Following the long, hot summer of 1967, the U.S. Army built a series of mock towns called “Riotsville,” serving as training grounds for military and police on how to deal with civil unrest at home. The trainings went hand in … Continue reading RIOTSVILLE, USA
Before the Syrian Civil War in 2011, an estimated 2 million souls called Ghouta home. Less than 20% now reside in the suburb of Damascus. The rest either fled, were evacuated, or were killed. A few remained to help those … Continue reading THE CAVE
John Chester’s story starts in 2010 in a small apartment in Santa Monica, California. John is a cinematographer working for a variety of nature programs; wife, Molly, is a private chef and food blogger. When the two adopt Todd, a … Continue reading THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM
George Clooney’s 2019 adaptation for Hulu was faithful to Joseph Heller’s novel until it missed the mark. He condemned Yossarian to a Sisyphean hell rather than set him free and off into the world. Clooney’s deviation probably comes from a … Continue reading CATCH-22
For Nikola Tesla, it all started with a cat. Specifically, a black cat named Macak, a feline friend from Tesla’s boyhood. One day while stroking Macak’s back, Tesla managed to raise a series of static electric sparks from the cat’s … Continue reading TESLA
One of the more fascinating aspects of the movies is their ability to reach across time and space and continue cinematic conversations that started long ago. Take 1971’s The French Connection. Directed by one of the decade’s hottest directors, William Friedkin, The French … Continue reading THE [FRENCH] CONNECTION
As the Confucian proverb goes: “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” Unfortunately for Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively), she’s going to need more than two to get through this. Three years ago, her family was killed … Continue reading THE RHYTHM SECTION
If everything goes according to plan, the moving picture industry will convene on March 27 at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater to celebrate the best in the cinema for the 94th Academy Awards. Yes, it’s the time of the year when some … Continue reading The 94th Academy Award Nominations
On this week’s edition of After Image, I chat with Metro Arts’ producer Veronica Straight-Lingo about Deep Water, now playing on Hulu, The Last Waltz, which will be on 4KUHD/Blu-ray on March 29 from The Criterion Collection, and—if you click … Continue reading
Michael J. Cinema 
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