In honor of the release of Mank, we look back at the director who’s continued to blend noir, thriller, black comedy, and mainstream appeal.
Category Archive: Features
Columns, thinkpieces, and opinions on every inch of pop culture.
John Patrick Shanley’s Catholic Church-set drama is mildly effective and well-acted but too tidy for its subject matter.
Kathryn Bigelow’s most recent film is a brutal, unblinking look at police brutality.
Nearly eight years later, Zero Dark Thirty continues to court controversy by stubbornly refusing to argue for or against the lengths America took to find Osama bin Laden.
Clea DuVall’s queer holiday rom-com makes the yuletide gay, but can’t escape the blind spots of its wealthy, white characters.
Kathryn Bigelow takes her innate sense of the mechanisms of masculinity into a sorely-overlooked Russian submarine drama.
Jennifer Leitzes’ only feature is an uneven genre piece with a good few moments, some thanks in part to Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar winning drama tossed aside the bombastic, jingoistic cliches of war pictures in favor of something more chilling.
Sean Penn and Elizabeth Hurley set sail in this testament to Kathyrn Bigelow’s trend for aquatic turmoil.
Adam Elliot’s claymation offering was Philip Seymour Hoffman’s only animated film, but it’s as thorough as his other efforts.
Swayze’s thrill-seeking bank-robber is a magnetic blast to hang out with. And he’s a blinkered, reckless fool who does a massive amount of harm.
Kathryn Bigelow’s hard-hitting cop thriller deconstructs the masculinity that often comes with police dramas.
Initially a box office flop, Kathryn Bigelow’s stylish horror-Western became an iconic cult classic.
Kathryn Bigelow’s directorial debut has its standout elements but is overall too detached for its own good.
Netflix’s Spanish-language miniseries traffics in gorgeous costumes and delectable intrigue, but does so at the expense of its queer characters.
As the year winds down, we celebrate the films of Hollywood’s most high-profile female filmmaker, from her novel genre beginnings to her prestige political present.
The sequel to 1992’s The Last Party sees Philip Seymour Hoffman reflects the polarized politics of 2020 through the 2000 race.
Pegged upon release as a retread of previous work, William Friedkin’s neo-noir is something altogether different.