looking back Archives — Page 23 of 86

11/08/202411/07/2024inClassic Corner, Looking Backby Sean Burns4 min read

Classic Corner: A Real Young Girl

Catherine Breillat’s debut feature (now streaming in a Criterion Channel retrospective) is not your typical “summer that changed my life” story.

11/07/202411/06/2024inLooking Backby Kayleigh Donaldson5 min read

Andrea Arnold Brought Earthy Realism to the Gothic Melodrama of Wuthering Heights

With ‘Wuthering Heights,’ Andrea Arnold brought a literary classic into the realm of grim realism and earthy sensuality.

11/06/202411/05/2024inHappy Birthday, Looking Backby Audrey Fox4 min read

The Dark Origins of A Nightmare on Elm Street

Thanks to the inspiration Wes Craven drew from lived experiences, ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ (which turns 40 this week) maintains a tenuous but powerful connection to the real world, making it all the more chilling.

11/05/202411/04/2024inHappy Birthday, Looking Backby Josh Spiegel6 min read

The Contrasting Visions (and Methodologies) of The Incredibles and Toy Story 2

One, released 20 years ago, captured a singular, distinctive voice. The other, released 25 years ago, was the very definition of a group effort. Yet each are among Pixar’s finest and most beloved works.

11/01/202410/31/2024inClassic Corner, Looking Backby Jason Bailey5 min read

Classic Corner: People on Sunday

This 1930 fusion of documentary and drama captures both a country and an art form on the verge of tremendous change.

10/30/202410/29/2024inHappy Birthday, Looking Backby Daniel Carlson6 min read

Saw Is Bad — and That’s Great

‘Saw’ (released 20 years ago this week) launched a franchise, a genre, and several careers. It’s also endearingly bad.

10/28/202410/27/2024inLooking Backby Steve Erickson5 min read

The Real Life Horrors of Abel Ferrara’s The Blackout

Abel Ferrara’s 1997 thriller may seem like an unconventional watch for Halloween week, but hear us out.

10/25/202410/27/2024inHappy Birthday, Looking Backby Craig J. Clark5 min read

The Appearance of Godzilla: 70 and Still Stunning

With Toho’s Godzilla turning 70, here’s a look at how it became the giant, radioactive monster that could.

10/25/202410/24/2024inClassic Corner, Looking Backby Sara Batkie6 min read

Classic Corner: Eyes Without a Face

Masks are always a popular part of spooky season. But as this French cult classic demonstrates, sometimes it’s not a villain they conceal but a victim.

10/23/202410/21/2024inLooking Backby Kayleigh Donaldson5 min read

In The Addiction, Blood is the Drug

Abel Ferrara brought the vampire story into the urban grit of New York malaise in this low-budget 1995 thriller.

10/21/202410/20/2024inLooking Backby Rob Nixon5 min read

White Material: The Nightmare of Western Colonialism

Claire Denis’s 2009 political drama plays, in many ways, like an especially visceral horror movie.

10/21/202410/20/2024inLooking Backby Craig D. Lindsey7 min read

Harvey’s Hellhole: Weinstein Gone Wilde

This month marks Oscar Wilde’s 170th birthday (and next month marks the 124th anniversary of his death) so let’s go back to that brief time when Miramax was in the Oscar Wilde-adapting business.