An old-timer wanders into the saloon and starts asking for a drink. The patrons turn him down. He’s been here before, and they’re tired of his fumbling, bumbling presence. The young gunslinger at the bar orders a drink. “You already … Continue reading THE GUN HAWK
Of the many cruelties of our carceral system—and there are many—the stoppage of time seems especially callous. Think of your schedule so far today: the things you did, the places you went, the freedom to move between them. How much … Continue reading SING SING
In a remote mining colony, a girl and her brother try to find a way out. But the government that owns them continues to raise the price of their freedom. The future seems hopeless until a friend offers a suggestion: … Continue reading ALIEN: ROMULUS
This joy is immense. This hope is infinite. Yet … all is vain and ephemeral. Those words, spoken in whispered voiceover, express one of the closing thoughts of Cette maison, a movie bursting with ideas and insights. Written and directed … Continue reading Screened Reality: Previewing the 2024 Mimesis Documentary Festival
Marshal Tom O’Malley is the good guy—so much so it’s a wonder the bad guys don’t see him coming. While on his way to Gunsight, Arizona, O’Malley (George O’Brien) comes across the Raven (Edward Pawley), a bad man he once … Continue reading GUN LAW
Loving cinema is a one-way street. Oh, I love movies. Hell, I love certain movies more than some of the people in my life. But I realize that adoration isn’t reciprocated. I Know Where I’m Going! doesn’t give a damn … Continue reading MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER
It was the mirrors that caught my attention. I hadn’t seen Jeremy O. Harris’ groundbreaking Slave Play, but Charles McNulty’s review in the Los Angeles Times heralding the West Coast premiere made me very curious. A stage with mirrors behind … Continue reading SLAVE PLAY. NOT A MOVIE. A PLAY.
The first thing you see is a house inside a boxy frame with rounded edges, like a 16 mm home movie. It’s winter, Jan. 14 to be precise, and a young girl is turning 9 years old. She thinks she’s … Continue reading LONGLEGS
Of all Shakespeare’s plays, few hold fascination with artists and audiences quite like The Tragedie of Macbeth. Romeo and Juliet has the romance and Hamlet has the speech, but Macbeth—first published in 1623—is filled with control, corruption, and comeuppance. There’s … Continue reading MACBETH
Michael J. Cinema 
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