Second Name

Mar 18, 2025 — In what he described as his “first serious drama,” Charlie Chaplin channeled the influence of modernist literature, foreign cinema, and his European travels into a work of striking formal sophistication.

Feb 19, 2025 — Gus Van Sant’s lyrical exploration of addiction and faith—adapted from an autobiographical novel by James Fogle—influenced cinematic drug depictions throughout the nineties and helped to initiate a wave of American independent filmmaking.

Feb 14, 2025 — On our minds this week: Chantal Akerman, Ang Lee, and Akira Kurosawa.

Jan 14, 2025 — In this digressive, intensely interior masterpiece, Jean Eustache mines the dramas of his past romances while also capturing the disillusionment of young Parisians in the aftermath of May 1968.

Dec 17, 2024 — Sundance, Rotterdam, and Berlin roll out more lineups for what promises to be a season of uncertainty.

Nov 19, 2024 — William Wyler’s adaptation of the Broadway musical celebrates the indomitability of vaudeville legend Fanny Brice, embodied by Barbra Streisand in an incandescent and remarkably vulnerable performance.

Nov 12, 2024 — Innovative metafictions and fresh readings of classic novels arrive along with books on Robert Kramer, Terrence Malick, and Nora Ephron.

Nov 5, 2024 — As a composer, arranger, producer, and perhaps above all, connector, Jones was one of the most vital artists of the past seventy years.

Oct 8, 2024 — Telling a love story in three parts spanning more than twenty years, Jia offers a summing up before he turns a new page.

Sep 16, 2024 — Ready or not, the win for Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation kicks off this year’s awards season.