Orson Welles needed money. That’s how this story begins. Back in 1946, Welles was putting the finishing touches on an ambitious stage production of Around the World in 80 Days—a musical!—and funds were running dry. So he called studio boss … Continue reading THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI
Newly restored and available on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection, 1934’s Imitation of Life opens with two single mothers: Beatrice (Claudette Colbert) and Delilah (Louise Beavers). Beatrice, white, is recently widowed and trying to keep her husband’s maple syrup company … Continue reading IMITATION OF LIFE
A mother is on trial for murdering her child. We know how, but not why. Nor does the mother. She does not deny the act but denies that she is the guilty party. The trial, she hopes, will explain things. … Continue reading SAINT OMER
If you’ve ever wondered about the connective tissue between James Joyce and Gillian Flynn—with a Donald Westlake stopover—reader, you are in luck. Continue reading PERPLEXING PLOTS: POPULAR STORYTELLING AND THE POETICS OF MURDER
Americans are fascinated with criminals. You know this because you watch movies and TV, listen to podcasts, read books and magazines, and encounter their stories everywhere. Sometimes they’re protagonists you root for. Sometimes they’re villains who are more entertaining than … Continue reading AMERICAN MURDERER
Somewhere in Turkey, a man and a woman obtain a foraged passport. The passport is for her, and once the man receives his, he will join her in Europe. Getting across the border is the tricky part. But they are … Continue reading NO BEARS (خرس نیست)
Damien Chazelle loves movies. He thinks you should too, which is probably why he includes a lengthy scene from one of the most recognizable movies ever made as the climax of his latest, Babylon. It’s a cheat, a cop, a sham, … Continue reading BABYLON
Everything was going so well for Jake Sully (Sam Worthington). He became a full-fledged Na’vi, the leader of the Omatikaya clan, married Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), fathered two boys (Jamie Flatters and Britain Dalton), a daughter (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), and adopted … Continue reading AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
The story of Pinocchio, first penned in 1883 by Italian writer Carlo Collodi, has long been a favorite of storytellers: A lonely man fashions a boy out of wood; the wooden boy becomes sentient; a cricket teaches the wooden child … Continue reading GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO
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