The films of Federico Fellini are gateways into the more impenetrable corners of European cinema. And La Strada, his fourth feature film, was the first to set him on the path from Italian neorealism to his own personal style—one that can … Continue reading LA STRADA
Rosa Dolores Alverío was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico. The town was noteworthy because it had the hospital. Now, it’s noteworthy for being the birthplace of Rita Moreno—the stage name Alverío acquired from her stepfather and the studio heads at … Continue reading RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT
There’s an old story (probably embellished, possibly apocryphal) from Blackboard Jungle’s opening weekend. Not many people remember that 1955 teen drama starring Sidney Poitier and Glenn Ford, but everyone knows the song that made it famous: Bill Hayley & His Comets’ … Continue reading THE SPARKS BROTHERS
Luca is a lot like other boys. He doesn’t care much for his chores, his parents are a bore, and most of his days are spent dreaming of a magical place where life is beautiful and everything is sweet. He … Continue reading LUCA
For centuries, New York City has welcomed immigrants from every nation, matching each wave of newcomers with an enclave of their own. True, there’s a lot to who lives where and why, but at least there’s a place, no matter … Continue reading IN THE HEIGHTS
Undine—the latest from German filmmaker Christian Petzold—is a curious little mystery about one woman, two men, and a whole lot of water. Derived from the Latin word for wave, unda, Undine is a water nymph in European mythology, which ought … Continue reading UNDINE
It was the 1960s, and revolution was in the air. For French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, cinema was the way to express ideas artistic, political, and otherwise. He opened the decade with Breathless, a free-flowing anarchic take on cinematic language that was … Continue reading MASCULIN FÉMININ
An elderly man in an all-white suit sits in an all-white room. He is broken, beaten, and bloody. What happened to him, we know not. We don’t even know his name. Nor do we know the name of the second … Continue reading THE AMUSEMENT PARK
First things first: No harm comes to the dogs (it’s hard to harm a digital dog). True, there’s one outfit that appears to be fashioned out of Dalmatian hide, but it’s a ruse. Come to think of it, the very … Continue reading CRUELLA
Michael J. Cinema 
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