Unmistakably Ulmer: The Pirates of Capri
Louis Hayward in tights! Edgar Ulmer’s reputation rests largely on a series of no-budget, claustrophobic noirs and thrillers like Strange Illusion, Bluebeard, and of course Detour. But this director was[…]
Category: Historical & Epic
A Brief Historical Tour of the Hong Kong Martial Arts Film
This article appeared originally in the all-Hong Kong issue of Bright Lights #13 (1994). Based on research by Sek Kei. Edited, with additional material, by Rolanda Chu and Grant Foerster[…]
Asian · Historical & Epic · Reviews
Beautiful Beast: Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
A 19-year-old newcomer and a middle-aged veteran steal the show from two legends of Hong Kong cinema Director Ang Lee would not be an obvious first choice to direct a[…]
“No Man Is a Saint”: Douglas Sirk’s A Scandal in Paris (1946)
“What distinguishes A Scandal in Paris is its additional air of evanescence, as if the Old Europe of charming woodland merry-go-rounds and dowagers in castles and romantic criminals was now a[…]
Historical & Epic · Reviews · SF & Fantasy · Writers & Critics
Robinson Crusoe and the Ethnic Sidekick
Who knew that Crusoe and Friday would be resurrected daily for service to western culture’s nefarious needs? While we are waiting for Dreamworks’ The Legend of Bagger Vance (starring Matt[…]
African American · Historical & Epic · Reviews
Afro Promo: Jenni Olsen’s Survey of Black Cinema Trailers 1946-1976 on DVD
“America consistently countered the growing concepts of black pride and power with a virtual army of self-sacrificing mammy figures (both male and female), pimps, whores, ‘great black hopes,’ and the[…]
Actors & Personalities · Asian · Historical & Epic · Reviews
“Richer Films . . .” Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954)
This epic set in the 16th century deals with war, honor, courage, and yes, that homo subtext ever present in male bonding movies – punctuated by Toshiro Mifune’s bold butt-baring[…]
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