looking back Archives — Page 55 of 86

08/26/202203/02/2024inLooking Backby Bill Bria5 min read

Classic Corner: The Last House on the Left

Wes Craven’s breakthrough film turns 50 this month, and it’s lost none of its considerable ability to shock.

08/24/202203/02/2024inLooking Back, Happy Birthdayby Julia Sirmons5 min read

Why Strictly Ballroom is Essential Baz Luhrmann

His debut feature, which hit Australian theaters 30 years ago, remains the skeleton key for everything that followed.

08/23/202203/02/2024inHappy Birthday, Looking Backby Ciara Moloney5 min read

Pieces Isn’t Exactly What You Think it Is

Juan Piquer Simón’s outrageous ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ riff hit theaters 40 years ago. Our look at what it’s really up to:

08/22/202203/02/2024inLooking Back, Happy Birthdayby Craig J. Clark5 min read

Take the Detour: Neil Young’s Human Highway at 40

At a crossroads in his career, Neil Young turned out a nuclear-charged fable about mankind’s last day on Earth. Four decades on, audiences are still scratching their heads.

08/19/202203/02/2024inLooking Backby Sean Burns4 min read

Classic Corner: Buck and the Preacher

Sidney Poitier’s buddy Western – shouted out in “Nope” – is a fascinating mixture of light humor and heavy themes.

08/17/202203/02/2024inLooking Backby Craig D. Lindsey6 min read

Harvey’s Hellhole: Walking and Talking

In light of the tragic passing of Anne Heche, we look back at her indie movie breakthrough – and how it was all but ignored by its distributor.

08/16/202203/02/2024inFilm Fests, Looking Backby Max Borg6 min read

The Other Side of Sirk

The Locarno Film Festival’s retrospective shone a new light on the works of melodrama maestro Douglas Sirk.

08/12/202203/02/2024inLooking Backby Will DiGravio6 min read

Critics like Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert did not appreciate what Mel Brooks was up to in his 1977 Hitchcock spoof. It’s now streaming on HBO Max, so let’s take another look at this under-appreciated gem.