The 1980s were a strange time for American filmmaking. There were some excellent films produced during that decade (however, considering the two best American films of that era were made by foreigners, it is quite an anomaly). Quite significantly, some filmmakers that had previously made towering masterpieces in the 1960s and 1970s started to become…

Life is a precious thing – regardless of what you believe, I think we can all appreciate the fact that life is something to be cherished – but there is something else that governs life in many instances that is often extremely important, as well as extremely divisive: the right to choose. This is the…

There was something about Rainer Werner Fassbinder that made him so exceptionally special. Perhaps it was his career of directing nearly four dozen films in a span of just over a decade, making him one of the most prolific auteurs of his generation, distinctive not only for his vast body of work but also the…

What a terrific film Lucrecia Martel has made with Zama. A powerful historical drama that transports the audience into the past, with the director’s meticulous style and dedication to her narrative providing a substantially fascinating journey to a period that has been somewhat under-represented in contemporary literature. I have mentioned it before, but I find…

I’d like to begin this review in a way that seems entirely implausible and perhaps a bit silly: I want to formally apologize to Glenn Close. I have never appreciated her fully, and have consistently failed to recognize her extraordinary talents. Perhaps it was her career constantly being given the scraps of her contemporaries (or…

Before he made arguably one of the greatest films of the 21st century, the social epic Yi Yi, Edward Yang was a hardworking auteur intent on demonstrating the beauty of his home of Taiwan. His films have risen to the point of being cinematic hallmarks, and definitive moments in Asian filmmaking. I recently, based on…

Nobody writes tortured protagonists quite like Paul Schrader. He has worked in constructing some of the most complex characters ever depicted on screen, such as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, Jake La Motta in Raging Bull, Julian Kaye in American Gigolo and Jesus Christ in The Last Temptation of Christ. Schrader is a magnificent writer…

This is quite a noteworthy review, not because of the content necessarily, but rather because of the fact that this is my 600th review, which is a revelation I am still astonished by. I normally celebrate these milestones by reviewing something special to me, possibly a favorite film or a film by a director I…

Representing life as it is could be seen as a challenge for many artists, but someone who has the insatiable capacity to understand humanity and convey his unique grasp of the human spirit is Hirokazu Kore-eda, a filmmaker I have praised on other occasions as being one of the finest filmmakers of his generation, and…

I appreciate fearlessness in the arts. I genuinely admire those who can take daring, bold moves in creating something uncomfortable, polarizing but ultimately important, as it takes a lot of courage to make something that doesn’t always fit what is normally presented as great, popular art. Two artists I have been appreciating today are filmmaker…