Made in 1925, Charlie Chaplin’s greatest comedy is also his most recognizable. From the Little Tramp (Chaplin) woefully underdressed in the Klondike to hunger so intense he envisions his cabin-mate as a large roast chicken. But it’s the dance of … Continue reading THE GOLD RUSH
There’s plenty of cultural baggage in Roy Andersson’s About Endlessness, the latest from the Swedish filmmaker, not to mention stasis. Andersson is the king of static shot tableau filmmaking, and About Endlessness comprises 32 immobile shots, most of them non sequiturs of varying … Continue reading ABOUT ENDLESSNESS
Mamma Roma has paid her dues and done her time. For nearly 30 years, she walked the sweaty streets of Rome, turning tricks and handing out favors. And with her pimp (Franco Citti) married and moved to the country, Mamma … Continue reading MAMMA ROMA
If Jean-Luc Godard was correct when he surmised, “The history of cinema is the story of men filming women,” then the French auteur Olivier Assayas’s latest, Clouds of Sils Maria, adds the crucial word missing from that epigraph: young. The cinema is … Continue reading CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA
Somewhere in a remote part of Japan, a film crew is shooting a low-budget zombie movie in an abandoned World War II facility. The two leads are teen heartthrobs, and the director is of the megalomaniac variety. He can’t get … Continue reading ONE CUT OF THE DEAD
Possession revolves around a lost child, a miscarriage in the Berlin subway with Anna (Isabelle Adjani), giving one of the most bonkers performances in all of cinema. Her husband, Mark (Sam Neill), is a spy, and while he’s been away, … Continue reading POSSESSION
Set across three time periods in Cuba—1895, 1932, 196..—Lucía is the story of three different women, all named Lucía, all in love, and all involved in the revolution. In 1895, Lucía (Raquel Revuelta) is an aging spinster in love with a … Continue reading LUCÍA
Kino Cult is the latest addition to the streaming wars. The only difference: This one is free. Drawing on Kino Lorber’s deep catalogue, Kino Cult is a completely free service dedicated to midnight movies of every strip. Among the many … Continue reading A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT
Chaplin was the tramp, Lloyd was the go-getter, and Buster Keaton—Born Oct. 4, 1895—was the Great Stone Face. He was unflappable, no matter how hard he got hit or how hard he fell. The General is his best, maybe the greatest American … Continue reading THE GENERAL
Michael J. Cinema 
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