The legacy of Orson Welles looms large in the history of cinema. So large, even Welles himself fell into its blackness. “The word genius was whispered into my ear—the first thing I heard—while I was still mewling in my crib,” … Continue reading A Matter of Persistence: Orson Welles
I always thought I wanted to be a film critic. Then I ran into a whole series of problems in my life, which could not be addressed by non-fiction. … I had to give life to these demons before these … Continue reading On Familiar Ground: Paul Schrader and the Death Impulse
We stand together and reinforce the extraordinary value of this art form. And by ‘we,’ I mean all of us who love cinema and who learn about it as we watch and re-watch these precious films. —Martin Scorsese On April … Continue reading A Community in the Dark: Dispatches from the TCM Classic Film Festival
My whole life has been movies and religion. That’s it. Nothing else. —Martin Scorsese It all goes back to Mean Streets: “You don’t make up for your sins in church, you do it in the streets. You do it at home. … Continue reading SILENCE
Movies aren’t reality. They’re visual expressions of an emotional experience. The best filmmakers have known this all along, but it’s worth bringing up, as many seem to forget this crucial caveat. For too many, movies must present, literally, the source … Continue reading BLACK NARCISSUS
By its very nature, cinema is a collaborative art. As Orson Welles said, “A writer needs a pen, an artist needs a brush, but a filmmaker needs an army.” To whom then does a movie belong? In his 1954 essay, … Continue reading HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT
For most, Taxi Driver is summed up by one of the most famous lines in cinema: “You talking to me?” Conveying masculinity and bravado, it readies angry men for battle. But it is misleading. It is an act, a façade. The truth … Continue reading TAXI DRIVER
Each film is interlocked with so many other films. You can’t get away. Whatever you do now that you think is new was already done in 1913. When I first went to L.A. in 1970, there was a little bit … Continue reading Born On This Day — November 17, 1942
Summer is over, school is back in session, and that can only mean one thing: the glorious return of the University of Colorado Boulder’s own International Film Series (IFS). Now in his 17th season as IFS Director, Pablo Kjølseth is … Continue reading A Feast for the Eyes: Previewing the Fall 2014 International Film Series
Michael J. Cinema 
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