Category: Retrospect Reviews
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Retrospective: The Fellowship of the Ring 20th Anniversary
By Joan Amenn “A wizard is never late… nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.” -Gandalf the Grey The twentieth anniversary of “The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001) arrives this weekend, precisely on time for its fans to start their annual viewing marathon of the trilogy as a whole. Evaluated on […]
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The Big Sleep and the Femme Noir: #Noirvember Retrospective
By Joan Amenn Few actresses are indelibly linked to the genre of film noir as Lauren Bacall. Thanks in no small part to her falling in love with her co-star Humphrey Bogart while making her film debut in “To Have and Have Not” (1944) Bacall became the female counterpart to his noir “tough guy” image. […]
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“Fallen Angel”: #Noirvember Review
a noir classic, “Fallen Angel” is an interesting case study in how the gender roles of the 1940s have transformed into what we deem acceptable in today’s society. The film’s narrative is hardly spectacular, and is rather formulaic with a twist that you can see a mile off. However, what makes the film memorable is its performances, especially from Alice Faye who manages to bring some much needed humanity and depth to this pulpy B-movie noir.
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Retrospective: 20th Anniversary of Monsters, Inc.
By Joan Amenn Back when Pixar was still a relatively new up and coming animation studio, the plot of their fourth film being a “buddy movie” didn’t sound all that exciting. After all their first and third films had the same theme. But “Monsters Inc.” (2001) proved to be quite different from the rest and […]
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Retrospective: The Wolfman and the Invisible Man on the Big Screen
By Joan Amenn Universal Studios released a few of their most iconic horror films back into theaters this month and yesterday the double feature was “The Wolfman” (1941) and “The Invisible Man” (1933). These two films represent bookends of the genre, in a sense. One focuses on the theme of humanity delving into forbidden knowledge, […]
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Nosferatu: A Bold Vision of a Familiar Story
a story become too familiar? After almost a century of Dracula narratives, whether they are adapted directly from the Bram Stoker novel or not, the character and his arc feels as familiar as a family heirloom, passed down the generations. This is part of why F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu” is the adaptation of the story I come back to more often than any other- Murnau’s film feels like an oddity, like that weird uncle you don’t really want to talk about. And yet, it still has a place in the family, because the DNA remains constant.
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“Thelma & Louise” and the long road still ahead
By Valerie Kalfrin A Polaroid tends to fade over time. The one that Thelma and Louise took before their fateful road trip certainly didn’t survive, blown away in the wind. Yet that Polaroid selfie — indeed, their whole adventure — only grows richer and sharper after 30 years. It’s a snapshot in time that captures […]
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Mental Health Awareness Month Retrospective: Girl, Interrupted
Year: 1999 Runtime: 127 minutes Director: James Mangold Writers: Susanna Kaysen (book), James Mangold, Lisa Loomer, Anna Hamilton Phelan (screenplay) Actors: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy, Elisabeth Moss, Jared Leto, Jeffrey Tambor, Vanessa Redgrave, Whoopi Goldberg By Joan Amenn In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month and in light of Angelina Jolie […]
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Mental Health Awareness Month Retrospective: Now, Voyager
“Now Voyager” was ahead of its time in depicting those with mental health struggles as not deserving to be shoved away in an attic room and never spoken about in polite society.
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Pre-Code April: Baby Face
With it’s strong message of female empowerment and the power of seduction and exploitation, it’s hard to imagine that a film like “Baby Face” was actually released in 1933. This was long before Cardi B exploded on to the scene with her 2020 post me-too feminist anthem “WAP” , the song includes lyrics that state the following: “I don’t cook, I don’t clean. But let me tell you how I got this ring” and “Pay my tuition just to kiss me”. One can only imagine Lily Powers grinning to herself hearing this.) It’s interesting to deconstruct and analyse “Baby Face” in this day and age, when feminine sexuality is so mainstream. You only have to look at the rise in popularity of cam girls and OnlyFans to see how women have gone from being slaves to becoming masters.
In Their Own League 