Essays and reflections on movies, their impact and influence, and the people who created them.
In the 1970s, she was one of the dominant, and most provocative, Italian filmmakers. From behind her trademark white-framed glasses, Lina Wertmüller saw the world a little differently, and the audiences responded. Her films were staples in U.S. art-house theaters, … Continue reading Women Make Film: Lina Wertmüller
Taken as a whole, 2017 at the movies has left me somewhat dismayed. This is at least partly due, I think, to the overlong award season. With each passing year, this toxic notion of competition clouds the waters and does … Continue reading 2017: The Best So Far…
A long time ago—May 25, 1977, to be precise—in a Hollywood far, far away, Star Wars took cinematic hearts and minds by storm. Later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars was a ragtag space opera about a young farmer and two mercenaries trying … Continue reading Star Wars at 40: A Space Opera in Eight Films, Five Directors, and Two Studios
Another summer is upon us, and that means it’s time for another season of silent film at Chautauqua. For those unfamiliar with the silent era, a quick primer: Movies didn’t always talk. True, we now call them silent movies, but … Continue reading Send in the Clowns: Chautauqua Silent Film Series (2017)
The colors belong to the French flag, the corresponding ideas of the Republic: blue, white, and red—liberty, equality, and fraternity. For France, these colors, these ideas, are political. They guide the nation the way Jefferson’s decree, “We hold these truths … Continue reading THREE COLORS
When the French writers for Cahiers du cinema coined the term “auteur” in the late ’50s, they envisioned an author of motion pictures—a director who exerted their will, their psychology, over every aspect of the films they made. These directors, almost all … Continue reading A True Auteur: Robert Bresson
It’s Oscar season at the movies, and that means celebrating the cinematic high-water marks that 2016 brought. And with 62 nominated films to choose from, there is ample opportunity to discover something new for everyone. More often than not, the … Continue reading Salute Your Shorts: 2017 Oscar Nominated Short Films
What can one possibly say that might even begin to distill and codify 2016? From an endless string of celebrity deaths that prompted an entire year of retrospectives and tributes, to almost daily mass shootings, to a presidential election that … Continue reading 2016 in…
Are we looking at our food wrong? In 2010, Lady Gaga attended the MTV Video Music Awards clad in a dress made of raw flank steak. Designed by Franc Fernandez and styled by Nicola Formichetti, the Gaga meat dress accomplished … Continue reading What We See When We See Food
Michael J. Cinema 
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