Looking Back
Aug 25th, 2020
The turn of the 21st century was ruled by a particular kind of comedic heroine. Blond hair, a bubbly personality, and an exposed midriff were...
Looking Back
Aug 24th, 2020
Nicolas Roeg’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel (released 30 years ago today) still plays like gangbusters, thought its subtext serves as a...
Looking Back
Aug 21st, 2020
Pump Up the Volume never capitulates. In its opening scene, a law-breaking teenage radio DJ who goes by the moniker Hard Harry ( known for excessive...
Looking Back
Aug 17th, 2020
Death be not proud, though some have called theeMighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe,For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,Die...
Looking Back
Aug 11th, 2020
It’s one of the most striking openings in cinema history: A burly, shirtless man in a black hood stokes a brazier, heating up a branding tool...
Looking Back
Aug 4th, 2020
Few films aimed at children have made the case for the value of every life as clearly as Babe did in 1995. Yes, that Babe—the film about the pig...
Looking Back
Jul 28th, 2020
Though box office bombs come and go, some live on in infamy. Kevin Reynolds’ post-apocalyptic action flick Waterworld holds the usual traits of...
Looking Back
Jul 21st, 2020
In the forty years since the release of Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill, the conversation has shifted from the controversy at the time over...
Looking Back
Jul 17th, 2020
It is strange to consider how often teen movies are about young women, and how frequently those stories are told by men. Look at the genre output...
Looking Back
Jul 14th, 2020
The 1980s, packed full of kid-driven adventure films, has just as many beautiful disasters as it does universally beloved hits. But to be included...
Looking Back
Jun 30th, 2020
Genre filmmaking is a precise art, and yes, that includes the much-maligned romantic comedy. A number of intangibles all have to click together to...
Looking Back
Jun 26th, 2020
Comedian Robert Klein sometimes does a bit about his role in Hooper, the stuntman movie that unsuccessfully sued The Stunt Man to be called The...
Looking Back
Jun 22nd, 2020
It is slightly cynical (but not necessarily inaccurate) to describe Disney’s business strategy for the last decade or so as built, almost...
Looking Back
Jun 19th, 2020
Scary stories are inherently political. How couldn’t they be? They tap into our greatest fears, and whatever those happen to be is a commentary on...
Looking Back
Jun 11th, 2020
It’s hard to believe now, but there was a time when comic book characters had little to no hope of success in Hollywood. Films adapted from comic...