The Brazilwood Man

Jan 17, 2014 — The bravura centerpiece of Jules Dassin’s model heist thriller, Rififi, is the elaborately staged burglary itself—a nearly half-hour sequence without dialogue. With surgical precision, the film’s career criminals go about their business in silence—a brilliant directorial choice that leaves us...

Jan 10, 2014 — It’s impossible to watch the unforgettable climax of Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood and not wonder, How’d they do that? Spoilers ahead: In the scene, Toshiro Mifune’s ruthless warrior, modeled on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, finally gets his comeuppance in the form...

Dec 12, 2013 — Repertory PicksElia Kazan’s On the Waterfront is the kind of movie one might call the whole package: gripping storytelling, evocative cinematography that captures a sense of time and place, a sensational score, and, of course, amazing performances, topped by an...

Dec 5, 2013 — Repertory PicksThe series Chris Marker: Guillaume-en-Égypte, currently running at the Harvard Film Archive in Cambridge, is a wide-ranging survey of the career of the brilliant cine-essayist and multimedia artist, who died last year at age ninety-one. Among the most politically...

Nov 29, 2013 — Did You See This?• Living Criterion covers • A lengthy detour with Edgar Ulmer • Re-creating Babette’s feast • Eleven great (mini) performances • A gateway cinema survey • Steve James to honor Roger Ebert on film • Mike Leigh...

Nov 15, 2013 — Of the many qualities that distinguish Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha, one that immediately stands out is the glistening black-and-white cinematography. By choosing to shoot in monochrome, Baumbach, with the help of director of photography Sam Levy, makes New York City—and...

Nov 12, 2013 — Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig create a luminous, romantic portrait of a young woman looking for fulfillment in New York City.

Nov 8, 2013 — Did You See This?• Time out with Richard Linklater in a new video essay. • J. Hoberman on high art • Sketching Persona • Alain Delon and Robert Evans, men about town • Jan N?mec talks movies and music. •...

Nov 1, 2013 — Did You See This?• A trailer for The Great Beauty • The late Lou Reed’s new film • Why Halloween is the best movie holiday • When Halloween costumes were really scary • Body horror by Brakhage • Arcade Fire...

Oct 25, 2013 — "I“m not acting,” stage star Myrtle Gordon (Gena Rowlands) tells her bemused director after a violent episode with her ghostly muse in Opening Night. That’s a loaded claim to be making in a movie that so conclusively smudges the line...