March is Women’s History Month, and there is no better time to watch some outstanding films made by women directors. Directors like Agnès Varda, Julie Dash, or Chantal Ackerman might not be household names, but they have made an indelible imprint on hundreds of films and filmmakers that came after them. From the feminist psychedelia of Daises to the anti-colonialist, coming-of-age drama Chocolat, these are eleven films directed by women internationally you might not have heard of but would not want to miss.
Read moreSplit Screen Cinema
Over many years of studying film, I have collected over 500 instances of visual influences, homages, and rip-offs in movies and art, and I will continually update them here.
Read moreRevisiting “Harold and Maude”
Rather than a simple black comedy, Harold and Maude is arguably one of the best satires to come out of the New Hollywood genre. Ashby’s direction, Colin Higgins’s narrative, and Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon’s acting “weave a gentle spell,” as film critic Matt Zoller Seitz put it, by providing the audience with “a romance, a tragedy, a satire, a paean to eccentricity, a philosophical statement, and a ‘trip’ film whose music montages seem to roll in like waves.” It is in that spirit that Harold and Maude deserves to be revisited, not just as a quirky, low-budget Hollywood offshoot, but as a serious work of cinema.
Read moreBest Films of the 2000s (So Far)
Here is a list of my favorite films from 2000 to 2020. A caveat: I am behind on catching some key films from the last decade, so I may add films to this list over time. There are some blockbuster films that are not on this list, and even some films I like that did not make it in the final tally. These are just my own personal favorites.
Read more4 (More) Socialist Movies to Watch During Quarantine
Since millions of workers around the world are currently under quarantine, now is the perfect time for socialists to catch up on the classics of leftwing cinema. Here are four films for the lockdown that focus on themes of antifascism, labor, capitalism, and imperialism.
Read more