Repertory Pick: Powell and Pressburger in Wisconsin

This week, The University of Wisconsin–Madison Cinematheque will present a special screening of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s dazzling 1951 film The Tales of Hoffmann, adapted from French composer Jacques Offenbach’s 1881 opera of the . . . Read More ...

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15 Good Movies to Watch on Netflix in April 2016

Warner Bros. April showers got you down? No need to get pouty. Netflix exists, it’s full of movies, we’ve got a list of good ones that have recently been added, and May flowers are just around the corner. Hang in there. We’re going to get through this. As always,...

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How Everybody Wants Some!! Connects to Dazed and Confused

What is a “spiritual sequel”? Basically, it’s any work that seems connected enough to another but isn’t directly linked by characters or any sort of narrative acknowledgment. However, the rules are pretty loose depending on where you look. TV Tropes claims Richard...

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Junkfood Cinema Podcast: Goonies vs. Monster Squad

It’s time to settle an age-old dispute, to put an end to the squabbling and declare a winner in the ultimate clash of geek titans…no, we’re not talking about bloated blockbusters pitting dreary cape against dour haircut. This week, Cargill and I are heading back...

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The Americans: Everything Is Horrible And We’re All Doomed

Welcome to Last Night on TV, our ongoing series that looks back at what happened on television the night before. If we’re going to stay up all night and watch TV, we might as well talk about it the next day. We’re only three episodes into season four...

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Working with Vittorio De Sica

Since its initial release more than half a century ago, Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves has been lauded as one of cinema’s greatest achievements. Loosely adapted from a novel by Luigi Bartolini, the film centers on a father’s quest—with his . . . Read More ...

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Cannes 2016. The Poster for Critics' Week

Cannes' Critics' Week (La Semaine de la Critique) has revealed its 2016 poster, featuring an image of Jessica Chastain in Jeff Nichols' Take Shelter, which premiered in this section in 2011. (Nichols' next film is rumored to be playing in competition in Cannes'...

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The Forgotten: E.A. Dupont's "Atlantic" (1929)

Joop van den Berg's 1929 poster for Atlantic E.A. Dupont achieved early fame for Varieté (1925), a grimly saucy slice of Weimar doom and spiciness, and followed it up with prestigious British productions Moulin Rouge (1928) and Piccadilly (1929), the latter starring...

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Watch This: Proof of Concept for Sci-Fi 'Rise' Starring Anton Yelchin

"You lost the war before it was even declared, Colonel." This is awesome. While this is a fantastic 5-minute sci-fi short film, it's also an impressive proof-of-concept created by filmmaker David Karlak called Rise made to get his project into development. David...

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First 'War Dogs Trailer Has Jonah Hill and Miles Teller Running Guns

Formerly known as Arms and the Dudes, the first trailer for the dark comedy War Dogs has just arrived. The Hangover franchise director Todd Phillips is at the helm of the film which sees two twentysomething men (Jonah Hill and Miles Teller) getting caught up...

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6 Filmmaking Tips From Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols may not be a high profile filmmaker. He didn’t immediately go from indie breakout to tentpole director (though he was in talks to direct Aquaman at one point). Instead, by staying small he’s been able to maintain control. All the way from inception...

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Leon Russell Performs in A Poem Is a Naked Person

More than forty years after legendary documentarian Les Blank began filming singer-songwriter Leon Russell, the brilliant work that emerged from his observations, A Poem Is a Naked Person, is finally available on Blu-ray and DVD. This . . . Read More ...

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First 'Ben-Hur' Trailer: Chariot Racing Is the Only Way to Get Revenge

It's time for another epic where a slave has to take down the Roman empire a notch by getting revenge on someone who betrayed them. Ben-Hur is a new adaptation of the classic novel by Lew Wallace about two brothers who take their rivalry into the arena of chariot-racing....

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'Alice Through the Looking Glass' Trailer: It's a Race Against Time

Let me just say that I was not a fan of Tim Burton's rehash of Alice in Wonderland in 2010. It felt like more of the same gothic circus junk that Burton has pushed before, but without any of the originality that made some of his earlier work great. However, the...

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