, 2024
EssayFilm + TV
The Many Mad, Violent Men of William Friedkin

With the late New Hollywood provocateur’s films populating the Criterion Channel’s April lineup, we investigate the inexhaustible theme that ties The Exorcist and Sorcerer to Cruising and Jade.

April 04, 2024
EssayFilm + TV
Cops and Kids: The Charm of “Kindergarten Cop”

Inexplicably and wonderfully re-released in 4K by Kino Lorber, the 1990 family comedy (and dramatic role change for its star) is endlessly charming entertainment.

January 31, 2024
Film + TV
Jodie Foster Is Brilliant in the Chilly and Chilling “True Detective: Night Country”

Far from a return to form, the HBO series’ fourth season still lives up to the expectations set by its inexplicable first.

January 18, 2024
EssayFilm + TV
The Deceptive Introspection of David Fincher’s “The Killer”

Under the guise of disposable Netflix entertainment, the director’s latest film takes the trashy plot aspect of his career and slits it belly-open to show us what’s inside.

November 17, 2023
EssayFilm + TV
Mommie Dearest: On the Mother/Daughter Relationship at the Heart of “Carrie”

The tragic undertones of Brian De Palma’s 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s debut horror novel are anchored by a staggering performance by the late Piper Laurie.

October 30, 2023
EssayFilm + TV
“The X-Files” at 30

With FOX’s cult-classic sci-fi series debuting three decades ago this weekend, we look back at how its tension and technique felt ahead of its time for a mainstream TV audience.

September 11, 2023
EssayFilm + TV
“The Fugitive” at 30

As moviegoers today are smothered with an endless torrent of computer-spawned apocalyptic action, something this intimately human is a breath of fresh air.

August 04, 2023
EssayFilm + TV
Tom Cruise Is Our Great Physical Performer

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One reminds us which movie stars Cruise feels most descendent from: Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Jackie Chan.

July 14, 2023
EssayFilm + TV
Mother! Oh God, Mother! “Psycho II” at 40

More scandalous than a flushing toilet, Richard Franklin’s intelligently written 1983 sequel to the Hitchcock horror classic never succumbs to the clichés its forebear established.

June 01, 2023
EssayFilm + TV
The Tragedy of “Barry”

Eulogizing Bill Hader’s black comedy series, one of the most achingly human shows of the post-Sopranos era.

May 31, 2023
Film + TV
“Evil Dead Rise” Has No Soul to Swallow

Despite the occasional flash of creativity, the latest installment in the Evil Dead franchise is a drab and self-serious outlier within Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell’s eccentric series.

April 24, 2023
Film + TV
Unsettled Souls and Compelling Authenticity: Remembering Tom Sizemore

The character actor with memorable roles in Saving Private Ryan, Natural Born Killers, and Heat passed away last week at 61.

March 09, 2023
EssayFilm + TV
“The Whale” Takes a Shallow Approach to Melville

Darren Aronofsky’s often-unpleasant adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s play is buoyed only by a beautifully empathetic performance by Brendan Fraser.

December 15, 2022
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