The Swissmakers

Apr 2, 2017 — What defines noir acting? In her latest Dark Passages column, Imogen Sara Smith examines the stylistic variety in some of the genre’s most iconic male performances, including Burt Lancaster in The Killers and Ralph Meeker in Kiss Me Deadly.

Mar 22, 2017 — A tragedian at heart, Shirley Stoler found her Medea in the role of a glowering bandit on the run in Leonard Kastle’s seedy true-crime drama.

Nov 14, 2016 — Aaron Brookner’s critically acclaimed new documentary Uncle Howard, which features previously unseen footage from Howard Brookner’s 1983 Burroughs: The Movie, opens theatrically at New York’s IFC Center.

Nov 4, 2016 — For our edition of the six-part chanbara epic Lone Wolf and Cub, we spoke with the author of the wildly popular manga series on which the films are based.

Oct 26, 2016 — When putting together the Criterion editions of Guillermo del Toro’s films, we assembled a talented group of artists, including Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, del Toro collaborator Guy Davis, comic book creator Becky Cloonan, and Russian artist Vania Zouravliov.

Oct 24, 2016 — Almodóvar reflects on the director of The Executioner, his status as one of the titans of Spanish cinema, and his undeserved obscurity abroad.

Oct 19, 2016 — In a conversation with German children’s author Cornelia Funke, the Mexican director discusses his fascination with myths and fairy tales.

Oct 13, 2016 — Jean Renoir’s captivating coming-of-age tale The River, playing at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, centers on the relationship between three teenage girls growing up in Bengal, India.

Oct 6, 2016 — As part of a celebration of Kirk Douglas’s centennial, the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Cinematheque is screening Ace in the Hole, Billy Wilder’s biting 1951 exposé of the American media.

Sep 16, 2016 — Critic Phillip Lopate explores the duality of the director’s approach to his female protagonists and asks whether his films are proto- or antifeminist.