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Film Review: Innocence
Lucile Hadžihalilović’s 2004 film, Innocence, is an ethereal masterpiece – relying on atmosphere, mood, and ambiguity to tell the story of a girl’s boarding school, where the new students arrive in coffins and there isn’t one male in sight. It is a walled community in the midst of a beautiful and mysterious forest. The girls […]
Film Review: Scott Barley’s ‘Sleep Has Her House’
“The shadows of screams climb beyond the hills. It has happened before. But this will be the last time. The last few sense it, withdrawing deep into the forest. They cry out into the black, as the shadows pass away, into the ground.” Scott Barley’s Sleep Has Her House is the finest work of audio-visual […]
PRIDE MONTH: To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Shout Factory has recently released four titles in recognition of Pride Month, the first one being Beeban Kedron’s cult classic, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. To Wong Foo was released on the heels of the success of Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1995. Drag queens had become somewhat popular in the mainstream, due […]
Film Review: L’Ange
Patrick Bokonowski’s 1982 experimental feature, L’Ange (The Angel), has been released by Re:Voir as part of a beautiful Blu-ray/DVD combo package. L’Ange is so many things that they can’t all possibly be listed here, but it is mainly a study on the mundanity of life, of routine, and the unexplained ethereal forces that break through […]
Blu-ray Review: Equus
Sidney Lumet’s Equus hit theaters in 1977. I think it’s safe to assume that audiences weren’t quite prepared for what they witnessed. This is not easy material to digest. Some will love it, and others will loathe it. However, those who find themselves on its wavelength will never forget it. For me, personally, it stands […]
Flicker Alley Releases ‘Der Hund Von Baskerville’
It was thought lost for quite some time, but the good folks at Flicker Alley have restored and released Richard Oswald’s 1929 silent film adaptation of the classic Sherlock Holmes mystery. Rich in atmosphere, with beautiful performances from Carlyle Blackwell, Sr and George Serov as Sherlock Holmes and Watson, this is an absolute treasure. The […]
Reflections on ‘In the Realm of the Senses’
Nothing about In the Realm of the Senses is simulated. Absolutely nothing. Not the sex. Not the emotions on display. It’s all there, unadulterated, raw, and visceral. For years, I avoided this film like the plague. Last year, I finally took a chance on it. I’m glad that I did. Yes, there are one or two […]
